Sectarianism - it's part of unionist culture - it's a tradition thing, a British thing
national |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Tuesday July 03, 2007 21:58
by Harry Wells - The Well, Well, Well Foundation
You don't want to mess with tradition - it could rear up and bite you in the ass - or crack your skull wide open
It is that time of year again, the time to attack Catholics, or 'taigs', as they are known in unionist parlance. It comes around every year alongside the Orange Order's determination to go into frenzied celebration of its Protestant and ‘British' way of life.
It's a bit like if, in Britain, the British National Party decided every year to 'celebrate' Britishness, and this was accompanied by attacks on black people or Muslims, accompanied by thousands of marches, mainly through the areas were the people subject to the attacks live. But wait, that "thousands" can't be right. In Northern Ireland there are over 2,000 marches every year between Easter and late August. Why, that would translate in Britain into tens of thousands of marches. Yes, that sounds about right.
The British government like to pretend that this is an 'Irish' problem. But this year the British government decided to expose itself to ridicule and to expose its habit of provoking and promoting sectarian violence. The decision not to prosecute police and army personnel who gave unionist killers a license to kill showed, once again, that it was official policy.
Peter Hain exposed the hypocrisy that accompanies British 'divide and rule' policy by claiming to be an outsider, when it came to apportioning blame for the past. He set up a group to get Britain off the hook of all these exposures of British dirty dealing during the 'Troubles'. If it hadn't been for the Brits doing their damnedest to start a sectarian war in the 1970's, there is no way the conflict would have lasted so long. Dublin Monaghan bombings, Miami Showband massacre, bombings and shootings all over the north and in the republic too - all down to unionists in the pay of British military intelligence and the RUC Special Branch (who took their orders from military intelligence).
Hain is originally from South Africa. Once in the 1970s British Special Branch framed him for a bank robbery he did not commit. That is when he was anti apartheid in South Africa and for troops out of Ireland. Now he is covering up those in the same position who did worse in Ireland. Irony, that’s a British thing too, isn’t it?
Relatives for Justice, The Pat Finucane Centre and Justice for the Forgotten: they gave Hain his answer. What questions is Bertie asking? None that we know of. Maybe it would spoil Tony's send-off, before applying British lessons in the Middle East, where they have learned enough already about western intentions.
In the meantime let us sit back and enjoy, in the words of the Reverend Martin Smyth, former Orange Order Grand master (dig those titles), “the biggest folk festival in Europe”. Or should that be ‘volk’ festival.
Anyway it's just a way to love Ulster a lot in a Protestant sectarian kind of way.
Also, you can read the accompanying articles by clicking on them.
But, if you want to do something really useful, contact these people:
Justice for the Forgotten
64-66 Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1
Tel : 00353 (1) 855 4300
Fax : 00353 (1) 819 3258
www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org
Go where you are not wanted (for good reason) - It's a tradition thing (Ir News 3july07 Click to read)
Don't make fun of our 'culture' - show respect for intolerance (Ir News 3July07 Click to read)
Pretending it's your problem, not ours - it's a British thing (Ir Times 29June07 Click to read)
Pointing out British hypocrisy - it's an Irish thing (in fact. it's pretty much international these days Click to read)