Public spaces and the past
The conflict and commemoration of events and individuals has come into focus with two disputes of very different origins. A memorial in Enniskillen Fire Station to the dead of the Poppy Day Massacre has been removed following a complaint by a staff member. Unionist representatives have raised their objections. This is the second time this issue has been occurred in Enniskillen. Meanwhile, in Craigavon a family request for a memorial seat beside the grave of leading loyalist Mark Fulton has been approved. The SDLP are to lodge a complaint with the Equality Commission.
Hey Sean has been to N. Ireland twice, he knows what he’s talking about!
Willowfield
As it is described it could be taken as an accusation against the whole of the nationalist community. While true it would be a stretch it seems that in every community there are people willing to make a stretch to be offended. Thats why I offered that if they changed the legend to “our day of sorrow” it would be much more difficult for anyone to claim offence as it should be recognised as a collective day of sorrow not as a day of shame for nationalists that some think it should be.
As for stretching to be offended do we not see that on here every time they re-route an orange order parade or preventing them from walking where they are not wanted. If all they wanted was a walk Ireland has plenty of empty wee roads going nowhere
Brass neck
OOh ouch you got me with your withering wit and piercing insight! How ever will I recover
I think we can all agree that an incident of such magnitude should be commemorated. Well, it has – publicly. End of story. I have a relative in the fire service who has attended many gory multiple death car crashes but to my knowledge they are not commemorated in the station.I do indeed think that there is a slight touch of “look what youse seditious types done” and “yez better buy a poppy to prove we’re wrong” After all, 2 out of every 3 of yez support Sin Fin/IRA>
brass neck – “Hey Sean has been to N. Ireland twice, he knows what he’s talking about!”
That sums him up very well!
Pancho’s Horse – “I do indeed think that there is a slight touch of ‘look what youse seditious types done’”.
So what does the ‘Bloody Sunday’ window in the Guildhall say? “Look what the security forces supported by Protestants did to the Roman Catholic people”? Why isn’t there a window to commemorate the people murdered by Martin McGuinness’s Sinn Fein IRA?
The usual double standards by the Pan-Nationalist Front.
pan-national front? drag yourself out of the 20th century I promise it doesnt hurt, much
Thanks Sean for your advice. I’m sure you are very wise after your couple of visits to Ulster!
“OOh ouch you got me with your withering wit and piercing insight! How ever will I recover”
Yes. But the thing is, his comment is oh so true! Right up there with that character Rocky Bats and Balls (or something like that) who performs republican raps on Youtube.
Sean
As it is described it could be taken as an accusation against the whole of the nationalist community.
How?
Because it infers that only the victims from one side of the community are innocent victims and the other side of the community is collectively guilty
You are coming at this the wrong way if you think I am arguing for its removal I am simply arguing for a way to have it put back up. If it is just put back up because one side of the community wants it then it will be exactly what the original complainer said it was which is a sectairian reminder of the past
Political correctness is bullshit but its a bullshit we all have to deal with regardless of where we live. Find a way around it because you will not over come it, for now atleast, but eventually there will be a backlash against PC
Séan
‘but eventually there will be a backlash against PC’
The sooner the better
Sean,
Maybe I’m missing something but I simply can’t work it out so please explain to me how
“our day of sorrow†is in your opinion inoffensive but
“The innocents who lost their lives” can be taken as you put it “as an accusation against the whole of the nationalist community”.
Are you inferring that those who died were not innocent? or are you inferring that the whole nationalist community share in the blame??
What is it about the phrase “The innocents who lost their lives” that offends – if it is the wording that offends?
Personally I don’t think it comes down to wording and I doubt whether the faceless and spineless objector would be happy with any choice of words.
Perhaps some contributors don’t realise how easily offended us Taigs is. Here are some of the things that have offended us in the past 90 years. A police state,Special Powers Act, 100% unionist police force, B specials,UDR,RIR,Poppy sellers, Cenotaphs,Sneering at Gaelic,towns blocked off for hours for “Band Parades”,all sorts of petty discrimination, ‘Ulster’ flags, PONI,Playing the Queen at every dunghill opening and last but not least – the Womens Institute. So there! In our own bloody country!
Lazy geek
What might some taigs find offensive is the narrative forwarded by more than a few contributors on here the the entire loyalist community are”innocent victims” while the entire nationalist community are “blood thirsty terrorists”
This memorial if you chose to look at with those eyes is both offensive and exclusionary
Where as my reworked title or one similar but more to your likeing is not offensive even from those eye and is infact inclusionary so less likely to be called offensive
the victims here were and are innocent if any one disputes that then they are boneheads. But the eternal struggle by the loyalists to exclude the nationalists can’t go on and the nationalists will not live on their knees, so you can accomodate each other or you can have these exact same petty squabbles till the end of time
One person complains and the lawyers are called. They recommend compliance with the legislation because that is their job. And the victims families have to go through what to them can only feel like an insult.
That is not a good scenario and we need an alternative.
It is impossible to say if the complainant was genuinely discomforted by the memorial or was just a sectarian muppet. But I know which way I’d bet.