In Praise of Dissidentry
Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Russian writer), Vaclav Havel (ex Czech President) and Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese pro-democracy activist) are all, for different reasons and in different parts of the world, very courageous people. They were also (and in the case of Aung san Suu Kyi still is) dissidents. And. no, that doesn’t mean they firebombed DIY stores or they couldn’t bear having a fenian about the place.
For, despite what the Sinn Fein/DUP Politburos and lazy N.Irish journalists may tell you, “dissident” is not a dirty word, a person to be shunned by all those naice people “committed” to the *Peace* Process.
Back to faithful Wiki, for a rather broader definition of the word “dissident“:
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively opposes an established opinion, policy, or structure. The term is most often used to refer to political dissidents, usually against authoritarian regimes or established constitutional order (although there are rare uses of the phrase philosophical dissident). Political dissidents use non-violent means of political dissent, including voicing criticism of the government or dominating ideology, or protesting individual actions by the authorities.
“Dissent”, “Protest”, “Opposition to the Established Norms” and even,”Dissidents” are, (but whisper it gently in Norn Iron), generally recognised as good things for democracy.
Fact: party apparachniks and an electorate who obediently nod at everything Gerry and Big Ian tells them is not going to push forward the democratic process in N.Ireland.
Whilst I’d much rather that the present challenges to the DUP/SF were coming from secular, liberal Unionists and genuinely socialist Republicans respectively, if the end result is the same –the splintering of the DUP and Sinn Fein monoliths and the future development of a non-sectarian, fully functioning political system in Ulster, then I ain’t going to complain.
So, good luck to all the political dissidents!
Paul
A Dissident Unionist
(http://www.betterunion.co.uk)
I prefer the word “Dissenter”, but I agree with what you’re saying, sometimes true democracy is breaking from the “norm” (sectarianism). Sinn Fein are politically bigoted, DUP are theologically bigoted, so we need a “refresh” button to press. Greater political freedom and secularization.