Erosion of Britishness and Identity a Long and On Going Process
07 December 2012
Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“The removal of the Union Flag from the City Hall of Northern Ireland’s capital is just part of a long and on going process to erode the Britishness of Northern Ireland.
“Since the Belfast Agreement Unionists have been subjected to a sustained attack on their political and cultural identity. Those who thought that the destruction of the Royal Ulster Constabulary would be the end of the concessions to Republicans were sadly mistaken. We have seen the flag of our country removed entirely from council premises in many parts of Northern Ireland. Even in places where Unionists are in an overwhelming majority – like Lisburn and Ballymoney – the flag is flown on only a handful of days.
“Stormont has been stripped of many historic artefacts which remind us of our Unionist heritage. The table on which the Act of Union was signed once took pride of place in Stormont’s Great Hall. Portraits of former Prime Ministers Lord Craigavon and JM Andrews were once on display in Parliament Buildings. Today they all languish in a commercial storage facility in Mallusk.
“Not a single portrait of Her Majesty the Queen is on public display in Stormont. When I attempted to have a debate on the restoration of a Lydia de Burgh portrait of Her Majesty to Parliament Buildings in time for the Diamond Jubilee the motion never even made the Order Paper.
“Outside of Stormont Unionists have witnessed a campaign against their cultural identity with tensions manufactured around parades this year where there was never any problem before.
“We have seen tens of millions lavished the promotion of Irish with the prospect of millions more if the Irish Language Strategy developed by Cullan’s DCAL is implemented. Since its establishment the North/South body charged with the promotion of Irish has received over £35 million and it emerged just yesterday that DCAL are bidding for £60,000 for an Irish language website. Just in the past week a council voted to name a play park after an IRA terrorist implicated in one of the most barbaric sectarian murders of the Troubles yet Unionists are told that they cannot fly the flag of their country in case it offends people!
“A clear pattern of anti-Protestant bias has been established in Sinn Fein departments when it comes to Ministerial Appointments yet nothing is done to address the situation.
“A few months ago the Equality Commission produced a report which clearly showed that over the last 20 years Protestant applicants had a lower success rate than Roman Catholics when applying for jobs in both the public and private sectors and then buried it. Had the reverse been true it would have been shouted from the rooftops.
“The anger within the Unionist community at the failure of the political system to deliver for them, the erosion of their Britishness and the blatant discrimination against them has been building for some time.
“Unionist voters need to recognise that if they don't vote at all or vote for those who bring Sinn Fein into government, then don't be surprised by the outworkings of Sinn Fein rule. We are reaping what was sown in the Belfast Agreement, which is now implemented and sustained by some who of late have declared dismay at the erosion of our Britishness, but nonetheless still cling to IRA/Sinn Fein in government.”
