September, 2005

I have just watched the Politics Show (a Sunday morning show that does what it says on the tin). Basically it was about the recent situation in Northern Ireland, the rioting etc. A journalist spoke to people on the Shankill Road asking them why they thought the violence had occured. The replies can be summed up as follows “they have everything, we have nothing”. It is little surprise that people on the Shankill are angry, they live in an area where deprivation is rife and as we know deprivation goes hand in hand with bitterness, they are blaming anyone and everyone for the fact that they do not like their lives. In this case it is the Catholics. One interviewee went as far as to say that Catholics lived in Palaces. David Ford put it eloquently by saying that they are adopting the traditionally Provo mantra, we are the MOST oppressed peoples and we are therefore justified in any action.

The journalist went on to say that these views were all urban myths, Catholics in Northern Ireland are still more likely to be unemployed, leave school with no qualifications and be on the poverty line. People need to learn that if they do not like their lives the only people who can change it is them. It is logical that if one section of the population has more than the other, this section have to loose some things in an attempt to make things equal.

There were 2 politicians on the show, David Ford (Alliance Party Leader) and a member of the DUP, Nelson McCausland. Mr McCausland went on to blame the release of Sean Kelly, the positive response of the British government to the IRA statement, 50/50 recrutiment in the PSNI, the Parades Commission, the police, the media and anyone except the Protestant people, his Party and Orange Order for the violence. He said that the 3 men (3?!!!) in the Orange Order shown by cameras to be violent should be dealt with not by the PSNI but by the Orange Order internally. David Ford rightly pointed out that internal disciplinary methods were unacceptable with the Republican movement against the McCartney murders and they are unacceptable now. McCausland made it obvious that he was another DUP politician who abdicated all responsibility for the behaviour of their electorate on the one hand while at the same time proclaiming to anyone who would listen that the DUP had the support of 85% of Protestants within North and West Belfast. If they have so much support they must take responsibilty for a failure of leadership.

The Parades Commission by the nature of their work must ban some Orange marches. Orange marches through Catholic areas are like Klu Klux Klan marches through a predominantly black area, they are bound to offend and indeed intended to offend. The ‘tradition’ argument is a fallacy, civil order and long-term social stability are more important than tradition, Northern Ireland has changed, the Orange Order, the Protestant people and their representatives must move with the times. They had it all for a long time, it is going to be difficult to adapt but they must take responsibility for their own lives and futures and stop balming everyone else, the foundation of peace in Northern Ireland is compromise.

Sunday, September 18th, 2005 // News & Media, Northern Ireland: Politics

The presence of a Catholic teenager at a Loyalist riot in Lisburn last week is just further proof that many of the rioters are not motivated by politics. Just the good old-fashioned desire to stick up a finger (guess which one) at the authorities and carry out Unionist-sanctioned acts of vandalism.

Reg Empey has come back down to earth a little in recent days and started to make some noises about ending the violence. Brilliant! I wonder if he was on some sort of brain-numbing medication when he and Paisley were making their dire warnings last week?

Why even pretend to be in control? When you’ve got Catholic teenagers turning up at supposed Loyalist, erm, protests, you know it’s not about disenfranchisement, equal rights, appeasement or any other buzzword that’s in “The Oppressed Person’s Handbook”. Talk about Unionism in crisis? Looks like an identity crisis to me!

Saturday, September 17th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics

As most of you will know we recently had a new addition to our household in the form of Baby D. And for the last week Mr Levee has been back to work full time and I have experienced life with three children properly for the first time.

At the minute its not too bad as Baby D sleeps ALL of the time. In fact I have to change his nappy and wash his face to make sure he wakes for his feeds. If I don’t he will sleep all day and then feed all night.

The biggest problem at the minute is trying to keep Ray and Jay off of him. They seem to think he is a wee doll and so far the novelty has not worn off as I hoped it would. The poor baby is incessantly poked and squashed as the children try to ‘love’ him. If he cries Ray will pat him and tell him “mummy’s here”, I feel cruel breaking it to her that she is in fact his sister not his mum. Whereas Jay will lean on him, hurt or scare him then pat him on the back not so gently chanting “its ok baby”!

