uvf

Sinister forces at work in Northern Ireland

In his novel  “1984”, George Orwell wrote:

“Hardly a week passed in which the Times did not carry a paragraph describing how some eavesdropping little sneak-‘child hero’ was the phrase generally used-had overheard some compromising remark and denounced its parents to the Thought Police.”

A recent Metropolitan Police anti-terrorism campaign encouraged law-abiding citizens to look through each others’ bins to check for “suspicious items such as chemical bottles and to report any troubling findings to the police” Fake blondes-hide that peroxide bottle! I’ve struggled to find the Troubling Findings Act.

China’s Ministry of Supervision has a discipline watchdog which opened the “unified informant hotline” for the public to report discipline offences of civil servants and officials.

Eavesdropping and informing on each other to the Stasi was a way of life in East Germany.

Stalin’s regime relied on “mutual surveillance” urging families to report on each other about ‘disloyalty’.

So how grateful must we be to live in a liberal democracy.

Not so. This blog is not about the programme of informers during the Troubles. Like Scap, Donaldson , Sean Maguire and Brian Gillen, they got their money and , those still alive are living a comfortable life, protected by the British State.

This blog is about what is happening in our communities  now. It is about democracy, freedom of speech and the ability to protest.

Many Loyalist areas of Belfast have taken the Queen’s Shilling in return for compliance. The Greater Shankill is an example of that. The killing of Bobby Moffett has been swept under the carpet so long as  the locals support the GFA. The Spectrum Centre doles out nearly a million pounds  each year ,to the locals in wages. The UVF and Arlene are at peace.

Other communities are not GFA supporters. The result is that they are subject to harassment by the PSNI, as an arm of the State. Frequent use of the Terrorism Act 2000, in dubious circumstances. Searches of legitimate community facilities for “loyalist paraphernalia”. The stop and search of  individuals on a regular basis, in breach of the codes of practice. Stops by ‘Road Policing’ with bogus allegations of no insurance or road tax.

It’s not a crime, of course, to oppose the GFA.

Or is it?

Lets read a new document. It is entitled:

“THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE (ON BEHALF OF THE TACKLING PARAMILITARISM PROGRAMME BOARD)

Building capacity in communities in Transition Project (2017-2021)

Information Memorandum

Tenders are invited to support the delivery of this project.”

The programme “is committed to promoting the use of peaceful and democratic means and upholding the rule of law across all communities”

So consider this , Dear Reader. In the proposals which tenderers can make , is the requirement that they show an “outline of how information will be shared with police on individuals who do not support transition”

“Transition” is not defined anywhere.

The Board is chaired by the Department of Justice and is comprised of civil servants and the PSNI.

So , if you want to get your community nose  into this particular trough you will have to undertake to snitch on those who are not supporting “transition”.

“Feed your Snout-be a Tout” might be the catch phrase.

Of course , the document is keen to espouse the rule of law.  The rule of law encompasses ‘no punishment without law’.

What law is being broken which requires the citizen to “share information” with the PSNI about an individual who does not support transition?

The answer is that this programme , aside from offering monetary bribes, further undermines the rule of law. The PSNI willingly particpates , not only by harassment but by being part of the supervising body. The Stasi would be impressed.

The lesson is that you can be a paramilitary as long as you are a State approved-GFA loving paramilitary. Otherwise you are in big trouble.

It’s unlikely that any mainstream politician will put his/her head over the much funded parapet about this.

Approximately  one third of the workforce depend on the State for their mortgage. In addition, vast swathes of the middle classes , including journalists ,are paid fees by the BBC, the Housing Executive and every other public body for services rendered. The country is in the grip of the Security Service, forget about Brokenshire. Even Stalin would be impressed with such a compliant body, when it is allied to the likes of the Greater Shankill Partnership Soviet.

It’s hard not to conclude that democracy  and freedom of speech died in Northern Ireland years ago.

 

 

