A Different Kind of Loyalty

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The other day (well, a wee while ago) I saw something most peculiar. At least I found it to be peculiar as I am quite ignorant of said topic.

The topic in question being the latest turmoil in Gaza.

And the peculiarity in question was the sight of Hassidic Jews attending a pro-Palestine rally.




Regardless of your views on the Israel-Palestinian conflict you would be hard pressed to deny that this is quite a sight and gesture.

This surely is fine example of courage?

It is a very polarised topic and there must be some people on both sides of the divide that would be quite irate at such a stance.

But nonetheless they made their stand.

Hats off (or ‘shtreimels off’ in this particular case).

I’m sure someone somewhere is bandying about the label traitor/Josephus/Lundy at their actions, but they’re standing up for what they believe is right.

Imagine if in NI some of the unionist political leaders were to practise what they preach?

To have a consistent line on parades, flags, bonfires, respect and behaviour?

No doubt they’d attract the wrath of the hardliners and maybe even lose votes to begin with.

But what could the benefits be?

Would those who are more ‘pro-status quo’ rather than explicitly ‘pro-union’ finally feel that unionism is no longer an exclusive club?

Would it show the world that not all unionist leaders happily turn a blind eye to sectarianism, the minority of marches that are contentious or even ‘sashbashs’?

Would it show or that the unionists aren’t necessarily ‘the baddies’?

Rabble rousing, fear mongering and playing on the paranoia of the Protestant people is indeed an effective way of winning votes from many Protestants, much to the detriment of the Protestant community. It seems they have to be kept in a state of semi-panic so that their indignant votes can be harvested when necessary.

However, the Protestant community is in decline the Catholic community is on the increase.

Since the GFA there has also been noticeable increase (or indeed ‘sudden appearance’) of people from a Catholic background who are willing to vote pro-union.

It would seem that being a part of both Ireland and the UK holds appeal for some people.

To an outsider, this state of affairs would foster the following assumption:

 “So, obviously these unionist politicians are focusing on a potential growth market as opposed to the shrinking one?”

“Erm, not quite…”

“?!”

Unionist Strategy: Illogical


From a unionist point of view, the link with the union doesn’t stand to lose. In fact, it would if anything be strengthened by the addition of fresh votes from new quarters

Yet seemingly they feel they would lose something for adopting a consistent line.

 That they would be betraying something in their heritage or ancestry (which would only start in the mid-19th century when Presbyterian Unionism appeared on the scene, before that Presbyterians were always a law unto themselves with regards to the establishment)

What exactly they would lose I don’t know; the idea of preserving culture has been exposed as nonsense time and time again, upholding Christian values certainly doesn’t come into it, ‘British’ values even less so.

Here’s an example of someone throwing fuel on the fire, the TUV’s Walter Miller, despite all the evidence of intimidation and loutish behaviour at some parades there’s always someone ready to ignore reality and offer up a fantasy version of what they think is going on: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/hostility-to-twelfth-parades-1-6172991

So, let’s go through what he has to say and see what stands up under scrutiny:


“The Ulster Protestant and loyalist communities, rather than looking forward to a peaceful and stress-free Twelfth of July, are yet again being subjected to intolerance, opposition and hostility by the republican community in Ardoyne who have the backing of the Parades Commission in their determination not to allow the Orange Order lodges past Ardoyne in the evening parade from the field. “

Out of all the hundreds/thousands of parades that day, it was only this one that caused any hassle. There were parades in nationalist towns that went ahead without any trouble. This might lead an outsider to think that if nationalists all over NI are willing to tolerate parades elsewhere then there may indeed be something wrong with this one. But not if you’re the TUV.

“Since the time of the Reformation, Protestants not only in Ulster but throughout the British Isles have faced such opposition for standing up for their Protestant beliefs.”

 Well, yes they have. But drunken behavior and  provocative acts are NOT part of the Protestant belief system, yet this is not mentioned. It would be fair to say that they are NOT standing up for their Protestant beliefs rather Protestant beliefs have been put on hold to facilitate the rabble rousing nature of this parade.

Protestant Values: Laying a wreath to the memory of a young GAA player


NOT Protestant Values!!!

“Those republicans and their allies in political, religious and media circles who oppose us will not have to do much research or look for evidence as all they have to do is look at the various paintings on the Orange banners during the Twelfth of July and they will see the persecution faced by our Protestant forefathers throughout the centuries.

