"When the problems in Northern Ireland started, it was not a question of Protestantism or Catholicism, because the Catholic church was the only church at that time-it was a nationalist conflict"
- Harri Holkeri
About this Quote
This quote by Harri Holkeri is referring to the conflict in Northern Ireland that started in the late 1960s. Holkeri is highlighting that the dispute was not based on spiritual differences in between Protestants and Catholics, as the Catholic Church was the only church in Northern Ireland at the time. Rather, the conflict was a nationalist one, with the 2 sides divided by their political beliefs and aspirations. Holkeri is suggesting that the conflict was not a spiritual one, but rather a political one, with the 2 sides divided by their views on the future of Northern Ireland. This quote highlights the intricacy of the dispute in Northern Ireland, and how it was not just a spiritual issue, but a lot more intricate political one.
"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour?"