Monthly Archives: February 2013

Shared Identity in Long Kesh/Maze…by South Belfast.

Posted on 07/02/2013 by Compound| 2 Comments

I have been fortunate as to not have spent any time incarcerated in either of the prison camps in Northern Ireland. However, many of my friends have had the experiences. I was reading an article “The Negotiation of Identity at Shared Sites: Long Kesh/Maze Prison Site, Northern Ireland

by Laura McAtackney 2005”. The article was very interesting but leaned a little towards Republicans. I would be keen to hear from those ex prisoners as to whether or not this article highlights the Loyalist identity with Long Kesh/Maze Prisons. Its very important that Loyalists replace negative propaganda with a more positive approach to our culture and identity in particular with the system that held many of our volunteers. I am attaching 2 parts of the article which focus on the Loyalist relationship/identity. The full article can be read using the title and author in an internet search.

Posted in Current Affairs

Are Rangers Learning the PR lesson? Stewart Franklin

Posted on 07/02/2013 by Compound| Comments Off

This article first appeared in The Rangers Standard.

Are Rangers Learning the PR Lesson?

By Stewart Franklin

With today’s front page news that an Asian finance firm were considering seeking a winding-up order against the club for non-payment of alleged services, the recurring debate about Rangers’ PR performance has again raised its somewhat ugly head.

Most of our online communities were aware of the rumour surrounding the court petition which had started on one of the more popular Celtic-supporting blogs. However, it wasn’t until the always mischief-making Alex Thomson ran with the story that the club took the issue seriously enough to warrant comment. They reacted yesterday afternoon with a typically bullish statement that suggested the sums sought were ‘insignificant’ and agreement had been reached with Orlit Financial Services ‘subject to the necessary paperwork’.

Posted in Current Affairs

The Union Flag Row–100 Years Ago…Jason Burke

Posted on 07/02/2013 by Compound| Comments Off

The Union Flag Row 100 Years Ago…

‘You May Say Its An Old Coloured Rag’ – The Union Flag Row 100 Years Ago

While spending some time in the Belfast Newspaper Library this week researching a completely unrelated topic a consistent pattern began to emerge as I read through the Belfast Evening Telegraph for the latter months of 1912. It seems that even a century ago the Union Flag was not tolerated in Ulster by certain sections and that it regularly led to sectarian violence on the streets. The brief stories below include cases of patriotism, statesmanship (Mr John Redmond), sectarianism and ignorrance, set against a back drop of a looming Home Rule Bill for Ireland.

Posted in Current Affairs, History

A Question of Culture By Jason Burke

Posted on 07/02/2013 by Compound| 1 Comment

A QUESTION OF CULTURE

Culture in Northern Ireland has been a contested topic for many years. Not a week goes by without a public debate on culture, normally fuelled by sectarianism and usually amplified by ignorance. Having recently emerged from a period of violence we have now entered a new era of what appears to be ‘cultural rivalry’. This rivalry involves a fierce protecting and laying claim to anything that comes close to an agenda for either side of the divide. Where will this ‘rivalry’ lead both communities? It is hard to say, however, an entrenchment of cultures is a far cry from the ‘shared future’ that most of us agreed to in 1998 and again at St. Andrews more recently.

Posted in Current Affairs