In the vivid if somewhat coarse wording of The Thick of It’s script-writers, this has been a cluster-fuck of a Twelfth for unionism. First there was the bouncy-bouncy dance of the Finaghy True Blues in Donegall Street, then the alleged murder attempt on the life of a young woman by car-driver and Orangeman John Aughey, and finally Mick Wallace TD’s claim that a northern politician was involved in a massive NAMA fixer deal featuring some £7 million in an off-shore account.
Let’s take the first of these, since it may have nothing to do with unionism. Mike Nesbit has come out and declared no one in his party had any involvement. I’m not sure if Sinn Féin or the SDLP have come out with similar statements. But Peter Robinson has been at some pains to point out that his son and none of his family were involved. Time will tell if this affair was one that did in fact involve a northern politician; but past controversies about land deals and the anxiety of the DUP to deny any knowledge while sounding pretty nervous opens up at least a possibility that the party may be involved in a scandal. Even if they are not, as we know, the suggestion that they are may be enough to damage them.
Now let’s look at John Aughie, the Orangeman whose car ploughed into a crowd and left a young woman with a range of injuries – a broken collar-bone, a broken pelvis and a broken ankle among them. Only swift action by the PSNI and some nationalists on the spot in lifting the car from on top of her saved her life. Mr Aughey is faced with charges of attempted murder. His solicitor has made known that Aughey is recovering from cancer and is the main carer for his seriously-ill wife. One has sympathy for anyone suffering from cancer and caring for an ill relative is a demanding job in more ways than one (as Jim Wells has reminded us); but the idea that attempted murder or homophobic remarks should not be prosecuted with vigour because the accused is having a hard time in his personal life is frankly ludicrous. Continue that line of argument and a thief might argue he stole your television because his sick child enjoys watching X Factor.
Finally, the Finaghy True Blues. There have been people posting on this site arguing that their odd bouncy-bouncy dance predated the fatal attack on Robert Hamill in Portadown and therefore has nothing to do with him. It’s an attractive but fatally flawed argument. As I pointed out in another blog, The Beachboys’ ‘Sloop John B’ was composed in the 1950s (or 1960s, according to Neill) but no one for a moment doubts that when the circling band outside St Patrick’s Church two years ago played and sang it, it was naked sectarianism designed to provoke. I listened to Noel Thompson interviewing Drew Nelson on BBC Raidio Uladh/Radio Ulster this morning, and both men danced around the nature of the offensive behaviour. They agreed it was regrettable but even the possibility that it was a mockery of the death of Robert Hamill, kicked to death by loyalist thugs, was not mentioned. In some ways it’s irrelevant whether or not the Finaghy True Blues had Hamill in mind: what’s certain is that a lot of nationalists/republicans are convinced of their intention to insult the memory of a dead man – and this a few yards from the spot where the infamous Famine Song was played a few years ago.
On at least three fronts, then, it’s been a horror-show Twelfth for unionists. Might it encourage them to think of a radically new way to celebrate the Twelfth next year? About as much chance as the Grand Master ordering in for each Lodge a supply of Holy Water.
Lets not beat about the bush, we all know this “bouncy bouncy” dance that Unionists/Loyalists do is in reference to Robert Hamills murder by Loyalist thugs simply because he was Catholic.
Heres a video of when Loyalists did it in 2012 when they last had their return parade at Ardoyne, its only 50 seconds long:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHVS-F1tPcs
The likes of Neill or other Unionists/Loyalists will go out of their way and attempt to defend and make excuses for this kind of behaviour and they only make themselves look idiots in the process, like they did when they tried to defend the loyalist band marching around in a circle outside a Catholic chapel when it was as clear as daylight to everyone what the Loyalist band was doing and yet Unionists STILL came out to try to defend this sectarian action or excuse it.
I don’t think Unionism/Loyalism realizes the consequences of what their sectarian behaviour causes. Their sectarian bonfires, parades, etc de-stabilizes this wee statelet of ours in this corner of Ireland and reinforces the republican argument that “Northern Ireland” is a complete failure as a state. You cant have a state where half the population doesn’t even agree with its existence, such an entity is doomed to failure and it will end sooner or later. Unionisms sectarianism and one sidedness only hastens its decline and it couldn’t come too soon…..
Thank you for that link, Ryan. I think that pretty conclusively ends any ambiguity around what the bouncy-bouncy dance is about.
No problem Jude
Ryan, the fact that unionist politicians always make excuses for their followers and blame everyone else under the sun for their disgusting behaviour just means that these politicians are no better than the rioters themselves. You can’t defend them and then claim you yourself have clean hands.
You think they don’t realise the possible consequences of their actions.
I think the complete opposite – they do realise but they don’t care, as they have always been protected by their politicians and the police.
They have never faced any consequences, otherwise the Orange Order, their followers and bonfire builders would have to pay for the repair of any damage caused as a result of their actions. They would also have to pay for policing of such events and the cost of clearing up bonfire detritus, and would have to lodge bonds before the events, which would be forfeited in the event of trouble.
