Religion and Politics
The gang of violent Unionists who feature in this report from the BBC were not, celebrating their links or shared values with fellow Scots, as some might think, but rather their desire and determination to remain separate and different, for sectarian religious reasons.
Because the mindset of these individuals is exactly the same as people who participate in the ugly Orange Walks which disfigure politics in Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland from time to time, as a small yet vociferous band of Protestants parade their religious differences and celebrate historical victories over Catholic armies from 300 years ago.
But these are exclusive not inclusive events, triumphalist and hostile, organised by and specifically for the Protestant community or at least those within the Protestant community who would react with horror at the thought of having a Catholic as a friend, business partner, wife or husband.
I suppose it's a bit like the Yankee 'victors' in the American Civil War having great parades and marches every year to celebrate their famous victories over the Confederate States - completely unthinkable to anyone with an modicum of sense or sensitivity, yet that's exactly what these Orange Parades are all about.
Scottish referendum: Police separate rival groups in Glasgow
Police have made six arrests after separating groups of rival Unionists and independence supporters in Glasgow.
Officers, some mounted on horses, lined up to divide a large number of people waving union jacks from a group of "Yes" supporters in George Square.
The trouble began when the Union supporters fired a flare and charged, but their numbers dwindled away later.
The square had hosted a pro-independence party ahead of Thursday's independence referendum.
BBC Scotland reporter Cameron Buttle, who was at the scene, said Friday evening's confrontation started quickly with flares being fired and a "co-ordinated" charge from the Unionist side, who were singing Rule Britannia.
Some of the pro-Union side were carrying banners featuring Loyalist imagery.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said there were about 100 people in each of the two groups, and although there had been some "minor disorder" it had been dealt with by officers.
She said investigations were under way, with officers conducting inquiries which could lead to further arrests.
There have been reports on social media of a "Yes" supporter being stabbed in George Square, but police said they had no record of any incident.
Reports that the disturbance had led to a fire at the Glasgow Herald offices were also inaccurate.
On the Sunday Herald's Twitter account, the newspaper said: "There WAS a fire outside our building but no evidence linking it to unionist thugs elsewhere in city."
Another Twitter user said the fire involved the electricity generator at the Flying Duck club where he works.
"No fire at Herald office. Nearby electrical fire. Unfortunate coincidence. No major damage," he wrote.
Officers, some mounted on horses, lined up to divide a large number of people waving union jacks from a group of "Yes" supporters in George Square.
The trouble began when the Union supporters fired a flare and charged, but their numbers dwindled away later.
The square had hosted a pro-independence party ahead of Thursday's independence referendum.
BBC Scotland reporter Cameron Buttle, who was at the scene, said Friday evening's confrontation started quickly with flares being fired and a "co-ordinated" charge from the Unionist side, who were singing Rule Britannia.
Some of the pro-Union side were carrying banners featuring Loyalist imagery.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said there were about 100 people in each of the two groups, and although there had been some "minor disorder" it had been dealt with by officers.
She said investigations were under way, with officers conducting inquiries which could lead to further arrests.
There have been reports on social media of a "Yes" supporter being stabbed in George Square, but police said they had no record of any incident.
Reports that the disturbance had led to a fire at the Glasgow Herald offices were also inaccurate.
On the Sunday Herald's Twitter account, the newspaper said: "There WAS a fire outside our building but no evidence linking it to unionist thugs elsewhere in city."
Another Twitter user said the fire involved the electricity generator at the Flying Duck club where he works.
"No fire at Herald office. Nearby electrical fire. Unfortunate coincidence. No major damage," he wrote.
Flares let off
George Square was closed on Friday night to traffic with local diversions in place.
A number of people draped in union jacks later left the area and began spreading on to the nearby streets, with many marching down St Vincent Place as police followed.
Roads around the square were closed as police dealt with the incident.
A large group of Union supporters later gathered in George Square again, this time at the top of the square next to Queen Street Station.
They sang Rule Britannia and a flare was let off.
Police formed a human barrier to block off the route to Buchanan Street - where scuffles also broke out - and contain people in the square.
After 21:00 the crowd scattered but smaller groups remained along with the line of police officers.
