Very well written, Sara. There are so many appalling things going on in all this, we have to remember our common humanity, and also that the patronising attitudes of the great and the good towards working class unionist communities has been storing up trouble for many years. No excuses for that appalling rioting and those lads need long prison sentences. But let's be tough on the causes too. The daily output of various forms of sneering and chauvinism by the bien pensant against ordinary unionist people is not just wrong, it's playing with fire. And I write that as someone who is a Remainer and on the left of politics myself.
Thank you, and yes, exactly. You can hold all of those things at once. The riots are indefensible. The causes are real. And the sneering has consequences that the sneerers never have to live with.
aka the bien pensant ... I do think there's a problem these days with a kind of insularity among my own tribe, that is, the liberal educated classes who tend to run things. Massive generalisation of course, but in media discourse about NI which I follow a lot, there are certain assumptions about how things should be which are, frankly, biased towards a kind of soft nationalist worldview. Even moderate unionist takes are sneered at as if highly suspect. That's not how it should be and it's not, by the way, a great idea if you want a bit more cross-community harmony. What you get is unionists getting angrier, then the same commentators who have othered them point to that as justification for further excluding them. We all need to get back to GFA first principles and regain a sense of balance and genuine parity of esteem for both main communities, imho. It's a big shift that's needed though and I see few people up for the task. That is worrying.
Ah, yes, “the bien pensant” … where are they? Swift was such a one, protecting them by means of A MODEST PROPOSAL and THE DRAPER PAPERS. One also thinks of Dickens, and his world. Those who conceive of themselves as “the Great and the Good” have often been those who have committed depredations both of commission and omission against the little people. The common people and Great Britain are one. I think those who today conceive of themselves as “the great and the good” have a great deal to learn from the little people of Dickens.
Brilliant, I particularly liked the line 'The people doing the deflecting are doing the far right’s recruitment work, and they know it' that is bang on the money, bravo Sara
Great article Sara. I think most of it rings true with me but I will add something in my own area of expertise. Education. Too often I hear the cry that Protestant working class boys (and to a lesser extent girls) have been failed by education. But I know, having worked in inner city Belfast (Shankhill), leafy suburbs (Stranmillis), loyalist estate (Ards) and now rural mainly Prod town school, that education has always been there for everyone. The staff at every school have been knocking their pans in throughout all the troubles, then through the past 30 years of peace to provide opportunities for the children in the areas they serve. Where the schools have been let down is the lack of support from a subset of the population who, having had poor learning experiences themselves, see no value in education and so pass none of this on to their own children. It’s an ever decreasing circle and links to poverty and a feeling that there is a lack of opportunity to improve their lot. Too few see the link to a better life through education or lack the skills to support their children in the way middle class parents do. We need to focus less on giving schools extra money ( the most deprived areas schools have always received vast sums more than other schools but there hasn’t been an improvement in achievement) but a systematic way to empower and up skill parents in working class communities to support their children’s education. I would link it to improved benefits for attending classes/ educational courses for example. If parents can see a way up through education, then they pass this confidence to their children.
You are so right about this. You’re right that the schools have never been the failure point, and I know that from my own experience - I did an outreach project working with boys from CBS and older women in the WI that tried to do exactly what you’re describing — building the bridge between communities and the idea that education leads somewhere worth going. The generational transmission of hopelessness is the thing that’s hardest to interrupt, and you’re bang on that money into schools without addressing that doesn’t move the dial. The parental empowerment model makes complete sense, if you can’t see the path yourself you can’t show it to your children. Thank you.
Can we blame working-class parents for being sceptical about the value of education when they witness the attitudes and effects of the professional-managerial class, with their college degrees, on a daily basis?
You understand NI and Belfast and have set out the problem, without fear or favour.
it is a multifaceted issue which has to be fully understood before it can be tackled and put on the road to solving.
I hope the system reads this excellent piece and learns from it.
My link to NI was 13 years wearing a British Army uniform during the troubles. I fell in love with the country and its people, regardless of which side of the divide they came.
Very good piece. People bringing up the Shankill Butchers to deflect from answering questions about a failing immigration system that allowed a beheading enthusiast to wander onto to our islands is a pathetic attempt to avoid facing up to the negative consequences of de facto open borders immigration policies. Do our enlightened “progressive” media class expect Mr. Ogilvie and his family and the wider community to put aside their concerns about the dangers emanating from open borders because over 40 years ago we had some loyalist terrorists committing horrific acts.
Have you seen any other Belfast-located accounts posting since yesterday evening? There seems to be a total blackout on new info on X since around 10pm Belfast time. Yours is one of the first accounts *anywhere* I've seen, claiming to be posting from Belfast, that wasn't an official news outlet. Any accounts, on any platforms, you'd recommend for on-the-ground info actually coming from Belfast? I'm trying to figure out whether the censorship is happening at the govt. level, at the social media platform level, or both.
Very well written, Sara. There are so many appalling things going on in all this, we have to remember our common humanity, and also that the patronising attitudes of the great and the good towards working class unionist communities has been storing up trouble for many years. No excuses for that appalling rioting and those lads need long prison sentences. But let's be tough on the causes too. The daily output of various forms of sneering and chauvinism by the bien pensant against ordinary unionist people is not just wrong, it's playing with fire. And I write that as someone who is a Remainer and on the left of politics myself.
Thank you, and yes, exactly. You can hold all of those things at once. The riots are indefensible. The causes are real. And the sneering has consequences that the sneerers never have to live with.
