I’ve been thinking of Catherine Seeley. You know, the Sinn Féin candidate in Upper Bann at the Westminster election Having been labelled ‘that tramp’ by the classy DUP woman Roberta McNally, republicans had high hopes that Catherine might pull off a surprise victory. It was not to be. She wasn’t even close.
But actually that’s not what I’ve been thinking about. Maybe you haven’t heard? There was a young Protestant woman was teaching in a Catholic school in West Belfast and was doing rather well with the pupils. Only then somebody discovered she was a member of the DUP, so naturally the IRA sent threatening letters and she had to leave her job.
By now you’ve probably twigged what I’m getting at. There was/is no young Protestant DUP member working in a Catholic school in West Belfast. (Well maybe there is but I made up the one in the second paragraph.) The point I was making is, if that had happened – if a young DUP woman had been intimidated out of her school by the IRA – there would have been uproar. Hell to pay. Peter Robinson, Nigel Dodds et al would have tabled a motion of censure against Sinn Féin for allowing such a thing happened. And it would go on and on and on.
But here’s the thing: can you remember a roar of outrage from unionist politicians when Catherine Seeley was intimidated from her post? Did any prominent unionist say “But the UDA/UVF or whoever – they’re illegal! And they’re supposed to have decommissioned their weapons! This is simply intolerable – because someone belongs to a legitimate political party, they’re hounded out of their job? Too much – we’re mad as hell and we’re not taking it any more!”
In your dreams, sweet-heart. Because it was a young republican that was involved, maybe a few tsk-tsks were heard from unionism but that was it. We know the UDA/UVF are illegal but what you gonna do? Too delicate. Keep quiet, in the name of peace and harmony. A pity she had to go but sure raising a row would only make it worse.
There are times when the double-thinking of unionist politicians and the acquiescence in that double-thinking by nationalists and republicans make me want to claw the wall-paper and skin the cat.
As always, the Unionists pick and choose where and when they stir up a hullaballoo. I suppose you could see it as Unionism supporting the illegal Loyalist organisations but if you put that to them only then would they renounce their support for the Loyalist mob and yet distance themselves from complaining about their act of harassment and intimidation. Again, great post Jude!
I long ago gave up on any notion of Sinn Féin or the SDLP calling out Unionist politicians over their hypocrisy. There seems to be a long game view, if we allow the likes of the DUP to let off steam, without any reply then they will eventually stop and just treat us as equals. Well I have news for the Nationalists, it is never going to happen. The likes of Nigel Dodds and Peter Robinson think the exact same way as Jim Allister and Jamie Bryson and Willie Frazer, the IRA were the baddies, the British army and RUC etc were the goodies and even the likes of the UDA/UVF were basically just responding to blatant sectarian actions by the IRA. They will never change their way of thinking, that`s why they continue to bleat about flags being lowered and that`s why they demand the right to march through Catholic areas. I assume I am allowed to use such a sectarian term as Catholic, it`s just that after last week`s moaning from Dodds about Gerry Kelly referring to Catholics and Protestants I thought maybe the term was redundant, like Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist?
Very well put, the handshke of peace and brotherhood isn’t coming from the DUP crowd.
Cue the cubists
Hugh MacLeod said,
“Art suffers the moment people start paying for it.”
Picasso’s ‘Women of Algiers’ has been sold recently for $179 million (£115 million), less 12% commission. From what perspective might ‘Women in the north of Ireland’ be portrayed at present?
Perhaps by two male dominated political parties united to remove two females from their constituencies against a dark murky background of 58 assaults and 36 shootings perpetrated by illegal organisations and a teacher being intimidated by a school of thought?
Jude you are so last year is there nothing current you can moan about? ; )
Oh – sorry,neill. I thought I was talking about the present. I promise I’ll try to work within a past-five-minutes limit in future….
The question is Jude how many Protestants are employed in Catholic school sector in comparison to Catholics employed by the state sector that would give you a real example of sectarianism wouldn’t it.