Some of the banners will have paintings of Ridley and Latimer, the two Protestant reformers who were burned at the stake in 1555 for refusing to denounce their faith and turn to Roman Catholicism.”

No one needs evidence cos no one is doubting it. So why mention  it? Oh yes, that’s right, we have to make people believe they’re being oppressed or they won’t vote for you….

“They will also see the banner paintings with the words “My Faith Looks Up To Thee” which shows the young Scottish Covenanter Margaret Wilson who, in 1685, was tied to a stake in the Solway Firth and drowned when the tide came in because she refused to acknowledge King James II as the head of the Church, or denounce her Protestant faith. “

Bad example, many historians are dubious if this took place at all and it wasn’t the Church of Rome that was intent on drowning them, it was the church of the state i.e ‘Protestants’.

“The banners will also show King William III crossing the Boyne and defeating King James II, a battle which was decisive and has secured the civil and religious liberties which we now enjoy and a battle which changed the course of the history of the British Isles and Europe.”

Only a few day ago a plaque was unveiled in Aghadowey in honour of ‘the Moses of the Scots-Irish’ Rev James McGregor led his flock to the New World because of the DENIAL of ‘civil and religious liberties’ since the victory of the Williamite forces (that he had fought for):
“to avoid oppression and cruel bondage, to shun persecution and designed ruin…and have an opportunity of worshiping God according to the dictates of conscience and rules of His Inspired Word”

And as for changing the course of history of Europe? Well, most of the important battles were fought in Europe itself, Ireland was a minor theatre of operations, so much so that William didn’t even hang around to see the Irish war to its end: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Grand_Alliance (Yes, I know it’s Wikipedia, but ‘mon).

“The banner paintings will show a century later how Protestants came together after the Battle of the Diamond and formed the Orange Institution, again to defend their Protestant religion.”

 SOME Protestants, Presbyterians very on the whole quite suspicious of the OO until Anglicanism was de-established as the state religion. Some of these Protestants teamed up with Catholic Militiamen (like the Monaghan militia) to break some Presbyterian skulls in 1798

“Other banners will show paintings of the signing of the Ulster Covenant and Lord Carson in 1912 and the sacrifice of the men of the 36th Ulster Division at the Battle of the Somme. “

This act actively encouraged other Irish militias including those who would later take part in the Easter Uprising. Oops!

“Erm, loyalty-IRA????”




“The banner paintings take us to the present generation and, sadly, many have portraits of members who have been murdered by the IRA in their terrorist campaign. “

Sad indeed, but a cheap attempt to induce sympathy for a cause that is in the wrong, the protesters have not highlighted ANY of the above points as their key gripes.

In fact, Mr Millar makes no attempt to address their key gripes, as the key gripes are un-Christian in nature and therefore don’t exist…


 
Controversial


Uncontroversial






“Ulster Protestants and Unionists are again being subjected to an ongoing assault on our identity by those who would seek to lecture us on equality and a shared space, yet for a few minutes they cannot allow an Orange parade to go by on the Twelfth without seeking to cause disruption and tension in what should be a peaceful and enjoyable day for Ulster Protestants and unionists.”

If it is an assault then it’s a pretty feeble effort, there are as many parades now as there ever were.

He can’t even address the actual controversial points of the parade. Can’t bring himself to mention them. So he has to change the topic completely to one that isn’t even up for debate.

This does nothing to further the unionist cause, it keeps it as an exclusive club and repels people who may actually be interested in voting ‘no’.

It is all so very short term and makes the idea of maintaining the union with Britain all the less appealing on account of the actions of its advocates and ‘defenders’.

So those looking after the union are seemingly doing so in a manner akin to thon creepy mad woman in the film ‘Misery’.

“Why do you have to talk about drunk people being abusive? We all know you’re just being intolerant of a culture that you tolerate everywhere else 3500 times a year…”



When will we have our version of defiant pro-Palestine Hassidic Jews? Someone from the unionist side to stand up against the extremes of unionism?
Michael Nesbittowitz?

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JULY - A LADs REVIEW

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Ah July, a wonderful time of the year to live in are wee country wouldn't you agree?

 As I write this blog I am aware that most of you are glad that the Twelfth is over for another year and are probably sick of hearing about it. Im also aware that there are some of you that will be counting down the days and months till next year so that you can do it all over again. Its a funny old holiday isn't it? Such a divisive time of year where those deep divisions that exist beneath the surface of our society all too often rise up and threaten to destabilise the fragile peace process. 

