Orange disorder

I can scarcely believe what I am hearing. John Humphreys (BBC Radio 4) is interviewing a man in Belfast who, along with some 80 like-minded people, is about to attempt to walk along a road for the 261st consecutive night in full knowledge that he will be stopped by the police and sent home a different way. That's 2 hours out of every day in the participants' lives for the past 9 months.

Is he protesting about some heinous injustice or official cover-up? FGM? Murder of police officers? Murder by police officers? Slaughter of innocents by bombers (suicide and other), or gangs armed with big knives?

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly given that this is Northern Ireland, no.

He is aggrieved that the parade he was on last year was legally prevented from marching through a recognisably Catholic area, an act that would have been tantamount to the EDF having a stall outside a mosque. The only conceivable motive would be to at best belittle, at worst intimidate, the Catholic community who live on that road.

And the gentleman being interviewed is oh so indignant. The rest of the UK think it's all "rosy in the garden". (No, we don't.) "It's the government's responsibility". (That you and your mates want to march down this road; I don't think so.) "We are not responsible for the problem." (Duh!) "It's a traditional route". (Yes, lots of things were traditional at points in time: all sorts of discrimination, slavery, allowing celebrities to abuse minors etc etc.)

Do these people not realise how petulant their actions make them look? Do they think we care one ounce about their laughable indignation? Grow up and get a life for god's sake. Just think how that 2 hours a day could be used positively; to help someone less disadvantaged for example, or to do something to build bridges in their divided community.

And while I'm at it Peter Hain can get stuffed. Like I've said before, actions have consequences. Including those on the republican and "loyalist" sides who killed, maimed and intimidated and still are doing so.