Overcoming adversity

Or to keep on keeping on...

This tree was badly damaged during the storms we had last winter - it was basically reduced to just a stump.  And yet here it is growing again, in a new direction.

So why does this hit a chord with me now in a way it never did before?  It might have something to do with the fact I'm officially closer to 35 than to 29 now, and squarely in my thirties. Or it could be to do with the treatment and healing process I've undergone during the past 2 years.  Either way I feel a lot more rooted, that I've found the life for me, than I ever have before. 

I still expect change, hopefully for the better, but this will take place within the framework of my marriage, my family, and my hard work.  These will continue to develop and change will come through that process.   I have dreams and goals as I did in my twenties. The difference between then and now is that my dreams and goals (and expectations) are contained within the framework I've mentioned above.  I no longer feel any pressure to achieve really high goals, like being on a company board, owning a big house, or going on expensive holidays every year.  So what if I grow in a sideways fashion rather than straight up? What's important is that I haven't given up and decided to stay exactly as I am, and that both Caro Mio and I keep on learning and looking to improve how we can during the years ahead.

Political Parties in Ireland

I often feel that politics in Ireland today is still tied too much to the past, and to the fight for independence and the set up of the state.

This has been highlighted again for me with what happened this week: Gerry Adams' arrest as part of the investigation into Jean McConville's murder and disappearance, and the reaction of his Sinn Fein party colleagues. 


Sinn Fein is always going to be linked to the nationalist cause, and it's recent attempts in the Republic at least to reinvent itself as a left-wing party smack to me of too much populism.  Too many parties don't seem to have a definitive stance on what they want society to be like, and just adopt policies which are likely to get them elected.  If Sinn Fein were really a left-wing party, they would support the water charges and the property tax instead of campaigning against them.  These are progressive taxes which will hit high value and bigger property owners more than the average householder.  Those who don't own property will not be affected by these.  Instead Sinn Fein has the repeal of both these as one of their main campaign points. 
The comments made by Sinn Fein members this week that the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated smack to me of hypocrisy and point marking.  If anyone who had thought of changing their vote to Sinn Fein was revising their decision after the arrest, this debate would have made up their mind.  A response such as - we fully support the PSNI in their investigation, we trust that they are not attempting to get involved in politics and we know that they will shortly release our party leader, who is innocent - would have raised the party in my estimation in oh so many ways.  Unfortunately they had to pander to their nationalist base, and return to separatist pre-peace process rhetoric.