 In the week's leading up to this years twelfth celebrations, lack of a compromise over the parade past Ardoyne shops and talk of a graduated response by the Orange Order and their Unionist p̶u̶p̶p̶e̶t̶s̶ ̶ politician supporters meant that things did not look good and there could possibly be a another year of violence surrounding the Twelfth. Of course those same leaders all appeared to suffer from a collective amnesia, conveniently forgetting the days of rioting which took place in 2013, preferring to concentrate on the republican violence of 2012. Very much a case of we cant get our own way and its themmuns fault. 

 The situation in Ardoyne is not as complex as everyone would have you believe, the Orange Order want to march twice past the shops, the residents who live behind those shops don't want them to march at all, so the parades commission have ruled that only one parade shall take place which is to me a compromise, but this being Northern Ireland nobody likes to compromise. The reason for the morning parade going ahead is be because its less likely that supporters on either side will be drunk and this reduces the chance of disorder. In my opinion a common sense approach which could work quite well in common sense was applied by all involved. Unfortunately this is not the case. 

 Anyway I digress, Ardoye is such a small part of what the Twelfth is about. For thousands of families its a holiday. Some of which plan their annual escape from the madness and head for Donegal. I'm sure that the uncertainty surrounding the graduated response caused by political grandstanding caused a few extra families to look for last minute deals and leave Belfast behind. 

 My family were staying put, we had plans to visit Markethill, Co Armagh so that I could experience one of the flagship events organised by the Orange Order, I had heard good things about country parades and was excited to be going. You see you cant spend countless hours immersed in the running of LAD without becoming curious and over the lifetime of my involvement in the page, I have always, were possible, indulged my curiosity. 
 The Loyalist Last Supper

 July 10th saw the esteemed leaders of the union gather a stone's throw from the LAD bunker to sign a pledge in front of the gathered media, a kind of low rent homage to the signing of the Ulster Covenant, although nobody was bothered enough to have ironed the fleg on which the signing took place and this added to the tackiness of the event.   

There would be no violence they said, the trouble was that nobody believed them. 

 Now as it turns out there was little in the way of violence and the Twelfth was a peaceful affair, but the weather could have also played a part in that or the significant police presence. You see I don't believe that those politicians have any real power in those communities and often just do as they are told by the gate keepers.

 Anyway whatever the reason we should all be happy that Belfast's reputation was spared any further damage this year. 
"So just sign on the line and its all yours for a fiver" 

 July 11th or as its also known here Bonfire night, saw the alarming introduction of Irish flegs and effigies to the bonfires which youths had spend the previous months constructing in loyalist communities. I spent the morning driving around doing messages before everything shut down for the weekend, and on my way photographed a few bonfires that I happened upon. It was quite sad to see that posters of political parties had been placed along side the Irish flegs and that some even contained what can only be described as racist comments scrawled across make shift banners. For me the most depressing thing I saw were the signs hung on a railing adjacent to the bonfire at Cluan Place on the bottom of the Albertbridge Road which read, "We Stand with Israel" and "Fuck the Gaza Strip". 

 For the last number of years I have heard many residents from this little street complain that they continually suffer at the hands of their bigger neighbours from the nearby short strand, I found there dismissal of the current situation in Gaza to be a little ironic. 

 It should be noted that these banners were eventually removed after they began to appear on social media. 


In the LAD bunker the eleventh night was a hectic affair, the inbox was jam packed with correspondence from followers documenting the events of the night, it was rather depressing actually as images flooded in showing the worst examples of loyalist culture, leaderless loyalists burning anything that represented those that they perceived to be attacking their culture. Again the irony of attacking somebody's culture, while complaining that your own was under attack appeared to be lost on the many people responsible. 
No need for it really, is there? 

 I would however like to take the time to congratulate Ian Shanks and the community at Braniel who celebrated bonfire night without burning anything that could be considered offensive, Im sure that there were other fires across are wee country where this was the case, I don't know Im presuming hoping that they were not hate filled occasions. 
The Braniel Bonfire, East Belfast - Fleg free and still fun

The bonfire at Braniel is an example of what the eleventh night could be for other communities if only they had the same leadership to teach them right from wrong. 