Or how many DUP councillors who were teacher be offered a teaching position in a catholic school?
Hi neill – Jackie above makes a similar point. I think that’s an issue worth addressing but right now we’re looking at someone being threatened out of their teaching post because of their religion/politics. You’d agree that is the question now? I’d be happy for you or Jackie (or maybe even me, if I got a mo) to do a blog on said subject: I think it’s an interesting one, even though I probably wouldn’t agree with you completely…
Neill, Are “state schools ” Protestant schools. My belief was that they were open to all religions. Pls advise as you seem to know.
State schools are not Protestant schools and are open to everybody so yes you are quite correct
“The question is Jude how many Protestants are employed in Catholic school sector in comparison to Catholics employed by the state sector that would give you a real example of sectarianism wouldn’t it”.
I’m not 100% on this (and would welcome correction if I’m wrong). I think it is the case that to be eligible to teach in a Catholic faith school a person needs to have a certificate of competence in the key tenets of Catholicism.
For various reasons Catholic teachers tend to have that certificate but anyone can get one and then apply to teach in a Catholic school.
Arguably this is a de facto discriminatory practice.
Yeah don’t remember much outrage if any from the southern media at the time either, can you imagine if it had been the other way around as you suggested in your fake paragraph. Makes you sick, can’t remember the SDLP raising much of a voice either about it but what else do you expect from a party who hate the shinners more than the DUP.
Enough is enough. That we continue to put up with the abhorrent behaviour of the DUP/OO is a damning indictment of Irish nationalism. Bigoted bullies who will never change their ways. Unionism has had ample opportunity to extend the hand of friendship but never does. What a truly disgusting mindset.
I wonder if the DUP will be supporting the Tories in their efforts to scrap the Human Rights Act?
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/12/scrapping-human-rights-act-would-breach-good-friday-agreement
Not just the Unionist pols in Norneverland, Esteemed Blogmeister, have been keeping mum in the Q’s English about this use of the t-word in the context which you mention..
It’s the same case lower down here in the aisle of holy Ireland where the lower case unionists have been too busy cartwheeling with joy on their trampolines to bother sounding off. It is ‘the juddering halt to which the Shinner juggernaut had been brought’ which has given them carte blanche this time to do that which they do do so well..
Normally the Hissy Sisterhood of both genders here in the SRI Lanka of Europe are super sensitive to slights (perceived or otherwise) on their own, not least north of the Black Sow’s Dyke. Hence the red carpet and brown nose treatment in Sinister House for such reluctant celebs as The Sleepless Beauty. Who shows no signs of going away, don’t you know.
Indeed, only last Sunday morning, at the same synchronized time as a particular funeral was taking place in the Markets District of Belfast the Lennon and McCartney of aggrieved Sisterhood were being r.carpeted and b. nosed by none other than the preternaturally empathetic Mimsy O’Call-Again Show on RTE Radio 1.
One half expected to hear the plaintive strains of Eleanor Rigby playing out in the background ‘picking up the rice in the church where a wedding had been’. But, no, not this chronological time: something to do with the secular flavour of the funeral in q.Thus, no Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walked from the grave.
The same Mimsy O’Call-Again, of course, not unlike Eleanor R., lives in a dream. Wearing the face she keeps in a jar by the door.Who is it for?
Well may that question be asked, and the ever obliging Perkie is only too happy to do the needful by answering. The previous day’s Irish Dependent could scarcely contain its waters by listing the almost preternaturally versatile Mimsy as THE frontrunner in a list of possible candidates to succeed the incumbent Prez in Arus an Uachtarain / The Off-white Houseen in the Park..
Wow !
So, in a word, that face, kept in a jar by the door, is for the voters (apart from those of a votive stripe) to look up at and admire even as it beams down with an almost pre. beatific smile from the election posters. Those posters which are destined to embrace lamppost, bustop and gable wall of the SRI Lanka of Europe.
