From the loyalist blog It's Still Only Thursday the fifth interview for the Ordinary Voices Project. 


Respondent is Enda, who describes himself as: “27, recently married, council employee, Liverpool FC fanatic and hater of DIY. South Tyrone man living in Belfast.”

As with all the interviews in the Ordinary Voices project, this interview was conducted via email.

Question 1: How would you describe yourself politically?

Enda: I’m not actually sure anymore tbh. I’m definitely a Nationalist and a couple of years ago I would have called myself a Republican but now I’m not entirely sure.

I suppose I am still a Republican at heart although I have lost a lot of faith in Sinn Féin in the last couple of years.

To give you the short answer - I’m a Nationalist without a party to support.

Question 2: Do you think there is an inherent bias with regard to Legacy Issues?

Enda: No, I honestly don’t think there is. The British forces (and I include the RUC/UDR in that) did a lot of heinous things during the “Troubles“. Those who killed innocent people have to be brought to justice.

An awful lot of Republicans and a fair number of Loyalists did face justice and served long prison terms, it is only right that state forces face the same. The IRA and Loyalist groups did not keep records of their actions, the army and police did though and people deserve the truth.

Question 3: Do you think that legacy issues are being handled well?

Enda: Yes, actually I think the UK government is doing ok in that regard. Something like a Truth Commission will never work in the North. Some people would be truthful, some wouldn’t and then you have those who simply wouldn’t be reliable in their testimony.

A relative of my wife’s is a former Republican prisoner. The man is 60 years old and in poor health because of years of heavy drinking. Tbh I don’t think he’d be able to remember accurately things he was involved in 30 or 40 years ago and I’m sure there are many others like him.

Question 4: Do you think that Legacy Issues are damaging the Peace Process?

Enda: No. I think the peace process is more or less fireproof now. There’s no going back to the “Troubles” now. Too much time has passed, too many people have moved on. There is a huge centre ground now and many of those people don’t really care about the issues of the past.

Of course there is still a lot of hurt on both sides, on the Nationalist side especially I think, but I can’t ever see things going back to the way they were years ago. There’s just no appetite for it from anybody.

Question 5: Do you think that the Loyalist community has been unfairly stereotyped in a negative way?

Enda: No. I don’t think that at all. Loyalists bring any negative publicity on themselves. They are their own worst enemy a lot of the time. Take bonfires for example. Why the constant need to insult and intimidate others with these massive bonfires? Why put Holy Statues and flags and other things onto these fires?

Loyalist “culture” is a joke tbh. Nothing but constant marching and burning things. It actually angers me. Loyalists could celebrate Irish culture in their own way but they refuse to even admit that they are Irish, so instead they go out of their way to antagonise others. The DUP pander to Loyalists which is why so many people hate them as a party. The DUP will never get votes from the centre ground because they won’t walk away from the bonfire builders and the “kick the Pope” bands.

Question 6: Do you believe that reconciliation is possible between the two communities?

Enda: No. We will continue to live parallel lives I think. The centre ground will keep growing, Nationalism will pretty much remain as is and Unionism will continue to be pushed to the margins. We will probably end up in a situation where the people in the centre interact with Nationalists and vice versa but Unionists and Loyalists will be left on the sidelines.

I don’t think that Loyalists are capable of reconciliation, or want it. There are some people on the other side who are the same, they just can’t move on. So I suppose the north will just stagger on as it is.

Question 7: Do you believe that a ‘united Ireland’ is imminent?

Enda: No, unfortunately. I stopped supporting Sinn Féin partly because they have absolutely no clue how they can achieve reunification. Sadly there are lots of Nationalists who are too comfortable and complacent. They will keep on as they are.

Everyone says that Brexit will lead to reunification but I don’t see it. It’s not going to make any difference to hard-line Unionists, they will still be against a UI even if they are broke and the country is ruined and despite what a lot of Republicans will tell you, a United Ireland is impossible without winning over a lot of Unionists.

It’s too late imo, the North is becoming more multicultural and progressive. Where I live now is very diverse. There is a large Muslim community here now. Will people who have come to live here in the last few years vote to leave the UK? Probably not.