 Another alarming thing which happened on the eleventh night were the attempts by  certain republicans (not content with the damage loyalists were doing to there own reputation), to stir things up further and fabricate stories about materials being burned on bonfires which were obviously false. LAD received a couple of images that were clearly photoshopped. It was hard to believe that people would sink so low. It would be unfair for us to be anymore specific and you will all know what I'm referring to, but we hope that the family concerned were not badly affected by these malicious lies.  

 I awoke the next morning the twelfth to the sound of a blood and thunder band passing the bottom of my street and to the news I had been been dreading, the planned road trip to Markethill was called off, due to the family becoming struck down with illness. Its FAIR to say I was devastated as I'd been looking forward to enjoying William Frazer's bigoted barbecue since receiving the invitation from him some days earlier. 


You can read an excellent blog by Barton Creeth here about his adventures in Markethill although it appears he skipped the BBQ.  

 Undeterred and keen to watch some bands I made my way by foot into Belfast city centre and up towards Clifton Street Orange Hall, from which the Belfast demonstration departs. Security was tight which I guess was to be expected, hundreds of PSNI officers standing around, just in case, but on a wet saturday morning at 9.30am, I reckoned there was little chance of any trouble. 

 As I walked along Royal Avenue, I tweeted that the crowds were smaller than I had seen in previous years, a response from the political commentator and alleged doctor David McCann informed me that there were decent sized crowds gathered further up the route. 

 Turning left on to Donegal Street, I was stopped by a rather pleasant and chirpy female constable and her male colleague who informed me that I could not proceed past the Irish News offices and would have to take a longer alternative route to arrive at my destination. For a brief second I understood how the Orange Order must feel regarding the parades commission decision at Ardoyne. Those extra meters that I was being asked to walk were after all a massive inconvenience. 
Thou shalt not pass 

 I am of course being sarcastic, I respect the law and decisions made by parading bodies and after a friendly conversation with the constables I continued on my way via union street and carrick hill.




PSNI on Union Street 

As I walked past the junction of Trinity Street, I noticed a small group of residents had gathered for what is now their annual protest. I wondered if these people mostly women and children had set their alarm clocks in order to rise early on a saturday morning to register their dismay at what was about to pass the end of the street. 
"Down with that sort of thing" 

 At this stage I had lost count of the numbers of police landrovers, they were everywhere and with them vast numbers of police officers, I did think to myself that it was bound to be an expensive morning for the tax payer. Still who needs hospitals and schools and all the other stuff that taxes pay for when you can live in a city where the inhabitants cant learn to get along. 

 I saw Paul Clarke off the telly as he and his camera man attempted to capture the atmosphere for that evenings news. He gave me a nod, but I think he mistook me for somebody else. I always find it strange meeting TV people in real life. He looked taller than I had expected. 

 The parade started and the assembled press photographers jostled for position in order to grab that picture for the next days newspapers, their cameras were fancier than mine but I was tweeting what I was taking straight away to LAD followers so in effect beating them to an audience. 
 last warning, but is it big enough for all to see?

I skipped the passing of St. Patricks Church by the parade, leaving that to the proper journalists, I had no interest in which band would break the determination set out by the parades commission, although suspected one would. I'm not a big fan of religion and was more interested in people watching. I walked to the bottom of St. Peter's hill and joined the steady stream of spectators who were not trusted to walk past a place of worship and had come into the city centre from the Shankill area. 

 By this time the crowds on Royal Avenue had swelled and the street was awash with red, white and blue. There was a real party atmosphere as the spectators awaited the first glimpse of the bands. There was a lot of drinking taking place which many people have commented on, the police seemed to be ignoring it, really what could they do, that hadn't the potential to start a riot.

 Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a drink and have been to a number of festivals around the world and have seen similar sights at those, but the one thing that did shock me was the number of young people who were clearly underage who were pissed at 10am in the morning. The rowdy behaviour that was being exhibited by these drunk kids meant I was glad I had left my own kids at home. 
Orangefest 2014 - Fun for all families? 

Continuing on my towards city hall, I stopped to take the obligatory Twelfie 

Does my head look big in this?

The parade stopped at city hall, and a small group at the front consisting mostly of DUP MLA's made their way to the cenotaph for the religious service, William Crawley was there with a documentary crew as the main body of the parade waited patiently for the others to return. At the head of the parade was a group holding a banner which read "LET THEM HOME" which they had most likely carried from their house that morning. 


