Politicians were right to squirm in shame at lyra mckee's funeral | thearticle

A week ago, I woke to the terrible news that journalist Lyra McKee had been killed while observing rioting in Derry. A vast number of tributes have rightly been paid to Lyra by her many

friends and family members. They all commented on her kindness and generosity. I experienced this to a small extent myself. We messaged on Twitter periodically and so, stuck on a story that

I was investigating recently, I turned to Lyra for help. Of course, I got fulsome, brilliant, advice back. We’d always planned to meet for a drink when Lyra came to London too. We were both

busy and so it never happened. No matter, there was always next time. Except now there wasn’t. Despite her cruelly truncated life, Lyra left behind a wonderful collection of writing. It

includes a poignant letter she wrote to her 14-year-old self, struggling with her sexuality, aged 24. “Keep hanging on, kid. It’s worth it,” she assured her teenage version, a decade on. And

hanging on _was_ worth it for Lyra. In a short space of time she did lasting and worthwhile reporting, telling untold stories from her beloved homeland. She fell in love. A friend revealed

at her funeral that, shortly before her death, Lyra had told him she planned to propose to her girlfriend next month. Her death was a visceral, shocking, reminder of the fragility of human

life. One moment Lyra had been tweeting about attending Slimming World, the next about watching riots unfold. Shortly after that a bullet ended her life, aged just 29. But her death also

showed the fragility of peace in Northern Ireland. A peace that for two long has either been ignored or used as a party-political plaything. Lyra spent her all-too-short career working to

highlight how the trauma of sectarianism and the Troubles remained acutely felt in Northern Ireland, even among the younger generation born after the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Her

journalism promoted honest discussion, communal understanding and unity. At her funeral on Wednesday there were many gut-wrenching moments. Perhaps the most powerful came courtesy of Fr

Martin Magill, who lambasted the politicians in attendance. “Why in God’s name does it take the death of a 29-year-old woman with her whole life in front of her to get to this point?” he

demanded to know. Why indeed? In the pews, DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein Chairwoman Mary Lou McDonald squirmed. Foster could barely bring herself to stand and applaud the Priest’s

comments when everyone else there did. And they should be squirming. As should Theresa May, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, Jeremy Corbyn and Leo Varadkar, all of whom were there.

There is a long precedent of standalone tragic incidents being a catalyst for political change.We have already seen Lyra’s death stir the political class into long overdue action. They are

attempting to resurrect the Northern Ireland Assembly which has not sat for over two years. Let us hope their renewed focus is maintained. The fact that the Northern Irish parties signed a

joint statement condemning Lyra’s death is also a positive, and not to be sniffed at. Words, though, are relatively cheap. The people of Northern Ireland need and deserve real action. I do

not want to make this a discussion about Brexit. It is not the time for it. Suffice to say that politicians, diplomats and community leaders must now all come together to make sure Northern

Ireland never slips back into the darkness of its past. It has come too far for that to be allowed. But ultimately Fr Magill is right. The politicians from Britain and the Republic of

Ireland who sat so solemnly at Lyra’s funeral should be ashamed that it took her murder for them to take tackling the tensions in Northern Ireland seriously. Surely, they must have known

they were there, just under the surface? And we in mainland Britain must take a good look at ourselves too. We need to question why we did not demand more for neighbours. In the Evening

Standing this week, former Labour adviser turned comedian and commentator, Ayesha Hazarika, asked: “How can it be that we fawn over American politics yet we seem to know, or care, so little

about a wonderful, brave, proud place so close to us and which is meant to be a part of us?” There is no good answer to that question. The way Northern Ireland is only ever considered as an

afterthought is contemptible. We all need to do better. The legacy of the horrendous events that took place on the Creggan Estate 10 days ago must be an end to the six-counties being ignored

by our major political parties. It must be a prosperous future for all communities there. It must be a long-lasting peace. That, and only that, is the tribute that Lyra McKee deserves.