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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:32:50 GMT -5
Fun Times In our lovly provence atm
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Post by wankinginthebushes on Sept 12, 2005 12:33:59 GMT -5
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:36:31 GMT -5
ill get some links, so much going on i couldnt be arsed typing it
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:38:56 GMT -5
It's hard to make much sense of the mayhem unleashed on Belfast's streets by loyalists after Saturday's Whiterock parade. The Orange Order may have been angry about being re-routed near the west Belfast peaceline. But the intense and widespread nature of the violence which ensued was breathtaking - a throwback to the early days of the Troubles or, more recently, the worst days of the Drumcree crises in the mid nineties. In short these were scenes which it had been hoped would be confined to history. Cars were set alight by rioters Unionists say the trouble is a response to more than the relatively limited re-routing of a single parade. They cite the perceived bias of the Parades Commission, the quango charged with deciding which contentious marches can or cannot proceed. On top of this, they believe the political process is slanted towards republicans, as the British and Irish governments push ahead with their quid pro quo for the IRA's announcement that it will destroy its guns and end its armed campaign. 'Malaise' Beyond the high politics, many loyalist areas are clearly suffering an economic and social malaise, with Protestants in inner city working class enclaves feeling increasingly alienated from wider society. Nationalists acknowledge that areas like the Shankill have particular difficulties, reflected in their inadequate community infrastructure and other indicators such as poor educational attainment. However they argue that unionist politicians, far from helping resolve these differences, have stirred the pot unnecessarily with their talk of potential trouble in the run up to the Whiterock parade. The riots were some of the worst seen in years It's also reasonable to question how much the recent violence is really a community blowing its gasket, and to what extent it had been orchestrated in advance by paramilitary organisations with agendas of their own. Remember that just days before, most working class Protestants were far more interested in Northern Ireland's victory against England than the impending Orange Order parade. But the paramilitaries had a bone to pick with the police who moved against a UVF show of strength the week before. The UVF - for years the most stable loyalist group - now appears obsessed by its bloody feud with the LVF. Loyalist problem Whilst it sees republicans reaping benefits on the back of the IRA initiative, its political experiment with the Progressive Unionists is now in the doldrums. All of this means that addressing the loyalist problem through political means is far from easy. It now appears inevitable that the government will specify the UVF - that means officially recognising the organisation's ceasefire has broken down. That has symbolic importance but changes little in practice. Unionists say the Parades Commission - which is currently recruiting a new chairman and new members - should be subjected to a root and branch review. But any major shift which pleases the loyal orders is more or less guaranteed to annoy nationalists. Critics of the Orange Order will say it should reconsider its own leadership and strategy before blaming the Commission. Alienation There's clearly a need to address the poverty and alienation evident in loyalist areas. But if, as has been tried in the past, you throw money at these problems it may well end up in the hands of paramilitary bosses who are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Mainstream unionists have abandoned some of their supposed principles by sitting down with those who are clearly active paramilitaries, in the North and West Belfast Parades Forum, the umbrella group behind the Whiterock parade. Could they play a less communal role by using their contacts to emulate John Hume in trying to wean the loyalist terror groups away from violence? The Loyalist Commission, which includes Ulster Unionist and church representatives alongside the UDA and UVF, was meant to be doing that job. But on the evidence of last weekend it has singularly failed to deliver the goods.
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:39:50 GMT -5
WEEKEND OF RIOTS 1,000 police deployed 1,000 soldiers deployed 50 police injured Petrol bombs thrown Blast bombs thrown Pipe bombs thrown Shots fired at police Seven firearms recovered Up to 500 plastic bullets fired Bomb factory found Water cannon deployed Cars and buses hijacked One man shot by Army Man critical after bomb blast
thats not including today, all kicked off this evening
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Post by belfastdon on Sept 12, 2005 12:40:50 GMT -5
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:41:27 GMT -5
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Post by wankinginthebushes on Sept 12, 2005 12:43:06 GMT -5
its a fuckin shame man
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:43:35 GMT -5
on friday, i was on upper ormo road with 2 girls from work, were at the erricle, and we went down to the fonacab depo, and a man with a huge gash in the middle of his shaved head, covered head to toe in blood, came up to us and asked us where we catholic or protestant, he also had a 9 iron with him, lovly, then on saturday i was up at the chester closed 30 mins early just in case, and they were jackin taxis around the corner in lansdowne park south, and down the street on the shore road, all mad like
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Post by feckarse on Sept 12, 2005 12:50:35 GMT -5
i'd be amazed (delighted, but amazed) if things in the north manage to sort themselves out in my lifetime one step forward, two steps back..... can't we all just listen to oasis instead? The world would be a much better place
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 12:56:05 GMT -5
would be nice to go out with no worrys, get pissed, dance, touch, sing, touch, taxi, text, ring, text, pizza, sleep, coldpizza, take me there lol and its only monday
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Post by globe on Sept 12, 2005 15:39:41 GMT -5
When are these people who organise and go on these stupid marches (and I mean on both sides) gonna get their arses into the 21st century man?