I have had some crazy moments though. It seems that any time I try to eat one of them needs me urgently, in fact one day during the week I didn’t eat for four hours after getting up as there just wasn’t the time. I never seem to get anything finished, it could take me 3 attempts and a few hours to do something as simple as loading the dishwasher. As soon as my attention turns to anything not child related, one of them falls, escapes, needs fed or needs their nappy changed. In fact the dirty nappies seem neverending, it must be all that breastfeeding poo!

At the minute I am just trying to take it all in my stride, not panic too much and not worry what the house looks like. Anyone who knows me will think thats not much of a task as I could never be described as the perfect housewife. But absurdly, now that I am spending so much more time in the house I actually care what it looks like. A few years ago I wouldn’t have given a toss if the dishes were piling up whereas now it definately affects my mental wellbeing. Weird how life changes eh??

Saturday, September 17th, 2005 // Family Life

I’ve taken the final straw in a shitty week. I’m throwing my dummy out of the pram!

Mrs Levee and the adorable Sister In Law are heading out this evening to a bridal fair in the Odyssey Arena. As she mentioned last week, Sister In Law is planning on getting married next year to her long-time boyfriend, DJ.

The sneaky wife also agreed to babysit her little brother tonight. But she’s not home. So who gets to mind our eldest two and this extra one? That would be me. Dammit!

For my part, I’ve had such a stressful week at work, I’m tired, grumpy and now my eyes are starting to twitch. And rather than have a relaxing evening at home, I’m sole babysitter to three kids who will talk incessantly and possibly damage my mental health beyond repair. Arrrgghhhhhh!

Just wanted you all to know.

Update: The Bridal Fair was aborted due to the recent craziness in Belfast. Much as we don’t like letting these cretins disrupt our plans, it’s not worth risking our personal safety for either. We all took a trip out to Antrim instead and had a little walk around the grounds of Antrim Castle Gardens and Clotsworthy Arts Center.

Friday, September 16th, 2005 // Family Life

Charles Clarke has just announced a new offence of glorifying terrorist acts. This power is so wide that the government essentially have the right to decide which historical figures were terrorists. Since only this week the UN were unable to decide on a definition of terrorism, this is a difficult task. This power carries dangers reminiscent of Nazi Germany, of France during the Revolution, not liberal democratic Britain.

The full extent of the powers becomes clear when you consider that if the powers existed in South Africa for example, Nelson Mandela would fall foul of them. Giving government the power to decide on who is a terrorist is one thing, giving them such sweeping powers leaves the possibility that they could be used to get rid of political opponents or people that raise questions the government can’t answer. People may trust this government (maybe?) but bear in mind that other governments will come and the presence of such powers in our legal system is only ever the first step. The strength of Britain and other liberal democracies and the reason that they are so despised by the likes of Al Qaeda is the freedom they give to their citizens, freedom of thought and speech being two essential components of this. By taking away these essential freedoms the British government is undermining the very values they try to espouse, thereby giving the ‘terrorists’ their biggest victory. If the government say that they will respect human rights and adhere to their traditional liberal values only when it is safe to do so, but abandon them when any challenge arises, they are admitting that their system does not work.

Clarke also announced a new power to hold terrorist suspects for up to 90 days. They are attempting to sneak a discredited power of internment in through the back door. Their argument is that these extended powers are needed to deal with the difficulty in gathering evidence and communication difficulties with foreign suspects. In addition they cite the seriousness of the threat as an excuse. However, these problems all existed in 2000 when they passed the original Terrorism Act but only now will the British people accept these powers because they are so terrified, terror whipped up by the government. In addition the same problems exist when dealing with suspects accused of drug offences, the police often have to deal with foreign suspects in such cases and have difficulties gathering evidence and Class A drugs have had a more detrimental effect on society than terrorism.