   The poor displaced sons of Ligoniel - refugees in their own city

While at city hall, I bumped into Alex Kane who was out and about following the procession for an article he was writing for the Belfast Telegraph. We had a chat about LAD, the events of the previous weeks in the build up to the Twelfth and the difference between the city parades and those held in rural towns. You can read his article here

Leaving Alex I continued on past the Ulster Hall towards Shaftesbury Square, the crowds were taking up all of the footpaths which made the journey difficult, already there was quite a lot of litter on the floor and I spotted at least one paramilitary fleg on display. The mood changed too, it felt more aggressive, a little volatile. I imagine most of these people had little sleep the night before having been in attendance at the bonfires which had illuminated the night sky.   I did spot a couple of tourists in the middle of it all who looked rather bemused by what was going on. 

The twelfth is one of those things which will Im afraid always divide no matter what attempts are made to rebrand it by the Orange Order and while I accept that for some people it is the highlight of their cultural year, for others it is not so its important that those leaders who met off the Newtownards Road to sign a pledge, to bring down the parades commission learn to compromise.  

Personally I enjoy the noise and the colour of the bands although the sash tends to be over played throughout the day, I imagine I'd have a difference of opinion with the average Orange man on most subjects but I would urge them to get a handle of the amount of alcohol consumed as it takes away from the spectacle and gives their opponents a big stick with which to beat them. There is also the issue of the mess that is left behind when the parade has passed. These are important issues which need tackled. 

I have to admit that having battled my way along the footpath to the bottom of the Lisburn road, (I must have said excuse me a couple of hundred times) I gave up and headed for home. Next year perhaps I will make it to the field. 





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A Response to Brian John Spencer

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GUEST BLOG by Ed Simpson (originally published here)

In his blog post for Loyalists Against Democracy, Brian John Spencer accuses me (and others like me, but I warrant a mention by name) of indulging and nurturing those who commit promiscuous violence. Quite an allegation. He bases this accusation, seemingly, on my criticism of some of the language and output from the LAD collective and their supporters. Accusing them of snobbery, Brian argues, is me trying to halt criticism of Loyalists and flag protesters. 

 Brian, who has never met me and clearly knows little about me, has got it completely wrong. Loathe as I am to adopt a hipster tone, I was criticising Loyalists, and Jamie Bryson in particular before it was so fashionable and before Brian had probably even heard of Jamie Bryson. I stood for election against Jamie's party (and did very badly) so I'm not really sure that Brian's accusations of 'keeping quiet, saying nothing' are fair. What Brian doesn't appear to understand is that my objection isn't that LAD; Brian; and others criticise Loyalism - it's the way they criticise that I object to.

 When the Flag Protests began last year I didn't hold back with my criticism, but was careful to make sure it was valid and based on the issues. I had countless online arguments with Jamie on his Facebook page (I'm not sure Jamie and I have ever agreed on anything) but I still felt perfectly safe when observing the protests and Jamie - and other Loyalists - were friendly and courteous. It's possible to be diametrically opposed to someone and their beliefs without dehumanising them in the way that LAD often does. 

 You can - rightly - take a Loyalist to task for claiming that their culture is under sustained attack, or for claiming that they are being treated like Jews in 1930's Germany. You can mock Jamie for his continued assertion that the PSNI are little more than agents of the IRA. You can highlight the disgusting hypocrisy and dishonesty of the DUP who had no problem with Designated Days until they sensed it offered them an electoral opportunity. What you can't do (at least, not if you want to claim you're not a snob) is attack the traits and behaviours of people that have no relevance to the issue. There's no shortage of references to Buckfast on the LAD Facebook page. I've yet to hear someone tell me why that particular drink is so relevant to the debate.

 I have issues with LAD's parody of Loyalism as it does seem to be rooted in superiority - their parodies almost always focus on poor spelling and grammar and a lack of understanding of the realities of the situation - but I am more concerned with the way that their facebook fans join in the parody and, often, take it up a level. This isn't considered criticism - it's just out and out pisstaking and mockery. So, when I offer up my concern at such pisstaking, it's not - as Brian believes - my effort to shut down criticism, it's my effort to try and prompt real, thought out, and constructive criticism. More criticism, please, if you will.

