BERLIN

“WHILE BELFAST CITY Hall and the German Parliament have much in common, physically, the latter’s period as a focus for intolerant extremism only lasted a few years before it was destroyed by victims seeking vengeance at the end of WW2, while the former’s place at the centre of a viciously bigoted, oppressive discriminatory system lasted for decades. So Mrs Humphreys should have been careful about tarnishing the German building with the legacy of Belfast’s administrative hub.”

So says Sean Bo MacMurrough-Furey, historian, author of How Can You Be Born On And Live on The Island Of Ireland And Not Be Irish? a seminal work on the mindset of Ulster Unionists, commenting on a mistake by Irish Presidential candidate Heather Humphreys, in placing a photograph of the German Reichstag building – now the Bundestag – on her campaign site, in place of Belfast City Hall.

“Seriously, this could cause a sharp diplomatic rift with Germany and possibly action in defamation. The Bundestag has been thoroughly cleansed of its historic links with blind intolerance, while Belfast City Hall is still enduring opposition to public signs in the Irish language. In a city where a majority of the population identify as Irish. On the island of Ireland.”