Political Policing?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

I was talking to a young police officer a few nights ago. I had not spoken to her in about eighteen months, when she had just finished training. I have noticed a big change in her..she is not quite so enthusiastic and I suppose that is inevitable.

Around 1981 my cousin joined the old RUC. It was a tragic mistake on his part. He did it because he was unemployed and now he is retired. I think he was always a very unlikely policeman and frankly I think they only kept him on the books because he was a Catholic and they needed the numbers. He spent the “war” desk bound in a small trouble-free town. Not at ease with his fellow RUC officers………and……in isolation from his extended family.

On reflection we did not treat him well……an annual Christmas card sent “care of” his mother. In fairness he was under orders not to tell his extended family anything (we were obviously “pan nationalist” and I think we were all at pains not to ask any question which might compromise his security or our integrity as to how we felt about the RUC.

He lost out. So did we. He is my cousin’s son and just eight years older than me. He should have been best man at my wedding (I have no brothers) but basically he couldn’t be seen in West Belfast and frankly I was pretty glad. Once at a funeral in a small country church yard and elderly relative collapsed……and an ambulance was called. And suddenly a police car pulled up as they assumed that the ambulance was realted to my cousin’s appearance at the funeral. And he had to have a chat with them to explain the situation. His superiors had only authorised his going to the funeral on condition that a police car was in the vicinity. Actually that was pretty counter-productive because it now meant that the world and his wife knew that my cousin was in RUC.

Of course that was “then” and this is “now”. The problem with meeting a police officer…..or a doctor…..or an accountant……at a social gathering is that you cant ask them the obvious question. I want to know what it is like for a young woman in the PSNI in 2012…….and the young woman wants to relax on a Saturday night.

Political Policing……ah yes. It was the “old system” where the RUC were essentially the police “force” that sustained the old Stormont. And it is a “buzz phrase” that Sinn Féin like to use when PSNI are looking just a little too closely at the wrong things.

But in a wider sense…….I think there is as much “political policing” in 2012 as there was in 1962.

Looking back at summer disorders in East Belfast and North Belfast……..and autumn parading issues……has the number of arrests matched the violence? Have the “wrong” people been arrested? Has more latitude been given to organisers of violence and a lot less to the riot-fodder? Are Historical investigations taking place with one eye on the political consequence. Likewise are fraud investigations being hampered by the possible fall-out? To take the most recent example of the City Hall riots, the number of police injuries is eighteen but nobody appears to in custody or currently under arrest on any charges. As I understand it three people are on bail. Is this PROPER policing? Or POLITICAL policing?

I much admire the new PSNI. They have (bottom line) done no harm to me or mine. But they were born under the Creative Ambiguity ………created to replace the discredited RUC (packed off with the George Medal to History’s dustbin) and they are possibly the most obvious everyday feature of the Good Friday Agreement. So they ARE political ……..albeit a much more benign “political” body…..than the old RUC. The RUC was political FOR one community. The PSNI are political for two.

It is all very well for PSNI to distribute leaflets notifying residents that they have community police officers called “Bríd, Roisín, Kevin” etc and to note that “Saoirse” uses the Gaelic version of her family name (dont tell me it is not intentional)…..thats “political” and in 1962 a lot of RUC officers might have thought it a good political/career move to be in the same lodge (masonic, orange or both) than the Chief Inspector. In 2012 it is a good political/career move to sign up for Irish classes.

In 2012, a “Dia Duit” and a ticket to a GAA Final will go further than a funny handshake and a trip to Arthur Square.

So it seems to me that the PSNI are actually contributing rather too much to the status quo……..the Big Lie.

It will end badly.

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So About Craigavon

Posted on December 4, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Over on Stratagem-O’Toole, there is some concern about the naming of a public park in the name of Raymond McCreesh, a hunger striker who died in 1981. While not necessarily argreeing with the point, I certainly see that unionists would be angry.

We are…….and I dont apologise for making this point…..yet again reliving the 1960s. Maybe it is a case of Tragedy and/or Farce. The point has been made on Slugger that there are streets in the memory of Oliver Cromwell and Henry Ireton, (genocidal anti-Irish figures) in Belfast…I suppose there comes a time when nobody actually thinks of Oliver Cromwell. And what percentage of people actually know who Ireton was?

