On The Infallible Violence Of Northern Ireland

A few days ago half of Northern Ireland donned their pretentious orange robes and marched around celebrating. The other half sighed and pretended not to notice, except for a few 'angry youths'. You see the Protestant side, comprising of the aptly named Orange Order, who obviously wear orange, march once a year to celebrate the Protestant English victories over Catholic Ireland. To the Irish Catholics this is a bit of a sore spot and the day has traditionally became one of violence and rioting - entire communities at war, attacking Orange Marchers and police. The big problem, and let me tell you it is a BIG problem, comes with the route the marchers take. Each year the Orange March takes a route that will take it through VERY Catholic neighbourhoods. Once in the Catholic neighbourhood they sing sectarian songs and have a jolly good time riling the residents. Each year it causes trouble. In the heyday of the Anglo-Irish war, back in the 60's and 70's each time the Orange order moved into a Catholic neighbourhood they would provoke a riot. One of these riots saw 120 Catholic homes burnt to the ground by Protestant mobs. All 120 homes were from the same neighbourhood. The 1st Light Infantry was called in from Liverpool to help police soothe tensions, one soldier recounted it as this: "When we took off from Liverpool there was a faint glow on the horizon. As we drew closer to Belfast we realised that glow was burning buildings. When we touched down it was like a scence from our days in Lebanon. Burnt out cars littered the streets, shop fronts were blown out and everything was destroyed. its was numbing to realise that this was happening in a part of the United Kingdom."
For many a year after, many wise people suggested banning the Orange March to prevent this kind of violence, but the Protestants would have none of it. "It is our right to celebrate our victories." Each year almost without fail the Orange Order marched into a Catholic neighbourhood and each year without fail rioting and affray ensued. Then, in 1998, after English prime Minister Tony Blair and Sinn Fein leader and IRA army council members Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness succededd in bringing peace, the IRA declared a ceasefire. For the first time in nearly forty years there was peace on the streets of Northern Ireland. The nation held its breath when the day of the Orange March came round. On strict orders from the leaders of the IRA no shots were fired, no bombs planted, no riots rioted. But what they lacked in physical violence they made up for in abuse. The songs of the Orange Order were drowned out by Irish nationalists screaming threats and abuse. Each year after that there were many scuffles but never a riot. The IRA it seemed were intent on keeping the peace. But all was not well. The Provisional IRA, the one I mention above had issued a ceasefire, but other factions, the Real IRA and the Original IRA were intent on the destruction of an English presence in Northern Ireland. In 2005 as the Orange Order marched through a catholic neighbourhood they suddenly noticed people on the rooftops to each side. They had walked right into a trap. The Orange Order, still drumming anti-Irish tunes ran for cover as the Catholic mob hurled home-made grenades and firebombs down on them. The police attempted to move in, only to suffer instant casualties. The fighting was so bad that at one stage every officer of West Belfast Police station was in hospital. After hours of heavy fighting the rioting stopped. More recently, only months ago the first soldiers to be killed in over a decade were shot dead outside their barracks. This was followed by a police officer. Unreported in the news three catholic workers were shot dead outside a pub by two UVF soldiers, the Protestant version of the IRA. Also unreported was the protestant UVF man stabbed to death shortly after by an IRA soldier, a revenge killing. Then only a week ago a bomb was located outside a protestant building, it was detonated with no harm done. Then only yesterday, the Orange Order in their infinite wisdom chose to march through Ardoyne, one of the most Nationalistic Catholic neighbourhoods in Belfast. Nine officers were injured, one teenager seriously injured as firebombs rained in from all sides.
But why such violence? Surely after a century of on/off fighting, starting in the 1890's and leading right through to today, they could have come to an agreement? Nope, they can't and nor will they. The Catholic side of Northern Ireland seek a unified Ireland, where they join the Republic of Ireland as an independent country from Britain. The Protestant side of Northern Ireland seek to remain part of Her Majesty's Empire. Both sides are willing to fight and die for their cause. Things have changed however, the corrupt Protestant government which went about gerrymandering to ensure the Catholics couldn't win any elections has been dissolved, the police who were comprised almost totally by Protestants has been reformed to ensure a fairer balance of justice and most importantly, the two sides sat down and talked for the first time ever.
So, the violence will, for the forseeable future continue - not as acts of war but as individual murders and small riots. In 2005 PIRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) declared that, in conjuntion with the Indepentent International Commitee for Decommissioniong they had put their weaponry 'beyond use'. The Protestant paramilitaries, who said they'd only disarm once the IRA did have not yet disarmed a single weapon. And so, as Gerry Adams once said: "We viewed terrorism as a means to an end, not an end in itself" the IRA disarmed, paving the way for their political wing to take power. And what is the eventual outcome? Every British Prime Minister from 1960-1990 with the exception of that cranky old so and so Margaret Thatcher has recognised that the probable solution and inevitable outcome is a Unified Ireland. An Ireland free from british rule, free to pursue its own culture - for we all know that: "British culture just doesn't fit anybody not British". This would be an Ireland that for the first time in nearly a thousand years would be ruled by the Irish. Imagine that.