Forgive me for the brief post, but I cannot express my pre-emptive rage at what is going to happen once the 'Love Ulster' Parade goes through Dublin again.
Do not get me wrong, I want to build bridges with the Protestant and Unionist community in the North as well, hopefully in a way that does not insult or demean either their traditions or our own, (which really can only be achieved under loyalty to a Monarch but thats for a longer, better post), but this enrages me first of all because last time it was endorsed by the Unionist parties up here precisely because they knew what it would result in, anger and indignation.
And that was not the worst of it, when the inevitable riot broke out (which everyone in the North had expected to occur on either side of the divide), the media down south scrambled to explain it away, even going so far as to insist it was a conspiracy by Northern Republicans who shipped hundreds of nationalists down from the North and organised the Riot in an astroturf incident to show that objection to a Unionist March through Dublin was stronger then it really was.
Oh you think I am exaggerating? That has literally been the establishment story for the past 5 years for those riots. And it will be again.
In a sense, I suppose I should be grateful for the Unionists for provoking the riots, it did give me some faith in latent patriotism of my southern Brothers and Sisters, and further ingrained my indignation against the 'west briton' media, because no man of reason nor faith will accept the given story of a republican conspiracy to explain the riots at face value.
Sadly the establishment will know what the next parade will provoke in the Average Irishman of Dublin City, and will take steps to quarantine it. A prediction: The parade will go off roughly without a hitch and the media will report something not unlike these words; "Wow, look how accepting us southerners are of the Unionists, unlike those rotten northerners who infiltrated the city in 2006 to start those awful riots" while conveniently panning the camera over conspicuously empty city plazas as the Police holds back anyone coming near the parade.
Unless they are stupid in which case they wont take the propaganda oppurtunity and allow the people to view the parade unrestricted, in which case a riot will break out. Especially since the parade will be passing in front of the General Post Office, you know, that symbol of the Irish Republic, the site of the Easter Rising, that little old thing? You don't think southern Nationalists will take objection to it? No? Oh ok then, go ahead. Let's see how that works out for you.
I agree. The right to march and demonstrate is subject to public order. The public order is certainly not well served by this proposed parade.
ReplyDeleteIt is common sense really. Although here in the North parades are a continuing issue.
DeleteThe Love Ulster parade is to bring to public the collusion (remember that word that S/F so often uses) between the IRA & the Irish Government, that cost the lives of many people in the North. The troubles could have been over sooner if the Irish Government had of tackled the IRA problem on their on doorstep.
ReplyDeleteAnd here my fellow Americans get bitchy when there's a Christmas tree visible at best....
ReplyDeleteI got caught up in the riot the first time around. I wasn't paying attention to the news and had no idea what was happening. Luckily I was in a Spar shop as the riot broke and the shopkeeper closed the doors in time; rioters were trying to smash it down. Scary. But quite interesting to witness, too.
ReplyDeleteWhy are these "commoners" parading in the City of Dublin where all people are "equal." They chose to be "commoners" and part of the UK. Why are they not parading through London and being cheered on by the royal indigents? The mentality of the Orange Order is strange and they have no place parading in front of the intelligent equals in the Republic of Ireland. Off to London with all of them for a really big parade.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say calling Northern Ireland the “north” is very antagonizing to the Protestant and unionist community whom you want to build bridges with.
ReplyDeleteWhile I apologise for any offence, what other term am I to use for shorthand? If I use Ulster it wont be accurate either since Northern Ireland does not constitute the whole of the Ulster province either.
DeleteThe initials NI for shorthand would work.I understand some people do prefer to call NI the north and that should be respected but we've seen with Martin McGuinness when running for president of “ down there ” that incorrect terminology does no one any favours.
ReplyDeleteunionists, they have a country but that country is not ireland, my policy on unionists is very simple and easy to understand, i call it "To Hell Or England", unionists have two choices, 1, die or 2, emigrate (the irish government will give you a subsidy of 10,000 euros and cover the costs of doing so if you emigrate)
ReplyDeleteunionists are snakes, the irish military is saint patrick, saint patrick drove all the snakes out of ireland (and he did it without killing a single snake)
I can't get over how many bigots live in the republic. All these forums I've read on the views of protestants by Catholics in the republic disgust me. Is it any wonder Northern Ireland was set up in the first place,to protect us from you lot. I was born in n.ireland so too my parents,grandparents,great grandparents in ireland as it was then and so on from the 1600s,so when do I become of this land? Just because I would like to remain in the uk I should die or emigrate. It's as well they don't ask all the people the world over who feel irish to return as there wouldn't be room.
Deletethat would be a legitimate response if they insisted that they were not expatriates. I will even offer Irish government paid for housing to any unionist (or Anglican) who voluntarily leaves before a certain date. besides the British government has a record on Ireland that is so abysmal that it sounds like a comic book villain who won. just one of the numerous mass murder campaigns they did had a death toll that would be equivalent to killing the entire population of new Zealand every single year for half a decade.
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