Playing The Racist Card
I see the BNP are playing the racist card on the Donegal Road.
Apparently the area has delapidated since the Second World War, and local politicians have let the area down by allowing the Donegal Road to become flooded with immigrants. As a matter of fact, the release I’ve linked to uses the viewpoint of a WWII veteran as a gauge for the rest of the neighbourhood.
To the delight of the leafleters, the veteran said he would only vote for a party that could deliver the goods on the issue, rather than those who have proved their tough talk was just that?talk.
Now, I’m sure the DUP are quaking in their boots at the prospect of losing more ground in South Belfast, but let’s face facts - nobody wants to live in the Donegal Road. The area is run down to hell, one vesting order from oblivion if you ask me.
I spent a little bit of time managing property down there in the late 90’s (before the alleged invasion) and even then the place was in bad shape. Property values were way below those in the nearby Lisburn Road, landlords from outside the area were snapping up investment property all over the place, local thugs were even then behind intimidating leaflet campaigns designed to oust any non-native Donegal Road residents. The unfortunate ones who refused to budge were given gifts of petrol bombs as an incentive to leave.
Houses in Rockview Street were just empty dole-drops, the housing conditions in most of the rented houses was just abysmal. These postwar terraces were a disgrace both to the landlords who got lumbered with them and the tenants who had no option but to live in them.
The community in the Donegal Road has gone. Yes, there are a few stalwarts who will remain and hanker for the old days, but they’re long past. Decades of being a violent interface area have destroyed the neighbourhood, and it’s beyond repair.
Perhaps it suits the local National Front boys to pin all their woes on a bunch of immigrants, but crime existed on the Donegal Road long before “the invasion”. It’s those immigrants I pity, living in squalor in what can be a terribly hostile area when you’re not a native.
Community does exist even amongst squalor and perceptions gleaned from its worst elements but the only elements portrayed in media.
This is the easy judgement of the wealthier and mobile. Things aren’t perfect in the Donegal Road, many deprived communities in Belfast or elsewhere.
This idea of; what’s the point or just raze them to the ground is an argument of the richer.
Are you going to buy everyone a semi in your street? Get them a job? Force the police to remove the blight of paramilitaries and drugs?
No, like every other middle class shite you’ll abandon them, tar the whole community by their worst elements and wash your hands.
If people supported the decent, praised the positive and didn’t judge an area solely on the rental income maybe investment in supporting a sustainable community might happen.
Sneering and judging is a lot easier, isn’t it.
How many other working class, deprived communities do you think need eliminated rather than improved?
You are like that anti-working class santicmonious fucker Newton Emerson.
Free the working class support them in their/a struggle. Then smash class.
It was the middle class that abandoned them to their fate in the first place you should look on their plight and feel truly ashamed not this superior crap.
‘I spent a little bit of time managing property down there in the late 90?s (before the alleged invasion) and even then the place was in bad shape. Property values were way below those in the nearby Lisburn Road, landlords from outside the area were snapping up investment property all over the place,
Houses in Rockview Street were just empty dole-drops, the housing conditions in most of the rented houses was just abysmal. These postwar terraces were a disgrace both to the landlords who got lumbered with them and the tenants who had no option but to live in them.’
Some of your post illustrates the problems with failings in social housing and how speculative property investment only penalises the weakest. (I edited it down to the housing aspects)
No landlord got lumbered with anything.
They bought cheap in the hope of a boom and kept the tenants in squalor while waiting.
They continue to do the same.
This way of treating people doesn’t build community it alienates the financially weak more.
Your post while meant to be against racism shows more, to me, about how property speculators can rip the heart out of communities and further create an underclsss in the middle of our cities.
Property speculators and investment landlords that target the poorest areas are scum, the governements that neglect social housing are scum, racists are scum and paramilitaries are scum.
Those decent people that can’t create a middle class utopia in such situations are neglected and exploited on many fronts.
