The 12 July: Bonfires and Barricades
Your timeline and mine may be drowned in images of massive pallet-bonfires and running battles with police – huge fires and houses being ‘protected’ by wooden boarding – unfathomable images to those of us not from Northern Ireland. Unfathomable maybe, but also hard-wired into our imaginations and our news-feed. This is just how it is.
But how is it that these communities have not experienced any of the social and cultural changes that have enveloped Ireland? The communities seem frozen in time, isolated from the outside world, desolate and lumpen, broken by hatred and bigotry and poverty of every kind. These communities are worshipping not just old dead religions but old dead terrorist groups who exist beyond the Peace Agreement as phantoms. These are an enclave from the 20th Century clinging onto their precious hatred for dear life.
KAT – Kill All Taigs (Catholics). This where we are. Every Year. Every year, sectarian and racist attacks spike in this same period. And every year the Commentariat condones this by pretending there is no link between the Orange Order ‘holiday’ and this KKK style running sore. pic.twitter.com/AK4fFIraXl
— Paul Larkin (@brehonisbest) July 10, 2024
This decline is mirrored in the political landscape. As Emma DeSouza writes (‘Unionism in Northern Ireland is dying out‘):
“Unionism as an ideology is broken, fracturing itself to pieces on an ever-shrinking board. The 2021 census illustrated a sharp decline in British identity in Northern Ireland, and survey results consistently indicate that a growing number of people – particularly those aged 18 to 24 – feel no affinity towards unionism. With a decreasing voter base, it is difficult to imagine three parties representing three wings of unionism surviving the next decade and, as this political ideology slips further towards oblivion, so too will support for staying in the United Kingdom.”
She continues: “Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin, which advocates for a united Ireland, has become the largest Northern Ireland party across the board at the devolved assembly, local council and now Westminster. Sinn Féin’s historic hat-trick is the clearest indicator of Northern Ireland’s shifting demographics and political aspirations. As the party that helped deliver the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, the incoming Labour government needs to discharge its duties under the agreement by outlining the criteria for calling a border poll.”
This plea, while wholly rational, will likely be ignored by Labour for as long as possible. Constitutional change of any sort will be resisted by the incoming government, who have reduced their ‘Change’ programme to Mayors and talking shops and promising to ‘Restore Devolution’ – for which, in Scotland read, ‘bypass’.
But this tactic of ignoring the changes going on before your eyes – ignoring the democratic mandate being built up in Ireland for a say in their future – is a well-worn one – tried and tested here in Scotland for years where mandate after mandate is ignored – where a huge majority of seats for independence-supporting parties is ignored as meaningless – while a small majority of seats for dependence is seized on as a democratic triumph. But the British constitutional settlement is like the giant teetering bonfire, built on decades of bigotry and increasingly dangerous and unstable. To pretend otherwise is an option, but a high-stakes one. Suppressing democracy (in various forms) and maximising elite rule though dark-money, clandestine funding and stuffing the Lords with your cronies is one way to rule, but it doesn’t do anything to confront endemic problems nor enthuse an electorate rapidly turning its back on politics. This was the lowest turnout in a UK general election since universal suffrage.
As Brian Feeney, in The Irish News writes:
“Business and commerce have fled the order, wouldn’t be seen dead marching behind bands hired by the tiny membership of lodges whose drums are festooned with the paraphernalia of loyalist terrorist groups.”
“The Order has no power. Its ageing membership is a fraction of what it was fifty years ago. Many marchers can’t manage the distance of their parades. Instead of a manifestation of the power of Unionism ‘the Twalf’ is Exhibit A of what has happened to Unionism”.
As religious belief recedes and church attendance haemorrhages, the old order marches on but it is a fragment of itself marked by logos and slogans and incantations for groups and gods that no longer exist.
Apart from the question of the lack and failure of the protestant church in these communities – there is the wider question – a question that hangs over Glasgow and Scotland too – of how and why a group of men representing this community are allowed to exert themselves over public life by threat of violence. Seeing these expression as a mark of male violence and far-right activity – rather than as expressions of ‘Orange culture’ puts it in a completely different context. What other community, in either Scotland or Ireland would be given such licence by the police to operate with complete immunity and to threaten other people on an annual basis? The hauntology of British Unionism, now reduced in parts to Loyalist violence, is a grim spectacle, and one that every year takes a step towards its own extinction.
Well said Mike.
A few years back on here I said that if a United Ireland comes before an independent Scotland the NI loyalists would be given generous relocation packages to move to mainland Britain (read as Scotland where they can be close to their Scottish fawners and their beloved football team) to shore up the unionist vote here. It was widely ridiculed or ignored at the time but given one of the main characters in the latest Rebus series said (in reference to a couple of Loyalist drug runners “visiting” Scotland) “I hope to fuck there’s never a United Ireland. This is what it’s like when two of them come over. Can you imagine what it would be like if a million of them moved to the ‘motherland’.” maybe some will start to view the possibility a bit more seriously. I’m half tempted to think the Scottish unionists / abstainers would fully deserve them but nobody deserves that.
Tom – I am happy to be corrected but my understanding is that it would require a majority in both NI and ROI to approve reunification and at present polls indicate support in both countries is lower than support for independence in Scotland.
Despite the electoral gains made by Sinn Fein I also believe there is no majority in Stormont to hold a reunification vote.
In really reunification is in all probability still some way off.
Interesting to note that GFA states a 7 year gap has to elapse between any reunification vote but the vote has to be agreed by Westminster government. It will be interesting to see what criteria Westminster apply to agreeing to a vote. I am imagine they will have to be careful to avoid independence supporters in Scotland & Wales using criteria as a benchmark. The government in ROI and EU may be able to apply pressure on UK government to agree to a reunification vote if they were to try to block.