The point is Ryan you don’t accept N Irelands existence so why would any unionist waste a nano second in trying to win you around?
Just out of interest Neill, do you think that Northern Ireland has been a success in the near hundred years since its inception?
I’m not surprised by Radio Ulster’s decision to not even mention the possibility of a sectarian motive.
Radio Ulster aren’t comfortable with pointing out such things, as evidenced yesterday morning during their interview with Peter Hain.
Hain highlighted SF’s moves towards reconciliation in various moves such as cenotaph attendance and Royal visits. He then asked when unionism would make similar counter moves and was very promptly asked about on the runs…the issue of unionisms’ lack of reciprocation was never raised again.
Jude, have we no come back when the BBC clearly falsely reports what happened on the twelfth night. I listened closely yesterday evening when the reporter said that the poor victim of this loyalist thug orange man was…….”trapped under an upturned car” that is clearly untrue. I mean, I’m not even a trained reporter, I’m a fire fighter, but I know that’s untrue.
You see, what annoys me is that his report gives the subtle impression that perhaps the car was over turned by an angry nationalist/ republican crowd, and the result was that the girl became entrapped. When in actual fact, the proverbial digs on the street know that the car was overturned to release her from said entrapment! Do you see the subtle difference. Subtle, but extremely important!
Big problem lurking here for the future. A re-united Ireland will come as surely as day follows night but how do you assimilate these purveyors of hate into any normal society ? You cannot serve two masters so where will their allegiance lie ? Republicanism especially ,but Nationalism in general , has bent over backwards to make peace with them but they’re not even interested in the slightest semblance of equality. Will England step up to the mark,and I mean England because the entity known as the ” United Kingdom ” will be no more….it’s in the final throes of dissolution……I don’t think so and if we really explore the inner recesses of our minds we’ll come to the conclusion that nobody , no country would , even momentarily , consider this loaded liability . Now there is one mighty conundrum !!!
The attitude of the media reminds me of Wayward Pines, some things must never be spoken of, there must be no deviation from the consensus, the whole thing stinks to high Heaven. I personally do not see how Orange `values` can ever separate from violence of word and deed, the hatred of Catholicism and Irishness is such an integral part of it that any dilution would render it meaningless. The Belfast Telegraph on Tuesday had a sixteen page pull out as usual, full of pictures of people enjoying the craic, eating ice creams and drinking lemonade, the front of the same paper had pictures of drunken Orange men fighting with the police. Each is a natural part of the twelfth of July. Until the day comes when Britain is a secular state and has no official ties to organised religion these fools will always find a reason to behave as they do. Their obvious bigotry is a natural extension of the subtle bigotry at the heart of the British state.
The mania which grips Unionism/Orangeism at this time of year really is quite something to behold. Take this John Aughey character for instance. Clearly a hugely violent and deranged individual.
I’d like to think that if I’m still around when I’m 61 I’ll be winding down towards retirement. Maybe climbing the Mournes of a weekend, pottering about the garden, enjoying spending time with grandchildren and catching up on all the books I have yet to read, films I have yet to watch and music I have yet to hear.
While I’m not one for predicting the future, I think I can safely say that at no point will I be driving my car into some teenage girls in an attempt to kill them.
I would hope that the actions of John Aughey will put paid once and for all to the notion that the Orange Order is simply a Christian social club for elderly Protestant gentlemen. I would also hope that the incidents of the past few days have knocked on the head any notions that this is somehow a celebration of ‘Britishness’.
The Inglorious Twelfth is a violent and aggressive display of Orange Supremacism over the natives. Nothing more, nothing less. Is it safe to return home yet?
Lets not forget the ‘Orangefest’ banner that was strategically placed outside St Patrick’s Chapel a couple of days before the 12th. It seems everything this year was set in place specifically to show Unionism and Loyalism in a bad light even if it wasn’t intended to do so. The argument that the Orange Order is a separate organisation and religious one at that has been proven to be false many times but this years ‘festivities’ have shown them to be some of the most vile members of society.
Lets not beat about the bush here the Orange Order runs Unionist politics in this state-let with them going so far as to have a Loyal Order based in Stormont and going by the behavior of the Orange institution at Ardoyne and Donegall Street this year and can only say we are seeing the same lack of ‘leadership’ which we see from Unionist politicians day in and day out. Again I say…..who’s reaching out to who?
two lads waving a tricolour out a car window passing twadell hate camp,remanded in custard.orangeman attempted murder 500 pound bail thank you very much…sounds like the 1920s..and people saying what a good deal we got from the gfa,
A timely reminder to everyone that these terrorists haven’t gone away you know. We have UDR terrorist Aughey in the news running over kids and also in the news RUC terrorist Richard Barklie pleading that he wasn’t racist when he shoved a man off a Paris metro train. Lovely bedfellows indeed are the British state militia.