Keep your eye on these powers, question everything, you may wake up one day and find you live in Nazi Germany and the Gestapo are at your door.

Friday, September 16th, 2005 // News & Media

There’s been a lot of talk on the news and on Northern Irish blogs about disenfranchised Unionism. Now, most of this is the usual divisive rhetoric we’ve heard before, but I just wanted to discuss some of the points that have been raised.

Jealous Of Appeasement?

A Shankill Road shopkeeper on the news earlier this week remarked that there was “a lot of anger on this road”, and that they it was “their turn to get something”.

What do they want? Unionists don’t know. But they want something! “Nationalists got something, now where’s our something?” Hardly a compelling demand for concessions!

My main point here is what did Unionism expect? For years, the IRA were cited as the cornerstone of the peace process. Unionism conveniently ignored their own outlaws and brigands as they pushed hard for the IRA to stand down in favour of democracy. It was always about the IRA making the first move, decommissioning their weapons, standing down their ’soldiers’.

Now, how was the British government going to persuade Sinn Fein/IRA to stand down and embrace democracy? By bombing them and shooting at them? No, that would be undemocratic. They had to be offered some incentives. And finally, it has worked. There’s an understated buzz at the moment that an act of decommissioning by the IRA is in progress.

The fact is, the IRA had to be given concessions in order to move the peace process forward. And the very same people who cited IRA decommissioning as the key to unlocking the peace process are now annoyed because it was successful?

Sanctioned Thuggery & The Disenfranchised

The Unionist line has been a belter on these riots, hasn’t it? It’s everybody’s fault except theirs.

Firstly, rather than try to contain the violence by appealing for calm, Unionist politicians and the Orange Order warned that there would be violence. Now, there are two possible ways in which this could be interpreted:

1. The Unionist leaders approved of violent protest. They didn’t bank on it ending so badly, but risk severe backlash if they tell people to stop now.
2. They didn’t approve of the protest, but realised a) it was a more united effort than the recent Loyalist feud, and b) they have no control and no-one would heed their warnings anyway.

Either way, none of the rioting makes sense. They tore up their own areas. Launched a furious onslaught on the police, injuring many officers. Stole and burned cars. Destroyed businesses and busses. Stole from pensioners. Allowed their youth to participate in the most significant sectarian violence in a decade.

There’s got to be a better way to get your point across.

Condemnation Of The Parades Commission

This is just ridiculous. Apparently the Parades Commission exists solely to appease nationalists and give them a veto over all parades.

Is it possible that the Unionist/Protestant culture have more marches throughout the year than Catholics/Nationalists? So maybe it’s only natural that some of the more controversial proposed parades will be dropped?

I’m not a fan of any type of parade, so I can’t understand the dogged insistence by marchers that they must walk a certain route. The rules of mutual respect would imply that you don’t march where you’re not wanted. Ok, so you’re worried some of our Orangemen might upset your community? No problem, we’ll just take a small detour…

In Summary

Whoever came up with the “blame everybody else but ourselves” strategy should be kicked. Hard. (Yes, I did just sanction the use of violence! What a hypocrite!)

The prevailing argument is that these working-class Unionist areas have been failed by the politicians that govern them. The appeasement, riot and blame strategy is just another smokescreen concocted by the Unionist leadership to divert attention from the real issues of why those areas are so seriously neglected.

Firstly, why are your children losing out on an education? Maybe because Ian Paisley, Reg Empey and Dawson Bailie have them out rioting all week instead of doing their homework and aspiring to a career that doesn’t involve topping up glass bottles with petrol. Perhaps their prospects will be improved when they have a few convictions against their name for riotous assembly, theft, assault and even murder?

Secondly, why are these areas so devastatingly under-invested? Take a look at the news, people. Who’s going to throw money at an area where scarf-masked morons destroy just about everything that’s not cemented into the ground?

My final thought for this evening is that there is a golden opportunity here for a neutral leader to start working with these communities to improve their lot. It was suggested by a commenter on Slugger O’Toole that Sinn Fein might redress the balance by seeking to pass on the same benefits it attains for the Nationalist community. So if SF were to score an investment package, they might use it to fund an initiative that benefits both communities.