It is interesting that in GFA the Westminster government stated words to the effect that they had no vested interest in NI staying in UK and that it was up to the NI people to decide. I am not sure UK government would apply the same principle to Scotland or Wales.
I agree with much of your post John but no harm in giving Scots a glimpse of their kid’s futures in the meantime.
20% of the population of the Republic were born overseas. Based on current demographics (birth rate of the ‘indigenous’ Irish compared to the birth rate of the immigrant ‘Irish’) then it won’t be long before the ‘Irish’ are in the minority in their own country and do you think the ‘new’ Irish could care less about reunification?
A poll suggests 67% in ROI favour reunification. Those who couldn’t care less probably won’t even vote.
Tom
JL is a right wing Tory who has to try and get immigration into every conversation.
What he fails to mention is of course is that Ireland’s population is today still less than it was before the Potato Famine of the 1840. The potato famine was not one of JL’s beloved Britain’s finest episodes. It is also one of the primary reasons why we have a large Irish diaspora in Scotland which is appreciated by most these days but still despised by the aging and diminishing number of Orange clad marchers who clog up our roads with their supremacist nonsense and hatred each July.
I’ve had run ins with JL before John but as he’s a convert to independence he can’t be all bad. That’s like a mortal sin to the lodge.
John,
Sorry but Ireland won’t be Ireland in 2 generations time. You might dismiss me as a ‘Tory’ even though I’ve voted Tory/Labour and SNP in my thankfully long life(voted yes in 2014 and leave in 2016) but the current levels of immigration are unstainable. Dismiss me as a rascist/fascist/Tory whatever…….but what is happening will lead to societable breakdown but the modern day left are terrified of addressing this matter. Utterly terrified which is why, to use a left wing term, the ‘indigenous peoples of Europe have abandoned the left
@John Learmonth, surely we should rejoice that the Republic of Ireland is no longer under the monopoly of Roman Catholicism? I mean, the country might still be backward, patriarchal and superstitious in many respects (as is the UK), but at least the tide is turning in the other direction for now. One of the reasons the Good Friday Agreement succeeded was that Irish people looked outwards from their own narrow conflicts to the rest of the world for inspiration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_Agreement
In nature, monocultures are inherently weak. The health of our planet depends on biodiversity. Let Ireland be a rainforest, not a plantation.
JL – if you have read my comments before I actually agree we need an open, respectful conversation based on actual facts rather than scaremongering. Not discussing is just as bad as scaremongering.
The facts from academic research show that immigrants are financially neutral or slightly beneficial to a nation’s economy.
Scotland and the UK have aging populations who require more younger people to support various parts of economy especially health care provision and provide future tax base as well.
Unfortunately the birth rate is also falling so unless we are prepared to work well into our 70’s we will need immigrants to supplement the workforce.
There is a shortage of housing and healthcare provision for existing residents but this is not the fault of immigrants it is due to underinvestment and planning. In other words the whole situation with services and immigration is a bit chicken and egg.
The other issue, which some people don’t like discussing, is the indigenous population feeling uncomfortable living in an area with a large number of immigrants in their locality. This could be improved by better planning eg how many immigrants end up in leafy Surrey as opposed to inner cities?
I would add that studies show in UK the parts of population who feel most threatened by immigration tend to be in areas with relatively low number of immigrants. This is due to a lot of misconception and scaremongering by the media and some politicians about immigrants which evidence on the ground often does not support
I would add that although I think immigration is positive for a country I acknowledge that some controls are required. This has to be done on a fair and non discriminatory way. I note that Brexit appears to have led to a significant increase in levels of immigration which is ironic.
To successfully address immigration you have to also address the factors driving immigration namely war, poverty and increasingly climate change in other areas of the world. If you fail to do this people are going to try and come here and into Europe in increased numbers often out of sheer desperation.
People have always moved between countries to improve their life chances or to broaden their experience, I and many other Scots have done so.
Having said all that I will add three other things:
1.Younger people in this country tend to me tolerant of immigrants which is not surprising as they have lived with a higher number of immigrants.
2.Unscrupulous politicians have tried to scapegoat immigrants and other minority groups down through history abroad and in UK.
3.Even though I now support independence I don’t give a damn how someone voted in 2014 if they are making intolerant and hateful comments.
JL – I forgot to respond to your interesting comment about ‘Ireland won’t be Ireland in 2 generations’. I am tempted to ask whether these terrible immigrants are going change to invade Ireland and pull it away to Africa?’
You are right in one way if measures to mitigate climate change are not fully implemented Ireland’s landscape will not be as green in 2 generations as it is famous for being today.
think we need a Elliot Ness type of FBI and Judges that show no favour
” a question …of how a group of men are allowed to exert themselves over public life by threat of violence ?” Hmmm ….aye its quite the conundrum right enough …..try asking the ask the women of Scotland
Excellent description of the Orange Oder and its disgusting history and legacy.
Thousands used to line my local streets waving union jacks and cheering as these hate marches passed by.
We lived, eventually in Aberdeen where no such Orange folk marched in military style on the public highways. This was their right however, elsewhere ,they declared, and no- one was allowed to walk through their ranks without threat
Now,still, in my area in South Lanarkshire,they exist, albeit, in a shrunken almost laughable form. They walk past my home and near a Roman Catholic school. They come off a Main Street to do this. The presence of these people disturb the peace of a quiet well integrated neighbourhood.
My own research in conjunction with a local councillor concluded that it is fundamentally permission granted by the police which allows this route to be taken.
It is no small matter to take on the Police or the Loyal Orange Order so what is the best course of action to try to prevent these people distributing mine and my neighbours peace?