I’m fresh ( OK, I’m never too fresh in the morning but comparatively fresh) off the air from this morning’s Nolan Show. The subject of discussion was Jim McVeigh’s suggestion that the Easter Lily be made available for sale at reception in Belfast City Hall and that City Hall staff be permitted to wear it. Since the poppy is made available in these ways, he believes the Easter Lily should likewise be available.
My discussion partner was Chris McGimpsey, a man I’ve always liked and respected. He argued that the Easter Lily was a celebration of the actions of the IRA during the Troubles. Unfortunately he referred to it early in the discussion as ‘the Easter Rising Lily’ which kinda gave the game away. The Easter Lily honours all those, at least as far back as 1916, who gave their lives for Irish freedom.
The callers who argued that the Easter Lily honoured the IRA during the Troubles seemed to find it difficult to accept that it includes all republicans – including the Easter Proclamation signatories – who gave their lives in the fight for Irish freedom. It is true that the IRA perpetrated some ghastly atrocities during the Troubles; but for the most part those at least occurred in Ireland or in Britain, the home of their adversary.
The poppy honours those members of the British armed forces who gave their lives in all fields of combat, at least since 1914. That would include Burma, Malaya, Kenya and various lethal events here in Ireland down the centuries. Try as I might, I could find no one to concede that in honouring all actions of the British armed forces, a great number of atrocities by the British armed forces were included. The great majority of these occurred in countries other than Britain – in the far-flung corners of the Empire as well as on the neighbouring island called Ireland.
I don’t think Jim McVeigh is suggesting that wearing the Easter Lily should be made compulsory for Belfast City Hall staff (you can decide for yourself whether wearing of the poppy is compulsory for BBC TV staff). He’s merely arguing that if the poppy, embraced by most unionist but rejected by most nationalists, can be put on sale and worn by City Hall staff, the same should be applicable to the Easter Lily.
For this, some callers accused him of ‘stirring the pot’. Actually what he’s doing is asking for a balance of emblems in a divided society. The fact that unionism responds to such calls for balance with cries of “Pot-stirrer!” says much about its commitment to mutual respect and parity of esteem.
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