And, not forgetting train stations. For the same Mimsy O Call-Again is said by those with ears attuned to accents that are IN, to be in possession of THE,most mellifluous DORT accent since Sir Bob hightailed it east in search of the Q’s shilling all those dog years ago..
The same DORT accent which is music to the ears of all-aspiring D.O.P.E.s (Demonisers of Pearse’s Eireland).
Perkie’s main concern is that the sight of Mimsy’s p. celestial countenance on those ladder high posters will only encourage the marble-brained M.O.P.E.s to use it as a, er, DORT board for their own nefarious p.
Mimsy O’Call-Again was not the only dominant Donnybrook Dublin 4 Sister in the SRI Lankan matriarchy to (studiously) avoid any mench of the t-word last Sunday for the same also held true for the Dominatrix sheself.
At last Sunday’s Labour Party, erm, Shindig at Arbour Hill, La Yawnaiste (for it is she !) in that eerily dreary contralto of her’s spoke of her cosmic admiration for Connolly’s courage to break Ireland free from the centuries’ old bondage which her hero had chosen to, erm, rent in twain.
These were not the only words of La Yawnaiste’s worth marking: for her inner dominatrix also expressed envy unbounded of the discipline of the Shinners and in particular , their prodigious use of the whip.
Actually, no. One may delete the above two pars (designed to see who was still awake). The needle point which the on-message La Colleen Bawn’s lawn-mower mezzo was actually making was that the Easter Week thingy was in fact Connolly’s rather roundabout way of (gasp) urging the generations yet unborn to vote a resounding Hissy Yis ! in the Referendum de dum to come.
(Dere yiz are now: betcha yiz didn’t know dat, then).
Which led some contrarians to wonder which of the two Scottish Connolly’s was in fact being commemorated: the Glaswegian Connolly or the Edinburgh Connolly. Whereas the former is a Big Yin Better Togetherer the latter was in nae way thus inclined.
Tramp ! Tramp ! Tramp !
Oops, that should read:
Thump! Thump ! Thump !
Schrodinger once more doing what his c.of nine tails likes to do: demand an explanation.
In this instance: the SRI Lanka of Europe.
In brief: before the Vasco da Gama of Vasectomy in The Unionist Times took over the role of The Man who makes up the minds of The Mindless, that position was amply filled by one, John Healy. Under the guise of his alter-egomaniac Backbencher twas he who coined the first part of the title SRI, as in, Snaking Regarder Ireland.
Which might be translated as those Neanderthals who cutely supported the Balaclava Boys with the wink, the nod and the ankle tap beneath the table.
The Lanka part came later. Though there is some dispute about its (long a) provenance:: one hedge school of thought holds that it short for Lankashire due to the profusion of Liverpudlian and Man U ganseys ondaily display in SRI Lanka. While another industrial school of thought maintains a different theory entirely. (nod, nod, wink,wink).
This is not to say that the SRI has been deleted as a prefix for the Lankas in our midst. Far from it. Thanks to his successor, Fintan O’Toole (for it is he !) the SRIs have not gone away,, ta’s agat..
It is just they have a Snaking Regard for a different class of Super Tramp entirely.
Superb as ever, great Perk…I noticed that conjunction myself. Man shot dead last week – no air space. Man stabbed to death a couple of years ago – ample airtime. Shurely shome mishtake?
You forgot to mention the Alliance party. They were very quiet about this too. The self-appointed non-sectarian party and champions of integrated education silent about a teacher being forced out of her job.
Too often indeed the response to the “curry my yogurt” endemic bigotry school of thought is creep mouse, and tiptoe.
“We all Know, its bigoted, but give these loyalists politicians that bit more time, and be patient,-equality will surreptitiously undermine these core beliefs, and the Afrikaners who articulate them will one day awake, and low and behold, their mouths agape with the first offensive sectarian comment, will find themselves unable to utter it, because Equality and the Rights of people to be treated with respect, and politically afforded the same, shall have come with the Dawn, and such contempt’s consigned to the very Odd regressive heretic. All will be right that fine day.