Of course we all know that it is the Holyland in South Belfast…..but how many strangers actually realise that Jerusalem Street, Palestine Street, Damascus Street are no accident.

Nor was the Kashmir Road, Bombay Street, Cawnpore Street and the rest of the “Indian” streets around Clonard. And just how many people ever realised the Crimean connexion in the streets in the Lower Falls area……Balaclava, Inkerman, Sevastapol, Raglan, Odessa to name but a few.

Sooner or later people dont even know who Lady Dixon Park was named for. Or the Dunville Park. And I suspect in fifty years time, there will be few people who actually see the historic significance of Raymond McCreesh.

After the “flegs” issue with (to me at least) a nod to the 1964 in Divis Street…I wonder is the “names” issue going to be the next. In the 1960s, a new city was built between Lurgan and Portadown ….much to the chagrin of people who lived in those towns and indeed historic villages such as Waringstown, Bleary, Dollinstown and Aghagallon. Controversially but typically of the “old” Unionist Party…the new city was named….Craigavon, honouring Lord Craigavon, a founding father of unionism and indeed Norn Iron.

To be frank, nobody in Lurgan and Portadown actually refers to Craigavon except as a shopping centre and a series of mostly (but not all) sink estates. Few in Lurgan and Portadown actually use “Craigavon” in their address. So……if people get worked up about “new” names in 2012…..at what point do we just accept that there is no point in changing.

In other words how many people under 40 know or care who “Lord” Craigavon was?. Or indeed Raymond McCreesh? If unionists are within their rights to question “Raymond McCreesh Park” are nationalists within their rights to question “Craigavon”? No point letsgetalongerists saying that this ship has sailed.

If the past 24 hours has shown anything, it is the fact that too many letsgetalongerists have been walking around with blinkers…seduced by MTV Awards, Titanic, Open Golf and G8 Summit. Wake up and smell the toxic atmosphere.

And while I am on the subject …..dont let me mention “Derry-Londonderry” (and I have a feeling the choreography is in place to accept that name).

Did I mention the 1960s?  We have been here before. There was even a song. Alas I cant find it on youtube but it was (probably) by the Go Lucky Four and issued thru the Emerald label in Smithfield in Belfast.

Called “The Bridge”, it satirised the building and phoney secrecy surrounding a new road bridge over the River Lagan.

Apologies for any unintentional copyrite infringement. I have searched thru Google and cannot find anyone to whom I should attribute this chorus.

“Is it Carson, Wolfe Tone Lagan Bridge? Somebody called it Paul* ……I think that we’d be better off if we had no bridge at all”.

(*Paul is a reference to the “new” Pope and the popularity of that name among Catholics).

Plus ca change……and all that.

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Belfast Meets Rock Ridge

Posted on December 4, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Watching the “stream” from Belfast Council last night……I could not quite put my finger on who those assorted unionist councillors reminded me of………surely it is that Town hall meeting in the movie Blazing Saddles. Gabby Johnson, Van Johnson, Howard Johnson et all.

Overall I was impressed by the “Lord” mayor who only made one  gaffe….joking with a DUP colleague that he had to be fair might be seen as lowering tension but it still wasnt’t appropriate.

The “stream” faltered every so often and I missed the first twenty minutes or so……but it seems that more unionists than Alliance/SDLP/Sinn Féin actually wanted to speak …lining up to share their angst and betrayal.

I caught Tim Attwood’s (SDLP) speech and it did the job. Nothing spectacular. Just going thru the motions. I missed Alliance contributions except when they were prevailed to make interventions. Sinn Féin….I think it was a case of bad (Deirdre Hargan) and not so pretty but needed to be said (Jim McVeigh). Alliance’s Laura McNamee was pretty good.

It has already been stated on another thread (by FC?……..sorry it is a long thread LOL) that John Kyle was impressive. Not so sure about that. He came across as a kindly Methodist minister and I had to remind myself that Billy Hutchinson was outside.