It’s an interesting concept, were both Sinn Fein and the Unionist community prepared to work together. In practice, I’d rather see a more neutral party embrace this challenge, but are David Ford and the Alliance Party courageous enough to take it on?

Thursday, September 15th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics

Well the Levees have just booked a holiday to Rome, Mr and Mrs Levee will be going along with myself and my other half DJ. This is on the condition that Mr Levee doesn’t ruin my holiday by commenting on everything I say and turning me into a grumpy mad women! He has promised to be nice (whatever?!!!!)

On a lighter note, we are going for an unbelievably cheap price, around ?67 each for 3 nights accomodation and flights!! The internet is a fantastic creation!! Can’t wait to get away from this mad place.

Thursday, September 15th, 2005 // Family Life, General, News & Media

Paul, the Northern Irish Magyar has posted a piece looking at the future of the Union.

In it, he poses a series of excellent questions about his expected quality of life if Northern Ireland is incorporated into a United Ireland.

1. Will I pay less taxes/social security contributions?
2. Will my retirement provision be strengthened by the switchover?
3. Will my career prospects improve (especially important for public-sector employees)?
4. Will the 32 County state deliver a stronger educational system for my children?
5. Is the Republic’s Health provision better than the British one?
6. What level of administrative chaos will I face switching over bank accounts, mortgages, investment plans etc

All very relevant questions, completely separated from the romanticism which frequently clouds requests for a United Ireland. 1916 proclamaition be damned!

I wonder how many Republicans actually stopped to think about the implications of a United Ireland in the last few years? How their healthcare might be affected. What quality of education system they might expect. How disruptive the entire transition would be for both economies.

For my part, I would welcome a real-world study into unification. I’d like to know how single parent families fare in the ROI compared with here. I’d like to see how our two education systems compare. Would I be wealthier/more secure if I worked in a United Ireland as opposed to an off-shoot of the UK?

If anyone out there knows of a report on this subject, please let me know - I’d love to read it. If not, why doesn’t someone look into this?

Anyway, in the meantime, have a read of Paul’s article and let him know your thoughts!

Wednesday, September 14th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics

I hate the Northern Ireland ‘thing’. To be honest, I don’t care if there is a United Ireland, econmically it is probably better that there isn’t. I am a Catholic but not a Nationalist or Republican and I do not differentiate between people according to religion. I just don’t care, I know about politics, I have a degree in law and politics so it is not that I am unaware of all the problems that Nationalists have suffered, I just think it is time to move on.

So, this is how I knew things were bad in Belfast today. I was around North Queen Street and wasn’t sure if it was ‘green’ or ‘orange’, then I saw a few blokes with Celtic tops and I relaxed palpably. I felt so much tension in the air that the traditional symbols of division comforted me. I know logically that the guys I saw in these tops, at other times would be a threat, but I felt relieved.

The Orange Order is a disgrace, they have caused all this tension and public unrest for no reason. How can they proclaim to be a Christian organisation while calling people onto the street to fight and indeed fighting themselves? It baffles me that the things people can justify for their own side will be absolutely unjustifiable when the ‘other side’ do the same thing next year.

The Order have the cheek to say that the police were heavy handed, so would I be with a petrol bomb being thrown at me, and what do they think the police did to Nationalists for many years, ask politely “can we intern you without trial and without any real evidence that you have comitted a crime, please sir?” Did they accept heavy handed police methods as excuses for Republican violence? Don’t make me laugh. And the police and army used methods latter classified as torture on Nationalists, slightly more serious than what happened in Belfast on Saturday 10th September.

The worst thing is, as in most riots in NI, the people that really suffer are those in the rioting community. I saw a woman today who must have been about 80, at 8 o’clock this morning on the Crumlin Road clearing up debris from her front garden, while those who were rioting the night before were no doubt sleeping off their hangovers.

