Loyalist myths: King Billy
revisited
The Orange Parades on and around the twelfth of
July have long been a bone of serious contention and indeed a source
of sectarian conflict in the Six Counties. Members of the Orange
Order demand their unalienable right to march the Queen's highway, in
commemoration of the victory of King William of Orange at the battle
of the Boyne - a victory (as the Orangemen see it) for religious and
civil liberty.
..Time to
stop beating the Orange drum
Orange sectarianism is not without a material base, and it is not
some sort of frightened reaction to militant republicanism. Unless we
understand the basis for sectarianism we will not be able to uproot
it. When Protestant workers accept loyalist values they are joining
an alliance with their bosses.
Sectarian intimidation
& North Belfast (Nov. 2001)
The horrifying ongoing scenes of sectarian intimidation outside Holy
Cross Primary School in the Ardoyne area of North Belfast have
shocked everyone.
Sectarianism in North Belfast (Jan 2002)
As an Anarcho-Syndicalist, living in North Belfast I was interested to see Gregor Kerr's recent article, 'Sectarianism and North Belfast' in Workers Solidarity.
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Articles include
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The real difference is not between
Catholic
& Protestant but between rich and poor
Some republicans seem to be genuinely surprised that the 'peace
process' collapsed. How can anything be expected from the British
state which was responsible for Bloody Sunday, for smashing the
miners strike, for running down the NHS
Sectarianism in
the north and the fight against it
This talk is about sectarianism in the North. Sectarianism is
something that has existed to a greater or lesser extent in Ireland
since the plantations and must be overcome if socialism can be
introduced
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Marching
to nowhere :Stirring Up Sectarian Hatred (Summer)
It is a great tragedy that once again this July the working class
population of Belfast's Lower Ormeau will be mobilising to try and
stop the Orange Order from marching down their road. A tragedy
because the Order should never get that far.
It's still an
Orange state (1996)
Again this year loyalist parades were forced through nationalist
areas destroying any illusions that the British state is neutral in
the 6 counties.
Neither
Orange nor Green
Sinn Féin's politics offer little more to Northern workers, as
a class, than the politics of the fringe loyalist groups. Both aspire
to getting a better deal for the poor and oppressed in their
communities but neither are capable of delivering, as they are
limited to rhetorical appeals to the workers of the other side to
"see sense"
When the
Falls & the Shankill fought together
This year is the 60th anniversary of the Outdoor Relief strike in
Belfast, which saw unemployed Catholics and Protestants fighting
alongside each other.
A new
loyalist party?
David Ervine of the UVF linked Progressive Unionist Party, Gusty
Spence and Gary McMichael of the UDA's Ulster Democratic Party are
all talking about is a new working class loyalist political party.
There is much talk of how the ordinary working class Protestant has
gained nothing from the old loyalism, of poor housing and the lack of
respect shown to them by the "fur coat brigade".
Nationalism...No
Thanks
Anarchists are for the defeat of British imperialism. But we want
more, we stand for the creation of a new society in the interests of
the working class and against the bosses, both orange and
green.
It's still an
Orange state
Again this year loyalist parades were forced through nationalist
areas destroying any illusions that the British state is neutral in
the 6 counties.
Irish
nationalism is not for us
Anarchists are for the defeat of British imperialism. But we want
more, we stand for the creation of a new society in the interests of
the working class. This is very different from the politics of
nationalism, of Sinn Fein
Unionist MP supports anti-Catholic threats
The Irish
Nazi, the Unionist MPs and the British Tories
An Irish fascist has turned up as editor of Right Now!, an
ultra-right magazine within the British Conservative Party. Among the
MPs who have spoken at its meetings are Deputy DUP leader Peter
Robinson and Orange Grand Master Martin Smyth
The anarchist position is summarised in these documents
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Irish Labour History? |
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In June of 1795 several Irish Protestants gathered on top of Cave Hill, overlooking Belfast. They swore " never to desist in our efforts until we had subverted the authority of England over our country and asserted our independence". Three years later 100,000 rose against Britain in the first Irish republican insurrection. Andrew Flood examines what they were fighting for and how they influenced modern Irish nationalism. |
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