Ugly Embarrassment



When I was a young boy there used to be tens of thousands of religious bigots celebrating their 'culture' in these Orange marches, but nowadays it's dwindled down to a mere handful, relatively speaking. 


And that's because they are essentially sectarian events and, unlike other faith groups, the Orange marchers are exclusive events - with Catholics being top of the list of fellow citizens who, solely by virtue of their religion, are not welcome to participate.

Little wonder then that the Better Together campaign won't touch the Orangemen with the proverbial bargepole.

What an advert for the City of Glasgow, an embarrassment from beginning to end, though looking on the bright side support for this kind of intolerant, religious apartheid is fast dying out. 

The Sunday Herald reports in more detail.  

Orange Order vows march to save Union will go ahead after violence mars Glasgow walk

The Orange Order said its march to save the Union on the eve of September's referendum will go ahead despite the violence which marred yesterday's loyalist parade in Glasgow.
The Grand Lodge of Scotland plans a "British Together" parade and rally in Edinburgh on September 13 - just days ahead of the referendum.
Better Together has already distanced itself from the Orange Order, which has officially registered as a "permitted participant" in the referendum. Yesterday marchers carried pro-Union banners throughout the parade.
Jim Murphy, the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire and former Scottish Secretary who is travelling through Scotland with his "100 towns in 100 days" tour on behalf of Better Together, said the Orange Order was an "unsavoury" organisation, adding: "Not for a moment would they be part of the Better Together campaign. They'd be unwelcome."
Yesterday's annual County Grand Orange Order parade in Glasgow saw Orange lodges and loyalist flute bands taking part. But there were ugly scenes when their supporters were involved in violent scuffles which left at least one person badly injured.
A young woman received a ­serious head wound and was given medical treatment at Glasgow Green where those taking part in the parade and their supporters gathered after marching through the city. Eighteen people were arrested. Police said the arrests related to disorder, drinking in public and minor offences.
Around 4500 marchers took part with 4000 spectators. One eyewitness at Glasgow Green, who was not a participant and did not want to be named, said trouble broke out amongst a group of 25-30 spectators after the marchers congregated.
"I couldn't say what had happened to the young woman, but people around said she had been bottled," he said. "I heard voices getting raised and the next thing it all blew up, you could see fists and stuff flying about.
"The mounted police came in and as it started to disperse I saw this girl out the corner of my eye coming across the grass screaming.
"It looked like she was cut across her forehead, there was a lot of blood. It was a clean cut and she looked like she was about an inch away from losing her eyesight. I think she was just unlucky to be caught up in it."
It is understood the young woman was part of a family group watching the parade. Police had earlier warned sectarian behaviour and drinking in public would not be tolerated.
Trained stewards accompanied the march, freeing police to concentrate on street drinking, drunkenness, and anti-social behaviour - in particular sectarian behaviour.
Police Chief Superintendent Andy Bates said: "This event is one of the biggest policing operations the division manages on an annual basis.
"Our priority is to make sure the parade is peaceful with the safety of those taking part, the general public and officers, being paramount. I recognise that it is not the people taking part in the parade who cause trouble but an unwelcome minority who turn up and use the event as an excuse to drink, cause offence and behave in a manner which cannot be tolerated in our communities. It is these people that my officers will focus on, targeting violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour."
Police Scotland said it worked closely with the Orange Order and Glasgow City Council to agree a route for the march and to minimise any disruption to the city centre.
Officers and stewards were stationed along the parade route to help with traffic restrictions.
Edward Hyde, County Grandmaster of Glasgow and Grand Secretary of the Orange Lodge of Scotland, said he was aware of the incident at Glasgow Green and said he had been told by the police it was "nothing to do" with the Orange parade.
He blamed the trouble on what he called "the blue-bag brigade" in reference to fact that some followers of the parades are seen carrying alcohol in off-licence bags.
He said the Orange Order was training stewards to "identify troublemakers and make the troublemakers known to the police - we are quite willing to do that."
He added: "We are also taking it a step forward to involve the bands and try to get them to dissuade the bad elements. If you were in the town today there was an awful lot of families there, waving the Union flag and it was a family event. These people - the blue bag brigade - are a total embarrassment to us."
He added: "We are doing our best to rid ourselves of that element and we will get there - we are working very hard."
Referring to marchers carrying No banners, Hyde said: "Being a pro-Union organisation we obviously took the opportunity to get our message out."
Another senior Scottish Orangeman, Ian Wilson, former Grand Master and currently on the Orange Order's planning committee said: "Our rally on September 13 has been two years in the planning and so we certainly intend to go ahead with it ... The rally in Edinburgh is intended to be a celebration of Britishness. We are proud to be Scottish and proud to be British and the event will look very much like a Lodge parade but with carnival elements."
In an interview with the Sunday Herald before yesterday's walk, Labour MP and prominent No campaigner Jim Murphy said: "I've never had anything to do with the Orange Order and I'm never going to have. Not for a moment would they be part of the Better Together campaign. They'd be unwelcome."
He claimed that "other faith organisations … appear to be all-welcoming. The Orange Order exist for a different purpose. Their unsavoury history ... no matter how you slice and dice it ... it's not an inclusive organisation. They've got a vote so they should have a voice, right? But we'll find no common cause with them."
Better Together said: "This organisation isn't part of our campaign and never will be. The best way for people who believe that we are stronger and better together as part of the UK to get involved is by speaking to undecided voters, not marching in the streets."