St William’s Gospel

  1. In the beginning was the UVF. And the Lord looked down upon it and was pleased, For God and Ulster.
  2. The UVF became a mighty host and it moved upon the face of the Earth, smiting the Enemy. And the Enemy smiteth  it not and God was pleased.
  3. So pleased was God that he gave to the Sons of the UVF and their Sons and their Sons for ever, the fertile lands of Ulster [well, most of it].
  4. And the tribes of Ulster prospered upon the plains and all rival tribes were unworthy in the sight of God , who cursed them with discordant music and dancing that was treated with scorn.
  5. The Lord gave these tribes an impenetrable tongue, which none in all the World could understand, not even the Priests of Babel.
  6. And two score and four years prospereth the UVF, by quiet and unassuming living.
  7. Then one came out of the West, by the name of Gusty, from the tribe of Spence. He had been a warrior and now he made war upon the Dispossessed.
  8. And God looked upon him and was not pleased.
  9. A mighty conflagration came upon the lands of Ulster.
  10. Up sprang the Association and saith unto the UVF, you have displeased the Lord and we are the True Sons of Ulster.
  11. And upon this , there was great violence, yea as between Cain and Abel.
  12. And the Lord’s word quelleth it not.
  13. And the Lord sent upon the lands of Ulster the People of the Box.
  14. And the People of the Box did set brother unto brother so that they might be wiped out from the Firmament.
  15. And they sent secret messages and set secret codes that the Sons of Ulster kneweth not.
  16. And the People of Ulster liked not the UVF nor the Association. And they were scorned on the Temple Mount , which is called Stor Mount.
  17. And the Lord made his face to shine on the Dispossessed People. And their music and their dancing was liked by all the Peoples of the Earth and in the Rivers  and on the Flatly Plains was their music and dancing heard.
  18. And the Lord loosened the tongues of the Dispossessed and straightaway the broadcasters of Ulster made their voices heard and they made a pleasing sound.
  19. And God said  onto the Sons of Ulster, in a terrible voice, did I not make you The People? And didst you not piss it all away?
  20. And great Trial and Tribulation fell upon the Sons of Ulster. Their mighty factories, in ships and planes and in linen and in rope were as nothing.
  21. And a great multitude of the Sons of Ulster were familiar with Brian Buroo, whom they visited each Monday.
  22. And they were troubled. Nothing like this has happened since that Job bloke got a hammering, saith the learned men of the Sons.
  23. And they turned to a False Prophet, whose name was Ian. How shall we please the Lord again, they cried.
  24. And the False Prophet took a moment away from the Temple Mount and the Money Changers and said, follow me because those who follow me will be THE PEOPLE.
  25. And the Sons of Ulster and each of them, followed the False Prophet, all save Peter
  26. And the False Prophet led the Sons of Ulster up a great hill, which was not the hill of Stor Mount but an even greater hill.
  27. And the False Prophet showed them a great land over the seas. This was the Land of their Fathers , he said and they would NEVER NEVER NEVER be sundered from it.
  28. And the Sons of Ulster were greatly pleased and they killed a goat and oiled the women and rejoiced, in a tavern called the Brown Bear.
  29. And it came to pass that there came out from the Land of their Fathers or from the Land of Song to be more accurate Peter The Hain, who was permanently touched by the Sun and who kneweth not the Truth, yea even when it smite him upon the visage. And lo, he spoke oily words to the False Prophet, like unto the hissing serpent. And he summoned the Assassins and all the tribes of the Dispossessed.
  30. And with a blinding light, God caused  his servant Andrew to move upon the waters of the Northern Sea. And all around were mighty afraid.
  31. And God caused the False Prophet to chuckle and all around him , yea all his Brethren did also chuckle and of the agreement there was no end.
  32. And the Elders of the Sons of Ulster cried out. We have been betrayed. And they rent their sashes and did put their bowler hats upon the fire. Great was their distress but greater was their anger.
  33. And they ascended the Great Hill of Stor Mount whereon was the Temple and they saith to the False Prophet , you have betrayed us. You are of the Tribe of Lundy.
  34. The False Prophet didst chuckle and said that he knew them not, not even those who had stood with him upon hillsides with tablets of stone, nor those who shared chariots and many weapons with him.
  35. Then did the Lord strike down those whom Andrew had spoken to, even unto the False Prophet and the Hermit of the Bogside and Peter the Punt [by way of his wife Jezebel] save for Geroid. And he said to him, for you I have reserved a Great Punishment. You will roam all the Earth, yea into its corners and crevices, even unto Strabane and ye will deny that ye have a beard. And all about you will shoot out their tongues and make fun of you.
  36. And Geroid saith Thank Fuck, Barra isn’t going to prosecute.
  37. But the Gospel unto St William digresseth.
  38. Onto the Sons of Ulster and unto the UVF and unto the Association and unto the community groups and unto the victims’ groups there came a Great Light.
  39. For another Ian , the Son of Ian cometh.
  40. And he told all of them, be not afraid, I bring you tidings of Great Joy. Unto us from the City of London is Peace I-IV. Riches beyond the Dreams of Avarice will flow to you. Your women will toil not, neither will they spin but will have tattoos. Ye will be truly like the Orange Lillies of the Field.  You will sit down with the Lion and the Lamb, for that is what the Criteria call for. Never again will you visit Brian Buroo, for that is in the past. You will beat your swords into ploughshares and your Romper Rooms into Community Centres. Ulster will be a land flowing with milk and honey [ and type II Diabetes]. This is what my Father chose for you , when you were poor , and didn’t have an ass in your trousers. He that chooseth another path and espouseth not the Agreement of Good Friday and the Agreement of Andrew will be cast into Outer Darkness and the Countenance of Community Funding will look not upon you.
  41. And the Sons of Ulster, whose fathers had once been mighty warriors and had saved the World from the Assyrians and the Hittites and the Hun, didst sit down  and sup with Ian.
  42. And the poor and the lame and the homeless and the cancer victims and the special needs children and the victims of sexual abuse and of state collusion and those on waiting lists were forgotten.
  43. This is the Gospel according to William and it has come to pass in most of Ulster.

An open letter to Emma Pengelly

I had thought to give you some time to settle into your new role.

Not cognisant with the nuances of DUP South  Belfast, I thought it best to let you bed down and make a fist of it.

Now I read that you want to trade punches with Jim Allister. You, who have  no mandate. You who have until lately, been earning in excess of £90,000. You , who had a completely unaccountable role. Jim Allister has been selected by the people. You have not and might be a little modest regarding that.

You, who together with your [under achieving]  permanent secretary husband , have been trousering over £200,000 per annum.

You want to criticise the Bar for its earnings. Well, they don’t steal the money and they have to be selected , unlike your role as a SpAd.

How do you think the people of South Belfast regard you?

A blow in , because, for whatever reason you were favoured by Peter Robinson, as having , according to the press, been a comfort to him during the Iris crisis.

Worse than a blow in, a well heeled one. How do you justify your combined income, ten times or more the income of a family in South Belfast?

I hope they tip you out at the election.