Yesterday, at long last but very welcome, there was public comment from church leaders concerning the contentious and unacceptable behaviour during two parades which occurred outside St Patrick’s Roman Catholic church in Belfast’s Donegall Street where a new flashpoint has developed this summer.
The scenario reflects the lack of leadership of the Royal Black Preceptory (RBP) in the city; the ineptitude of some of the Parades Commission’s determinations; and a basic failure of Unionist leaders and politicians to agree a vision for their community and to lead that community effectively into a shared future for all traditions because of their fear of adverse reaction at the ballot boxes for City Hall, Stormont and Westminster.
The failure of the RBP to conduct its own enquiry into the behaviour of the band which first was alleged to have offended is key. That this band was permitted to be engaged by a lodge to take part in last Saturday’s parade was wrong. It was inept both socially and religiously for an organisation which avows that its foundation and practice is Christian. It was the RBP’s parade and its responsibility – no one else’s in the final outcome. That is a tragic loss of witness and status for the RBP which for the most part has been led responsibly over the past two decades. The past two most senior members have been sincere, committed practicing members of the Church of Ireland and several of the more prominent chaplains to this order are clergy of that church.
(Not mentioned by the press was the fact that St Patrick’s church was for many years the pro-Cathedral prior to the establishment of St Peter’s as the diocesan cathedral. For many folk, Roman Catholic and otherwise, it is a place of special regard in the city.)
The Parades Commission has not been without fault. A couple of its determinations this summer – especially one regarding the timing of the return from a demonstration was inept in extremis. That the determinations appeared to be handed down much in the manner of an edict from an invader added further offence to those who wished to march. If the Commission is truly in the business of winning friends and influencing people, there were a couple of times when it was not at the match. These determinations in turn affected reaction to other decisions by the Commission. That said, the Commission is established and charged by law regarding its responsibilities because locals could not find an alternate way of dialogue and finding mutually acceptable solutions. The challenge to the RBP however is very basic. Are they a law-abiding organisation or not? And if they perceive themselves to be conscientious objectors, what Christian principles will shape and inform their actions?
The leaders of the RBP and of Unionism should listen carefully to Terry Spence of the Police Federation. Through the length of the summer his voice has been one of sanity and responsibility on behalf of his members who more so than any group have born the brunt of these disturbances. Few, if indeed any, Unionist politicians matched his analysis of these events and their consequences.
Into this morass came Nigel Dodds and Nelson McCausland, DUP politicians with legitimate electoral interests and responsibilities in north Belfast. Obviously they want the Commission abolished and they too have concerns regarding its performance. But the people they need to convince are not their Unionist electorate, but the Sinn Fein and SDLP politicians with whom they serve at Stormont and in the City Hall. And that task has been made more difficult because what occurred outside St Patrick’s church was Gift Aid to hardline republicans. The SDLP, like the Ulster Unionist Party, is in parlous enough state, without driving more moderate nationalist voters behind Sinn Fein. That almost every Unionist councillor, MLA and MP in Belfast have now signed up to abolishing the Commission is a futile battle when the attention of the Unionist family should be focused on an entirely different area namely the cause of the Union.
They need to be critically aware that there is much more at stake than the blame game. Do the Unionist politicians and the marchers want their community and its aspirations defined by the sight of police Landrovers and personnel continually needing to be present at parades emanating from the Unionist community? Is that the determining image of Unionism which they wish to project in Ireland and abroad?
In entering a decade of commemorations of some of the most important events in Northern Ireland – like the signing of the Ulster Covenant and the battle of the Somme – are the images of Unionism and Orangeism to be of provocative music played primarily to project ascendancy and to antagonise the neighbouring Catholic community?
The more enlightened members in the Orange family have attempted to adopt a most welcome new stance to communicate the relevance of their values, regalia and memorabilia in their outreach to a wider community.
This coming month is the centenary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant. As the iconic image of Carson signing that document is in the public eye, Unionists would do well to think where the cause is going to be in a hundred year’s time. The upbeat of the Celtic tiger somewhat silenced the basic Unionist mantra that economically, socially and religiously, the union with the United Kingdom was the best arrangement for the citizens of Northern Ireland. The demise of the tiger and the associated problems of the Eurozone, is a golden opportunity for the cause of Unionism to be proclaimed – at least financially. But there is a silence on this basic foundation which no doubt would cause Carson considerable concern. When have you last heard a Unionist leader proclaim the advantage of the union to all the citizens of Northern Ireland? Despite that, recent surveys conducted for Ireland Life and the Belfast Telegraph all indicate that over the past decade there has been a rise among Catholics for staying within the United Kingdom.
If Unionism today wants to define the future of the state and community it avows to serve, then it must build a political coalition which can do none other than practice wholeheartedly a desire to enable the incorporation of Catholics into its very core. This is not a new fangled recipe – see Carson’s address to the Unionist Council in 1921.
Mike Nesbitt, Leader of the Unionist Party, has rightly commented “We cannot continue to lurch from one crisis to the next; the problems that continue to arise over parading are clear evidence that we need a real effort to deal with it, not more sound bites”. He is correct in his assessment that the growing tension over parading in Northern Ireland is a “symptom of the failure to agree a pathway to a shared future”. Courageous and responsible leadership is required by those like Mr Nesbitt who have sought to be leaders of Unionism.
Responsible Unionist leadership will tell the RBP in no uncertain terms to sort out its terms of engagement of marching bands with an internally imposed code of behaviour with effective measures of accountability. The same leadership should engage in an immediate dialogue with the Church leaders of the main churches. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor in an interview on BBC television on Wednesday of this week presented his concerns coherently and most charitably considering the situation. The Moderator and Archbishop Harper were also in unison.
Above all, Unionism in all its varieties must spell out the advantages of the Union and convince even more people in the Roman Catholic community that those advantages are theirs, as of right, and their values including their religious allegiance and its buildings, will be respected regardless of the existence or otherwise of any Parades Commission. The attendant challenge of communicating this to the loyal orders and that wider Unionist constituency must also be undertaken equally wholeheartedly.
Houston McKelvey
Links to reports on Church leaders comments – See Irish news 31st August on this site.