Then there’s the centre ground, the people who vote for the Green Party and Alliance and even some SDLP or PBP voters, they might be Nationalists, even just culturally, but people like that will vote with their heads not with their hearts. If there was a border poll tomorrow people like that will vote to keep the NHS and their Civil Service jobs.

Question 8: What are your hopes and aspirations for Northern Ireland in the medium to long term?

Enda: Aside from a United Ireland, I’d like to see the North becoming a more modern and progressive place. I want an ILA and the laws on abortion and Equal Marriage changed and brought into line with the rest of the world.

I’d like to see the DUP disappear from the political landscape and I’d like to see Sinn Féin come up with some coherent policies, especially with regards to the economy. Most of all I want there to be peace- complete peace and normality. No more murders like that of Lyra McKee. No more pipe bomb attacks. No more punishment beatings or kneecappings or security alerts or riots. Just peace for everyone.


Our thanks to Enda for participating in the Ordinary Voices project.

 ⏩ Keep Up With It's Still Only Thursday ➽ Follow It's Still Only Thursday on Twitter @0nIyThursday



Ordinary Voices ⬌ Interview 5

From the loyalist blog It's Still Only Thursday the fifth interview for the Ordinary Voices Project. 


Respondent is Enda, who describes himself as: “27, recently married, council employee, Liverpool FC fanatic and hater of DIY. South Tyrone man living in Belfast.”

As with all the interviews in the Ordinary Voices project, this interview was conducted via email.

Question 1: How would you describe yourself politically?

Enda: I’m not actually sure anymore tbh. I’m definitely a Nationalist and a couple of years ago I would have called myself a Republican but now I’m not entirely sure.

I suppose I am still a Republican at heart although I have lost a lot of faith in Sinn Féin in the last couple of years.

To give you the short answer - I’m a Nationalist without a party to support.

Question 2: Do you think there is an inherent bias with regard to Legacy Issues?

Enda: No, I honestly don’t think there is. The British forces (and I include the RUC/UDR in that) did a lot of heinous things during the “Troubles“. Those who killed innocent people have to be brought to justice.

An awful lot of Republicans and a fair number of Loyalists did face justice and served long prison terms, it is only right that state forces face the same. The IRA and Loyalist groups did not keep records of their actions, the army and police did though and people deserve the truth.

Question 3: Do you think that legacy issues are being handled well?

Enda: Yes, actually I think the UK government is doing ok in that regard. Something like a Truth Commission will never work in the North. Some people would be truthful, some wouldn’t and then you have those who simply wouldn’t be reliable in their testimony.

A relative of my wife’s is a former Republican prisoner. The man is 60 years old and in poor health because of years of heavy drinking. Tbh I don’t think he’d be able to remember accurately things he was involved in 30 or 40 years ago and I’m sure there are many others like him.

Question 4: Do you think that Legacy Issues are damaging the Peace Process?

Enda: No. I think the peace process is more or less fireproof now. There’s no going back to the “Troubles” now. Too much time has passed, too many people have moved on. There is a huge centre ground now and many of those people don’t really care about the issues of the past.

Of course there is still a lot of hurt on both sides, on the Nationalist side especially I think, but I can’t ever see things going back to the way they were years ago. There’s just no appetite for it from anybody.

Question 5: Do you think that the Loyalist community has been unfairly stereotyped in a negative way?

Enda: No. I don’t think that at all. Loyalists bring any negative publicity on themselves. They are their own worst enemy a lot of the time. Take bonfires for example. Why the constant need to insult and intimidate others with these massive bonfires? Why put Holy Statues and flags and other things onto these fires?

Loyalist “culture” is a joke tbh. Nothing but constant marching and burning things. It actually angers me. Loyalists could celebrate Irish culture in their own way but they refuse to even admit that they are Irish, so instead they go out of their way to antagonise others. The DUP pander to Loyalists which is why so many people hate them as a party. The DUP will never get votes from the centre ground because they won’t walk away from the bonfire builders and the “kick the Pope” bands.

Question 6: Do you believe that reconciliation is possible between the two communities?

Enda: No. We will continue to live parallel lives I think. The centre ground will keep growing, Nationalism will pretty much remain as is and Unionism will continue to be pushed to the margins. We will probably end up in a situation where the people in the centre interact with Nationalists and vice versa but Unionists and Loyalists will be left on the sidelines.

