John Coulter has the knack of creating stimulating debate in his many articles. This latest should fare no different than anything that has went before. John argues that the Orange Order needs to play a more active role in influencing and in many ways leading a Loyalist revival.
Being a former member of the Junior Orange and for a very short period in the early seventies the Orange Order I have my own views on this. I left a flute band as a sixteen year old in 1971 and within a year–following an ancient family tradition joined a local East Belfast lodge. Within months however I was destined for Long Kesh. On July 12th 1972 I–along with my best friend who I grew up with–carried the banner for the first time–to the old field at Finaghy. One year on and I was part of the Long Kesh LOL 11–at its inaugural parade around the Compound–replete with banner and band. But the similarities between the two lodges stopped there. Despite the fact that most of those men marching on the inside–to uphold their culture and tradition and to show solidarity to our Brethern on the outside–and apart from giving 2 fingers to the authourities–were Orange Order members–they had already been disowned by the powers that be in OO Headquarters. To be a Loyalist prisoner then was a total anathema to the OO. Many individuals were expelled from lodges and the OO distanced itself from any of the paramilitary organisations. Some ex prisoners upon release organised protests against the Orange and many were scathing of their non stance on the Loyalist predicament. In the years to follow the OO were conspiciously missing on all fronts relating to the conflict. Where they should have been leading they were skulking away. Rather than this huge influential organisation lead from the front–they didnt even bring up the rear–they hid at a time when their influence would have been priceless. In more recent times we have seen how they have mismanaged virtually every situation they have found themselves in. On the Drumcree issue, when the world was calling for the OO to engage with residents groups–who they could easily have exposed as being nothing more than fronts for the IRA and who had no interest in compromise–their intransigence saw them prorcrastinate–to a point where that particular parade was lost for ever and many others suffered accordingly. At this time the Apprentice Boys of Derry played a masterstroke in engaging with residents groups there and gave a lesson in how to play such situations. My opinion now is that the OO are slowly beginning to realise that they are an organisation stuck in the dark ages–reticent to change–especially when asked to–and are trying to make up for all those lost opportunities dating back almost half a century. I am also of the opinion that they will only engage when it suits them and will not dance to anyone else’s tune. And sadly I firmly believe that despite it’s size and seeming influence in Protestant or Loyalist culture–they now have very little to offer. I think there is an undercurrent of feelings amonst the Loyalis population that the OO had their chance–chances–and on each of those occasions abrogated their responsibilities–to a community that for a long time was rudderless and adrift.
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