{"id":3161,"date":"2015-05-01T13:17:13","date_gmt":"2015-05-01T12:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=3161"},"modified":"2015-05-01T13:19:51","modified_gmt":"2015-05-01T12:19:51","slug":"loyalism-what-it-means-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=3161","title":{"rendered":"Loyalism: What it means to me."},"content":{"rendered":"

Loyalism: What it means to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ulster loyalism is a political ideology found primarily among working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland.\u00a0 Many Ulster Protestants are descendants of colonists from Britain.\u00a0 Like Ulster Unionists (of which loyalists are a subset), loyalists are attached to the British Monarchy, support the preservation of Northern Ireland, and oppose a united Ireland.\u00a0 Ulster loyalism has been described as a kind of ethnic nationalism and a variation of British nationalism.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The above is a description of loyalism-the Wikipedia version.\u00a0 Is it an accurate description?\u00a0 Does it cover all aspects of loyalism?\u00a0 Are there different strands of loyalism?\u00a0 Can loyalism be defined today in the same was as, say at the beginning of the most recent conflict?\u00a0 Who coined the phrase loyalism?\u00a0 What about the notion that the term is a derogatory one?\u00a0 Is there credence in that?\u00a0 Is there a discernible difference between loyalism and unionism?\u00a0 Is there a new form of loyalism now– post flag protest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Longkeshinsideout has invited a number of \u201cprominent loyalists\u201d to comment-to tell us their reading of the term-what it means to them personally to be\u2014or to be labeled a loyalist.\u00a0 Over the next number of weeks those essays will be produced here and hopefully can be the starting point of a debate.\u00a0 In the wake of the GFA there has been a massive fracture within Republicanism here and has led to many different brands, supposedly with the same ideological denominator.\u00a0 The same can be said for loyalism and this has been apparent for many decades.\u00a0 Perhaps our contributors can offer an explanation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Beano Niblock<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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