I don’t think that Loyalists are capable of reconciliation, or want it. There are some people on the other side who are the same, they just can’t move on. So I suppose the north will just stagger on as it is.

Question 7: Do you believe that a ‘united Ireland’ is imminent?

Enda: No, unfortunately. I stopped supporting Sinn Féin partly because they have absolutely no clue how they can achieve reunification. Sadly there are lots of Nationalists who are too comfortable and complacent. They will keep on as they are.

Everyone says that Brexit will lead to reunification but I don’t see it. It’s not going to make any difference to hard-line Unionists, they will still be against a UI even if they are broke and the country is ruined and despite what a lot of Republicans will tell you, a United Ireland is impossible without winning over a lot of Unionists.

It’s too late imo, the North is becoming more multicultural and progressive. Where I live now is very diverse. There is a large Muslim community here now. Will people who have come to live here in the last few years vote to leave the UK? Probably not.

Then there’s the centre ground, the people who vote for the Green Party and Alliance and even some SDLP or PBP voters, they might be Nationalists, even just culturally, but people like that will vote with their heads not with their hearts. If there was a border poll tomorrow people like that will vote to keep the NHS and their Civil Service jobs.

Question 8: What are your hopes and aspirations for Northern Ireland in the medium to long term?

Enda: Aside from a United Ireland, I’d like to see the North becoming a more modern and progressive place. I want an ILA and the laws on abortion and Equal Marriage changed and brought into line with the rest of the world.

I’d like to see the DUP disappear from the political landscape and I’d like to see Sinn Féin come up with some coherent policies, especially with regards to the economy. Most of all I want there to be peace- complete peace and normality. No more murders like that of Lyra McKee. No more pipe bomb attacks. No more punishment beatings or kneecappings or security alerts or riots. Just peace for everyone.


Our thanks to Enda for participating in the Ordinary Voices project.

 ⏩ Keep Up With It's Still Only Thursday ➽ Follow It's Still Only Thursday on Twitter @0nIyThursday



16 comments:

  1. The pathetic excuse that just because the IRA/Sinn Fein did not keep records while the RUC did means that the IRA shoul not be held ccountable for its crimes while the RUC should be is risible. There are dozens of Sinn Fein IRA people who know everything about every IRA atrocity but who will never tell anything.
    Until Sinn Fein IRA starts being honest about its role in the dozens of war crimes it committed ((Kingsmill, Patsy Gillespie, La Mon, Joan Mathers, for example) then why should the British Army come clean about its crimes?
    As usual, as portrayed in this dreary contribution, the IRA and and republicans are the only victims of the conflict. Yawn, yawn
    A M
    Lrsp
    E i
    E

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  2. Tonyol - if the British insist on pursuing people for past deeds it seems logical to expect them to go where the evidence takes them. If the IRA hold no documents that can be accessed and SF members have information which they refuse to pass over, and the British have documents which can be accessed, then that is where the evidence is. SF does not have to be honest, the British Army does not have to come clean, but the state prosecutors have to go where the evidence takes them. So rather than it being a pathetic excuse offered by the interviewee it is an accurate observation.

    The problem with all of it is it is still guided by a prosecutorial goal when it is arguably better to cease prosecutions.

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  3. The point is that Sinn Fein IRA have become The Sisters of Perpetual Victimhood and until such time as they recognise they caused far more deaths and lifelong injuries than any other armed force they will continue to be seen as a hunch of murderous perpetual whingers

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    Replies
    1. that hardly impinges on the perspective of people who feel the British state have denied them justice in respect of the killings inflicted on their loved ones. There is noneed for them to have to wait unti SF comes clean. SF don't care - they use it as a political instrument to their own advantage.

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    2. The IRA has always owned up to its acts. The Brits seldom do. Hence the squealing,wriggling and huffing.