“The great and the good”:?
aka the bien pensant ... I do think there's a problem these days with a kind of insularity among my own tribe, that is, the liberal educated classes who tend to run things. Massive generalisation of course, but in media discourse about NI which I follow a lot, there are certain assumptions about how things should be which are, frankly, biased towards a kind of soft nationalist worldview. Even moderate unionist takes are sneered at as if highly suspect. That's not how it should be and it's not, by the way, a great idea if you want a bit more cross-community harmony. What you get is unionists getting angrier, then the same commentators who have othered them point to that as justification for further excluding them. We all need to get back to GFA first principles and regain a sense of balance and genuine parity of esteem for both main communities, imho. It's a big shift that's needed though and I see few people up for the task. That is worrying.
Ah, yes, “the bien pensant” … where are they? Swift was such a one, protecting them by means of A MODEST PROPOSAL and THE DRAPER PAPERS. One also thinks of Dickens, and his world. Those who conceive of themselves as “the Great and the Good” have often been those who have committed depredations both of commission and omission against the little people. The common people and Great Britain are one. I think those who today conceive of themselves as “the great and the good” have a great deal to learn from the little people of Dickens.
Brilliant, I particularly liked the line 'The people doing the deflecting are doing the far right’s recruitment work, and they know it' that is bang on the money, bravo Sara
Great article Sara. I think most of it rings true with me but I will add something in my own area of expertise. Education. Too often I hear the cry that Protestant working class boys (and to a lesser extent girls) have been failed by education. But I know, having worked in inner city Belfast (Shankhill), leafy suburbs (Stranmillis), loyalist estate (Ards) and now rural mainly Prod town school, that education has always been there for everyone. The staff at every school have been knocking their pans in throughout all the troubles, then through the past 30 years of peace to provide opportunities for the children in the areas they serve. Where the schools have been let down is the lack of support from a subset of the population who, having had poor learning experiences themselves, see no value in education and so pass none of this on to their own children. It’s an ever decreasing circle and links to poverty and a feeling that there is a lack of opportunity to improve their lot. Too few see the link to a better life through education or lack the skills to support their children in the way middle class parents do. We need to focus less on giving schools extra money ( the most deprived areas schools have always received vast sums more than other schools but there hasn’t been an improvement in achievement) but a systematic way to empower and up skill parents in working class communities to support their children’s education. I would link it to improved benefits for attending classes/ educational courses for example. If parents can see a way up through education, then they pass this confidence to their children.
You are so right about this. You’re right that the schools have never been the failure point, and I know that from my own experience - I did an outreach project working with boys from CBS and older women in the WI that tried to do exactly what you’re describing — building the bridge between communities and the idea that education leads somewhere worth going. The generational transmission of hopelessness is the thing that’s hardest to interrupt, and you’re bang on that money into schools without addressing that doesn’t move the dial. The parental empowerment model makes complete sense, if you can’t see the path yourself you can’t show it to your children. Thank you.
Can we blame working-class parents for being sceptical about the value of education when they witness the attitudes and effects of the professional-managerial class, with their college degrees, on a daily basis?
Great piece. I’ve been dismayed at the lack of introspection from people I know.
You don’t have to sympathise with thugs out last night to understand why there were burning cars on some streets instead of others.
Absolutely. Understanding seems to be thin on the ground here.
You understand NI and Belfast and have set out the problem, without fear or favour.
it is a multifaceted issue which has to be fully understood before it can be tackled and put on the road to solving.
I hope the system reads this excellent piece and learns from it.
My link to NI was 13 years wearing a British Army uniform during the troubles. I fell in love with the country and its people, regardless of which side of the divide they came.
You have struck every chord.
Thank you, that carries real weight coming from someone who served here.
I’m glad it resonated. That kind of clear-eyed affection for the place and its people is exactly what’s needed.
I really appreciate you reading and commenting.
Sabina Golightly reposted on Twitter and said it was an excellent piece so I had to read it and she was right!
My absolute pleasure
Very good piece. People bringing up the Shankill Butchers to deflect from answering questions about a failing immigration system that allowed a beheading enthusiast to wander onto to our islands is a pathetic attempt to avoid facing up to the negative consequences of de facto open borders immigration policies. Do our enlightened “progressive” media class expect Mr. Ogilvie and his family and the wider community to put aside their concerns about the dangers emanating from open borders because over 40 years ago we had some loyalist terrorists committing horrific acts.
What you wrote applies to most indigenous working class communities across Europe.
Really excellent, Sara, thank you. I was hoping you'd write something.
Doesn’t take much to egg me on, tbf 😘
That was powerfully and very well said.
Have you seen any other Belfast-located accounts posting since yesterday evening? There seems to be a total blackout on new info on X since around 10pm Belfast time. Yours is one of the first accounts *anywhere* I've seen, claiming to be posting from Belfast, that wasn't an official news outlet. Any accounts, on any platforms, you'd recommend for on-the-ground info actually coming from Belfast? I'm trying to figure out whether the censorship is happening at the govt. level, at the social media platform level, or both.
I haven’t been looking tbh
There are people saying that they are warned not to film by the protestors
Beautifully said, Sara.
Thank you
Thank you for this, there is so much here that isn’t often said (and needed to be said) that I am sitting with.
Isn’t there just.
This is such an incredible piece. Thank you for sharing
Thank you, Sonia
Brilliant
Incredibly well said Sara. Found myself wanting to actually applaud some of your lines.
Excellent piece, Sara.
Thank you.