Don’t let Brexit undermine Ireland’s peace | Hillary Clinton | Opinion
‘The principles of the Belfast agreement are more important than ever.’ Stormont. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images
Hillary Clinton
Twenty years ago, the Good Friday/Belfast agreement helped bring an end to decades of conflict and violence in Northern Ireland. It was a watershed moment – the result of diplomatic efforts within the halls of government and extraordinary actions of ordinary women and men who reached across longstanding and bitter divides.
Today, the agreement stands not only as a local framework for shared understanding, but as a shining example of what’s possible when citizens come together to demand peace, and preserve it across generations. As the world celebrates this significant anniversary, we must also remain vigilant in protecting the agreement in the face of our current challenges – from the uncertainties heralded by Brexit to the hurdles posed by the impasse in devolved government in Northern Ireland – and do all we can to deliver on the unrealised aspirations of human rights and equality that were espoused that day in April 1998.
Even now, I can picture clearly my husband’s first trip to Northern Ireland as president. On a cold winter night in 1995, Bill and I joined thousands of people at Belfast city hall for the lighting of the Christmas tree. As Catholics and Protestants alike came to that spot from their deeply divided neighbourhoods, there was no guarantee that violence wouldn’t break out; yet they came with a sense of hope, after so many seasons of darkness.
Hillary Clinton may not be in The West Wing, but she’s definitely got an honorary lifetime Wing membership, and the latter has free Glossier products. Last night, at the Soho location of The Wing — the luxe, millennial-pink-tinted club for women — co-founder Audrey Gelman and Call Your Girlfriend host Aminatou Sow interviewed the former presidential candidate and “newest member of our coven,” in front of an audience of 400 cheering, kvelling, sometimes teary-eyed Wing women.
“What do you consider to be your legacy?” asked Gelman, wearing an elegant cropped gray pantsuit. “And before you answer, I just want to say, this is part of your legacy.” The audience broke out into exhilarated claps and whoops. “I think that literally every woman in this room who does any small act of courage during the day, like asks for a raise, or demands to live her life on her own terms, is part of your legacy, and I know we all thank you for that. I’m curious for your answer.”
“I don’t want to mess that up!” Clinton replied. “That was pretty great.”
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