loyalism – Slugger O'Toole

How realistic is the doomsday scenario?

Samuel Thompson on December 30, 2022, 2:00 pm

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Back in the bad old days a mitigation presented for loyalists convicted of unlawfully possessing firearms was that the guns were stored for a ‘Doomsday scenario’, the doomsday in question being a United Ireland. Nationalists should consider that for a moment. For many Unionists, a united Ireland spells the end of life as they know it, an unknown, full of dread. As a child at the start of the Troubles I can remember such fears being voiced and although one …

Loyalists feeling “abandoned” and “extremely left behind.”

Andy Pollak on December 9, 2022, 8:18 am

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grayscale photo of high rise building

Ulster loyalism is in crisis – but then when in recent years has it not been in crisis? Opinion in working class and rural areas has hardened against the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has given DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson little room to manoeuvre when – and it will be when – the British government under its new more pragmatic leader Rishi Sunak reaches agreement with the EU on reforming that controversial instrument. So we’re heading towards one more climbdown …

Loyalists assert themselves through controversial bonfires…

Soapbox on July 5, 2022, 9:36 am

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Night photo of a bonfire with sparks. Bright flame against a dark background. High resolution photo of a bonfire.

Dr Amanda Hall is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading. You can follow her on Twitter. Each year, hundreds of bonfires are lit across Northern Ireland on 11 July – Eleventh Night – by Protestants, Unionists, and Loyalists commemorating the Battle of the Boyne. The vast majority pass without incident, drawing only curious attention about the reasons for the celebration or due to some unique qualities. This year’s castle-shaped structure in Portadown is drawing …

The Misidentification of Loyalism: ideologies that harm working class Protestants…

Michael Walker on April 2, 2022, 11:44 am

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europe, northern ireland, belfast

Lost in translation I was born in 1993, into an area called Kells in County Antrim. I would be told as I grew up that Kells was a ‘loyalist area’. What ‘loyalism’ means as opposed to ‘unionism’ has become more and more confusing for me in recent years, and I think it lies at the heart of issues resurfacing now. While studying at Cambridge nearly a decade ago, I found myself having to explain Northern Ireland a lot. My first …

Loyalist Engagement Survey: What It Means for Unionism/Loyalism…

Michael Palmer on September 1, 2021, 7:11 am

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Let’s Talk Loyalism (LTL) recently published their survey examining a defined segment of loyalist opinion on the Northern Ireland Protocol, Policing and Politics. The full report, its methodology and its key findings can be found on its website. As the survey was only completed by 1,020 respondents, most of whom as LTL has acknowledged are “middle-aged, male and either from County Antrim, County Armagh or County Down,” it cannot be taken as a representative survey of loyalist opinion in its …

Teenager critically ill with 40% burns to his body after being engulfed in flames at Eleventh Night bonfire…

Brian O'Neill on July 13, 2021, 10:00 am

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If anything is it surprising that more people were not injured or killed over the weekend. From Allison Morris in the Belfast Telegraph: A teenager is in hospital with burns to 40% of his body and face on Monday night after catching fire at a north Belfast bonfire. Eyewitnesses say the 17-year-old, who is from the Ballysillan area, lifted a canister of petrol to throw at the already ignited bonfire when the flames caught the accelerant dousing him in burning …

The hedonic treadmill of bonfires…

Brian O'Neill on July 12, 2021, 7:44 am

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One of the more enlightening moments in life is when you discover the concept of the hedonic treadmill. In simple terms, it is the tendency of a person to remain at a relatively stable level of happiness despite a change in fortune or the achievement of major goals. We see this effect when we buy a new smartphone. For a few weeks, it is the bee’s knees and we marvel at how fast it is and what lovely photos it …

We Didn’t Start the Fire – The Ongoing Problems with Bonfires…

Choyaa on July 5, 2021, 8:08 am

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Inevitably as we enter July in Northern Ireland, there is much talk about the parading season. With that, I thought it would be a good time to discuss one of the most controversial elements that accompany the parading season, namely bonfires and, specifically, Eleventh-night bonfires. Bonfires are a difficult subject; even within the Unionist community, there is not widespread support for them, and many Unionists are dismayed by the negative trappings associated with some bonfires. Bonfires are legitimate expressions of …

“But Violence Worked For the Other Side!” – Loyalism’s Dangerous and Dishonest Myth. Part 3…

Steve Bradley on July 2, 2021, 8:04 am

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In Part 1 & 2, Steve Bradley laid out a prima facie argument for why political violence has not delivered in Northern Ireland, particularly for the Republican movement during The Troubles and the Unionist movement since the Home Rule crisis. In this part he concludes by looking at the lessons loyalism and republicanism have learned from their previous campaigns of violence. What is very telling on the issue of violence is the vastly different routes that republican and loyalist groupings …

“But Violence Worked For the Other Side!” – Loyalism’s Dangerous and Dishonest Myth. Part 2…

Steve Bradley on July 1, 2021, 12:35 pm

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In Part 1, Steve Bradley laid out a prima facie argument for why political violence has not delivered in Northern Ireland, particularly for the Republican movement during The Troubles. In this part he looks at a much broader history of unionism to further argue that political violence doesn’t work. Unionism and loyalism doesn’t need to look to anyone else to justify using violence. It has its very own long history of threatening force to advance its political objectives. Prior to …

