The poisoning of the biggest lake in Britain and Ireland is bad enough, but it has become a symbol of wider dysfunction in Northern Ireland. The Stormont executive and assembly have been mothballed for 20 months, leaving a discredited civil service and unpopular secretary of state, Chris Heaton-Harris, to run the region on a form of autopilot. Hospital waiting lists are the worst in the UK and schools, roads and housing are decaying, with worse feared given what has been termed a "punishment" budget. The police service is in crisis.
"There's an end-of-days feel to Northern Ireland," Sam McBride, the Northern Ireland editor of the Belfast Telegraph, wrote in a recent column. "A sort of half-hearted anarchy pervades. There are still laws, police and regulatory bodies. The streets aren't filled with looters. But so much of what an advanced democratic society takes for granted is crumbling."
Bu hikaye The Guardian Weekly dergisinin October 20, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian Weekly dergisinin October 20, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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