The DUP thread

[Brendan]

Using a thinly veiled threat at violence to get down the Garvaghy Road again to, think they all overestimate how many foot soldiers they have these days, any trouble that is stirred up is caused by wee drugged up hoods

[AustinPowers]

The Parades Commission stuff is interesting. Media seem to be suggesting that the position was conceded on the basis the decision wasn't signed by all the Commissioners.

Whereas JB et al are suggesting it was a lot worse than that with Commissioners not making decisions but signing them anyway, secretarial staff committing perjury etc.

Be interesting to see which version is accurate

My reading is the ban itself still stands, but there will be a full review of the Drumcree decision process?

Fairly grim that all the unionist parties want to revisit Drumcree

Why the hell  would anyone want to  go back to those years?  The Portadown area  (and the North) has seen no trouble over Drumcree  in nearly 30 years.

Surely the Parades Commission would make the decision to ban it  for that reason alone?

Unionist shit stirrers trying to make/keep  themselves relevant, and  cosy up to their  neanderthal base, and to hell with  the absolute mayhem  that will inevitably ensue.

[johnnycool]

The Parades Commission stuff is interesting. Media seem to be suggesting that the position was conceded on the basis the decision wasn't signed by all the Commissioners.

Whereas JB et al are suggesting it was a lot worse than that with Commissioners not making decisions but signing them anyway, secretarial staff committing perjury etc.

Be interesting to see which version is accurate

My reading is the ban itself still stands, but there will be a full review of the Drumcree decision process?

Fairly grim that all the unionist parties want to revisit Drumcree

Why the hell  would anyone want to  go back to those years?  The Portadown area  (and the North) has seen no trouble over Drumcree  in nearly 30 years.

Surely the Parades Commission would make the decision to ban it  for that reason alone?

Unionist shit stirrers trying to make/keep  themselves relevant, and  cosy up to their  neanderthal base, and to hell with  the absolute mayhem  that will inevitably ensue.

It's Triumphalism, pure and simple.

They hark back to the days they could do what they want, when they wanted and how they wanted.

[Milltown Row2]

Humour me as I play devils advocate, are WE inclusive?

I get the triumphalism, I get the Orange order as a bigoted organisation, I know the knuckledraggers just want the hate to continue for their votes, but it will continue and fester providing there is constant division.. so what are the answers?

BTW I don't want them marching anywhere in the North     

[Rossfan]

Send them all to Rossnowlagh so!

[imtommygunn]

Humour me as I play devils advocate, are WE inclusive?

I get the triumphalism, I get the Orange order as a bigoted organisation, I know the knuckledraggers just want the hate to continue for their votes, but it will continue and fester providing there is constant division.. so what are the answers?

BTW I don't want them marching anywhere in the North     

The reality is you are bang on there are "we" are not inclusive enough. There are orange marches which should be tolerated and this should not be one of them. I lived through this the first time and what it brought out in people was not good.

[gallsman]

https://bbc.com/news/articles/c5ye3g2v742o

As predictable as ever from Carla. She's "dumbfounded" over the lack of resignations in the PC.

Presumably somewhat similarly to how I am dumbfounded she ever reached elected office.

[general_lee]

Humour me as I play devils advocate, are WE inclusive?

I get the triumphalism, I get the Orange order as a bigoted organisation, I know the knuckledraggers just want the hate to continue for their votes, but it will continue and fester providing there is constant division.. so what are the answers?

BTW I don't want them marching anywhere in the North   

Have you come across many Portadown loyalists?

These are the same people who only this year last month made formal objections to ABC Council opposing bilingual signage in the exact area of Portadown they want to march through:

https://armaghi.com/news/portadown-news/irish-english-street-signs-in-portadown-streets-backed-by-planning-committee-despite-orange-order-objections/304498

As you can imagine, the threshold for bilingual signage is much higher than in Belfast, with the overwhelming majority of residents in both streets in favour of English/Irish street signs. That wasn't enough for the Portadown District though, they'll be damned if the indigenous language/culture gets any visibility in the Orange citadel. Carla Lockhart herself even took a break from her MP duties to sit in on ABC planning committee meetings while thousands of ratepayers money was wasted in their attempt to block Irish language street signage.

https://sluggerotoole.com/2026/03/23/ar-mhaith-libh-gaeilge-council-refusal-to-erect-irish-language-signage/

These are the same people who at the start of the summer got in their cars, travelled to Scarva and donned masks to be "offended" and shout abhorrent abuse at a peaceful demonstration opposing the Gaza genocide.

