“So we must now take our fight into the political arena..”

For some reason the BBC report on the ongoing trial of one of those arrested at the Alexandra Bar, the one man who denies membership of the UDA, is currently titled – UDA gang ‘planned Blaze of Glory’. But the only apparent reference to a ‘Blaze of Glory’ is the use of the Bon Jovi track. And, rather than the “this does not spell the end for the UDA”, the salient point from the recovered statement would seem to be this

So we must now take our fight into the political arena. However, this does not spell the end for the UDA. We want to reassure you all that the Ulster Defence Association is here to stay. I would also like to take this opportunity to let our prisoners and their families know that we will continue to fight for them. And while Hugh Orde continually calls us criminals and puts only North Belfast Brigade Staff in jail on trumped up charges, we remain as strong as ever. [added emphasis]

Which, if it wasn’t for the presence of the ‘good’ UDA, might otherwise have been compared to the Provisional IRA directive in July 2005 – “All Volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means.” Meanwhile, of those who have already pleaded guilty, the Irish News had a report on the time they may serve.

Pete Baker