Ryan Kelly

I am sure like most, I genuinely despair when I read nonsense like this. Only a few weeks ago this fella was little more than a political footnote, a parody of a Belfast corner-boy UVF loving wannabe shouting from the sidelines. Now he's apparently reinvented himself as the great defender of unionism, delivering lectures on equality, democracy, the rule of law and the supposed oppression of Protestants. And let’s be honest here, this says more about the failure of political unionism than anything else. If Bryson, Carla Lockhart and Jimbo Allister can attract a following by dragging out the same old sectarian grievances, then surely somebody within unionism needs to ask where it all went wrong, because this latest burst of sectarian ranting is not only dangerous but seriously fecking damaging. Read what he's actually saying here. Apparently the GFA was designed to give nationalists absolutely everything while unionists must surrender their rights. Nationalists are now supremacists, the courts are supposedly biased, and any attempt at compromise is appeasement. WTF is that all about? What absolute nonsense. The GFA was about ensuring that neither community could dominate the other. It wasn't about Catholics getting everything or Protestants losing everything. It was about equality, something NI had desperately needed for generations. And there's the problem with this entire argument. When nationalists demand equal treatment, this fella somehow manages to interpret that as unionist oppression, can someone educate this fella, please for the love of god. As for Drumcree, nobody is suggesting Orangemen shouldn't have rights. Of course they should. But so should the people living along the route. One community's traditions don't automatically override another community's rights. That's not discrimination, Jamie. That's how a society based on equal rights is supposed to work. And this bollox about the courts only delivering nationalist outcomes? The courts have considered different Drumcree decisions and reached different conclusions. You cannot applaud the legal system when it agrees with you and accuse it of being part of some nationalist conspiracy when it doesn't. Then, inevitably, out comes the IRA. Jesus wept. Can we have one conversation about NI’s future without somebody reaching for the old "Yes, but the IRA" argument? Nobody is excusing the IRA. Nobody is forgetting its victims. The murders of Orangemen were appalling, just as the murders carried out by the UVF and UDA were appalling . This is where unionism falls down every time, it’s the usual “ I condemn all terrorist murders” and then proceed to give us the history of the IRA. But if Bryson and Jimbo Allister want to spend every waking hour lecturing the rest of us about republican terrorism, perhaps somebody could ask them a few equally uncomfortable questions about loyalist terrorism. And while we're at it, a conversation needs to be had about the Orange Order. If it wants to be taken seriously as a responsible civic organisation, it should be prepared to answer straightforward questions. What happens when members are found to have links to terrorist organisations? What action is taken when UVF or UDA flags appear at parades? What is being done to ensure that loyalist paramilitary glorification has no place in its activities? I'm not suggesting every Orangeman supports terrorism. But surely an organisation that talks so much about Protestant culture, respect and the rule of law should welcome those questions rather than treat scrutiny as an attack on its identity. And where the hell is the media in all this? When is somebody going to sit Bryson, Allister and the rest down and actually challenge the double standards? Not another interview allowing them to spend twenty minutes talking about Sinn Féin and the IRA. Ask them about loyalist paramilitary influence, the intimidation still affecting communities and the symbols of terrorist organisations that continue to appear at loyalist events. If we're going to have a conversation about the past, let's have the whole fecking conversation. And what exactly is this great new unionist awakening supposed to achieve? All Lockhart and Allister offer is sermons about the IRA and Sinn Féin, that’s it and the TUV have some questionable individuals in their ranks, that’s not a political org, it’s a hate organisation ffs We've got the TUV displaying anti-Sinn Féin posters at a dinners, Jim Allister seemingly unable to get through a political argument without mentioning the IRA, Carla Lockhart presenting herself as a defender of unionist rights, and Bryson warning about nationalist supremacy and telling people they need to fight back. Fight back against what, exactly? Catholics having equal rights? Nationalists having a political voice? Residents being entitled to object to a parade? And that business about having to "crack a few eggs to make an omelette" is particularly irresponsible and immature language in a place with serious history. What exactly does he mean by that? I'm sure, like everyone of a certain age, are sick of watching NI being dragged back into arguments that many of us genuinely hoped we'd left behind in the 1990s. There are serious problems facing Protestant and Catholic working-class communities. And not just in the north, All over Ireland, health services are seriously struggling, families are finding it difficult to make ends meet, young people are leaving, and loyalist paramilitary organisations still exercise influence over communities that deserve so much better. Where are Bryson's grand speeches about those issues? Where are the solutions? Instead, it's the IRA, Drumcree, Sinn Féin, the pan-nationalist front and another warning that unionism is under siege. And young Jamie is certainly enjoying his fifteen minutes of fame. I've no doubt he'll keep stretching them out for as long as sectarian outrage and the terrifying prospect of those pesky Catholics continuing to move forwards rather than backwards can keep him in the spotlight. But here's what really bothers me. There are decent, ordinary unionist people who want exactly what the rest of NI want. A decent life, good schools, functioning hospitals, safe communities and a future for their kids . They don't deserve to have their concerns reduced to another endless argument about Drumcree and the IRA. And they certainly deserve better than political figures who seem more comfortable reopening old wounds than talking about how to build something better. I grew up in Belfast during the Troubles. I remember what division looked like, what sectarianism did to communities and what it cost ordinary families. I am sure, like everyone else, we have absolutely no desire to watch another generation being encouraged to inherit the same bitterness. That's why this stuff makes me so fecking angry. The GFA wasn't perfect, but it gave everyone a chance to move away from a society where everything was viewed through the Protestant versus Catholic bullshit. And now, nearly thirty years later, we're listening to people talking about nationalist supremacy, surrender, appeasement and drawing lines in the sand as though we've learned absolutely nothing. If political unionism has reached the point where a former political sideshow like Jamie Bryson and his amigos can present themselves as its future, then perhaps the problem isn't nationalism at all. Perhaps it's the complete failure to offer unionist communities something more hopeful than another generation of sectarian grievance.