The UUP were simply awful. Jim Rodgers made a “me me me” speech. And went off on a tangent about how bad “this” council is……and rather like a maiden aunt at your Christmas dinner made an accidental faux pas about the absence of knobs on the unionist benches. Bobby Stoker was no better. He managed to get that old chestnut…..an updated version where the republicans dont like the “Queen” except when she was on Bank of England notes. He was prompted by DUP into the better joke about the Northern Bank. Davey Browne wasnt so bad…..presenting himself as just about the only unionist who was (in the bad old days) prepared to do deals with Sinn Féin…….and then rather foolishly announced there would be no more co-operation. I dont know how this is even meaningful…was it a suggestion that “mayoral” choices might be blocked……..but surely UUP need other parties more than other parties need UUP. And besides….by the time he made his speech, Twitter was already buzzing about a Plan B “deal” over the British Cenotaph.

DUP……well William Humphrey is their Leader and his speech reflected the fact that he is in a better forum (the Assembly). Obviously he knew the votes were against him but he went thru his speech with some applomb.

In contrast, the much-hyped Lee Reynolds made a decent enough speech without any real feeling and Brian Kingston just wanted to say something……anything. I was unimpressed by Ruth Patterson’s “when I was a wee girl some of my best friends were Catholics” and that was a retro moment straight from the 1960s. She just came across as the schoolteacher in “Blazing Saddles”.

Mairtín O’Muilleoir and Niall Ó Donnghaile on the Sinn Féin benches seemed to be designated to jump up and down a lot. This is actually an art form. A skilled jumper up and downer can prompt a colleague with “would my collleague agree with me that………” and ambush the Opposition with “may I remind the Member that his/her Party………….”. In this role the guys were decent enough.

Designated Jumper Up and Downer on the DUP benches was Christopher Stalford. And he rose (and sat!!!) with dedicated efficency. Party colleague Guy Spence seemed to embarrass himself as much as his colleagues in this role. But he is young.

Altogether it was better than the “Royal” Variety Performance.

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Wanted: One Catholic…No Experience Necessary

Posted on December 4, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

There is just one thing missing from Peter Robinson’s retro-1960s Outreach to Catholics…….a Catholic.

No Unionist Outreach is complete without a Catholic. Back in the 1960s, the Chairman of QUB Unionist association was a Catholic called Louis Boyle. Although occasionally paraded on local TV News, he resigned from the party complaining that his nomination to stand in (I think) South Down was blocked by the Orange Order. He was Terence O’Neill’s Catholic.

G B Newe was Faulkner’s Catholic and appointed to the Norn Iron Government in the aftermath of Internment without Trial.

John Gorman was Trimble’s Catholic. Actually I quite liked him. But a background of Portora School, “Irish” Guards Officer in WW2 and RUC District Inspector is hardly typical.

On the other hand, it is impossible to like Conor Cruise O’Brien who was Robert McCartney’s Catholic. In the 1970s, I was one of a number of SDLP members (including Paddy Devlin and Ivan Cooper) who walked out on The Cruiser bringing us fraternal greetings from the Irish Labour Party. In fairness he was not a very convincing unionist.

Which……brings up the question of Peter Robinson’s Catholic. There have always been Catholics who believed in the so called union…..but those of a conservative disposition seem more likely to be in the Alliance Party or even a newly activated Conservative Party than actually feel attracted to Robinson’s DUP. I suppose that “Lord” Ballyedmond could be a runner.

But make no mistake……Robbo is itching to call a press conference to unveil a Catholic as a DUP member. It would be cheating to import a catholic from Poland, the Czech Republic or even England…….worth pointing out perhaps that the UKIP MEP who attended the TUV Conference last month is a Liverpool Catholic…Paul Nuttall.

If I was involved in head-hunting political talent and nurturing it….Id be on the lookout for a Catholic so that I could phone Peter Robinson and say “Ive got one!!” I suspect the hunt is already on.

If I was putting together a dossier, Id look out for someone who said things like “the 12th July is a day for all of us”. Or sat around reading Erskine may fora precedent on whether Jim Wells MLA should be censured.

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Take It Down From The Mast

Posted on December 3, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

So First Minister Robinson….apart from all that unpleasantness at the City Hall…how is your outreach to Catholics going?

