(no subject)

[hellison]

So the Orange Order has finally replied to all the accusations of starting the trouble, joining in the riots, attacking the police, with, surprise surprise, a HUGE denial. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4243684.stm


They are totally blameless. There's no evidence at all they were bad (except of course that video the cops have of them).
Those Orangemen throwing rocks at cops? They were just lifing their hands to protect themselves. They're all DECENT PEOPLE OK?? NO bad ones. Not at all. Oh no.
A big boy MADE them do it! This bit particularly gets me...
"The extent to which ordinary, decent and reasonable men have been goaded into behaving out of character by the authorities and their insistence on appeasing and rewarding nationalists at the expense of loyalists."

Um. So, grown men can't take responsibility for their own actions? And the organisation to which they belong can't take any responsibility when it's done in their name, wearing their regalia?
I may be wrong here, but aren't most of the Protestant sects (is that the right word?) - Presbyterianism, Methodism etc, centred on individual responsibility and making individual choices based on conscience?

And there's that 'they took my toys and gave it to that dirty boy over there' arguement again. I know I keep comparing them to toddlers, but that's what they sound like. A pampered, spoilt only child who's arrived at school and for the first time been made to share his toys and do what he's told, so he pitches a huge tantrum, smashing things, kicking the floor and screaming to get his own way.

If they'd just come out and say 'ok, some of our members acted wrongly and we'll look into that' they might seem a bit more credible. Also, you know, condemning the rioting, violence, robbery, burnings and so on would help a bit. But no. They're staying firmly on their royal barge floating down that river. And the Belfast Grand Master, the one who refused point blank to condemn any of the violence is now saying he wouldn't do anything differently?
What fucking world do these people live in?
I am all out of boggle. In fact I am enraged. Maybe I should go sit in a road and block traffic, then fire some petrol bombs around to express myself as is my apparent right.
Anyone got a spare toddler I can hit with a brick? I have a point to make!


And on that appeasing nationalists bit, one of the papers this morning was talking about a study which shows that the loyalist/protestant communities are actually still getting more of the funding, investment, education opportunities etc than the nationalist/catholic ones.
Haven't found a link to it yet, will keep looking.

Comments

[malvino.livejournal.com]

I have a solution, flood the poorest areas with asylum seekers and economic migrants without skills who are neither Catholic or Protestant and who don't care if they're Irish or British as long as the government won't torture them and they have the right to work.

Ireland's still hugely underpopulated in comparison with the rest of Europe, NI in comparison with England particularly, both governments are stable and relaxed and really people would be better off under either with peace rather than making themselves miserable for nothing.

If they saw how much they actually have and how much others would give to have what they have they might get on with living instead of fighting.

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

"They may have protected themselves but there certainly wasn't violence. If a policeman comes at you with a baton you'll certainly put up your hand or something to stop them,"

Honest, yer honour! I was raising my hand to protect myself from a police baton, and the lit firebomb slipped out of my hand and into the crowd!