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Top Orange Order officials in crunch talks
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Senior Orange Order officers have been summoned to a special meeting to discuss possible proposals for a new Parades Commission.
The specially convened meeting will take place in Brownlow House in Lurgan this evening and up to 40 officers from the institution’s nine county lodges — including three in the Republic — are expected to attend.
The three DUP members of the Parades Working Group, Jeffrey Donaldson, Nelson McCausland and Stephen Moutray, who are negotiating with Sinn Fein to create a framework for a new parades adjudication process, will address delegates.
The Rev Mervyn Gibson, who was appointed as an adviser to the DUP panel, is also expected to attend the Brownlow House meeting.
The meeting comes just three days before a now crucial Grand Lodge meeting on Saturday during which the issue of parades blocked by residents’ groups is expected to be fiercely debated.
Mr Donaldson said: “It is an opportunity for us to brief the county officers who will be attending the meeting and to hear their views.”
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Comments
26 Comments
5 to 10 parades out of thousands every year are contentious. Yeah, I can see the intolerance there, stve.
We belong here too, you know.
Posted by Ulysses32 | 17.02.10, 14:27 GMT
Three Orange Order members meeting the Orange Order. How can that be seen as me being sectarian?
Questioning why the full Working Group is not meeting with the Orange Order. How can that make me sectarian?
Are you feeling ok, patrick?
Posted by Ulysses32 | 17.02.10, 14:23 GMT
"People should have the right to walk down any public road"
This would indicate that anyone, anywhere, at any time, has a right to march wherever they want - a patently absurd notion.
"If the ignorant people actually knew what the OO stood for there would be no problem."
The problem isn't that people don't know what the OO stands for, the problem is that they do - and that is why they don't want them next or near their areas and have every right to say so.
It's been said once, and will be said again, what of a Republican march up the Shankill or through Unionist areas of Portadown?
Would the Loyal Orders and their minions in the DUP be screaming about "cultural apartheid" (sic) then?
Somehow, I think not.
Posted by Euskal Herria | 17.02.10, 13:35 GMT
Trevor, people know what the OO stands for, and that is the problem.
Posted by cd | 17.02.10, 13:21 GMT
Trevor, nice one. So anyone who criticises the OO affiliates themselves with the IRA. Ha, ha.
You are the ingnorant one as we all know what the OO is.
When the OO took a defamation suit against George Galloway for calling the OO aa "sectarian, anti-Catholic, Protestant-supremacist" organisation the presiding judge threw the case out of court.
In his ruling Judge Lord Kingarth stated that it was "a fair comment on that organisation".
Even the Courts of Law recognise what the Ornage Order is.
Posted by Ulysses32 | 17.02.10, 13:18 GMT
nationalists need to accommodate unionism, a shared future should mean a shared future. The intolerant mindset has to change, we belong here too, and have rights as well.
Until the neanderthals accept this, we cant move forward.
Posted by stve | 17.02.10, 08:35 GMT
"The meeting comes just three days before a now crucial Grand Lodge meeting on Saturday during which the issue of parades blocked by residents’ groups is expected to be fiercely debated.
Mr Donaldson said: “It is an opportunity for us to brief the county officers who will be attending the meeting and to hear their views.”
... Jeff will make a speech and will then be 'fiercely-debatedly', shut up and whithered by the Orange voice. His Masters.
As potential investors walk elsewhere.
Posted by Blootered | 17.02.10, 03:24 GMT
The Orange Order like the Klu Klux Klan preach hatred. The Orange Order preach hatred of Catholics and the Klan preach hatred of blacks. It is a sad day for Northern Ireland when we see Unionist political parties kissing the bottom of a group like the Orange Order.
Posted by James Doyle | 17.02.10, 02:47 GMT
Can't believe the comments I've read so far here. People should have the right to walk down any public road. If the ignorant people actually knew what the OO stood for there would be no problem. They're still living in the past. The incredible hatred of the old fashioned IRA. Pathetic bunch of no hopers. It's all over live in the present.
Posted by Trevor | 17.02.10, 02:39 GMT
ulyssess 2 i could not care less if oo ever walks but your totally biased comments ,show you up for what you are, live and let live i say. but you always sectarian.
Posted by patrick | 16.02.10, 21:57 GMT
Roads are for driving on. get a life I say. All loyalist and republican parades should be cinfined to the history books.
Posted by sean from co down Ireland | 16.02.10, 19:52 GMT
Perhaps the OO needs to reconsider their effect on the community on both sides. The Freemasons are also a society with secrets and continue their fraternal duties within the confines of a temple/lodge room without the need to parade.
Posted by geordie | 16.02.10, 19:44 GMT
Pragmatist, surely you realise by now that pragmatism isn't the strong point of many local politicians.
I disagree that the parades are sectarian - they are a display of the Protestant religion and British nationalism of their members - the importance of the Boyne celebration is that it paved the way for religious emancipation of Protestants. Therefore the ethos of parades is not a sectarian celebration along the lines of "we killed you lot" (although as you rightly point out there are many who engage in this behaviour), rather an affirmation of their right to religious liberty - something SF and the residents' groups try to deny them.
Posted by North Down | 16.02.10, 17:01 GMT
The Parades Commission has been fighting a losing battle since it was established. You can't please everybody. Since a small minority of N. Ireland citizens are still "hung up" on this parades issue, the Parades Commission should issue one FINAL ruling and then disband. That ruling would be:
(1) One parade on public streets (City Centres) per year (date to be decided) for ALL citizens. St. Patrick's day might be a good choice?
(2) All other marches, if there must be any, shall be held on private property. Any necessary policing costs to be charged to the organization(s) promoting the marches.
Let's end this inane "marching" debate which makes the decent people of N. Ireland look like idiots to the rest of the world.
Posted by Edward | 16.02.10, 16:36 GMT
more crunch talks in the 'province' - unemployment has reached 88% and the last hospital closed yesterday, but who cares ? let go a marching......
Posted by Seymour Bunting | 16.02.10, 16:08 GMT
All the cavemen meeting in a cave. Listen lads, let in a little bit of sunshine into your black bigoted hearts.
Posted by Ted | 16.02.10, 15:47 GMT
The Parades Commission rule on a host of different public walks, marches and other activities using our roads, such as charity fun-runs and the like. Have other organisations been consulted or is it just OO views that count for anything here?
Posted by Farrah | 16.02.10, 14:33 GMT
As a orangeman i would appeal to the members of Grand Lodge to make the right desicision at the weekend, and uphold the ban on talking with sinn fein inspired resident groups.
stephen
Posted by stephen | 16.02.10, 14:18 GMT
So the Orange Order are having a union meeting with their union reps.
If this is supposed to be a working group the Orange Order should be meeting with the entire Working Group.
Methinks this meeting will be a distinctly onesided affair.
Posted by Ulysses32 | 16.02.10, 12:38 GMT
Resident's should have the last say about a march passing past their houses and estates.
Posted by Barry the good | 16.02.10, 12:34 GMT
26 Comments