“But Violence Worked For the Other Side!” – Loyalism’s Dangerous and Dishonest Myth. Part 1…

Steve Bradley on June 30, 2021, 5:03 pm

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Earlier this month a few hundred people gathered in Newtonards for a public protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. Despite the presence of a strong cast of speakers – including former-MP Kate Hoey and former-MEP Ben Habib – it wasn’t the podium soundbites that caught my eye and inspired this article. Instead, it was a very telling vox-pop that Sky News captured with one of the protestors at the event. A lady who’s grey hair, pashmina-type shawl and well-spoken North …

Unionism in a tailspin is bad for Unionism but it’s bad for everyone in Northern Ireland too…

Choyaa on April 9, 2021, 8:18 am

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For some time now I have been voicing grave concerns about the direction in which Unionism is travelling in and indeed the underlying problems that have hamstrung it, however, over the last week we have seen Unionism and Loyalism in a tailspin, and as both groupings begin to lose control, pockets of violence have broken out across Northern Ireland. The core issues that have stymied Unionism at present are as follows: – Leadership vacuum – Lacking a vision – Incompetence …

Loyalism’s Response to the Northern Ireland Protocol…

Michael Palmer on February 18, 2021, 10:18 am

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We have seen media coverage of the banners, posters and murals being put up rejecting the Irish Sea Border, the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and even in some cases withdrawing support from the Good Friday Agreement and calling for the collapse of Stormont. However, behind this disapproval and anger, we have not seen analysis of why specifically loyalists are rejecting the Northern Ireland Protocol; their understanding of recent political events relating to it and what they propose to …

Grass Roots Unionist culture – lacking the voices it needs…

Philip Orr on January 30, 2021, 9:54 am

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When I was working on a community history project in Mid-Antrim several years ago, I engaged with bonfire committees across the district. They were in receipt of a grant from the local council to help make their Eleventh Night festivities family-friendly and to enable participants to be more aware of the traditions they sought to uphold. As part of my work, I referred to the (possible) origins of bonfires in 17th century celebrations to greet the victory of William of …

Loyalism must succeed where Sinn Fein has failed…

Soapbox on July 6, 2020, 8:47 am

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Moore Holmes is a Loyalist from East Belfast. You can find him on Twitter I have a fond memory of my dad telling me how foolish he thought the phrase, “learn from your mistakes.” Each time it came up in a conversation, he’d half-chuckle and half-scoff, provocatively asking, “why not learn from someone else’s mistakes and save yourself the hassle?” Although my dad would be at pains to point out that I’ve sung “Fathers Advice” far more than I’ve ever …

If Unionism is to maintain Northern Ireland’s membership of the UK then it must change and evolve – otherwise, it will become a footnote in a forgotten story…

Choyaa on June 28, 2020, 7:10 am

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There is an old joke within Orange circles that goes, if you put 10 Orangemen into a room for 3 hours and task them with putting together a strategy on their lodge’s ambition for the next 10 years, the outcome would be – 15 completely different and contradicting ideas that all must be implemented. The results being 3 people leaving the Orange for good (2 indicating it’s gone soft, 1 citing it’s got too extreme), 3 leave to set up …

Loyalism: The Enduring Perception of Loss…

Michael Palmer on June 12, 2020, 10:12 am

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Background My university dissertation that I began researching and writing in Summer 2013 to eventually submit in Spring 2014 asked the question ‘Why do Northern Ireland loyalists feel they have lost out from the peace process and current political settlement?’ This was a question that I genuinely was curious about during the 2012-2013 flag protests resulting from the vote in December 2012 in Belfast City Council to reduce the number of days the union flag flew atop Belfast City Hall. …

No Peter Weir, there is nothing to be said for saying another Mass…

Brian O'Neill on January 20, 2020, 10:49 am

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You might remember the Fr Ted episode Speed 3. Here is a handy episode summary from IMDB: Ted is shocked to find that Pat Mustard, the island milkman, has been having affairs with his lady customers – possibly including Mrs. Doyle – and reports him to the dairy manager. As a result Pat gets sacked and Dougal takes on the delivery route, as the manager trusts a man of God. A vengeful Mustard has attached a bomb to the milk …

Parity of esteem: A unionist perspective

Richard Garland on January 6, 2020, 6:45 pm

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I have been a supporter of the Good Friday Agreement since its inception. I believe many of the mechanisms contained therein are sensible and necessary to manage the divided society we live in, and I accepted the principle of consent as a reasonable compromise in pursuit of a peaceful and democratic society. Nonetheless, while I have been a fierce advocate of the Agreement, I certainly won’t dismiss every criticism levelled at it. Mandatory coalition, for example, has led to a …

Can fresh Perspectives help a community tell its changing story?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 22, 2019, 9:01 am

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How can a community tell its story? That’s the question Jonathan Hodge has been asking as he visited other places and communities to bring back ideas and challenges to loyalist communities in Northern Ireland. This week he hosted a discussion in Shankill Road library and launched his new Perspectives magazine which looks at identity, rights and the United Kingdom.