WHAT SHARED FUTURE?
“This society believed that it was looking towards a new future, and we consistently find ourselves being dragged backwards” words from the late David Ervine.
On the 13th October 1994 Loyalists from the CLMC ( Combined Loyalist Military Command ) issued a statement from Fernhill House West Belfast declaring all operational hostilities as from 12 midnight on Thursday 13th October 1994 would cease . I had the privilege to be at that press conference as a realitive of mine was a senior PUP/UVF member and the words conveyed to the general public and the Republican movement through Gusty Spence were genuine and sincere. I can remember a certain sentence that will forever be held dear to my heart, it is a sentence that symbolizes the true spirit in which Loyalism went into the peace process, putting victims first . That sentence? “In all sincerity, we offer to the loved ones of all innocent victims over the past twenty years, abject and true remorse.” Putting victims first seems to be an agenda SF have let pass by, unless it’s a victim of state violence or Loyalist gunmen. They’ve went from ceasefire to government very quickly and should know fine well that in doing so in such a short time that they would cause anger , resentment and unimagined grievance to their thousands of victims and their families. They’ve swept the issue of their murderous past under the carpet very quickly and have now tried to portray themselves as the victims! We’ve had to endure the rise of SF, we’ve taken it very well and respected it, we want to live in a democratic society and because SF have a mandate we’ve no other choice but to respect the voting choice of Nationalists, however, that doesn’t mean we should roll over and let them off the hook unchallenged, nor does it mean we should not be challenging them daily regarding their statements and policies as to why we’re on a fast-track to a United Ireland! Sinn Fein talk about shared futures, but with who? Not with Unionists by their actions, those actions may I suggest are not recent either, is it a coincidence that SF have used a tactic from the past by creating a flash point out of nothing regarding St Patricks Church in Donegall Street ? By doing so they have opened a new angle from which to attack loyal orders, Ardoyne has now been taken over by dissidents and the annual 12th day stand off has been hijacked by groups like RNU, 32CSM and dissident terrorists. We’ve seen concession after concession handed out to SF, unchallenged by a weak DUP who are led by a man with his own agenda and ego. SF have been coming at us from all angles with their cultural war these last 2 or 3 years, is this a ploy given they know they’ve no chance of securing a United Ireland which they sold and promised to deliver inside of 20 years from their original ceasefire and to keep battle hardened republicans onside ? Take the Union Jack issue regarding City Hall , does anyone think that happened overnight or planned by SF strategists a very long time ago ? We’ve also had the “Belfast-A city of equals” slogan adopted by SF, further proof that SF are playing a game of “we’re the oppressed” to anyone who’ll listen. In the closing paragraph of the CLMC ceasefire statement they set out their vision for the future “Let us firmly resolve to respect our differing views of freedom, culture and aspiration and never again permit our political circumstances to degenerate into bloody warfare. We are on the threshold of a new and exciting beginning with our battles in future being political battles, fought on the side of honest, decency and democracy against the negativity of mistrust, misunderstanding and malevolence, so that, together, we can bring forth a wholesome society in which our children, and their children, will know the meaning of true peace.” It states quite clearly that we must resolve our differing views on freedom, culture and aspiration, yet SF are trying endlessly to strip away our culture, they’re aspiration for a United Ireland grows stronger through the media, even though it will never happen, furthermore the statement says about political battles being fought on the side of honesty, decency etc, how can we have a shared future with those we have to share with when they are filled with mistrust, they oppose anything from a Unionist perspective and the DUP play there part in facilitating the endless concessions that seem to go their way !!! If they keep up this attack on the Unionist/loyalist people how long will it be before enough is enough ?
The Mad Monk