If that's not enough, only last month they burnt an Armagh GAA flag on the kids' bonfire in Edgarstown (it's like an annual ritual in Portadown).

If you cast your mind back to a certain singsong in an orange hall, where were the perpetrators from? Good old Portadown.

You can't even wear a GAA shirt in Portadown: https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/catholic-man-attacked-in-portadown-for-wearing-gaa-jersey-KKSVVNUQEBBHXEVIJMBDV7H4YU/

These are the people who got in their cars and vans and drove over to Tesco in Craigavon under the cover of night to erect Loyalist paraphernalia in a mixed housing development:

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/area/armagh/news/families-flee-homes-after-20-masked-men-descend-on-mixed-craigavon-estate-to-erect-flags/a/157600737.html

These people are not normal. There should be no obligation to be inclusive of bigots. Unionism is a broad church but the OO does not represent all Unionists. Listening to these deranged bigots, they are convinced they have a right to parade where they want. I'm confident they'll not set a foot on the G Road and rightfully so.

[Armagh18]

Humour me as I play devils advocate, are WE inclusive?

I get the triumphalism, I get the Orange order as a bigoted organisation, I know the knuckledraggers just want the hate to continue for their votes, but it will continue and fester providing there is constant division.. so what are the answers?

BTW I don't want them marching anywhere in the North   

If anything we're too inclusive. In a normal functioning society a far right sectarian organisation like that wouldn't be allowed to exist.

For an example this years main event in county Armagh was in Newtown, for those that don't know it'd be very mixed, with a catholic primary school and GAA club (bulk of the population probably Bulgarian these days actually but that's another matter).

Didn't manage to make it to see the parades this year sadly but by all accounts it passed off with no issue, they got to hang their butchers apron out and dress up like milkmen and play each other flutes and whatever else they like to do.

[Armagh18]

Using a thinly veiled threat at violence to get down the Garvaghy Road again to, think they all overestimate how many foot soldiers they have these days, any trouble that is stirred up is caused by wee drugged up hoods

Would imagine they'll be met by a fairly strong protest, could get fecking nasty again which benefits no one but the bigots who can whip up the sectarianism and try to get their knuckle dragging base out

[93-DY-SAM]

When you see the state of the rabble behind Bryson outside the court yesterday, it was a who's who of bigots. Many of them were not born or were very young when the GFA was signed. Deplorable people who, if they put as much effort and energy into issues like housing, education, health etc. I don't think they have the knowledge or capability of being proper politicians, so they play to the only thing they know - trying to lord it over them'uns.

[Milltown Row2]

Again just playing bat for the other side here, as it's impossible to comprehend the thinking other than its been bred into them and fed constantly on drip since birth

They see the GAA (broadly see) as a sectarian sport for the RA (we know it isn't but hear me out)

They see SF as Republicans/ex IRA, hell bent of taking over their NI and making Ireland one again, in fairness that's what SF is about, SDLP is a Nationalist party with the exact same vision (one Ireland) but with the history of the recent troubles they were coming at it from a peaceful attempt

Irish language signs is another attempt at driving a nail in their coffin or Britishness 

Shoe on the other foot, we view the prods very much the same, Orange order, unionist political parties, PUL

The question I'm really asking is, are we inclusive? Or are we just fed up with the 100 plus years of being treated like second class citizens and its time to turn the screw..

This isn't a surprise but I can't see a united Ireland in my life time, and if we do and it comes with a reversal conflict to the one that happened before, it'll not be worth one death

[AustinPowers]

When you see the state of the rabble behind Bryson outside the court yesterday, it was a who's who of bigots. Many of them were not born or were very young when the GFA was signed. Deplorable people who, if they put as much effort and energy into issues like housing, education, health etc. I don't think they have the knowledge or capability of being proper politicians, so they play to the only thing they know - trying to lord it over them'uns.

Sectarianism and bigotry is what  will trump housing, health, education etc  when it comes down to  attracting voters. And they'll go all the harder  the next few months to  entice out the knuckledraggers into  the polling stations.

Whether or not they get down the Garvaghy  road or not , the touch paper has been  lit. The bigotry has been rekindled and it has the potential to  bring everything back 30+ years.

[imtommygunn]

I don't think reasonable unionists see the gaa as the ra though. It is more the extreme ones and the drum beaters.

Sf will always be viewed like that.

This latest stunt on drumcree is why the view of the oo will not change. This is a shocker with what looks like an attempt to drag us into the past.

[Rossfan]

Do I recall correctly...about 10 years ago some politicians tried to start talks between the OO and Garvaghy residents.
The OO response was we'll take part  once the 1st item on the agenda is holding the 1998 parade.