I agree with Another Jude firmly when he refers to the propensity to allow this placation to endure because, ‘the long term plan’ requires this approach. And I agree it’s reasoning is deeply flawed. The unchecked, or timorous checking of casual Afrikaner Bigotry here, can be expected from the Stoops. They have Never stood up for the rights of trapped minority north of the Black Pigs Dyke. A valve to release pressure, and a salve to conceal the wound,-But Never A Challenge to the assailants. To be forgotten hopefully sooner than later as the irrelevant spineless toadies they always were.
SF now. The stealth agenda promising freedom from such invective soon..well therein lies the crux of the matter. Rosa Parks didn’t say, “alright, we’ll compromise, I’ll let you have the seat Mr White, if you allow me to have it back after another short while on the journey, then at some stage near our respective destinations along the route, we may alight, each satisfied we haven’t added fuel to currently uneasy race relations”. All was well with the world, and the African American Population have some sort of bill currently being petitioned now in the year 2189….fingers crossed eh?
She firmly aligned her vertebrae along the contours of the upright and keep her feet planted firmly on the Bus floor and told him No, I am entitled to this seat, go fuck yourself, or however verbatim elsewise needed to impart to that particular Afrikaner that her vertebrate bequeathed by evolution, was to be utilized both figuratively, and actively, to make her Stand Sitting on.
Dilution of the Rosa Parkes stance,-the nerve of her, means appeasing Afrikaners. “Maybe if we take a gradualist approach and allow the KKK, part domination, or the Grandees of Unionism to huddle together with the UVF/UDA druggies and Maggots draining their own communities, with their graduated responses threatened instead of perhaps…….Publishing pictures of this alignment of respectable, and acceptable Confederates all together in unity, or sitting together in open conference discussing the problems the high wizards are having in this or that tiny forum, while in two thousand other places around the north, they continue to make many communities lives a misery. “Not on the Radar?…then lets not put it there”.
A dozen Nationalists were prosecuted in Coleraine for shouting and causing a disturbance of the peace while challenging an Orange Order March passed where Catholic Pensioner Kevin Mc Daid was beaten to death a couple of years ago by loyalist ferried over to the tiny enclave in the Waterside in Coleraine where they are treated with the contempt isolated “Catholic Communities” merit. The loyalists, against rulings, broke in to grand celebration musically of the Sash/Famine song or another of their liberal classics……the Cafers, above these musical peels of delighted triumphalism engaged passing this sad place where this poor man Kevin Mc Daid had been murdered, the Cafers had the absolute gall to shout and roar in agitated protest at this sick, sick expression of K K Kulture……..Thankfully, the PSNI waded into the Sectarian Bastards for this Breach, battered and arrested twelve or thirteen of them……..
The Orange Order and their Triumphal cortège, proceeded on their way in peace.
You couldn’t make it up! Why were these people arrested en masse violently, prosecuted for standing against diseased sectarianism, and not the inciters. Look at the case, then post a letter in the Coleraine Chronicle to tell those beleaguered people that we are getting there…….
Why this is happening in many places in Dixie, pictures of Chissick, Nesbitt, Hutchinson, Dodds, Mac causeland, And every Constituent in this Confederacy gathered for prayers and hate, should be highlighted with connections to the parasitic paramilitaries the are in concert with, and why they are not each being challenged for unlawful assembly and continued Crimes against both main communities, and others here.
Until we refuse to give up our seats altogether, this Culture of hate with its chronic insecurities are a threat to the well being of all who demand Equality. I do “Wish” it, I require it, and these reactionary regressives among the Afrikaners’ steering Committees should know, we will none of us give up our seats and ever allow anyone at any juncture to think it right that we could or should Ever, compromise our vertebral integrity.
Jude, I am sure you hadn’t missed the result of the count in which Catherine Seeley was involved.