They may feel marginalised but things were so discriminatory for so long that they have to give things up to make things equal, this is expected and only fair. They should have a bit of compassion and common sense, they are harming no one but themselves fighting over a petty insignificant little walk, they are pathetic and the international community is seeing them for what they are, thugs.

Monday, September 12th, 2005 // News & Media, Northern Ireland: Politics

An abdication of responsibility. Those were the words used by the American Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, Mitchell Reiss describing the failure of Unionist politicians to take responsibility for the riots of the 10th and 11th of September.

Sitting here watching the coverage on UTV, then BBC Northern Ireland, the emotions are strong this evening.

1. Hatred. Watching the gangs of teenagers mercilessly and relentlessly pelting police with whatever came to hand. Those brave children, their faces masked hurling missiles at police before dashing back to the cover of the mob. Those whose faces we did see were contorted into deranged pictures of pure venom. Oh, hard not to feel hatred toward those numbskulls who sacrifice the peace of the country for an evening of recreational rioting.
2. Anger. Rage at the leaders of Unionism. Now, on the eve of some serious IRA decommissioning, they decide it is time to make some twisted belated point about appeasement.

   Not one single heartfelt condemnation among the Unionist/Loyalist/Orange leadership. Instead the people who denounced Sinn Fein/IRA tactics have decided to ape them. Talk about your moral high-ground!

3. Despair. Is violence the past, present and future of Northern Ireland? What kind of people teach their children hatred with such venom? What kind of politicians can excuse evil, murderous behaviour on the basis of past atrocities?

   Suddenly the problems in Northern Ireland engulf me and make me feel like an insignificant, peace-loving insect. The middle ground in Northern Ireland has no voice, no unity, no body. Without a strong leadership from the middle, our peace process will be dominated by polar opposites forever struggling against each other. How long must we wait while one side makes apologies for the actions of terrorists and the other gloats smugly from the sidelines?

4. Pity, Laced With Self-Righteousness. My heart goes out to those people in Newtownabbey who lost their livelihoods when yobs burnt out virtually every small business in the area. But as I’ve said before, you get what you vote for. These are Unionist/Loyalist areas. Paisley and Empey can talk all they like about disenfranchised loyalism, but all I can see is a licence to vandalise and destroy.

   I sincerely hope the business owners in these areas get back on their feet and that people made jobless by this wave of brutality find employment again soon. But I have a word of advice for those victims: Be careful who you vote for next time! The middle ground might not sound as exciting, but it’s a damned sight safer.

5. The Comical Interlude. Oh God, I needed some humour after this, and boy did I get it! The delightful double-act of Dawson Bailie and ‘friend’ on the news this evening. Bailie, for all his leadership, was mumbling, incoherent. Caught by a BBC news team, he refused to be interviewed but couldn’t resist rising to the bait to respond to the interviewer. While he was struggling, some wee mucker walked on-screen and introduced himself and started telling Bailie what a great fella he was. Much of wee mucker’s conversation was difficult to follow. I don’t speak that particular dialect of thick.

   This is the calibre of Orange leadership? Bailie summed it all up: “Blame the Secretary of State. Blame the Police Service. Blame the Government. ” Oh, the unholy trinity! Blame Sinn Fein. Blame the weather. Blame green M&M’s. They started it.

This last few days have been a slap in the face for the regular Northern Irish people. People like my wife and I trying to raise a family according to decent principles.

The truth is - as many of you know - we don’t care who governs us. Right now, the devil we know is the government of the United Kingdom and that suits us fine. We don’t care about marching. We love to go for walks, but don’t find it necessary to take our pipe band with us.

What we want is to raise our families in peace. I’m thirty next year. Will I see sixty? Seventy? Eighty? I don’t know.

What I do know is that I refuse to spend it in conflict with my neighbours. And I will use this blog to try and inject a bit of common sense into the partisan ramblings of Nationalists and Unionists until I get sick of it all and move to somewhere less tempestuous!

Thank you and goodnight!

Monday, September 12th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics