For the 3rd time I'll ask the question. Are Armagh gaelic tops acceptable, Billy?

Posted by Ulysses32 | 24.02.10, 14:30 GMT

dont forget to get out and wear your orange tops(with a touch of green) for st.paddies day.we dont want anyone hijacking a good christians holiday.

Posted by billy | 20.02.10, 23:12 GMT

the OO know where they're not wanted but they don't care. however (as a republican) would it be the worst thing in the world if we placated these children, and let them march silently on their queens highway, and showed them up themselves to be ignorant fools.

Posted by well done | 20.02.10, 04:59 GMT

well said jacki....it was'nt that long ago the whole lot of the loyalist organisations where at the fore'front of these parades...now that one of there high ranking brigadeer's has spoken out that it is all to do with triumphalism the OO don't like the truth being told...also if the OO want to march the queens highway then the police should be billing the OO for the policing that is involved in it,,there is more money spent on these contensious parades than anything else...this money saved could be put back into more needed resoures in the communities that need it including loyalist area's..so for the groups that are crying out for more needed money in loyalist area's take a hard look at your OO and ask youselvs this ....IS IT WORTH IT ANY MORE .have a look around your area and what do you see...kids running about on drug's robbing pensioner's. doing break in's..Y because there is nothing for them in there communities the OO are taking that money away from there own people..FACT.......

Posted by murf | 19.02.10, 22:09 GMT

The Orange Order are behaving to type and their refusal to acknowledge the feelings of others bodes ill for the future. It seems that whilst the rest of Northern Ireland wants to move on, the Orange Order can't move on from the ideas of Carson and "a Protestant State for Protestant People."
The Orange Order need to be aware that most people yearn for peace and if they wish to be relevant in the future they must stop living in the past.

Posted by Ian Butler | 19.02.10, 19:46 GMT

Well don't you sound like a progressive thinking member of society 'bro' ulsterman. So your tactic is to not talk to anyone and just wait for what? Maybe the parting of the green sea by virtue of a lambeg drum stick held aloft and nothing else? Judging by your complete lack of punctuation and grammar I'd assume you're not going to write to them either. If your attitude is typical of Orangemen things are even worse than I thought. I've yet to hear one good reason why the Order should walk down that road and 'because we always have', 'because we promise not to cause trouble', 'because it's our right to assembly', 'because it's the Queen's Highway' and 'because it's the shortest route back to the church' mean nothing compared to the right of people not to have a parade on their road if they don't want it. Even if the residents are being unreasonable it doesn't matter, they live there so it's up to them. Would the Orangemen give up that right? It's embarrassing this is still going on.

Posted by Graham Smyth | 19.02.10, 15:26 GMT

The Orange Order don't need to walk that road and they aren't wanted there, therefore to try and force the issue does inevitably make it an attempt to get one up on the residents, it's ludicrous for them to claim otherwise. I'm all for the right to assembly and people being allowed to walk the 'Queen's Highway' but that's not what this is about. I'm quite sure Orangemen go up and down that road 100 times a week on their way to work and no one stops them. But an organised parade by a dogmatic organisation that by its own constitution is anti-Roman Catholic should not expect to march in Catholic areas, even those that weren't always Catholic, I'd have thought that was the most basic common sense. Arguing you'd be peaceful does not make the slightest difference, a peaceful Ku Klux Klan march in Harlem would still be offensive to black people. If the Order doesn't move on and have a bit of sense it is signing its own death warrant. It's already got a great deal, but wants it all. Childish.

Posted by Graham Smyth | 19.02.10, 15:06 GMT

One step froward, two steps back

Posted by Chris | 19.02.10, 14:38 GMT

What we have left is the original Irish /Ulster Scots Hill Billy boys!!!!!! Always moving in reverse while everone is moving forward!!!! Sadly the orange order will never go away as the provos/UDA etc,. did!

Posted by Mike Irvine | 19.02.10, 14:17 GMT

what part of no do the orange order not understand?

Posted by Ulster woman | 19.02.10, 14:01 GMT

. Yes, the OO pay taxes as the residents who oppose their triumphing parade pay. Money is not the issue in equation or equality. The OO when they plan to parade they must consider the hurt and death caused including young children by their decision to parade or opposition to it . As Christians the sectarian OO must choose to take the least contentious route.

Posted by USA | 19.02.10, 13:57 GMT

Why do the OO continue to want to march in places they are not welcome?, all the members of the OO are signing from the same song book if you'll excuse the pun, its we want to walk the Queens highway so we must be allowed to do it, absolute hypocracy.
Would they want to march if they were not surrounded by hundreds of police and army?

Posted by Joe O'Rourke | 19.02.10, 13:47 GMT

At last a high profile "loyalist" tell us he accepts the reality of Orange Culture which everybody else knew already. But this reality sticks in the craw of the hard line OO members. To accept this simple fact is a bridge too far for them and in effect would spell the beginning of the end of the OO, since their raison d'etre would cease to exist.

Posted by Paul | 19.02.10, 13:44 GMT

How on earth were Jackie McDonald's words unhelpful? Perhaps because they were so truthful, and he had the courage to say them? Come on Orange dis-Order. Wake up and smell the coffee of democracy and stop stomping your feet like brats and burying your heads in the sand. It's not as if nationalists are asking to march up the Shankill et al.
Besides, you always have the Field to go to...

Posted by billyboy | 19.02.10, 11:23 GMT

jackie is quite correct. time for protestant people to stop bringing negative publicity on ourselves. as a youngster i walked down the ormeau road, which was a brilliant road then, to church in the donegall pass. i would never risk walking down the lower ormeau now and i don't know why the orange order would want to. this is the 21st century. time to move on

Posted by maxy | 19.02.10, 10:58 GMT

Mr John Finlay would obviously support an AoH march down the Shankill so...?
Or is this just more murdering of the English language and truth itself - 'newspeak' in the cause of crude sectarian propaganda...?

Posted by sam simpson | 19.02.10, 10:53 GMT

"He is almost doing the work that he’s talking about in that for Sinn Fein."
So there is collusion between Loyalists and Republicans now. Or is his opinion more reflective of the average working man as opposed to that of your's, Mr Elliott.
I'm not surprised that you make such comments being an Orangeman and all.
Incidentally, is there any Unionist politician who is prepared to make a comment on this matter who is not a member of the Loyal Orders?
It would appear that unionism is riddled with orangeism like a cancer.

Posted by Ulysses32 | 19.02.10, 10:50 GMT

What is 'unhelpful' is the attitude of the Orange Order. Of course they are entitled to walk the Queen's highway, as individuals causing no offence but not as an overtly sectarian group whose presence is highly offensive to the locals. These jingoistic buffoons don't want a 'shared future' and because many foreigners assume that the OO enjoys the support of most Unionists, they are making us look ridiculous, yet again!

Posted by Brian | 19.02.10, 10:41 GMT

this is the best thing that mcdonald has said so far, would the orange have a roman catholic parade on the shankill road ? NO!! then whay should we protestants walk down garvaghy ? most orangemen dont have a clue, the uda fought a war against the ira and we have a say in these matters just as well as everyone else. time the snub nosed orange came down off their high horse and listened to the working class people on both sides. maxi belfast

Posted by maxi | 19.02.10, 09:42 GMT

well said bro elliott lets hope grand lodge sticks to its guns on no speaking to residence groups

Posted by ulsterman | 19.02.10, 09:10 GMT