What was the problem lads? The securocrats get to you at last?

Nah, they were all off on Twelfth parades...

Or the Interweb banks not open on the 12th to take the cash for domain renewal, eh?

Whatever the reason, glad normal service will be resumed a.s.a.p.

The return to normalcy is much appreciated!

WOW....

Thiepval Barracks take their holidays over the twelfth now as well, must do why else could no one post

Or.... wait for it....

Maybe the delay was because Mick and Co decided that because all the Shin-bins where away touring the highways and byways of Ardoyne doing their damndest to be offended there was no point in Slugger being on air, cos there was no one in Connelly House on the Andersonstown road or Scap-house on Hannahstown hill to respond to anything.

Wrote this last night at about 3 in the morning for the "mixed messages ...." thread but there was a problem with posting and I kept getting errors, so I saved the post on Word. Its still not taking it on the thread so I'm posting it here. could someone give it a home on the relevant thread please?

Denny/YF

As it happens I'm in London. Even so, I'm a bit of a compulsive lobbier on all sorts of things. I have been in touch with people that I know that have more influence than I, but we get back to the fact that "mainstream unionist" politicians do not have the influence with these people that other people seem to expect. All I can do is to support and encourage them to carry on condemning this activity. As far as I am concerned I am pushing on an open door.

I contacted the Belfast Telegraph and left a message for Lindy (sorry forgotten surname) to say that I was totally behind her articles condemning the "loyalist" terrorists.

I was home in Northern Ireland a few weeks ago and I commented on a thread that if there had been a bus going from Enniskillen to Ahoghill looking for Prods/unionist to form a human shield (supposing that the physical layout of Ahoghill facilitated that), [I meant it. Bogexile and Beano volenteered as well. However I did wonder how reassured those RCs in Ahoghill would be at the thought of a busload of Prods descending on them.] I have even recently been on blogs where I have been condemning "loyalist" terrorists and been pulled up on my failure to condemn the IRA (inverse whataboutery)!

This is not a new departure for me. I have discussed the issue with Gerry Fitt. Years ago I heard Martin Smyth being interviewed after some "loyalist" thuggery (I forget the details) from what was broadcast it sounded like he was justifying it. I rang a friend working in the nub of the UUP to say that I was horrifed that he had not condemned it. I was told that he had but that the press had pressed him further with ore questions and only broadcast that. I have had some experience of the media and could well see it happening.

I think that this is not the only time that this has happened. There is also a problem that many of us have that we think it should be taken for granted that we want nothing to do with this and I agree that it should, but unfortunately it isn't. It is also human nature to be a bit sniffy, to say the least, when pressed for condemnation, when we have been victims of IRA terrorism for years. Again I think we have to steel ourselves.

There is also the problem that we have at the moment concerns about the concessions (inc amnesty) and how to fight those. Its hard to wage a war or several fronts.

Yet again, there is the issue that this is an enevitable consequence of the Belfast Agreement and how it has empowered and validated these people's twisted notion of themselves and how we "understand" their struggle. It would be great if we could say to them "terrorism doesn't pay" we still could but we'd be lying, because it bloody well does! All we can do is say that it is wrong! Probably not terribly presuasive to a group of people with as much of a moral core as the punnet of rotting strawberries that featured in a past Slugger thread.

Re the love ulster campaign. I too was horrified to read about "loyalist" terrorist involvement and have been in touch with the organisers seeking clarification, because I would not be able to support a campaign involving these people. I was told that they were not invited beyond a call to unionists to come and help and that they had not been involved in producing the newspaper.

Before the Belfast Agreement, a large unionist/pro-union conference was organised in England, hosted by Friends of the Union, which I was very involved in. When the idea was intially discussed, and consideration given as to who to involve, I was adamant that it would not include these people. I didn't need to be adamant because that was the concensus amongst us. Apparantly Ervine and co were furious :). Not my main objective but a nice added benefit!

The point of all this is not that I am somehow unusual, amd therefore deserving of praise for rising above the norms of my tribe and being implacably opposed to this cancer. I have rarely come accross any disagreement on the issue.

"I'm not doubting either of your sincerity - it's just the solvent between political intent and action always seems to get a wee bit gummed up on this subject."

YF So what else can I/we do? If you've any glue thinner I'm all ears!

Whenever unionists do condemn this it never seems to be enough. Their words are pulled apart to put the least charitable connitations on them and to provide evidence that the comments were insincere.

I'm annoyed, (not by your two posts, just frustrated by my impotance [political], it's late and I should have gone to bed ages ago [I did bit couldn't sleep]) so I don't know if this makes sence. I'm sure it can be used as evidence of my bad faith or unionist seige mentality or exagerated sence of victimhood or the hundred and one other character flaws that we unionists have.
(The last is surely worthy of an acusation of whineing ;).

Good night John Boy!