It Must be Marching Season

[Main Street]

Who ever the eedjit was that threw a pipe-bomb over from the nationalist side should be arrested for sheer stupidity on top of being a vile lunatic. The very best thing nationalists could do was sit peacefully by and let the loyalists make fools of themselves. Giving them any stick to beat the other side with will allow them to play the 'sure they're just as bad' card in the media.

A lad from Belfast by me took the week off and is spending it at his lovely Roscommon holiday home. Do many schedule their holidays to avoid this shite?

Most would rather be trampled over by an Orange parade than spend a week in Roscommon 

I'd bet there's not too many tourists who would feel the same.

Those who have not been accosted by that umbrella seller?

[BennyCake]

I look forward to the day where we, in this society do not define ourselves by religion

Don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

While there are still idiots like we've seen recently, The North will always be a divided society. Even if people aren't blatant bigots, they will generally still live with, socialise and stick with their own kind. That's just how it is here. And it's why Integrated education will never work here either.

I honestly think recent events have put the North back 30 years. Things will never change until the unionists accept that they can no longer do what they have done for the last 300 years. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

[Syferus]

I look forward to the day where we, in this society do not define ourselves by religion

Don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

While there are still idiots like we've seen recently, The North will always be a divided society. Even if people aren't blatant bigots, they will generally still live with, socialise and stick with their own kind. That's just how it is here. And it's why Integrated education will never work here either.

I honestly think recent events have put the North back 30 years. Things will never change until the unionists accept that they can no longer do what they have done for the last 300 years. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

Put the north back 30 years? Now come the feck on. Just think about what you've said for even a minute.

Why nationalists still allow a silly, ridiculous march to have such power over them is beyond me.

The sensible thing in this day and age is to let them march where ever the hell they want to and go about your daily business. Every last drop of venom and political power the march holds would evaporate almost immediately. Of course the reason that won't happen is because there's plenty of nationalist loons too just spoiling for a fight.

The only way to solve this is for schools and parents to teach their children to not be defined by one aspect of their heritage and making the next generation better able to solve these sorts of situations than the current one.

[Eamonnca1]

I look forward to the day where we, in this society do not define ourselves by religion

Don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

While there are still idiots like we've seen recently, The North will always be a divided society. Even if people aren't blatant bigots, they will generally still live with, socialise and stick with their own kind. That's just how it is here. And it's why Integrated education will never work here either.

I honestly think recent events have put the North back 30 years. Things will never change until the unionists accept that they can no longer do what they have done for the last 300 years. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

So integrated education will never work in the future because it doesn't exist in the present?

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

Principle on this Mandela day to remember: Talk to your enemy.

[J OGorman]

I look forward to the day where we, in this society do not define ourselves by religion

Don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

While there are still idiots like we've seen recently, The North will always be a divided society. Even if people aren't blatant bigots, they will generally still live with, socialise and stick with their own kind. That's just how it is here. And it's why Integrated education will never work here either.

I honestly think recent events have put the North back 30 years. Things will never change until the unionists accept that they can no longer do what they have done for the last 300 years. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

i'm sorry lad, but integrated education is the only way in my opinion.

[muppet]

Principle on this Mandela day to remember: Talk to your enemy.

+1

Thatcher proved the folly of proclaiming the opposite (even if she was talking to them secretly).

[Nally Stand]

I look forward to the day where we, in this society do not define ourselves by religion

Don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

While there are still idiots like we've seen recently, The North will always be a divided society. Even if people aren't blatant bigots, they will generally still live with, socialise and stick with their own kind. That's just how it is here. And it's why Integrated education will never work here either.

I honestly think recent events have put the North back 30 years. Things will never change until the unionists accept that they can no longer do what they have done for the last 300 years. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

Put the north back 30 years? Now come the feck on. Just think about what you've said for even a minute.

Why nationalists still allow a silly, ridiculous march to have such power over them is beyond me.

The sensible thing in this day and age is to let them march where ever the hell they want to and go about your daily business. Every last drop of venom and political power the march holds would evaporate almost immediately. Of course the reason that won't happen is because there's plenty of nationalist loons too just spoiling for a fight.

The only way to solve this is for schools and parents to teach their children to not be defined by one aspect of their heritage and making the next generation better able to solve these sorts of situations than the current one.

This idea that the marches will magically stop if they are ignored is grounded in absolutely no reality whatsoever. I simply refuse to buy into the cop out argument that residents should wilfully accept sectarian bigots marching through their area playing songs about being up to their knees in fenian blood etc. That argument is a polite way of asking the croppies to just lie down again and accept it. NOBODY should expect a community to just suck it up and live with sectarian hate parades in their areas. The only solutions are dialogue (something orangemen have yet to wake up to) and more responsible leadership from political unionism, the lack of which is chiefly to blame for instigating the loyalist carnage in the past 6-8 months.

