Moving on...IT'S MARCHING SEASON!
Oh yes, it's that time of year that a Loyalist looks forward to more than Christmas, New Year, their birthday combined. The great glory and tradition of the loyal orders and bands alike who march down roads in triumphant glory, celebration and awe of their British & Protestant culture. At least that's how it's dressed up anyway and I suspect things aren't going to change anytime soon.
I'm not going to start complaining about the Protestant attachment to the bands. Nor am I going to complain about the blatant arrogance from many bands and orders. What I'm going to complain about is how the bands are used and abused as a political stick to be beat with - and how it's all their own damn fault.
I quite liked attending the bands. There's something about it that I enjoyed despite my non-Loyalist and non-Protestant beliefs. I'm a Unionist, yes, but not the type who wants to go beating a drum about it. I still enjoyed it but and there is some fantastic bands out there who get less credit than they deserve for the absolutely fantastic shows they put on.
I also don't deny the bands of their commitment and loyalty to what they do. Loyalists may be dressed up as simpletons who couldn't tie a knot in their laces and in some cases this is true. However to learn and instrument, work as a united team with those different instruments and put your own brand on it takes a hell of an amount of commitment. Then to walk sometimes for miles on end doing this is in itself a mighty task to ask someone to do.
However the bands have no one to blame but themselves in this whole game that is played out every single year during the marching season. I'll make a blind prediction of what happens:
Indeed there will be many band parades this year - a lot. And, in my opinion, they have every right to march if they want. However this year I'm not sure if I'll bother attending. The Orange Order, the bands and all others concerned, had two choices. The first was to break away from the vile bigotry that is within the underbelly of the Loyalist marching scene or the second was to carry on as normal. Due to the vile beliefs that are connected to many followers of the bands they decided it was easier to take the second option.
This will give way therefore to people who get offended. These people also have the right to protest even if they are protesting something that isn't going to go away and really...shouldn't be offending them. However you can understand, sort of. These bands play some hateful stuff. Songs linked to aggressive anti-Catholic beliefs and in celebration of paramilitary groups of times gone by aren't going to go down well. You can't just expect people to listen to that and not get in some way pissed off by the situation despite the obnoxious beliefs of many who think people should just ignore it yet get horribly offended when a fenian dare walk down a 'Protestant' street with a GAA shirt.
This is down to these controversial parades and this year I think the focus will really be on the Short Strand in East Belfast. There's been a lot of talk about what is going on here and how parades will be directed through the area and what the response will be on both sides of the wall. I think that the Loyalists and Republicans will pull rude signs at one another as they go past, then have a riot, then blame each other. Sound familiar?
Then the political parties will get involved. Non-mainstream political parties like the PUP and TUV will jump on the Loyalism bandwagon while the DUP will play catchup and the UUP sit back and try to work out how they can be on Loyalisms side while not sounding like the DUP. Sinn Féin will get horribly offended by everything and the SDLP will abstain from the debate. The Alliance will side with whoever wins the coin toss.
Then September will come, the kids will go back to school and everyone will stop talking about it again till next year.
This is why I can't be bothered with it this year. It's a political tool and becoming more vile by the year. It doesn't make me proud to be British when the main aim of so many - despite them never admitting to it - is to wind up the other side. It also doesn't appeal to me to have stones thrown at me from Republicans because they think I'm a Loyalist. Overall it's a sorry affair.
Let's add that at the 12th last year I realised what a hellish affair it can be. Hundreds of undereducated morons who are boozed to the teeth with cheap drink at a street 'party' in Sandy Row - yes it's not fantastic I have to say. Singing the same vile songs as they did last year and going on about how proud they are to be British and how much they love Our Lizzie the Second. I'm sure she's quite proud of you too.
Let's add on top of this that this year will have the added spice of the flag protests. But we'll wait and see what Loyalism has to do about that one - maybe it is worth going, just to see how it all ends up falling to pieces.
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