PERHAPS the best indication that times are changing in Northern Ireland is the fact that Belfast has become a tourist destination.

Many regional airports now operate flights there and the city centre has apparently developed a night-time party atmosphere to rival the likes of Newcastle and Dublin.

Thankfully, the almost daily reports of shootings and bombings seem to be a thing of the past, but it is clear that beneath the surface there is still much to be done to ensure future generations grow up in peace.

Police and community leaders have no doubt that the IRA is still active and that its members were responsible for the brutal and clinical murder of Robert McCartney last month.

It is believed over 70 people were in the Belfast pub at the time that Mr McCartney was attacked and then pursued out onto the streets, where he was stabbed and then beaten to death.

Apparently, all were warned by those responsible for the murder to say nothing. So far, not one eyewitness has come forward to police, the video film recording the attack was removed before police arrived.

Mr McCartney's sisters are determined to see justice for their brother but their stance is now taking on a far wider role - a determination to rid Belfast and elsewhere from the grip of the paramilitaries.

Viewing these sad events, it is perhaps natural that we on mainland Britain thank the heavens that we do not have to cope with such a situation. However, we would do well not to become complacent.

The attempts by American tycoon Malcolm Glazer to take over Manchester United have met with opposition from fans, but in a more sinister development one shadowy group has resorted to death threats issued in paramilitary language. And as the excellent but disturbing Panorama programme this week showed, sectarianism is alive and well in Glasgow.

The Rangers/Celtic rivalry goes back for generations but has been allowed to develop into a situation where the divide is one of religion and nationalism rather than anything to do with football.

I cannot help thinking that not enough has been done over the years to confront this issue, but the apparent desire of both clubs to join the Premiership might be a last chance.

The clubs want to join for financial reasons and, with all respect to the smaller Scottish clubs, I'm sure their players and fans would rather be playing in front of sell-out crowds at Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea each week than the likes of Livingstone and Kilmarnock.

I do not pretend that everyone who watches English club football is a paragon of virtue, but firm steps have been taken to confront the hooligans and sectarian chanting is extremely rare. What was most disturbing about the Panorama documentary was the way representatives of both Rangers and Celtic refused to condemn outright their supporters who indulged in this disgraceful behaviour.

I must confess, I don't want to see Middlesbrough, Newcastle or any other Premiership town besieged by hordes of bigots at least twice every season using football as an excuse to spout their sectarian bile. As events in Belfast have shown, once sectarianism is allowed to gain a foothold, its aftermath is very difficult to get rid of.

So, before being allowed to join the Premiership, the onus has to be on the two Glasgow giants to act decisively to ensure the revolting scenes highlighted by Panorama are not visited upon English grounds.

Published: 04/03/2005