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Post by Dominic on Sept 12, 2005 15:45:54 GMT -5
the orange order are in serious shit, or at least they should be, telling people to go in to the streets and "protest"
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Post by belfastdon on Sept 12, 2005 18:14:50 GMT -5
when did the orange order actually tell people to go to the streets?
this violence has been planned for weeks, i work in north belfast most of the time and we were told over a week ago there was gonna to be big trouble. last wednesday we were visited and told to keep our workers away from the area on saturday,we were again told today at lucnchtime to go home early to avoid the situations which will develop, no doubt we will be kept well informed again tomorrow
just listened to the news at midnight on the local radio and they is some serious rioting going on again tonight.
if the parade was let down the extra 100 yards there would have not been trouble on the protestant side, but the republican side would then have rioted. we are in a no win situation as far as parades go. no matter what way the pricks in the parades commision rule on a parade there will be violence from either the loyalist or repubilcan side depending on the parade ruling. we seen that in july at the ardoyne shops when republicans rioted because a parade was allowed to pass their shops.
but in a few days time everything will be back to what we call normal, - until the next riot.
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Post by EyeballTickler on Sept 13, 2005 3:09:43 GMT -5
I really don't understand why unionists and orangemen have so many parades? every time i look on the telly, there's one of them silly parades. Republicans don't even have a parade on st. patricks day. why not?
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Post by belfastdon on Sept 13, 2005 9:36:55 GMT -5
republican bands parade in parts of belfast and other areas on st pats day.
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Post by belfastdon on Sept 13, 2005 11:03:27 GMT -5
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Post by Dominic on Sept 13, 2005 12:28:12 GMT -5
you cant count that peice of crap parade on st patricks day, at all, st patricks days crap in belfast, fuck all to do, get blocked at a mates house, not even any tunes, all the radio is the corrs and boyzone, if they paid time and half id work it, since they dont, just do fuck all and hope the sun shines for a tan
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Post by EyeballTickler on Sept 13, 2005 16:20:20 GMT -5
st patricks days crap in belfast, fuck all to do, get blocked at a mates house, not even any tunes, all the radio is the corrs and boyzone, if they paid time and half id work it, since they dont, just do fuck all and hope the sun shines for a tan make the trip to dublin, paddy's day is better than christmas down here.
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Post by feckarse on Sept 13, 2005 17:38:48 GMT -5
make the trip to dublin, paddy's day is better than christmas down here. nah its not, it's just full of pissed scangers.... that i can do without! nite before paddys day, much better, no work in the morning, great craic!
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Post by Dominic on Sept 13, 2005 18:08:54 GMT -5
st patricks days crap in belfast, fuck all to do, get blocked at a mates house, not even any tunes, all the radio is the corrs and boyzone, if they paid time and half id work it, since they dont, just do fuck all and hope the sun shines for a tan make the trip to dublin, paddy's day is better than christmas down here. mates went down, hated it, dublins to busy for me on a normal day, i only really head down for the odd concert
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Post by MG on Sept 13, 2005 19:50:54 GMT -5
only heard about the trouble yesterday.
some horrible scenes on the news
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Post by Dominic on Sept 14, 2005 11:06:00 GMT -5
traffics fucked up the night, only got in, police everwhere, dont no if theres trouble tonight or just security reasons
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Post by belfastdon on Sept 14, 2005 12:14:25 GMT -5
no trouble - just the daily road blockages - has happened everyday this week, mainly north and west belfast - same tomorrow and friday
that why i fuck off home at 3pm everyday this week
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Post by Dominic on Sept 17, 2005 12:46:55 GMT -5
seems to have eased
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