The tiny minority in the blue area are stopping the entire island being reunited. Make it make sense.

Sinn Féin’s overreaction to Drumcree is a perfect example of Sun Tzu’s principle: “Appear strong when you are weak.” The parading dispute has left the Republican party totally and utterly exposed. A week ago the Parades Commission gave a painstakingly balanced, considered and sensitive determination. After weeks of deliberation, hearing and receiving submissions from all parties, they ruled in favour of the historic Drumcree procession m. When legally challenged, Orangemen secured their human rights in the courts. What was Sinn Féin’s reaction? How did republicanism respond to the first ruling that went against them in 28 years? By blocking roads, openly defying the law and inciting a toxic display of hate and sectarianism against their fellow citizens. Above everything else, that is how Drumcree ’26 will be remembered. Sure, it will all pay off for Sinn Féin in the short term. It will give them a boost in next year’s election. But the display of sectarian bile and brazen disregard for the rule of law won’t be easily forgotten and will undoubtedly come at a cost in the long term. Sinn Féin’s outward reputation, which they take such care to cultivate, is in tatters. Most citizens, even those sympathetic to the sensitivities of Garvaghy residents, will be dismayed that the First Minister of Northern Ireland sees no problem with flagrantly flouting the law. Further still, the Sinn Féin ‘charm offensive’ is now dead and buried. Buried beneath the rubble of a reckless barrage of demeaning and demonising language against the heritage and tradition of their unionist neighbours. All the honeyed words are but a distant memory, and the promise of a ‘New Ireland’ built on respect and equality is expired for at least a generation. Sinn Fein’s language, attitude and behaviour over Drumcree will serve as a constant reminder of what awaits unionists in any future constitutional settlement. It will be held up, again and again, as a continuous example of who Sinn Féin really are; a display of their authentic self, showing their true colours. This is what people mean when saying “the mask has slipped.” Knowing all of this, Sinn Féin have chosen to put on a week of performative theatre. “Appearing strong,” as it were, by using every aspect of campaign infrastructure to project strength in the face of such a dead end. They mobilised as many as they could from right across the island onto Garvaghy Road, holding rallies alongside all shades of nationalism. They produced multiple campaign-style videos and pulled every lever of influence they have available, such as US, EU and even UK political interventions. They even co-ordinated a ‘Protestant’ letter of support and rolled Kneecap into town. Yesterday, a series of celebrity endorsements (which weren’t quite endorsements) were also published. It is all a bit of a fever dream. A carnival campaign of insecurity and intolerance inspired by a party desperate to shift attention away from their governmental incompetence onto a stoked up sectarian dogfight. In truth, the real residents of Garvaghy Road are being exploited by Sinn Féin. Any actual fear or concern about a procession has been hijacked and turned into a platform to launch Sinn Féin’s election campaign, with no actual regard for local impact or consequences. By contrast, if the Orange Order wanted to put thousands in Edgarstown tomorrow, in support of the Portadown District, it could. There are c. 40,000 members of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland alone. If loyalists wanted to gather in their thousands, they could as well. Instead, unionism has shown restraint, responsibility and reasonableness. Not seeking to escalate or make a tense situation worse. Confident in the law, sincere in wanting to find a resolution, but also not exploiting people for their own electoral ends. Sinn Fein have built a campaign based on division, and no matter how they may try to spin it, it won’t be easily forgotten.

I have picked up on the fact that republicanism is trapped in the idea of being the oppressed minority. In the mind of the republican, they are still a small minority out numbered by a large protestant majority. In their mind, protestants still control everything through the orange order and the security services. In a sense, you can view it as a sort of collective trauma that has stunted them. They can't look around and see that the GFA granted them parity of esteem, that they almost run the courts and if they wanted they could run the PSNI. Catholics for example, nationalism and republicanism aside, are excelling in education, in business, in sports, in all avenues of life catholics are largely excelling and don't experience the discrimination of the past. This is good. Yet in the mind of many N/Rs, they are still the oppressed minority fighting the mighty British Empire. An Empire that does not even exist. I think this largely explains the response to Garvaghy. It acted as a trigger to the collective trauma that has stunted much of nationalism, but basically all of republicanism. What they fail to see is that to everyone else the scenes of Garvaghy actually mirror Paisley. It is irony beyond all comprehension. We have an ascendant Irish Nationalism, triumphalist, arrogant and condescending, yet at the same time with the same mentality of an oppressed minority. Reality and republicanism simply do not match up, and that produces deeply nauseating scenes and journalism.

WOW! 👏🏼 Oasis’s Noel Gallagher Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon founder of The Smiths Johnny Marr legend of music Paul Weller And actors Siobhán McSweeney and Adrian Dunbar Have all put their names to a letter supporting the right of Garvaghy Road residents to live in peace free from intimidation. The celebrities have called for the Garvaghy Road community to be protected from any form of forced march. The full list of signatories includes some of the biggest names in music, film and the arts. Support for the Garvaghy Road community continues to grow across Ireland and around the world. The British Secretary of State needs to end this unwanted march now. 28 years of peace must be protected. No going back. Not now. Not ever.