So neither would you have missed the speech of successful candidate David Simpson. He was apoplectic, incandescent, livid – sorry but I can’t find a word strong enough for how he spat out the words ‘despicable’ and ‘disgraceful’ in criticising alleged tactics of the UUP.
He claimed there was an internet campaign denigrating his adopted children.
You would think he would have also been at least ‘angry’ or ‘critical’ of his friend Roberta McNally for calling a young female candidate a ‘tramp’.
Not a bit of it – the indignant Dave gave her his full support to denigrate the young lady even further.
Such unbelievable two-faced hypocrisy!
No thought of principle on his part – just political opportunism. But wait a minute, he’s a DUP member – that’s what they do. The party has never in all its existence shown any morality in any debate or subject.
Jude I totally agree with you. It is beyond disgraceful that any person is pursued from their job because of their politics, gender, religion or race. It is equally disgraceful if elected politicians (from any tribe) stand quietly by, do or say little beyond empty platitudes However, nothing is simple or easy when the context is NI. You only have to look at the vicious treatment of Naiomi Long, one of the most able and honest politicians we have here after the flag debacle. I didn’t see too many other elected representatives from any perspective stand shoulder to shoulder beside her. Quite the opposite. Catherine Seeley’s experience isn’t unique. That is certainly our tragedy. What is also interesting though, is the fact that she was able to secure a post in a controlled school in the first place. I wonder how many protestant teachers (unionist or otherwise) would be able to secure themselves a post in one of those maintained schools you referred to in other parts of west Belfast. In theory they might have a chance in the post primary sector but you and I both know you won’t find even one in any primary school in the maintained sector. So this means that Protestants (or other) have only half the job opportunities in teaching than their Catholic counterparts just because of their religion. I think that is worth getting worked up about in much the same way as I feel Catherine Seeley’s treatment was dispicable. And just before anyone comes in to give me a lecture about the special ‘needs’ of Faith-based schools maybe they could explain to me why it doesn’t seem to apply in other places ( the south fior example).
I didn’t see too many other elected representatives from any perspective stand shoulder to shoulder beside her.
Simply untrue. Both Sinn Fein & the SDLP were very vocal (much more so than the unionists whose constituencies these attacks happened ) in condemning those attacks. Martin McGuinness visited Naomi’s office the day after a botched arson attack caused some damage to it. Of course the usual suspects accused McGuinness of political opportunism. Also, the Irish News and the Belfast media groups (the only nationalist news outlets in N.I) devoted much time and pages to reporting the violent assault on the Alliance party offices and homes and members.
“What is also interesting though, is the fact that [Catherine Seeley] was able to secure a post in a controlled school in the first place”.
Why is that interesting? Despite their religious origins, controlled schools are supposed to be open to all religions and none. In that context the hiring of Ms Seeley (of whom I neither know nor care about her religion) should be entirely unremarkable.
Religious discrimination in teacher hiring at faith schools is an entirely separate matter.
Jude
You have creatively imagined what you think Unionists might have said and then condemned them for it. Well done.
What Peter Robinson actually said was:
“That is to be deplored and condemned and if people legitimately and, on merit, get jobs then they are entitled to work in that place in a peaceful environment,”
You are pelting a straw man with sour grapes.
Oh well that’s it, then. From the roof-tops. Definitive. I swallow my sour grapes, pelt myself and leave the floor to that decent and free-from-bias man, Mr Robinson…
Jude
It only took me 5 minutes to find that, which is clearly 5 more minutes than you spent checking.
I am sure there are plenty of actual non imagined things you can complain about regarding Peter Robinson. I would not be calling him a decent free-from-bias man myself.
For me his remarks about trusting muslims to go to the shops for him, would have led to any politician anywhere else having to resign.
`but we can be sure of his sincerity re Ms Seeley, obviously…
Jude
We should never doubt the sincerity of a politician.