[theticklemister]

I look forward to the day where we, in this society do not define ourselves by religion

Don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

While there are still idiots like we've seen recently, The North will always be a divided society. Even if people aren't blatant bigots, they will generally still live with, socialise and stick with their own kind. That's just how it is here. And it's why Integrated education will never work here either.

I honestly think recent events have put the North back 30 years. Things will never change until the unionists accept that they can no longer do what they have done for the last 300 years. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

i'm sorry lad, but integrated education is the only way in my opinion.

Yip.

[Applesisapples]

One severe boot in the hole is needed for the OO. It's times like this that a fascist dictator is a more suitable form of government than democracy. Government would be well within their rights to advise that silly buggers will be treated like silly buggers and all marches would be banned if they don't show more sense.

Sense is not something you would expect from the OO, just listen to the Raving Rev Mervyn Gibson, more pathetic however was Tom Elliot's feeble attempts to portray this as the OO looking for a way to resolve the situation. Gobshites one and all, with no idea of what a shared future means.

[Rossfan]

. The only solutions are dialogue (something orangemen have yet to wake up to) and more responsible leadership from political unionism, the lack of which is chiefly to blame for instigating the loyalist carnage in the past 6-8 months.

+1.
The spectacle of Robinson and his gang prostrating themselves before the Orange Order is pathetic, just as bad as their total spinelessness in the face of the East Belfast "flegthogs".
Obviously they are Orange Order members first and daren't criticise the Grand bigots in any way.
If they simply told them straight out that their behaviour is unacceptable and would get no backing from Unionist politicians....
But they won't because they are afraid some extremist will then jump in and take their places to lick the bigots' arses.

[armaghniac]

Sometimes I feel sorry for Northern Irish unionists. They really have no culture beyond protecting/isolating themselves from us. Can't marry a taig. Shouldn't sell a farm to a taig. Shouldn't attend the funeral of a taig. What a world to exist in. They can eat all the burgers, sausages and candyfloss they like and try and dress up what do whilst they go through their pomp and ceremony but it cannot and doesn't hide the underlying contempt for anything Irish or anyone who would consider themselves Irish (or non unionist).

Unionism places great emphasis on obstructing change, and that is basically impossible. Nationalism is a simple proposition of Ireland being free to have what self determination, this might have had a vision of a Catholic agrarian society as one point in time, it might now be a more secular society with lots of software engineers now and something else in the future.

The good thing is there are many well educated people of the same persuasion as these dafties who see what they stand for and hold them with the very same contempt as nationalists. People who get the chance to interact with ordinary Joes from the otherside soon realise that a sc**bag is a sc**bag regardless of his persuation and they soon learn to walk away when half wit intransigents try to tell them them what to think.

It is notable on the Belfast Telegraph forum the number of unionist posters who say that these guys are not representing them. But there also are many well educated people, like McCausland or Dodds, who are egging them on, so education alone is not the solution.

Integrated education is not the solution in these cases, because of the ghettoisation of the areas where things are worst. These people do not value education and would seek to remain in the ghetto as it would pretty much ensure that the local school doesn't have any Taigs in it.

[gallsman]

The good thing is there are many well educated people of the same persuasion as these dafties who see what they stand for and hold them with the very same contempt as nationalists. People who get the chance to interact with ordinary Joes from the otherside soon realise that a sc**bag is a sc**bag regardless of his persuation and they soon learn to walk away when half wit intransigents try to tell them them what to think.

I know plenty of well educated, middle-class Protestants and Unionists who, while they might not be out on the streets chucking bricks at cops or placing their faith in the empty rhetoric of Frazer or Jim Allister, their fundamental views are not so different. They want to live in an equal, shared, peaceful society. So long as their share comes first and the taigs know their place.

[imtommygunn]

The leadership of unionism has been shown to be a farce over this last while though. Even moreso than normal.

There is always a scapegoat - alliance, parades commission, police etc etc

Then you have incidents like mccausland and the housing executive, even robinson and the whole iris and housing debacle.

It almost appears like they've decided to forget about trying to mask any bigotry or corruption and just show true colours. Maybe that's what they think will get better votes.

The fact that people are listening to wullie fraser or jamie bryson speaks volumes. How bad can leadership be before people resort to that.

It is not an option to bow down and let them march. If the parades commision allows it then sobeit but if this one on saturday goes through it is a sad sad day for us.

The parades commision is viewed as not being impartial. I don't understand how this can be with the likes of the donegal street march going through and continually breaching conditions. They were meant to talk on this march and then didn't. Their own fault.

Every year a cloud hangs over ni with these marches. If there were  a seamless way of getting rid of them the place would move on years but sadly not!

[Tony Baloney]

Honestly wouldn't be shocked if the PC allowed this to go ahead as a result of DUP pressure.