The Way We Are

No, I've not been listening to trashy 70's musical tracks. Did any of you catch the first episode of Gerry Anderson's new 4-part radio programme on Radio Ulster on Saturday? I missed it, and I wish I hadn't. (Unfortunately it's not available on the web either).

 

In it, apparently, Gerry has taken 10 ordinary people from different backgrounds in Northern Ireland / Ulster / The Occupied Six Counties and asked them to select their national identity (British / Irish / Northern Irish). No surprises so far. Except: inspired by the Desmond Tutu "Facing the Truth" TV programme and the extent to which people can move towards each other when they talk (something Gerry says there's too little of), the people are encouraged to talk to each other about the more uncomfortable aspects of their personal identity and - here's the thing - choose their identity again at the end of proceedings.

 

And that's why I'm sick as a parrot at missing this radio show. Because Gerry says there was a stunning shift. I can hazard a confident guess at what the shift may have been, but I'd love to hear from you if you heard the show. (For the record, I bet both British and Irish camps converged to a notable degree on 'Northern Irish'). You tell me if I'm right.

 

If you didn't hear the show, however, have a read of this great 'pre show' article by Gerry in the Belfast Telegraph. It's a cracker.