Two fake vintage shopfronts in Ballyclare town centre: one showing a “village blacksmith” pausing for a moment, the other a cobbler behind the counter.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01820 X01819 farm tools and cart repairs horse and pony shoe and boot repair
Extramural Activity 
Very sad state of affairs indeed. If you travel up the Newtonards Road there are loads of these on the opposite side to the Loyalist murals (Freedom Corner). Apparently they were put up so that when Clinton came and the motorcade sped down that road Belfast wouldn’t look like it was half derelict…which of course is the reality in parts of East Belfast. The fact that there are no local shops in that area, and a general economic malaise – a dying heritage and cultural tradition (aspired to in those above) is the real problem that needs addressing here. Of course that would be too difficult for Belfast’s politicians to approach, to actually stop bickering for a second, and formulate a coherent economic policy (other than tourism – which is not an economy). But no! Cover up the urban decay with fake shopfronts or worse still, twee, faux-cultural artefacts (murals) depicting fictitious forms of ‘Irishness’ or ‘Britishness’ (whatever those terms mean) and keep the population happy. Utter nonsense.
And this brings me to the point that no-one wants to hear on the Republican side. As the South is bankrupt, and as Belfast (NI) has no industry to speak of ,together with massive unemployment, social deprivation, suicide, alcoholism, and depression, how could there ever be a devolved UK and the North assimilated into the 32? There simply couldn’t. No NHS in the South for starters. So if the Brits pulled the plug, the NHS would be gone, all the NGOs/NPOs/Quangos/Charities who earn a crust dealing in ‘post-conflict’ ‘healing’ ‘remembering’ ‘trauma’ ‘ex-combatants’ ‘ex-families of combatants’ ‘ex-prisoners’ would loose lottery funding overnight and the South simply couldn’t carry that economic burden. As they say, be careful for what you wish for, as you might just get it!