republican Ardoyne V's Londonderry

Click on the Blog Title to watch the a video of republicans rioting please note that no Orange Order member, Band personnel or supporters took part in any rioting. All the violence was by republicans, bused in from not only all parts of Ireland but other parts of Europe the republicans terror counter parts there.


Dear Shankill Mirror Reader,

This is a tale of two cities, they are only seventy odd miles apart, but with the politics of Sinn Fein you would think they where on different continents. We’re referring to Belfast, and Londonderry.

If you don’t mind I will start with Londonderry.

Londonderry is Northern Ireland’s second city, its located in the north west of the country. It is predominantly a roman catholic, nationalist, republican city. It has a nationalist MP, and is the home city of the deputy first minister, deputy leader of Sinn Fein, Londonderry IRA 2IC and member of the IRA’s army council, Martin McGuinness. Sinn Fein as we all know is the political wing of the IRA, and they have from partition long strived to remove the Unionist, British people from their homeland of Northern Ireland. This has taken various forms over the years; however Sinn Fein/IRA will be mostly remembered for the 30 odd years of their murderous terror campaign. A campaign, in which Martin McGuinness with his various rolls in the IRA, played a very active part. Not satisfied with bombing and shooting us they also attempted to demonise the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist people including our culture.

However, Martin McGuinness has in more recent times appeared to have had a road to Damascus conversion, a conversion to allegedly more peaceful and conciliatory ways.

Londonderry was entered into the competition for United Kingdom city of culture 2013. Bizarrely, it was proposed by the nationalist, republican community of Londonderry and Martin McGuiness actively lobbied for the city of his birth, to become United Kingdom city of culture 2013. This is a strange situation, because for years McGuinness denied Londonderry’s very existence and its place as a part of the UK. He used the IRA’s murderous terror campaign to try and remove it from the UK? He still refuses to call the city by is name of Londonderry. However for the lobbying to succeed, McGuinness needed it to be seen as a cross community bid. The Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist people of Londonderry were then asked to participate. This they did knowing the financial benefits of a winning bid for the city.

Winning the UK city of culture will put Londonderry on the map, not for what it is best known for now. It’s divided murderous republican sectarian terrorist past. The city of culture accolade would give the city the make over and the new image it requires. And hopefully the city would now be recognized as a city with a varied cultural heritage and a brighter future for all. In winning the UK city of culture there is also an economic benefit; theoretically all sections and communities will share in this. There is an expectation of new employment and inward investment, a boost in the tourist economy and of course the expansion in the cultural diversity. An acceptance of all aspects of culture in the city, this is the anticipated expected benefits of being UK city of culture. The expected financial benefits have been put at 100million being brought into the local economy with as yet an unidentifiable number of new jobs.

The Unionist community of Londonderry have cautiously bought into this bid, suffering considerably as they did during the sectarian IRA terror campaign. A campaign that drove nearly all the Protestants, Unionists and Loyalist form the west bank of the city side. Now the only remaining Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist community on the west bank is the tiny Fountain community, consisting of only a few streets. The Fountain community are constantly coming under sectarian attack from their republican and roman catholic neighbours. These sectarian attacks intensify around the Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist celebrations and cultural events of the 12th of July, the Apprentice Boy’s of Derry celebrations and cultural events of August, December and Easter and the Royal Black Institution parades. These Protestant Fraternal Loyal Cultural organisations are known as the Loyal Orders. The Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist celebrations take the form of Religious, Cultural events, Bonfires, Re-enactments and the most visible aspect, the Cultural Parading. The most visible aspect takes the form of men; women and children from the Loyal Orders parading with flags, banners and marching bands. The Loyal Orders strive to keep Northern Ireland as an integral part of the UK. They teach their children to be good citizens with respect and compassion for all, to take an active part in charitable works and make every effort keep their cultural heritage alive. The Loyal Orders are an anathema to republicans, nationalists and roman catholic’s. They are very vociferous and physical in their opposition to the Loyal Orders, using parades to carry out sectarian attacks on parades and Orange Halls. Nationalists and republicans take every opportunity to demonize, disrupt and contrive offence at parades, using misleading propaganda and the threat of violence.

With Londonderry now being awarded the UK’s city of culture for 2013, this obviously secures as part of the bid the Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist culture of parading. Therefore an acceptance by nationalists and republicans in Londonderry the right of the Loyal Orders to display their culture of parading. The loyal Orders can now anticipate no further sectarian republican demonstrations or violence at the parades in Londonderry from now on!

