Friday, April 28, 2006
Orange Order opposed to peace - Trimble
For a long time here on United Irelander I've spoken out against the Orange Order. If you don't believe me, just check my archives. In doing so I endured alot of flak from unionists who said my opinions about the OO were misguided and totally unfair.Well it gives me great pleasure right now to say to those people: I told ya so!
Yes it has been a miserable time for everybody's favourite bigoted Protestant organisation as they deal with long-standing Orangeman Rev Brian Kennaway's latest book, The Orange Order: A Tradition Betrayed, which includes shocking revelations about the Order and its nasty little relationship with loyalist paramilitaries.
The book claims that the Order has turned a blind eye to paramilitarism and violence in its own ranks and that sectarian murderers have escaped expulsion. As well as that it is claimed that sash-wearing members have openly attacked the security forces without redress.
Many of you may have also caught last night's Hearts and Minds programme on the BBC, which you can watch online here, where Rev Kennaway discussed his book's claims with a representative from the OO who squirmed uncomfortably throughout in the face of these damning allegations.
If all this wasn't bad enough for NI's rioters of the year 2005, David Trimble, himself an Orangeman, has come out accused elements within the Orange Order leadership of conspiring to damage the peace process.
Trimble, who last night was at a book launch for Rev Kennaway's book, said some unionists had entered a pact with elements in the Orange Order to try and wreck the Good Friday Agreement:
"They saw the Orange Order, Portadown District and the Drumcree issue as a battering ram that they would use to destroy the Agreement."
He added the Order had been manipulated:
"...with the intention of creating massive public disorder and violence so that it would have a political impact".
Shocking stuff. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Orange Order is of no benefit to Irish society. It is an organisation that preaches exclusion and triumphalism and rather than bring communities together, it is primarily about keeping them apart.
The Orange Order is a disgrace and even its members seem to have finally acknowledged that much.
The real question now is - can the Orange Order ever recover from these claims?
# posted by United Irelander @ 6:18 PM 
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