I watched the council debate on a “stream” and I actually enjoyed it. The UUP looked right out of touch. Jim Rodgers, Bob Stoker and davey Browne looked and spoke like dinosaurs and even one of them (I think it was Stoker) managed to get in an old 1960s jibe about Catholics liking the half-crown but not being fussed on the Crown.

The DUP are a younger fresher looking bunch but scratch away the fresh coat of paint and the old bigotry remains. Ruth Patterson brought a tear to my eye (well actually she didnt) with that sob story about how her best friends were Catholic girls and when the Troubles broke out, they were not allowed to play with her.

Boo Hoo Cllr Patterson. I think thats what the unionist case boiled down to…….”half crown/crown” and “some of my best friends…”.

Meanwhile Robinson tells us……and some letsgetalongerists swallow it……that there is a whole lot of Catholics out there just ready to embrace the glorious union. Who does he think hes kidding.

Nationalism in Crisis? As a SDLP colleague put it on Twitter tonight….the evidence of our eyes is that Unionism is in crisis.

Have I mentioned the 1960s recently? Oh I have. Yes Divis Street Riots. Tonight we saw it all. Republicans effectively removing the British Flag.

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Woman Is Pregnant! Shock!

Posted on December 3, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

The World was today shocked to learn that a 30 year old woman who got married last year is ……pregnant.

It would of course be churlish not to congratulate “Prince” William and kate on their happy event. I hope it all goes well for them and another chance to see Pippa Middleton’s bottom will be widely appreciated……surely she will be a godmother. But the whole over-the-top reaction is already in full swing.

On a serious note it cannot do anybody, especially Kate to have so much attention at this early stage. I speak with some sad experience in that regard. And simply having various doctors on rolling news channels explain excessive vomiting, and drips being set up……is really too much information. Most women and indeed most men do not need it all spelt out. Even for “Royals” this is all a pretty personal experience.

And yet the contradiction is that a “Royal” pregnancy is a very public…indeed constitutional event. It is risible but the life Kate has in her womb is a future Head of State……if it is a boy.

Silly Season begins early. The next few days will be like………well like er Christmas for assorted tweedy “Royal” watchers and the “friends of Kate” telling all on Sky News, Fux News and the Sun “Gawd Bless You Ma’am” and there will probably be a special edition of “Hello” magazine.

It is a mixed day for Republicans……English and Irish………the British are fairly good at letting the “Royal” family promote traditional values or an agenda such as the Olympics.

English Republican journalists and alternative comedians (but arent too many of them becoming “establishment” lately?) will scoff…..and so will Irish Republicans. Some of course will pay some lip service “congratulations”. And we wont be able to stop our wives watching far too much of it all on television.

Little we can do about it…..except of course bring my #1 grandson into it. Two days before the “Royal” Wedding he managed to break the satellite dish and we were without TV until about twenty minutes after Kate had married Wills.

If you are going to be without TV for a few days…..there is no better time than  a “Royal” event.

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Another Designated Flag Day?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Now that Kate is pregnant….does this mean that there is another designated day for flying the British Flag in the offing?

This seems to be a sneaky trick by unionists. If 365 women are impregnated with the “Royal” seed and all the resulting births are induced on every day in a calendar year,,,then the British Flag will be flying all year round at Belfast City Hall.

A Norn Iron solution for a Norn Iron problem.

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Flagging Support

Posted on December 2, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

One of the most interesting aspects of the past few weeks has been that when writing up and taping presentations for Texas….I am reminded that some things have changed and some things have not changed that much over the past fifty years.

This Decade of Centenaries SHOULD include a reference to the Divis Street Riots of 1964. I wasa  12 year old pupil at a nearby school. During a Wstminster Election, the RUC from Hastings Street was prevailed upon by a local firebrand preacher to remove an Irish National Flag from the Election HQ of Billy McMillen, the Republican candidate.

The firebrand preacher threatened to lead “shipyard men” from Harland & Wolffe to remove the offending flag if the RUC did not do their “duty”.