Mounted officers also remained at the scene.
I heard some chap on the radio the other day talking about Scotland's independence referendum and one of the things he mentioned was Scotland's links with other parts of the UK, citing the fact that a band from Northern Ireland had again won the World Bagpipe Championships for the umpteenth year in a row.
Good for them, I say, and though it must rankle a bit for us Scots to be beaten at our own game, in our own backyard (the contest in held in Glasgow every year), we could equally have been beaten by a team from Canada or some other part of the world, so fierce is the competition.
But one thing I said to myself as I listened to the radio was: "I wonder what the reaction would be if membership of the bagpipe band from Northern Ireland was only open to Catholics?"
Why there would be outrage, of course. I suspect they would be thrown out of the contest or, more likely, prevented from entering in the first place for operating such a discriminatory and divisive policy.
Yet that is what the Orange Marchers have been up to this weekend, a public display of bigotry and religious sectarianism, dressed up as political demonstration in favour of a No vote in the Scottish independence referendum.
Now the whole country should be ashamed of this display of religious intolerance, not just the No campaign, because it's an embarrassment to modern Scotland.
The Better Together campaign must need the support of these religious bigots like they need another hold in the head, right at the moment.
Now for the benefit of the uninitiated Orange Order marches are a 'Protestant only affair' and Scotland's Catholic population are not just not welcome, their defeat in centuries old battles is the cause of great celebration which is a rather odd way for good neighbours to behave.
Admittedly, the widespread sectarianism and discrimination visited against Catholics in the west of Scotland for many years has diminished enormously, but if you ask me this is despite rather than because of the behaviour of people who support the Orange Order.
Yet the fact that they hope to attract only 10,000 people to their tawdry little march is a sign of the times and a signal that the bigots are on their way out.
If there's a counter-demonstration planned to 'welcome' these dinosaurs to to the streets of Edinburgh, then all I can say is count me in.
Orange Order to march in support of ‘no’ vote
The march is being organised by the Orange Order Peter Muhly/Getty Images
George Square was closed on Friday night to traffic with local diversions in place.
A number of people draped in union jacks later left the area and began spreading on to the nearby streets, with many marching down St Vincent Place as police followed.
Roads around the square were closed as police dealt with the incident.
A large group of Union supporters later gathered in George Square again, this time at the top of the square next to Queen Street Station.
They sang Rule Britannia and a flare was let off.
Police formed a human barrier to block off the route to Buchanan Street - where scuffles also broke out - and contain people in the square.
After 21:00 the crowd scattered but smaller groups remained along with the line of police officers.
Mounted officers also remained at the scene.
Bagpipes and Bigots (14 September 2014)
I heard some chap on the radio the other day talking about Scotland's independence referendum and one of the things he mentioned was Scotland's links with other parts of the UK, citing the fact that a band from Northern Ireland had again won the World Bagpipe Championships for the umpteenth year in a row.
Good for them, I say, and though it must rankle a bit for us Scots to be beaten at our own game, in our own backyard (the contest in held in Glasgow every year), we could equally have been beaten by a team from Canada or some other part of the world, so fierce is the competition.
But one thing I said to myself as I listened to the radio was: "I wonder what the reaction would be if membership of the bagpipe band from Northern Ireland was only open to Catholics?"
Why there would be outrage, of course. I suspect they would be thrown out of the contest or, more likely, prevented from entering in the first place for operating such a discriminatory and divisive policy.
Yet that is what the Orange Marchers have been up to this weekend, a public display of bigotry and religious sectarianism, dressed up as political demonstration in favour of a No vote in the Scottish independence referendum.
Now the whole country should be ashamed of this display of religious intolerance, not just the No campaign, because it's an embarrassment to modern Scotland.
Bigots on Parade (3 September 2014)
The Better Together campaign must need the support of these religious bigots like they need another hold in the head, right at the moment.
Now for the benefit of the uninitiated Orange Order marches are a 'Protestant only affair' and Scotland's Catholic population are not just not welcome, their defeat in centuries old battles is the cause of great celebration which is a rather odd way for good neighbours to behave.