I will now move to Belfast, and to North Belfast. This is an area that is defined as an area that has many interfaces and peace lines, both physical and imaginary.
I now want to take you to the Crumlin road, an area that has both physical and imaginary peace lines. It has a Unionist MP, and Unionist and nationalist and republican MLA’s
The exact area of the Crumlin road, I refer to. Is the area from the junction with Twaddell Avenue, Woodvale Road, and Crumlin Road, running 100m north along the locally known area of the Ardoyne shop fronts, although they are on the Crumlin Road, and not in Ardoyne. The shop fronts consist of a credit union, a babies clothes shop, a florist, butchers, a hair dressers, a Spar and post office, an off licence and fast food take-a-ways. Facing the shop fronts is an ambulance station and public library.

Gerry Kelly is one of the Sinn Fein faces of republicanism in Ardoyne. He and his party are responsible for the street politics that blight our streets, and protests at Loyal Order parades. He is best known as the Old Bailey bomber and Maze prison escaper. While engaging in his escape from the Maze prison, using a gun smuggled into him he shot a prison officer in the head at point blank range. He is an MLA, for north Belfast, but his power base is in the Ardoyne, the area at the rear of the shop fronts on the Crumlin Road. These shops are owned by and used by all sections of the community.

The Crumlin Road is a main arterial road leading from Belfast City centre to the hills overlooking Belfast. It is a road used by all of Belfast’s communities. It is not designated a Unionist road nor republican road, it is a main arterial road. In recent times the small section of road as described above, has been a source of confrontation, by Gerry Kelly of Sinn Fein/IRA, nationalists, dissident republicans and other republican groups. They continually indulge in the dangerous activity of street politics, of demonstrations and sit down protests, in their deplorable and despicable attempt to create an imaginary peace line, and religious, political and cultural apartheid, further ghettoising Ardoyne.

Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein and the other republican groups, are shamefully attempting to make this area a no go area for Protestants, Unionists and Loyalists. The republicans are politically motivated in their cynical attempt of creating an area of religious, political and cultural apartheid, further ghettoising themselves in Ardoyne.
This attempt at religious, political and cultural apartheid overtly manifests itself when the Loyal Orders, wish to use this section of main road to meet the rest of their fraternal and cultural friends at parades in other parts of the city and beyond. This is notwithstanding the fact that this area and the shops are owned used by all sections of the community. The new migrant community, the longer established Chinese community, the Indian community, the local Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist community as well as the republican community. The shops are utilised for their wares, the post office by the elderly to get their pensions, the public library for books and local information and the fast foot take-a-ways for exotic foreign food.

Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein and the other republican groups, and the actions of these republicans must surely be discriminately and illegal against Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist community! Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein, and the other republican groups, wanted and got an independent commission to decide on alleged continuous parades. The independent Parades Commission was set up. It has made many determinations and has given the Loyal Orders permission to use this section of road; with only one restriction. That restriction being fully complied with by the Loyal Orders! The restriction is the non playing of music, from the Everton Complex to the Twaddell Avenue, Woodvale Road Crumlin Road junction. The 100m stretch of the shop fronts.

Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein and the other republican groups, unsurprisingly disagreed with the independent parades commissions’ determination, and vowed to hold a protest. The independent parades commission instantly imposed restrictions on the republican’s protests due to the violence at their previous protests. Regrettably again this year, it proved to be no different from previous years, with 3 days and nights of sectarian republican rioting.
Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein, the dissident republicans and the other republican groups, protest consisted of republicans coming form all over Ireland to prevent the Loyal Orders peacefully making their way home. The parade taking less than 5minutes to pass along this stretch of road with no music! The republicans then displayed their legionary insecurity in the form of perceived victimhood and celebrated alleged offence. The various republican groups protesting started with a street demonstration, moving onto and blocking the road. These protests inevitably lead to the sectarian rioting we seen on our TV screens. With an orgy of gratuitous sectarian republican violence, burning vehicles and buildings, throwing petrol and blast bombs and shooting at police. These actions can never be described as those of a lawful, respectful and peaceful community, which has allegedly bought into the new policing dispensation.

Republican violence that involved children as young as eight years of age, the child rioters being used as child human shields for petrol and blast bombers and gun men out to murder police officers.
Serious questions now need to be asked of the republican community of Ardoyne?
What type of community engages in 3 days gratuitous sectarian violence for the sake of a parade that takes less than 5 minutes to pass along a main arterial road?
What type of community allows its children to be put onto the front line of sectarian rioting to be human shields for murderous bombers and gun men?
Why does this community engage in the politics of sectarianism and bigotry, and religious, cultural and political Apartheid?

This is an insight into how Sinn Fein acts more like a political party with multiple issue disorder and shows a schizophrenic approach to the culture of Protestants, Unionists and Loyalists. This from Sinn Fein an alleged modern grown up political party, who obviously don’t make good on the guarantees contained in their policy statements.
They fain offence, they revert to their default position the very dangerous activity of street politics. When their street politics turns violent they refuse to take responsibility and blame everyone form the Loyal Orders the police to the weather, everyone but themselves. Gerry Kelly on behalf of Sinn Fein continually refuses to take any reasonability for the disorder. Disorder that was brought about by Sinn Fein’s street politics. Kelly counters by continuing to spew out the venomous Sinn Fein sectarian propaganda on their perceived and continuing victimhood and how the Loyal Order parade is forced through Ardoyne. Gerry Kelly cynically and knowing full well that the Loyal Order parade does not go into Ardoyne; however it never stops him repeating his sectarian propaganda.

