Sep. 14th, 2005

hellison: (Default)
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.
hellison: (Default)
I live on the edge of Belfast and I work in the city centre. It's a small city, so I live about 6 miles from work. Normally the trip home takes about 20 mins in the car, on a bad day 30 or so.

Today it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes. To travel SIX FUCKING MILES.

Not impressed.

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