The hard won peace process in Northern Ireland is under siege again as religious bigots insist they have a civil 'right' to parade and celebrate bogus cultural values under the noses of and in the faces of their neighbours - a bit like people demanding the freedom to hold a 'whites only' barbecue in the former slave states of America, if you ask me.

Donaldson says loyalist parade response 'will be peaceful'

Loyalists have held a protest camp in north Belfast since last year's ruling

Loyalist paramilitaries will take a "peaceful approach" over the restriction of a contentious parade, DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

A joint unionist statement was issued by parties including the paramilitary-linked Progressive Unionist Party and Ulster Political Research Group.

Mr Donaldson said those parties had pledged there would be no violence.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said when large crowds are on the streets, it was "something that cannot be controlled".

"The agenda in north Belfast is being led by the UVF and the Orange Order," said the deputy first minister.

"I think it's very disappointing that we have now seen effectively the Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP throw in their lot with those who would attempt to foment conflict on the streets."

Police were attacked by loyalists in the Woodvale area of north Belfast on 12 July 2013 after the same parade was restricted
Police were attacked by loyalists after the same parade was restricted last year

On Thursday, unionist parties walked out of talks about contentious issues in Northern Ireland, in protest at the Parades Commission barring an Orange Order march from returning along part of north Belfast's Crumlin Road on 12 July.

The road separates unionist and nationalist communities in north Belfast, and it is the second year in a row that the commission has ruled against the return leg of the 12 July parade marching along the route.

In recent years, there has been serious rioting in the area.

A joint statement by the DUP, Ulster Unionists, Traditional Unionist Voice, Progressive Unionist Party and Ulster Political Research Group talked of a "graduated response" to the Parades Commission's determination.

Mr Donaldson said further announcements about their plans would be made later on Friday, but they were "seeking to develop a programme that will enable people to channel their frustration about this, but in a constructive, non-violent and peaceful way".

'Clear statement'

He said the importance of the joint statement was that political representatives of the UVF and UDA had committed to a non-violent response.

"We can only seek to use our influence - at the end of the day, we are not in a position to direct people and to order them into what they should do," he said.

"We rely on others to use their influence, and I take it at face value the commitments that have been given.

"If it turns out that people do engage in violence they have to answer for that, and we will hold them to account.

"That's why we wanted to bind people into a clear, unequivocal statement which makes clear that violence and unlawfulness can be no part in what we are seeking to achieve."

Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said the 'graduated response' would "become more obvious as the days and weeks roll out".

"All I'm prepared to say at the moment is that graduated is not necessarily the same as escalated, and everything we do will be lawful and peaceful," he said.

Mr Nesbitt added: "What we have done collectively as unionist leaders is show leadership and say 'you don't have to do this any other way but politically'.

"As political leaders, we are prepared to act and react when people are not treated fairly."

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the walkout was part of an "escalating crisis within the political process" in Northern Ireland.

"This week we warned David Cameron that the political process in the north is deteriorating," he said.

"We told him that the British and Irish governments, as co-equal guarantors of the agreement, should not acquiesce to unionist threats and must ensure continuing progress and this has to include implementing agreements already made that are the sole responsibility of the two governments."

Martin McGuinness told BBC Radio Foyle he believed First Minister Peter Robinson's position was being weakened by elements within the DUP "who are hostile to being in government with Sinn Féin and the whole concept of equality".

Asked if he felt Mr Robinson was a "lame-duck first minister", the deputy first minister said: "It appears that no decisions can be taken by the leadership of the DUP without the agreement of what I consider to be extreme elements within the party.

"He has not been able to take decisions - you can make your own judgement on that."

Ugly Face (1 July 2014)



The ugly face of Glasgow is on show at the moment as a series of dreary 'Orange Walks' parade through the city to celebrate the victory of Prince William of Orange over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. 

Now unlike other wars and battles, the tone here is not one of commemoration and sadness about the loss of life caused by these conflicts - where both sides pay their respects to those who fought and died. 

Unlike, for example, the recent inclusive ceremonies in France to commemorate the earth shaking events of World War Two where the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, stood side by side with the French President, Francois Hollande, and the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, while emphasising their common bonds and shared values.

But that's not what the Orange Walks are all about, not for a minute, because these ugly parades are all about triumphalism and celebrating a great 'victory' over historical enemies - they are exclusive, elitist events which set out to parade differences instead of bringing people together on a cross community basis.

And what drives the Orange Walks is good old-fashioned religious bigotry which is sad to see in this day and age, but looking on the bright side these events are slowly dwindling and losing their significance too most Scots who can find other ways to celebrate their culture and identity.      

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