Orange and Green

I was listening to someone yesterday talking about the situation in Northern Ireland and he said something that is so blindingly true, but had never struck me before.

What he said was that, in Northern Ireland, the political discourse is not between left and right, or red and blue, as it is elsewhere in the UK, and indeed most of the world, but solely between Orange and Green - Unionism and Republicanism. That's its tragedy. Everyday politics of big government vs small government or low tax vs public spending, simply doesn't enter into the equation. It's all about identity and nuance is the price paid.