This sneering behind their backs under the cloak of anti-racism is just adding insult to injury.
Right-o Mark, let’s address some issues here. First and foremost, I am not writing this blog from some ivory tower on the Malone Road. I am writing from a shitty slow computer in a house where I am struggling to cover the mortgage. Just like my working-class father before me.
I think you assumed that my work in property was well paid or that I was a landlord. No. This was a job which I took on in order to pay my own way through university. It was poorly paid and extremely demoralising.
Of course, you’re completely right that there are decent people living on the Donegal Road. I had the pleasure of meeting many during my time working in the area, and helped a good many with Housing Benefit claims and methods of meeting their rental payments.
Finally, for the record, I am not sneering at anyone. I love the idea of the old communities that once thrived in those areas before ‘armed struggle’ tore the heart out of them. Realistically though, those days are gone; in Belfast, across Northern Ireland, Britain and the Republic. There are precious few place left where you could leave your front door open while you nip out to the shop.
Anyway, I seem to recall that you live in that area. Could you explain:
Again, not sneering. It’s very well you going on the offensive against me, but you had a golden opportunity to educate readers here about the state of the Donegal Road (and tidy up any of my inaccuracies). Instead you wasted it by shooting the word ’scum’ at all and sundry.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on some of the questions I’ve posed. In the meantime, I’m off to have a brandy before I ask the maid to turn down the covers
I’ll address a few other issues in a follow-up post.
You must be confusing me with a different Mark, I don’t come from there. I come from similar but also the opposite. Therefore I can?t answer your specific questions on the area.
I took umbrage as this like so many seriously deprived and exploited areas seems to always be labelled by its worst and then written off. That’s what I read into your above.
The main people to blame for the woes in the Donegal Road are those that provide cover, excuses or support (open or tacit) for the predators, bullies and manipulators -those elected reps that join protests against ‘Vatican Towers’ polluting the living space or campaign against resources for ethnic minorities in the area, those ‘thinking’ loyalists that let the educationally neglected young men of the area be exploited by hate through not speaking against illiterate BNP type arguments as those above from the BNP and others, those who will speculate financial using the poorest?s homes as the currency.
The community on the Donegal Road could be improved. Removing the influence of or challenging hate mongers would be a start and what is normally expected of elected representatives.
Raising expectations by providing adequate housing well resourced education and support, proactive job creation policies and reducing the influence of those that target vulnerable disenfranchised youth to blame everything on someone else.
I don’t have the answers for the Donegal Road; I don’t have them for anywhere. I do think there is a majority of good people there and writing the entire community off is wrong.
I just thought it was about time someone give an alternate view. Though my suggestions are clearly so sound I would be a shoe-in if I ran for Council in the area.
(And the DUP aren’t losing ground in South Belfast they were a whisker off a 10th MP and barring anything amazing will be representing these people in Westminster next time.)
BTW ? the tone of my previous posts was nasty and a bit unfair, I like Brandy type drinks also and it was late. That?s not an apology mind.
As for Brandy my nasty tone was influenced by late night typing while enjoying similar. I clearly was too judgemental. But just once in a while someone should be defending working class Loyalist communities by recognising they aren’t majority racist or paramiltary supporting.
Don’t worry about it Mark, I’m having a bit of a late-night strop myself!
The problem that exists for the decent folk of the Donegal Road is that they vote by flag, ending up with the same detatched middle-class representatives that have stood by and watch the area decline.
My own belief is that decent people are weak and disorganised. They keep their heads down, anything for a peaceful life. With no-one bold enough to stand up to paramilitaries, they abuse the areas they claim to protect and you get what I’ve been talking about.
What these areas need (both sides of the divide) is to find some way of neutralising themselves. Recognise that flags, murals and kerbstone colouring are aggressive markings. They’re counter-productive to peace (does that make sense?)
Anyway, that’s another topic for another day…
Happy New Year to the Family Levee and all the regulars on this site
Happy New Year!