Marching Season has begun.
It is that time of the year …mid-June to mid-August….when Orangemen walk about a lot.
They do this because
1 It is their British, Protestant and Unionist Culture.
Or
2 It annoys Catholics.
Or
3 It is British, Protestant and Unionist Culture to annoy Catholics.
As with any sporting season, we have had some pre-season friendlies, games to show that both teams …Orange marchers and Catholic residents are up to the challenge.
So last nights game in North Belfast did not disappoint fans of either side.
The Orange marchers tested the Parades Commission determinations to the fullest and in the post-match analysis will be working out how breaches will be policed on bigger days in the season…the Twelfth of July for example.
On the residents side…Sinn Fein MLAs Gerry Kelly and Caral Ni Chuilin were on the streets. Both got knocked around a bit by a PSNI (Police Service of Norn Iron) land rover. Sinn Fein are using the video of the footage for propaganda and they seem to have a point.
It will do Gerry…I declare an interest as I class him as a friend….no harm. In Republican circles, he is a hero and even at 60 years of age has upstaged the republican dissidents by getting in the face of the police. Gerry Kelly is a Sinn Fein member of the Policing Board, which oversees the Police.
Likewise Caral who got a few bruises from the same landrover…it will do her no harm either.
The last time I saw Caral who is the Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure was at the launch of the Irish language initiative, Liofa. She was chatting happily with PSNI officers including Asst Chief Constable Judith Gillespie.
Yet it was only the first match in Marching Season. Orangemen got to march. Residents got to protest. And over the course of the two month season, we can expect more of the same. Thats the trouble with Marching Season…DUP and SinnFein joined at the hip and ruling Norn Iron as a one party state (the one party has a Green Wing and an Orange Wing…its a two month long opportunity for DUP and SF to rally the troops and then seamlessly re-engage with their coalition partners before the autumn.
If it sounds like a farce…..its because it IS a farce.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
One in the eye for the dissidents, one hopes!
Or one in the eye for those who like to pretend that so-called “Northern Ireland” is anything other than that part of the nation of Ireland that continues to be under colonial occupation by Britain. What was seen in Carrickhill was no different from what would have been seen in Dublin, Cork, Limerick or Galway ninety years ago. Its the same Occupation and nothing has significantly altered that same basic fact.
To be honest some of the folks I have asked in Dalkey think the video does not necessarily portray Gerry K in the best light, however among dissident republicans in NI, who do not on teh whole support the police in NI (PSNI), it is not necessarily good news, as one suspects the video will probably make marginal voters (who might be attracted to the dissidents) more likely to keep voting for Sinn Féin.
Dont kid yourself.
Gerry and Caral …as wellas Alban Magennis incidently had to be there as MLAs for North Belfast.
Many will be impressed by what Gerry and Caral did.
Many will be impressed by what Alban did.
As I have said for the next two months we are locked into this “soap opera”
Everyone has a role to play.
It was an interesting video to watch, in terms of the roles adopted by Gerry and Alban and the policeman in charge. We are in a world where one can confront a senior officer, film it, and put it on You Tube. All nicely filmed-I thought the interview with the police officer was very interesting to watch. I will expect further installments, as you say, of this soap opera.
Judith Gillespie seems to get along well with a lot of Sinn Féin people, Gerry Kelly in particular.
She has signed up for Irish classes.
I should perhaps point out that when he was 16, he asked my wee sister out.
did she say yes?
No.