By Joan McKiernan
I watched the conclusion of Lyra McKee’s funeral on Facebook’s live feed and was struck by the hypocrisy of the politicians as they lined the steps of the cathedral to pose for the mob of TV crews. They applauded as Lyra’s coffin, bedecked with flowers in rainbow colors, a symbol of her life as a gay activist, was driven off to its final destination.
I read that Lyra intended to propose to her partner. But here’s the thing. If they were to be married where would the ceremony have happened? Not at home in the North because the same politicians who saluted her cortege had forbidden that. They flocked to a cathedral in Belfast to salute her coffin but would have denied her the chance to marry in the same place.
Those ‘great and good’ also preside over the only place in those islands where women must travel to England to get an abortion. And how many of the editors who waxed angrily about her violent death will now admit they refused to give space to her stories about the Rape Crisis Center being starved of cash. And presiding over this hypocrisy at Belfast cathedral was Theresa May, prime minister of the UK.
May is head of a government, supported at Westminster by the DUP and in the North by Sinn Fein, which has imposed horrific austerity, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity in working class areas. One such area, hard hit by May’s policies was the Creggan, where Lyra was killed.
The Broken Elbow 
Hi Joan
good post. re the DUP. on Slugger O’T there was a blog on NI and abortion etc etc. I wrote
“The DUP and the Pornography of Power.
The Pornography element of Power is a very fundamental and important thing to understand.
It is an exercise in sheer cruelty. Historically and currently common amongst despots and dictators.
The DUP appears to not even need an excuse to wield power. They don’t say “We are doing this for your own good. ” They offer no excuses.
The scandals. The self-regard and its first cousin, self-pity. What they really are saying, if not verbalizing is this:-
“We are in power because we like it. We’re in power because we enjoy punishing people. We’re in power because we enjoy owning people; telling them what to do, telling them when and how and why and with whom to have sex. We do this for its own sake”
You have seen the smugness.?
The derisive and dismissive laughter?
They enjoy Power. They get off on the Pornography of Power”
Retirement is GR8
Ron
Well said. The hypocricy stinks to high heaven. We know what to expect on issues of women’s rights from the troglodyte bigots in the DUP but have you noticed SF have removed any mention of abortion in their manifesto. Musn’t risk losing the “Catholic vote.” The “North is next” how are ye?