 Another aspect of Brian's post that concerns me is that Brian seems to believe that he is leading the charge of the moderates - those poor souls who have previously been so voiceless but now have found their voice and want to make it heard. Sorry to inform you, Brian, but there has been no shortage of opportunity for moderates to make their voices heard and their votes counted and they have consistently chosen not to. It's not out of fear: it's out of complacency. Since 1998 things have generally been going pretty well for the moderates and they've been quite complacent to live relatively peaceful, prosperous and unaffected lives. 

 Now though, things are different and the things that the moderates thought were resolved by the 'under the rug' approach have come back to upset the peace. Once again, moderates are starting to make some noise and demand this 'nonsense' is resolved. Lovely. I'm sure now we'll see massive and revolutionary (for NI, anyway) changes to social housing and education policy which will get to the root cause of these issues. Or maybe not. The fact that John O'Dowd and Edwin Poots, the two ministers responsible for education and housing aren't front and centre in this debate is telling. Where are the long term solutions? All I hear from Brian is 'wise up'. That would be nice, but I'm not sure it's really the basis for a policy. Brian needs to be careful that his march of the 'aggressive progressives' doesn't end up as just a group of people who don't really like another group of people. I don't hold out much hope though.

 A commenter to Brian's last post made some excellent points about the use of language and it's use to either unite or divide people. I believe that we will make progress - real progress, not the kind Dr Haass is overseeing - when we unite our people to some common goals. I can't imagine anything less likely than wanting to unite with people who call me scum.
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You Are Invited to... The Present

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The doors to the 21st century are wide open.  They've been open for over a decade now and it seems loyalism is yet to step over the threshold.  There's no entrance fee, no guest list, all are welcome.  The only chipping happening in this brave new world is of the potato variety.


Loyalism has become so entranced with the falsehoods propagated by unionist politicians, fiction is mistaken for fact and worse, the loyalist definition of what it is to be British, has become something completely unrecognisable to those elsewhere in the UK who would consider themselves such.  While this is happening across Northern Ireland (or the North if you so prefer) it is specifically focused on parts of Belfast where loyalist communities are convinced everyone is out to get them.


Loyalism lurches along, pieces falling off as it goes, ever more delusional, ever more directionless and most importantly, ever more isolated.  This has to change.


One thing that has been missing up to this point, is a definition of what being British actually is.  It's probably easier to define what being British isn't.  It isn't flying a flag.  It isn't singing God Save the Queen.  It isn't marching.  It isn't a uniform.  It most definitely isn't having a riot and above all, it isn't something that can be chipped away.  Loyalists need reassurance that being British is something which cannot be taken from them, in the same way as those who live here and deem themselves to be Irish, cannot be denied their identity.

Then there's culture.  How is loyalist culture defined?  To those on the outside looking in, it's flegs, bonfires, marching and some more flegs and a bit of rioting.  What do loyalists consider as culture though?  Anytime we see a loyalist asked in the media, it's in relation to some emotive issue and we don't tend to hear a reasoned response.
Jamie Bryson - deluded
Culture and nationality are two different things.  The problem is that loyalists use the terms 'British' and 'culture' interchangeably, which adds to the overall confusion.
While so-called 'community workers' persist in telling us all that there is growing anger and frustration within loyalist communities, they seem to make no attempt to address this.  These 'community workers' explain rioting away with the same throw away words and seem happy that restrictions on a tiny percentage of marches, or the flying a single flag on designated days can be described as an erosion of Britishness.

Sam McCrory Protestant Coalition Chairman and 'Community Worker' with 'volunteer'
Loyalists have been sold a strange vision created by a hard-core of wannabe non-celebrities such as Jamie Bryson, Willie Frazer and the Protestant Coalition (in the case of the Protestant Coalition, borderline mad, given the type of material they post.  The Protestant Coalition facebook page shares more in common with the myriad of internet hate pages than with any "anti-politics, politics party").  None hold any mandate and all believe that their desires for a minority take precedent over the majority.

Willie Frazer. Down with everything.

Willie Frazer. Missing Marbles?
Loyalists need to realise that they cannot cling to the past and a society that was so unevenly balanced as to be unsustainable.  More moderate unionism, while perhaps not accepting the change wholesale, is moving in the right direction.  Most importantly, loyalists need to realise that nobody wants to prevent them from marching, having bonfires or whatever.  It just needs to be done in a way that accepts unionist dominance is gone and takes consideration of the fact that not everyone wants to celebrate loyalist culture.

Basil McCrea, NI21. The future's bright, the future's teal?
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