Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody Slams Political Situation in Northern Ireland

Musician Gary Lightbody, who is from Bangor in County Down, says it's an "unforgivable act" that Northern Ireland has been without a working government for almost two years now.

The power-sharing institutions at Stormont has been 'put on ice', for a lack of a better description, following a thawing in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Since January 2017, there's been numerous failed attempts to get the two political parties working together again.

As the UK faces into vital Brexit negotiations, many political commentators had hoped the two parties would've somehow found a way for the greater good to start working together again.

But Gary Lightbody reckons “ego and posturing” has stopped the two parties reaching agreement.

“I feel angry that we as a people have been ignored and abandoned by the people that really should be keeping these things running for all of us," said Gary Lightbody in an interview with the BBC.

The Snow Patrol frontman added: “It’s an unforgivable act to leave a country unmanned for so long and we are at the behest of the winds at the moment and I hope something is resolved quickly.

“It’s a situation where everybody loses because it’s people’s lives that are at stake.”

It's not expected for any further talks between Democratic Unionists and Sinn will take place until next year.

Earlier this year, Gary Lightbody had opened up about his struggles with depression and his battle with alcoholism.

On the subject of depression, he also told the BBC: "“I get actual letters in the post, which is extraordinary in this day and age, from people saying thanks for talking about it because it helped me talk about it too.”

Gary Lightbody said two of his friends had sadly taken their own lives this year. Alarmingly,Northern Ireland has the highest suicide rate in the entire UK.