I was very surprised nobody thought it relevant to blog yesterday's story that for some reason the Orange Order are to be given rates exemptions unlike other community organisation which do not exclude over 40% of the community.

Considering how many different blogs were devoted to the same story rehashed many different times, it was another indication of what Henry said a number of days ago about how the blogging on this site has become an Unionist dominated feature.

It's well worth reading Briege Gadd's Irish News column today on how the rule of law has been set at nought by the Gtmo style prejustice of Hugh Orde's statement. I'd provide the link except I don't have a net subscription.

Also in terms of the Orange Order rates exemptions, surely that would contravene Section 75 Equality Provisions and would need to be put out to public consultation.

Orange Order are to be given rates exemptions unlike other community organisation

Paddy, not strictly true as the AOH are ALSO being exempted ...and as we keep being told ... the GAA isn't equivalent to the Orange Order - if you are referring to the mention of that in the Irish news which was the only paper I saw that carried the story.

Section 75 Equality Provisions

If the AOH is being treated to the same exemption, how can there be any complaint ?

I don't know about anyone else but i've had it up to here *indicates level slightly above head height* with bank heist stories.

The OO story got shifted one side. It will appear here today.

Here's something a bit different...

'My testicle was the size of a lemon'
A humorous look at a very serious subject.

PS,

...the blogging on this site has become an Unionist dominated feature.

I've always taken the view that people should take the site as they find it. Slugger's been accused of both being liberal Unionist in the past, and den of recalcitrant nationalism.

All I have attempted to do from the start is to track the substantive issues in the news and tease them out. I've never been concerned how people call it in terms of the inevitable political biases of the choices made.

Like it or not there is a snow storm of anti republican movement polemic at the moment. Some of it is nothing more than cheap propaganda, but a lot of it raises important issues of good governance that shouldn't be ducked.

It's very frustrating at times like this, particularly when there is so very little in the public domain that provides a defence of the current position of Sinn Fein (the Irish News and the ATN don't help by locking up their stories behind a subscription).

I'll do what I can do to give voice to the defence or opposition. George has offered to blog here until Pat can free himself enough to do it.

Until then, I'm afraid you're stuck with my own imperfect choices of what's currently on offer!

Yes, at times Slugger does come across as being dominated by Unionist viewpoints, but whose fault is that. Whilst Pat, George, Mark and others do an excellent job defending their political views on slugger, there is absolutely nothing stopping other supporters of the PRM from posting their two pennies worth. That they do not and I may be wrong about this, but I can only put there absence down to their fear of open debate. In anycase, if Pat is correct and the bank job does not turn out to be the work of PIRA, im sure slugger can expect an avalanche of posts condemning Orde and the RUC/PSNI, and rightly so. Politics is often swings and roundabouts.

Regards

Davros

Because the AOH are an irrelevant organisation to the vast majority of nationalists, whereas a large proportion of Unionists, including a large number of their elected representatives claim membership or support of the Orange Order. In my opinion neither should qualify. it is not only GAA clubs who don't receive this benefit, but indeed many cross community ventures, far more worthy of support.

Mick

I didn't mean to crticise you personally, or indeed this site which i thoroughly enjoy using. it was just that i hadn't previously considered the points raised by Henry and the past few days i've seen how fair a reflection they are. That said, those of us with Republican tendancies have our opportunity to put their views across in the comments section.

Paddy, it still was misleading to imply that ONLY the OO was to be exempted. The AOH exclude over 50% of the community after all....

And for that they should be punished by the rating agencies, not rewarded. the fact that the AOH were included had slipped my mind simply because, as I said above, they are an irrelevant organisation to the majority of nationalists.

mickkall,

'if Pat is correct and the bank job does not turn out to be the work of PIRA'

Sorry to be pedantic in the middle of this witch hunt Mick but I have been very careful in my postings not to say who i believe or do not believe carried out the heist.
In the main my posts have highlighted the lack of evidence or sustainable intelligence that warrants the pointing of the finger at anyone with any degree of certainty.

Pat,

I was not deliberately misquoting you, nor trying to put words into you mouth. If I did so I apologise.

Best regards

the fact that the AOH were included had slipped my mind simply because, as I said above, they are an irrelevant organisation to the majority of nationalists.

I accept that and didn't mean to imply that you were being intentionally misleading. It's quite difficult to find out much about the AOH and the Irish National Foresters. There's a few pages on their Iconography in Jarman's book.

Mick:

"another avalanche of comment on the cupability or otherwise of Sinn Fein in the recent Northern Bank heist"

These guys have taken the best the crown can throw at them for 30 years and are still standing. Do you really think they give a damn what you call them now?

I don't think anyone is on to their game yet. If that ever occurs maybe you all can end this thing.

"Anyone suffering from indigestion yet?"

It's boring now. You can tell that others are getting that way as well. For instance this thread just did a lateral arabesque into a discussion of the AOH.

I think we are prime for a discussion of the proper name for Derry at this time.

TTFN, in hot pursuit of the Yankee Dollar.

These guys have taken the best the crown can throw at them for 30 years and are still standing.

International considerations especially involving various US Governments stopped the Crown crying 'havoc' - but with changed circumstances post 9/11 if they decided to pull another Canary Wharf, it would be a different matter.

Unionist fantasies are never far below the surface.

Unionist fantasies are never far below the surface.

Whereas republican fantasies are acted out as we saw at the Northern Bank ;)

"International considerations especially involving various US Governments stopped the Crown crying 'havoc' - but with changed circumstances post 9/11 if they decided to pull another Canary Wharf, it would be a different matter."

The UK did a primo job of ignoring our invitation to join us in Vietnam all the time I was there so that line about the sensitive British succumbing to US entireties is purely a self-serving UK line of crap. It may sell in NI but it sure as hell doesn't here.

Parliament is king and answers to no one. That's why we rode the king out on a rail. Parliament could have put an end to this at any time by slapping a death sentence on selected scheduled terrorist offenses and putting a 30 year stretch on the rest without remand. Thirty years does wonders to lubricate the tongue. Cut a deal with Utah as a colony for supergrasses.

This is essentially what we did with the mob & drugs. We've used it and RICO for any number of hits, John Gotti merely being the poster boy.

All it takes is the guts to do it.

Or copy El Salvador.

Davros

If you do something (not that they did) then it's no longer a fantasy is it?