A WRITER in the Irish Times on Saturday produced a useful phrase the Dutch have: plaatsvervangende schaamte.
It translates as, the shame you feel on behalf of others. You have to feel it because the people who should be ashamed have no shame.
Unfortunately it’s a phrase that doesn’t apply to many unionists.
Is there no unionist who is ashamed of what their politicians get up to, or in some cases fail to get up to?
There’s no doubt last week’s revelation that a DUP minister changed a boat’s name from Irish to English made some unionists cringe but none of them will say so publicly. Gerry Kelly was spot on. As he said, ‘it is downright bigotry and anti-Irish’.
Most people dismissed it as petty and vindictive but it’s more than that. It betrays a particular mindset which should be out of place nowadays but despite all the talk of reconciliation and a shared society that attitude of mind is widespread among unionists.
No unionist stepped forward to deplore the obliteration of an Irish name. What made that failure even worse were the spurious excuses and explanations presented.
That an Irish name somehow contravened health and safety, that it contravened naval and mercantile regulations.
Those inventions showed even DUP apologists knew the real reason for the decision was indefensible so they concocted false reasons.
People complain the phrase ‘unionist leader’ is an oxymoron. For DUP MLA readers that means the two words contradict each other for unionists never show any leadership.
There’s a major flaw in that complaint because it assumes if they were showing leadership they’d do the right thing.
The fact is that unionists do show leadership and a DUP minister expunging an Irish name shows the way to party blockheads in the decreasing number of unionist controlled councils that it’s okay to denigrate the Irish language, music, games, literature.
Few in unionist positions of leadership ever step in to condemn bigotry or naked anti-Irishness for the simple reason some of them agree with it.
They don’t know how to defend it because it’s unacceptable in a civilised society so they devise cock-eyed reasons for their actions so preposterous that their followers know they’re specious. They do it because they can get away with it.
The same behaviour applies to the now dismantled squalor at Twaddell. The media agree that no unionist politician could be seen on Friday or Saturday as the Orangemen began their last forlorn march up the Crumlin Road.
However, when the camp was being established there were plenty of unionist politicians to be seen egging on the dupes in their caravan, standing on a platform as usual with known members of the UVF and UDA. Unionists agreed with the protesters.
The absence of unionist politicians at the weekend is an indication to the hardliners that no unionist politician supported the compromise that led to the agreement.
Afterwards some appeared to express approval but no one can accuse any of them of complicity when it emerges there’ll be no more return marches.
Finally, don’t forget no DUP politician has ever endorsed sharing power with nationalists or republicans, or ‘rogues and renegades’ as Arlene Foster blurted out.
She’s is photographed last week with a caption describing the men alongside her as members of the UDA, an illegal organisation that preys on the unionist community but only shares power with Sinn Féin because she must.
Some of her MLAs still won’t speak to Sinn Féin MLAs. Does she encourage them to show some reconciliation? What do you think?
Will Arlene Foster tell her minister to stop disgracing the party by painting out Irish words? Are you kidding?
Will she instruct bonehead councillors to show respect for diversity because it could rebound on unionists in republican dominated councils? No chance.
The DUP is opposed to the concept of diversity. The party never endorsed the Good Friday Agreement or any of its concepts. They oppose its concepts shamelessly.
How do we know? Actions speak louder than words. See Matthew 7:16. By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?
