Lisa Nandy's dangerous parallel is a sad sign: The Good Friday Agreement is no model for Ukraine

Ministers should stop using Northern Ireland's flawed peace deal as a template for international diplomacy

This morning, Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said on Times Radio that the government believed that “by having a cool head, just as we did with the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland,” they could help prevent Russian aggression.

Is that the same Belfast Agreement that destroyed moderate politics in Northern Ireland?

Is that the Belfast Agreement that widened the sectarian divide since it was signed?

Is that the same Belfast Agreement that rewarded 30 years of murder with political power that has driven endless legal actions against soldiers and police who saved lives?

I’d ask those who say, “at least no one is dying” and the Agreement was the price of peace, if that were true, what was 30 years of fighting and dying about?

If the Belfast Agreement was so good, why not have Tony Blair come down from the heights and negotiate the peace in Ukraine?