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    3. That is hardly true - the IRA has denied so much of what it did - I doubt we will ever fully know what the Brits did

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  4. The IRA sees nothing wrong with demanding justice for victims of state violence on the one hand while denying it to those killed or injured by IRA psychotics on the other - like the psychotic IRA "hero" in Derry who murdered the defenseless young mother Joan Mathers in cold blood (under Martin McGuinness' orders?).
    A cynic could think that the IRA's campaign to put British soldiers on trial is nothing more than a pretext to distract from, delay, and if possible prevent, the truth about so many pointless killings committed by its own psychotic former "volunteers" coming out - especially as, in terms of getting the Brits out, these killings achieved absolutely nothing.
    What is worse is that from the mid-80s onward, McGuinness and Adams knew that violence could never succeed in getting the Brits out. McGuinness was actually in negotiations with the Brits by then. But still they sent these poor psychotic saps out with bombs, the "volunteers" actually believing they could achieve a united Ireland.
    No wonder the IRA wants to bury these events.

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    Replies
    1. But that sounds more of a diatribe against the IRA than it is an addressing of the issue - whether or not people should be able to call for justice regardless of what the IRA does or doesn't do or whether your description of it is accurate.
      Whether victims of state psychotics or IRA psychotics, to use your terminology, the hypocrisy of either the state or the IRA, should not be allowed to enter into it. Of course the IRA want the Brits tried and not themselves just as the Brits want the IRA tried rather than themselves.
      The call for prosecutions from both sides is to delay justice - a a discursive stratagem to ensure truth never emerges.
      I am not sure McGuinness knew anything to the degree that Adams knew it and I think you are probably wrong in dating it as late as the mid 1980s - there are grounds for believing Adams had reached that view much earlier and certainly much earlier than McGuinness had ever reached it.

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  5. May I suggest that ALL relatives of victims of unlawful homicide in the Troubles all injured in the course of unlawful acts commkitted during the Troubles be entitled to compensation from a Criminal Injuries board.

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  6. "I am not sure McGuinness knew anything to the degree that Adams knew it and I think you are probably wrong in dating it as late as the mid 1980s - there are grounds for believing Adams had reached that view much earlier and certainly much earlier than McGuinness had ever reached it."
    I agree - the point I was trying to make was that McGuinness had begun discussions with the Brits by the late 80s. By that time, as far as the IRA leadership was concerned, the "war" was no longer the "armed struggle" but had long been "armed propaganda" to secure the best possible deal for a cessation with the Brits. Needless to say, the poor saps planting the bombs thought they were still fighting for a united Ireland, rather than paving the way for the GFA - which was described by The Dark Hughes as the "Got F*ck All" agreement and which would see the IRA eventually give up their weapons (well, some of them, anyway).

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    Replies
    1. But even then it was not the entire IRA leadership but the most influential section within it. Who knew what and when is still open to discussion. The people on the ground were never told anything but that is the same for foot soldiers the world over. The extent to which many of them were fighting for a united Ireald is called into question by the ease with which they bought into the GFA.

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  7. The IRA has 'denied much of what it did'? Definitley untrue. I'd say they indeed acknowledged 'much' of what they did. Btw, what individuals get up to doesn't neccessarily mean that it was the IRA.

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  8. "The IRA has always owned up to its acts"

    The Bayardo Bar; Joanne Mathers; Joe O'Connor; Claudy; Sammy Llewellyn; the sectarian killing campaign 74-76; Kingsmill; the DAAD killings; the Bobby Tohill kidnapping; all its operations post 98. And they are the ones from the top of my head.

    The Adams defence that it wasn't the IRA but a few guys here and there doing their own thing doesn't cut the mustard.

    To think the IRA "always" owned up displays a serious unfamiliarity with the IRA. Anybody who was ever in it knows it to be very different.

    There is indeed a lot that it acknowledged but quite a bit that it didn't and a lot that it lied about.

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  9. Lying is, was and always will be second nature to the IRA leadership amd rspecially its chief spokesman, Gerry Adams.

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  10. Will then 'much' was an inaccurate expression if 'indeed a lot' was acknowledged.

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    Replies
    1. it isn't really rocket science. The IRA acknowledged much of what it did and also failed to acknowledge much of what it did, often lying about it.

      The one wholly implausible comment is that the IRA "always" owed up to its acts. Demonstrably it did not.

      Tonyol - that makes the sound of one hand clapping. There is no doubt that the IRA leadership lied through its teeth. But if the focus is on lying rather than a fixation with the IRA, we can see that a lot more than the IRA lied through its teeth. Thiepval Barracks in the 70s was routinely referred to by journalists as the Lisburn Lie Machine.

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