The thing is, nobody said:
We know the UDA/UVF are illegal but what you gonna do? Too delicate. Keep quiet, in the name of peace and harmony. A pity she had to go but sure raising a row would only make it worse.
Only Willie Frazer came close. But when you put stuff like that up,people may assume it is accurate and then you have a list of comments condemning unionists for something they did not say.
It seems to me like rabblerousing (not implying that any of your fine contributors are rabble of course) which is why I’m pointing it out.
OK gio, if you say PR said a bad thing had happened, I’ll take your word. Did he happen to say anything about the continuing existence of the UDA? Or did he feel that wasn’t his area, him only being First Minister? As I say I’ll accept the truth of what you say but I con only tell you I usually listen out for response to such incidents and Peter’s thunder of condemnation must have been so sotto voce, I didn’t manage to hear it. What about Nigel, the prince regent – had he any views on the death threats or the continuation without a blush of the UDA? I still believe if the shoe had been on the other foot, we would have heard about it from unionist politicians again and again and again. And again.
I should have added, gio – I take exception to your saying I’m a rabble-rouser. I point out things that strike me and which very often the mainstream media manage to glide around. Name-calling – not good.
Jude
You generalised about unionism as a whole on this issue and I pointed out an exception, which would have been easy for you to find had you wished to, which makes me think you didn’t wish to.
Should they have been more outspoken about what happened to Catherine Seeley? Yes they should.
Would nationalists have been more outspoken in the reverse scenario? I doubt it.
And by the way you called me stuffy and superior only last week! Take the mote out of thy own eye!
Oh dear. Sorry about that, gio. You’re not a bit stuffy. Unbending, mebbe, but not stuffy. Mea culpa. Yes, I could have checked. But life is short and I still feel I’m safe in saying that there was no howl of protest, insistence on investigation, etc etc from unionist politicians into (i) death threats (illegal) and these from (ii) the UDA (illegal). You may be right what might have happened if it had been the other way round. I’m just guessing wildly that the DUP etc would have gone on and on and on and on about it, had it been vice versa. Listening to Jeffrey Donaldson on Talkback today, I don’t see much progress there…
Jude
Stop being reasonable dammit. It makes it that much harder to disagree with you.
Take a read of the comments from the time on the Newsletter’s website.
In the comments, MOD opines that Ms Seeley was driven out for political rather than religious reasons. Now I’d have my doubts about MOD’s bona fides; certainly his apparent belief that having the wrong political views is axiomatically reason to allow workplace discrimination would not inspire me with confidence. But he does make a valid enough point that in this case there is a deliberate conflation of religion and politics.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/regional/catherine-seeley-leaves-teaching-job-after-sectarian-intimidation-1-5863566
Ignoring the religious element, and Jude’s point about the lack of outrage, would the nationalist posters here be comfortable with say Gavin Robinson (or worse Peter!) teaching their children?
As a sort of tangential anecdote I will add this. I know of a Catholic primary school that back in the 90s unannounced took the children out to see the arrival of the Queen to the town. When the parents found out that evening it was bedlam.
Guess, people don’t like other people messing with their children’s identity.
Chunks, Jude painted a picture of a Protestant / member of the DUP teaching in a maintained school in West Belfast and the outrage that might have ensued if that person had experienced similar treatment to Catherine Seeley. My point was that no Protestant of any shade would be likely to hold such a position and absolutely not in a catholic primary school so the scenario would never arise. As far as I am concerned both instances are discrimminatory and not unrelated. Discrimmination whether enforced by institutions or led by a community mob is still wrong.
Wrong again. I went to a C.C.M.S school in West Belfast & there were a few Protestants on the teaching staff. By no means a large amount but there were certainly several in my time there in the 90’s. I never saw or heard of any hostility directed their way by an students or staff. I also know that if any pupils had said any thing sectarian they would have been in serious trouble.
Wrong again. I went to a C.C.M.S school in West Belfast & there were a few Protestants on the teaching staff.
A few is that 2-3? ; )