"What my job is, is to get on with getting the process of democratic politics, back on the road, entrenching the peace settlement, and I ask you to judge me on my record"
About this Quote
Peter Hain defines his role not as a crusade for headlines but as the practical work of restoring and consolidating democratic politics after conflict. The cadence of the sentence, with its repeated "get on with", carries a distinctly British impatience for posturing, stressing diligence over drama. "Back on the road" evokes a stalled journey in Northern Ireland, where devolved institutions had repeatedly broken down after the Good Friday Agreement. By promising to "entrench" the peace settlement, he points to the hard, unglamorous labor of turning a historic accord into everyday habits, laws, and institutions that can withstand crises.
As Northern Ireland Secretary in the mid-2000s, Hain operated at a hinge moment. The IRA had declared an end to armed campaign and decommissioned weapons, yet mistrust, disputes over policing and justice, and the suspension of Stormont left politics fragile. Hain pushed for a return to power-sharing, using deadlines, negotiations, and pressure to bring the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein into a workable arrangement. The St Andrews Agreement of 2006 and the restoration of the Executive in 2007 were milestones in that effort. The phrase "judge me on my record" signals accountability amid fierce criticism from all sides: republicans suspicious of British motives, unionists wary of concessions, and civic groups angered by direct-rule decisions. He makes performance, not rhetoric, the standard.
There is also a deeper claim about democratic politics in post-conflict societies. Peace is not a single event but a process that must be institutionalized through power-sharing, policing reform, and the normalization of everyday governance. Hain recasts leadership as stewardship: keeping the process moving, cajoling adversaries toward compromise, and bedding in rules so they outlast personalities. The emphasis on record invites a sober test: have institutions been restored, has violence receded, and can politics function without the shadow of guns?
As Northern Ireland Secretary in the mid-2000s, Hain operated at a hinge moment. The IRA had declared an end to armed campaign and decommissioned weapons, yet mistrust, disputes over policing and justice, and the suspension of Stormont left politics fragile. Hain pushed for a return to power-sharing, using deadlines, negotiations, and pressure to bring the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein into a workable arrangement. The St Andrews Agreement of 2006 and the restoration of the Executive in 2007 were milestones in that effort. The phrase "judge me on my record" signals accountability amid fierce criticism from all sides: republicans suspicious of British motives, unionists wary of concessions, and civic groups angered by direct-rule decisions. He makes performance, not rhetoric, the standard.
There is also a deeper claim about democratic politics in post-conflict societies. Peace is not a single event but a process that must be institutionalized through power-sharing, policing reform, and the normalization of everyday governance. Hain recasts leadership as stewardship: keeping the process moving, cajoling adversaries toward compromise, and bedding in rules so they outlast personalities. The emphasis on record invites a sober test: have institutions been restored, has violence receded, and can politics function without the shadow of guns?
Quote Details
| Topic | Peace |
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