Opinion

Unionist objections to football reception entirely predictable

Republic fans celebrate the side's qualification for Euro 2016<br />Picture: PA&nbsp;
Republic fans celebrate the side's qualification for Euro 2016
Picture: PA 
Republic fans celebrate the side's qualification for Euro 2016
Picture: PA 

RESISTANCE by some unionists to the holding of a reception for both Irish national football sides in Belfast City Hall is unfortunate but entirely predictable.

Just a brief perusal of football supporters’ history north of the border should suffice in throwing a little light on the darker side of sporting life there. Following years of vile sectarian abuse, former Celtic manager and Northern Ireland footballer Neil Lennon, while representing Northern Ireland at Windsor Park, was threatened by loyalists and as a consequence decided never to play for Northern Ireland again.

Then, in September 2008, Lennon was subjected to a sectarian assault while in the West End of Glasgow, also by loyalists. Then, in January 2011, the Royal Mail intercepted packages containing bullets addressed to Lennon and Celtic and Northern Ireland players Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt.

Mr Lennon was just one of a long line of Catholic victims of sectarian abuse in Windsor Park. The decision of Derry-born footballer James McClean to opt to play for the Republic is the result of death threats from loyalists because of his religion and his refusal to wear a poppy.

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern was not immune from sectarian attack either. In 2001 a planned visit to Scotland by Mr Ahern was cancelled on advice from the Scottish police after fears were raised that it could spark loyalist sectarian violence. Nor are children immune from these sectarian attacks.

In 2007 in Coleraine, a group of children from Dublin who were competing in the Milk Cup International youth football tournament were subjected to a vile sectarian attack and following an assessment by the PSNI had to be relocated for their safety. The lumpen rabble involved in this despicable behaviour, who go ignorantly about the world with a sectarian swagger, are devoid of any social, moral or cultural breeding.

They bring nothing but shame on themselves and the sport they purport to support. Not that other sports there are exempt from such bigotry. In 1992 Dublin boxer Michael Carruth became the first Irish boxer to win gold at the Olympic Games. On the same day Belfast boxer Wayne McCullough, also representing Ireland, won silver.

On their return from Barcelona the politics of national division were formally revealed by the actions of the unionist-dominated Belfast City Council. After agreeing to host a civic reception for Wayne McCullough, they refused to invite fellow team member and Olympic champion Michael Carruth solely on the basis that he was from the Republic, even though McCullough had been guest of honour at the reception held for Carruth in Dublin’s Mansion House a few days earlier.

TOM COOPER


Dublin 7 

Jaw-jaw not war-war needed in fight against Isis

DAVID Cameron wants the UK Parliament to vote for the UK joining France in bombing ISIS in Syria. There are two major problems with his request.

First of all, the UK and France should seek permission from the Assad regime to bomb its territory. Syria is a sovereign country and under the rules of the UN its sovereignty should be respected. Secondly as President Putin pointed out in the recent G20 Summit the seven major sponsors of Isis are the UK, US, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Isis has been trained by Nato in Turkey and Jordan and has been supplied with weapons by the Gulf Arab states and by the US, and has been financially supported by the Gulf Arab states. Despite the fact that the US had been allegedly bombing Isis for the last year, the Russians have achieved much more in the last eight weeks than the Americans ever did.

The Russians recently destroyed hundreds of oil tankers (the major source of income for Isis) – something the Americans apparently ‘failed’ to do. The American ‘failure’ is because despite their rhetoric they have supported Isis. The UK, France and Nato are still insisting that Assad must be removed from power in Syria. The reality is that it is the Russians by air and the Syrian Army on the ground (aided by the Iranians and the Kurds) that are defeating Isis. Rather than more pretend bombing of Isis by air, why does David Cameron not support the Assad regime and Russia and Iran in their just quest to rid Syria of Isis?

Cameron should also apologise to President Assad and the Syrian people for the UK having supported Isis in Syria over the last five years. And finally all these Nato-sponsored destabilisations of legitimate governments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine and Syria that have created the refugee tsunami that has hit Europe. We need jaw-jaw not war-war and the refugees can return home and rebuild their home countries.

JAMES McCUMISKEY


Belfast BT6

Clear case of selective memory loss

I MUST say that I find Trevor Ringland’s letter (November 24) as very self-serving and unbalanced in its content.

Trevor Ringland, like all unionists suffer from selective memories when it comes to what he calls republican terrorism. It seems that most if not all unionists think that the IRA just jumped up in 1969 and decided to take up arms against a lawful and fair society, that from 1912 until 1969 the north was a great place for Catholics and nationalist to live in, as unionist and loyalist mobs led by the RIC/RUC/ UVF/B Specials burned people from their homes in 1922, 1933 and 1969 – not to mention discrimination in jobs, housing, education and medical services, as well as abusing our religion and our priests and nuns, which continued right up to the mid-1980s by members of the unionist community, especially the Orange Order and the DUP.

So now that we nationalists have a proper education and can and will hold the British and the unionists to account the feet are getting very hot in front of that fire of justice and equality.

PHILIP KELLY


Newport, Co Mayo

Indifference to sea's wildlife

THE US has purchased more than 160,000 sonar buoys to spread around the world’s oceans to track submarines.

This will have a devastating effect on whales; dolphins and other sea mammals whose sensitive hearing and communicating skills will be severely disrupted resulting in more deaths of these beautiful free swimming creatures. Have we not destroyed enough of our wild life on this planet? It will happen if we allow it to happen. Perhaps compassion will eventually penetrate this military mind set of indifference to the sea’s wild life.

JOHN PATRICK BELL


Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim 

Decentralised energy is only way forward

HIGH energy costs have been blamed for the closure of the Michelin factory in Ballymena. The same energy drives our agriculture and processing, our home heating and lighting, our health care, pharmaceuticals and emergency services, transport, waste management and communications.

The Michelin factory is the canary in the mine for our way of life. So we have to rethink our economy. We have a communications and information network (the internet). A similar network is need it to connect all buildings and collect and distribute a digitalised renewable energy infrastructure and repower our economy. A third innovation, electric vehicles, powered by the same smart grid, will move the economy. We could be connected with Europe, distribute our excess wind energy and receive southern European solar energy.

This is technically possible and financially valuable with a network of cooperatives receiving green investments, from the business sector. This will be a safer investment plan than fracking or nuclear – both of which are temporary because underground gas and uranium are finite. I believe this is the only way forward – decentralised energy. So, like in Germany, cooperatives members actually get paid for energy, rather than paying increasing bills.

PHILIP ALLEN


Belfast BT14