Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Opinion

Joe Biden spoke in Belfast about 25 years of peace. Here's why it matters

When President Biden came to Belfast to commemorate 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, his message was a reminder to keep looking forward

Joe Biden makes a speech

President Biden marks the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Belfast on April 12. Image: Ulster University/UPI/Shutterstock

Clearly there is one universal talking point. If you thought it was the weather or the health service
or even the diminishing size of Mars bars, think again. It’s potholes. The great modern curse. They are everywhere. Literally. 

To support this thesis, I give you The Terminator. Last week an online video appeared showing Arnold Schwarzenegger taking matters into his own hands. Cars and bikes on the street where he lived were suffering terrible damage, he said, when they came a cropper in a giant gash in the road. So, as local authorities were not dealing with this, he and some friends decided to get some asphalt and repair the thing themselves. Imagine driving down the street and seeing that happening. Next week, pollarding with Sylvester Stallone. Then a move to guttering and other small maintenance projects with Jason Statham. Far be it from me to judge Arnie’s endeavours, but I don’t think he compressed enough. A bit of weather and a few wheels and he’ll be back. That’s potholes for you! 

The Arnie moment popped up just before President Biden delivered his speech at the Ulster University campus in Belfast. It was a very telling moment, and oddly emotional – Biden, I mean.  

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Marking 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, here was the most powerful democratically elected person in the world showing up to try and shore things up. He had to walk a very thin line between calling out the DUP for blocking a return to Stormont while also not alienating the parties keen to return by showing too much passiveness towards the DUP.

As it was, he scored it right. He made it clear there was a lot of inward investment if Belfast’s devolved Assembly got back on the rails. He also allowed enough space for both sides to find a comfortable place to sit. And while you might wonder why this brief speech that walked a line was important, it’s because of this – while the situation in Northern Ireland remains a challenge, it’s not as bad as it used to be. Nothing is that bad.  

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Last week, during the Good Friday Agreement commemorations I saw many people I knew a long time ago commenting on 25 years of peace. There was no sliver of cynicism in anything they said. And all of them had the same teak-like hardness back then towards things that we grew up in. Instead, they had simple, resonant explanations of why this was an incredible moment.  

Biden’s speech matters because it was an informed and careful attempt to stop slideback, and that has implications for those who live there now, those of us who don’t and the wider world. I can understand why people beyond Ireland are sick of hearing about intractable politicians and toxic sectarian extremes. Why can’t they sort it out!  

Because obviously things aren’t as straightforward as fixing a hole, sadly. All of us who were born into the Troubles and came of age as they continued unabated were damaged and carry some baggage. It can’t just be shaken off like a wet coat. Northern Ireland feels like a political science lecture at present, one that is shared around the world, to show that change can come, agreements can be signed, futures can be altered. But it’s not finite. It’s an evolving process that needs work and frequent attention.  

As the dust settles on the Good Friday Agreement commemorations, and Joe Biden packs up his favourite Heaney collections and returns to the White House, life will go on in its bruised and unsettled way in Northern Ireland. It’s imperative that things don’t go backwards. That shock would have ramifications way beyond Belfast Lough. 

Maybe then the call will go out to Arnie. 

Paul McNamee is editor of the Big IssueRead more of his columns here. Follow him on Twitter

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this topic? We want to hear from you. And we want to share your views with more people. Get in touch and tell us more.

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income.

To support our work buy a copy! If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

READER-SUPPORTED SINCE 1991

Reader-supported journalism that doesn’t just report problems, it helps solve them.

Recommended for you

View all
Mounjaro for all! Will Wes Streeting's plan for weight loss jabs on the NHS really work?
Paul McNamee

Mounjaro for all! Will Wes Streeting's plan for weight loss jabs on the NHS really work?

Is going to university really worth it?
Dr Craig Henry Jones

Is going to university really worth it?

Supermarket dominance is disastrous for food prices, public health and the planet
supermarket aisle
Carina Millstone

Supermarket dominance is disastrous for food prices, public health and the planet

Universal credit is back in the dock – this time at the United Nations
Delegates from around the world at the United Nations.
Rick Burgess and Alex Firth

Universal credit is back in the dock – this time at the United Nations