"Some people are just so petty."
Not 'petty' Ebbie - it goes with the history and it serves a specific purpose - it does what Leadfingers says, it 'proves their superiority'.
It's fairly obvious from the Gerry Kelly quote that the Nationalists are prepared to make compromises and that he at least does not regard all Protestants as 'the enemy', as once was the case; I fear that his appeal that "It is time that the Loyal Orders faced up to this reality..." will continue to fall on deaf ears.
There has never been any argument that the contentious Unionists form a minority in the North East, but that minority are vociferous and they dominate the Unionist movement - they are the public, threatening face of Unionism and they continue to make the running.
We experienced the threat of the marchers a few years ago when we were foolish enough to cross from Scotland into Ireland on the Stranraer to Larne ferry on the day before to the Orange marches - terrifying or what. Our English accents saved us from any real trouble, though my Liverpool one got me accused of being a 'Taigue' a couple of times. We travelled through Belfast and Derry as quickly as we could and breathed a sigh of relief when we crossed into the sanity of Donegal.
In contrast, we were here in Miltown for a traditional music school at the time the hunger strikers were dying. Catholics and Protestants playing music and drinking together for a whole week with not a hint of trouble, despite the fact that the street was bedecked with black flags in respect for the men dying in prison. There were a couple of newly cmposed songs on the subject sung that week, but no hatred and no violence.
There is no question that people should have the right to march to celebrate..... whatever, but that right comes with responsibilities and the marches should not be allowed to promote sectarian hatred, as they are by the demagogues.
Jim Carroll