It’s probably lost on the voters of Ardoyne, that when Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein, dissident republicans and the other republican groups, engage in their street politics and the inevitable outcome is an orgy of gratuitous sectarian violence. Is it not obvious to them that it’s a barrier to investment in jobs and economic regeneration of Ardoyne. The millions of pounds that this gratuitous sectarian republican violence will cost will adversely affect this obvious dysfunctional and disaffected Ardoyne community. With little or no chance of jobs and now less money for Ardoynes’ much needed housing stock.

The people of Ardoyne need to look at the positive roll that Martin McGuinness is giving in Londonderry, and his embracing of the Loyal Order Culture, allowing all the communities in Londonderry to enjoy the benefits of the UK city of culture and the anticipated financial boost.


The Ardoyne electorate should look Gerry Kelly straight in the eye and ask him these questions?
What has Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein their street politics, protests and gratuitous sectarian violence, positively achieve for the nationalists and republicans of Ardoyne?

Will Kelly’s and Sinn Fein’s continuing ghettoising of Ardoyne have any positive economic benefits now or ever, and if so can he explain how??

Sinn Fein indoctrinated,spawned and cultivated an Uber underclass of disaffected republican youth.
Sinn Fein indoctrinates republican youth with false idealistic notions of the IRA and their murderous membership and activities.
Sinn Fein indoctrinates them with victimhood and an ultra sensitivity to being offended.
Sinn Fein indoctrinates the republican youth with anti British and Unionist hatred.
Sinn Fein creates ghettoes and isolation that fester republican youth resentments.
Sinn Fein indoctrinates the impressionable republican youth that they are worthless.
Sinn Fein created the situations for republican children’s limited life chances.
Sinn Fein discards the republican youth when they have no more use for them.
Sinn Fein has discarded generations of republican youth.
Sinn Fein marginalises its republican youth in their own communities.
Sinn Fein politicians manipulate the republican youth.
Sinn Fein use young republicans after all that’s what they are for.
Sinn Fein continually fails the republican people.



Gerry Kelly and Martin McGuinness are now adopting a diametrically opposite view when it comes to Loyal Order parades and economic progress for their respective communities. I know if I were a republican where I would want to be, and it’s not in Ardoyne.

Gerry Kelly’s and Ardoyne Sinn Fein’s policy of religious, political and cultural Apartheid and ghettoising of Ardoyne is a very dangerous step back to 19th Century politics.

To sum up, in Londonderry, Martin McGuinness and Sinn Fein have embraced the Loyal Orders culture of parading. However his junior minister and party colleague Gerry Kelly along with the republican dissidents and the other republican groups in Ardoyne are engaged in a blatant sectarian and bigoted attempt of religious, political and cultural Apartheid and the continuing ghettoising of their Ardoyne community!

A direct plea to the good people of Ardoyne people from all the people of the Shankill.
As a Unionist community we don’t get involved with the complex issues and the internal power struggles within republican communities especially that of Ardoyne. Unlike Gerry Adams, Gerry Kelly and the propaganda machine of Sinn Fein, that takes great delight in demonizing our community and culture.
We’re sure the good people of Ardoyne are drowning in the tears of hurt, doubt, confusion and shock. After the rioting that went on in their name in recent times.
However, if we may can we make a direct appeal to the good people of Ardoyne. Like the Shankill, Ardoyne is a working class community. However, we have learned long ago that street politics doesn’t work; and political parties with a single agenda only lead to less opportunity and low or no attainment. Political parties that set out to separate and ghettoise their communities, only promote fear, suspicion and resentment which they manipulate for their own ends.
After the events of the last few weeks, we would like to make another plea to you. Is now not the time the good people of Ardoyne, took a long hard look at what goes on in their midst, and what has or more importantly not been achieved. Is now not the right time, in fact some within your community may well think it’s well overdue for the good people of Ardoyne to reject the tyranny of street politics and demonstrations and single agenda parties. Is now not the right time to awaken to your problems and plight, take responsibility for what goes on in your community and end the culture of blaming others and build a better future the better future you deserve? Is now not the right time to remove the Charlatans within your community and free yourselves form their tyranny, so you can move on as a progressive community, and a community at ease with your Unionist neighbours. If the good people of Ardoyne can show the maturity and foresight that we know they have, you will not find us wanting. Because it is only being together that we will prosper and grow, and our children will enjoy the benefits of that prosperity and the inevitable peace that only a shared future will bring a shared future we all need, want and deserve!


Yours truly,
ArdoyneUnionist