Consider for a moment if, 20 years ago, somebody had predicted that when the time came for Martin McGuinness to retire from public life, the most glowing tribute from outside Sinn Fein would come from the son of Ian Paisley.
The unthinkable, the unimaginable became a reality yesterday. Ian Paisley Jr’s offer of “humble and honest” thanks to Mr McGuinness for his role — along with his own father — in building peace and stability in Northern Ireland was as warm and generous as it was surprising.
It is doubtful that there has ever been an interview with one of the central political figures in the North that better captures the progress made since the dark days of the Troubles.
Mr Paisley Jr spoke of the “remarkable journey that Martin McGuinness went on”, saying that it “not only saved lives, but has also made the lives of countless people better in Northern Ireland because of the partnership government that we worked in and put together”.
“I think it’s incredibly important to say that, and it’s important that I say it.”
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The remarks have been interpreted by some as a coded challenge to the DUP leader, Arlene Foster. And no doubt, Mr Paisley Jr has learnt a political trick or two from his father over the years. Nonetheless the tribute — and his declaration that it was time to move on from the mindset that a unionist would have to qualify any tribute to a republican figurehead — reflects well on him. It also, of course, reflects well on Mr McGuinness.
There is always a danger of hagiography when such an important figure exits public life, particularly one who has been as engaging and as warm as the outgoing deputy first minister. We should be particularly wary of falling into that trap in the case of Mr McGuinness. Any assessment of his life has to also include his time as an IRA commander during the Troubles. There is no denying that the Provisional IRA committed dreadful atrocities during that time. As a key figure in the republican movement Mr McGuinness cannot avoid scrutiny for those awful events.
Equally, it would be churlish not to acknowledge the significant role he played in then bringing peace to the North. His hard-man reputation in republican circles was undoubtedly key in allowing him and Gerry Adams to bring the IRA slowly with them along that road. It was a long and hard road, with progress often torturously slow, but they persevered. For that he does deserve praise.
After the Good Friday agreement, Mr McGuinness emerged as the main nationalist politician north of the border and he adopted that mantle with considerable good grace and humility, along with a genuine spirit of rapprochement towards his former adversaries.
His close working relationship with the first minister at the time stunned all observers. If the relationship with those who succeeded Paisley was far less harmonious, little of the blame for that should be laid at the door of Mr McGuinness.
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His willingness to move on from past enmities was also obvious in his willingness to shake hands with the Queen. The significance of that meeting should not be underestimated, nor should the difficulty for both parties in doing so.
Mr McGuinness emerged as a skilled and adroit politician with a willingness to embrace compromise and conciliation. And that is why Mr Paisley Jr was correct to suggest that some of the spirit of co-operation demonstrated by Mr McGuinness and his own father a decade ago would be quite welcome in Northern Ireland today.
Arguably Mr Paisley Jr’s most telling line was this: “Perhaps if we got back to some of that foundation work of building a proper relationship and recognising what partnership actually means we can get out of the mess that we are currently in.”
That is undoubtedly the key to breaking the impasse in the North. Mr Paisley Jr’s message was perhaps aimed at the DUP leadership, but one should also hope that the next generation of Sinn Fein leaders take on board Mr McGuinness’s open-minded and flexible approach and resist the temptation to take a hard line with the DUP.
A new powersharing administration after the assembly elections would be a fitting and deserved legacy for the man they so revered.