Some historical notes: the firebrand preacher was Rev Ian Paisley who would later serve as Norn Iron’s First Minister ,,,,,,,,,,in partnership with Sinn Féin……….and perhaps more confusingly for younger readers…..the shipyard Harland & Wolffe was actually an industry in Belfast. Think of it as the place where the Titanic Quarter now is.

Tomorrow night at Belfast City Hall…….Ian Paisley’s successors in the DUP will be fighting to keep the British Flag flying at the City Hall all year round, rather than on “designated days”. How times have changed.

Well actually they havent changed that much at all.

Over on Stratagem-O’Toole the excellent “Alan in Belfast” is vexed that the inevitable loyalist protest might lead to some disruption to traffic. Well that is of course true. But another two hours of traffic disruption added to all those detours which try our patience in and around the Twelfth of July…………its a day for everyone (!!!) of course. And only yesterday in Derry there was some disruption caused by the Apprentice Boys of Derry march.

Yet I tend to prefer Reality to Press Relations Sham. Those coming to Belfast City Hall tomorrow about 6pm will see a more authentic Belfast than the one which hosts Justin Bieber and the MTV Awards.

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Newspapers…Just Boycott Them

Posted on November 29, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Apparently daily sales of newspapers have gone down from 13 million to 8million in just a decade. It strikes me therefore that the Newspaper industry are on thin ground congratulating themselves that they have David Cameron on their side and he has kicked “Lord” Leveson’s Report into touch.

Let’s be frank here. He set up an Enquiry. The proposals from Leveson seem simple enough….a new system of self regulation (that was surely always going to happen) and backed by a fairly modest statutory arrangement. The Media have started talking about “Freedom of the Press” and all this being the thin end of the wedge and we will all end up like North Korea. All of which would be laughable if it was not for the fact that the tabloid press abused that freedom so blatantly.

Actualy it might be a good time for “real” Journalists to distance themselves from Tabloidists. …their unethical colleagues do little to enhance the media.

What Cameron has done is lead the victims…….celebrity and civilian ……up the garden path. He praises Leveson, salutes the courage of the victims before stabbing them in the back. Journalists sympathise with victims and then say that the victims cant have a veto……..which would make sense if it wasn’t for the fact that some local journalists build up the the cases of victims of our Troubles…like they should have a veto.

If British Army, loyalists and IRA cannot look victims in the face…or feel comfortable in their presence………then the same is true of journalists who cannot look victims of phone hacking in the eyes.

It is a simple choice. We can support the Media or we can support the Victims. With only eight million people buying newspapers tomorrow, then surely it is time……if we feel strongly enough to simply refuse to hand over seventy pence or whatever for a newspaper. Bottom line is…….do we really need it? How much of it will we actually read.

Just as handy to sit on the train with an ipad, iphone, ipod or kindle.

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Back To The Future

Posted on November 29, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Now this is a strange coincidence. In 1981, I started going out with Mrs Fitzjames Horse. And on a Saturday before Christmas in the foyer of the old Co-Operative Department Store in York Street. Those younger readers unfamiliar with the old “Co-Op” this is the building across the street from the Belfast Campus of the University of Ulster. It is now occupied by the College of Art……and the newer part is still the Forum Building.

Anyway a lot of people standing around. We overheard a young boy saying to his father.”Its a funny colour daddy” and the father replied “Its not painted yet son”……….which made a few jaws drop.

In 1981, I worked in the Lisburn area and was a regular passenger on the train to Belfast (to meet the future Mrs FJH) which went past the De Lorean plant at Derriaghy. Certainly an impressive sight to see the new cars all lined up ready to be sent off to United States. And on a Sunday morning as we drove from Belfast to my home in Dungannon……we often saw a lot of De Loreans on the motorway. I think their test drivers might have had special permission to use the motorway for high speed testing.

So thirty one years later, I am in a different shopping centre…..actually looking for a gift for our “Pearl” Wedding Anniversary….and here is another De Lorean. Make a small donation to the Shopping Centre’s charity and take a photograph. Happy memories.

So not only did Belfast build the Titanic….we built another disaster…..the DeLorean. We really are totally useless….lets celebrate it! Our Time. Our Place.

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