DUP LINKS to Loyalist Terrorism, and Why the BBC Keeps Quiet About Them
Terry
(Newton Emerson, Irish News)
This article appeared first in the May 13, 2004 edition of the Irish
News.
Adrian Lamph was murdered by the LVF in 1998 at his workplace in the
Fair Green council amenity site, Portadown. The 29-year-old Catholic
father-of-one was a completely blameless individual from a
well-respected local family, killed purely for his religion. His
parents and fiancee appealed for no retaliation and issued a message
of support for the Good Friday Agreement that the passage of time has
only rendered more heart-breaking:
"We commend the courage of those who have taken risks to secure
harmony," they said.
"We will be voting 'yes' in the referendum, hoping for a future where
people can live with their differences and where the future is seen as
more precious than the past."
Since then the Lamph family have chosen to deal with their grief
privately, which must be a source of considerable relief to the DUP.
For less than two years earlier, the Reverend Willie McCrea had shared
a platform with LVF leaders at a loyalist rally in the Fair Green
council amenity site, Portadown. Adrian Lamph's killer stood among
them on the very spot where he would later take that innocent life.
Now that our future hangs on the DUP's refusal to talk to Sinn Féin
the party must be called to account for its presence on that platform.
I have never understood the local media's squeamishness over exposing
the DUP's flirtation with the LVF the BBC even refused to show a Sinn
Féin party political broadcast which mentioned it. For the motivation
behind the Fair Green experiment was as blatant as it was
straightforward. In 1996 the DUP was in an open state of panic over
the emergence of pro-agreement loyalist parties. For 30 years Ian
Paisley had manipulated loyalism to frustrate political compromise –
but now this well-worn tactic was unavailable and worse yet, it was
being exposed, as loyalist leaders poured scorn on the 'Grand Old Duke
of York' and vowed never again to march up a hill at his backroom
bidding. The DUP felt caught in a pincer movement, suddenly unable to
frighten one side of unionism with the other. Councillors in loyalist
areas began to jump ship. With all the churches except his own on
board even Paisley's faithful weapon of last resort – the hurled Bible
– couldn't dent the righteous might of the growing pro-agreement
consensus: in the DUP's referendum slogan 'It's not wrong to say No'
can be heard the pathetic bleat of the lost cause.
But in 1996 there was still one road left out of Paisleygrad and the
Christian soldiers had no qualms in taking it. Billy Wright's LVF was
an anti-agreement loyalist organisation with no political ambitions, a
weakness for religious fundamentalism and growing support in David
Trimble's constituency – a perfect paramilitary partner. It was also a
gang of homicidal psychopaths but that was entirely beside the point.
As always in such situations the Grand Old Duke of York entrusted the
initial scouting mission to an expendable lieutenant: Willie McCrea
was an inspired choice, having struck so many sour notes down the
years that he had no anti-terrorist credibility left to lose.
The DUP's message at the Fair Green was targeted very carefully at the
opposition – that is, at pro-agreement loyalism.
Willie McCrea accused David Ervine's Progressive Unionist Party of
selling out, betraying the union and (brace yourself) allowing Irish
dancing classes on the Shankill Road. It was a clear attempt to gauge
the electoral potential of anti-Agreement loyalism. There can be
little doubt that the DUP considered using the LVF to bring down the
Good Friday Agreement just as it used the UDA to bring down
Sunningdale in 1974. If not, then what was a leading member of the DUP
doing on a platform with one of Northern Ireland's most dangerous
terrorists?
In the event Ian Paisley found the LVF too hot to handle but this was
a tactical decision, not a moral judgement. It is a tactic with which
Ian Paisley is very familiar having employed it against the UDA during
the Ulster Worker's Strike and again during the failed 1977 loyalist
strike.
When suitable paramilitary organisations have not been available Ian
Paisley has demonstrated a remarkable willingness to found them,
beginning in 1966 with the Ulster Protestant Volunteers, continuing
through the murky years of Ulster Resistance and only running out of
steam with the farce of the Third Force and Peter Robinson's border
campaign.
Ian Paisley has described his dealings with loyalism as a strategy of
"knowing and not knowing" – but anyone who knows about the Fair Green
rally has no excuse for not knowing exactly where the DUP truly stands
on terrorism.
Its inextricable link may be far more distant than Sinn Féin's but
that distance is measured only in cynicism.
If the DUP was prepared to deal with Billy Wright then it has no
reason beyond tribalism for not sitting down with Sinn Féin.
There may well be guns under the table – but the ghost of Adrian Lamph
waits by the door.
May 14, 2004
________________
Newton Emerson is editor of the satirical website PortadownNews.com.
MacP
wrote:
>There's no excuse for DUP stance on talks
>
>(Newton Emerson, Irish News)
>This article appeared first in the May 13, 2004 edition of the Irish
>News.
Excellent piece, beautifully written about a perfectly disgraceful
subject.
Newton Emerson is brilliant. I have been following the Portadown News
for some time and am still chuckling over where pallets come from.
Terry
Yes, he's a thoughtful voice.
You can read him here too, slugging it out with some of his regular
critics
http://www.sluggerotoole.com/home/archives/003837.asp#readcomment
This riposte I thought particularly good.
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I've got to admit I'm also appalled at David Vance's reaction to this,
although it may be coloured by his particular animus against people
who get published elsewhere but the letter's page.............I am
genuinely surprised by this and frankly quite revolted. Who knew David
Vance could hide almost as much hypocrisy behind that little moustache
as Gerry Adams hides behind a whole beard?
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Terry
John P. Mullen
Thanks for the great post.
John Mullen
MacP
wrote:
Yes, that's splendid. The art of sniping in writing is very Irish and
in this instance, very well done.
Michael O'Neill
<chuckle>
I expect we'll a rash of beards [sic] on politicians the world over
soon...
M.
Terry
wrote:
And when they've gone, let's hope that measures are introduced which
make it much more difficult for rogue leaders like Blair and Bush to
create such chaos again.
Terry