McGuinness took many secrets with him to the grave

The attendance of Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster at the unveiling of Martin McGuinness’s portrait causes my blood to curl, and is beyond belief.

Michelle O’Neill calls him “an ordinary man”. I call him a terrorist. He transformed society but by bloodshed.

She says she remembers Martin with a broken heart, one that is bursting with pride. What about the broken hearts of families whose loved ones were cruelly murdered by the IRA that Martin McGuinness supported?

She says that Martin urged people to chose hope over fear. Who was it created the fear in the first instance? The IRA.

The terrorist organisation that Martin supported.

Michelle asked four questions: How do we create the conditions where all of OUR PEOPLE, mark (not the people), chose hope over fear?

How do we achieve reconciliation together?

How do we build bridges between our communities together?

How do we govern on the basis of equal partnership together?

She says that WE need to turn a corner. Sinn Fein would need to turn many corners that are not marked out with red lines.

She says that when people ask what is Martin’s legacy she will tell them: leadership, integrity, generosity, and his choosing hope over fear.

That’s some legacy for a terrorist who brought down Stormont and created hardship to the people of Northern Ireland. Martin took many secrets to his grave preventing innocent victims from closure on the death of their loved one.

William Brown, Magherafelt