A letter published in the Irish Times on Friday 2nd October 2026 entitled Several Sides to Drumcree is worth reflecting on. It was written by Joseph McMinn with a Belfast address. He writes:
“Editor, So much of the media coverage of what is going on at Drumcree and the Garvaghy Road refers to ‘both sides’ of the problem, or the ‘two’ sides failing to achieve some sort of compromise.
There are, in fact, three sides, the third side, rarely if ever mentioned, being the British government. London likes to portray itself as an honest broker, a neutral referee with no vested interest in the place or the issue.
It presents a narrative in which it is simply and fairly dealing with hopelessly backward children, two tribes who cannot behave like decent rational grown-ups.
This patronising outlook is very much part of the problem. That British Prime Minister Andy Burnham can declare, only weeks ago, that all talk of a united Ireland was quite simply “off the table” is hardly evidence of absolute neutrality. We need to talk about London. Joseph McMinn”
I agree entirely with the author of this letter and I wanted to quote it in full because we must never forget the role of the British colonial government in bringing about the religious/political division. I would hope that the Irish Times, BBC and RTE and all the rest of the media would take the truth contained in this letter on board.
The British may have banned this particular parade but they are not neutral when it comes to the OO.
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