Admittedly, the widespread sectarianism and discrimination visited against Catholics in the west of Scotland for many years has diminished enormously, but if you ask me this is despite rather than because of the behaviour of people who support the Orange Order.
Yet the fact that they hope to attract only 10,000 people to their tawdry little march is a sign of the times and a signal that the bigots are on their way out.
If there's a counter-demonstration planned to 'welcome' these dinosaurs to to the streets of Edinburgh, then all I can say is count me in.
Orange Order to march in support of ‘no’ vote
The march is being organised by the Orange Order Peter Muhly/Getty Images
By Tom Knowles - The Times
Five days before Scotland votes on independence the streets of Edinburgh will be awash with orange. More than 10,000 people are expected to march through the city in support of Scotland staying part of the UK — though they will have nothing to do with the Better Together campaign.
The march is being organised by the Orange Order, and will include hundreds of Irish Protestants who will have travelled across the North Channel.
Amid the 17th-century battle regalia of drums, flutes, orange sashes and banners, there will be an underlying anxiety about the future.
The break-up of the UK would be a significant blow to the Protestant community of Northern Ireland, which could force a reassessment of their constitutional allegiance to England and question the Union itself.
“There is a real concern among the Protestant community of Northern Ireland,” said Sir Tom Devine, one of Scotland’s leading historians. “There will be a feeling of tremendous sorrow at the departure of Scotland if it’s a ‘yes’ vote.”
Sir Tom, who last weekend came out in support of independence, believes that Northern Ireland’s working-class Protestant community would feel abandoned by society after suffering years of growing marginalisation.
He said: “Elements of the Protestant working class already feel marginalised. Their education standards have slipped compared with the Catholic minority and there is a real sense of deprivation after being the top dogs for so many years. Scottish independence could be the final psychological blow.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland are deeply intertwined after hundreds of years of migration across the North Channel, which is only 12 miles wide at the closest point between the two coasts. The name Scotland comes from the Roman word for Ireland: Scotia. History, culture, sport, religion and language are all connected.
The Orange Order, founded in 1795 to protect Protestant interests, has made it clear that it feels it is its duty to stand by its Scottish counterparts. The claim comes despite Better Together asking for the rally through Edinburgh to be cancelled because it believes that it may alienate some of its non-Orange Lodge supporters.
David Hume, director of services at Grand Orange Lodge in Northern Ireland, said: “We want to show support for Scotland remaining part of the Union. We would very much feel a loss as a community if Scotland became independent. Our view is that it would change the entire dynamic of the British Isles and the United Kingdom.”
Some believe that a vote for independence could be a boost for nationalism, energising Sinn Féin and encouraging demands for a referendum on a united Ireland, which is allowed no more than once every seven years since the Good Friday peace deal in 1998. However, support for a united Ireland in Northern Ireland remains low, and it is unlikely that politicians will use the Scottish vote as a tool to reignite the debate.
Sir Tom said: “I think Sinn Féin will try to make capital of it but the view in the south is that taking on the north would be a great challenge. Southern politicians will try to stand back from all that.”
The Roman Catholic community of Irish descent in Scotland are notably split on the issue of independence. They have traditionally held a tribal allegiance to Labour, which would translate as a “no” vote, but polls have shown a considerable part of the community moving towards the SNP and independence.
Celtic, the Glasgow football club, was established by Irish Catholics who began emigrating to the west of Scotland in the 1840s, while their bitter rivals, Rangers, have always been seen as the Protestant club. Both have a huge fanbase in Northern Ireland.
About 43 per cent of Catholics voted for the SNP in the 2011 election. Many are third or fourth-generation Irish immigrants who no longer suffer the discrimination in the workplace that their forebears did in the 1950s and 1960s, and, consequently, they are more likely to feel comfortable within Scotland.
Sir Tom argues that this change, combined with a feeling of abandonment from Scottish Labour, has led to support for independence, with Catholics more keen to align themselves as Scottish than British.
“The Irish Catholic community have always felt a bit uneasy about Britishness. Their homeland had been colonised by the Brits, and symbols of British identity are the monarchy and the Empire. But with this huge increase in sense of Scottishness, I think that’s made it easier for Catholics to align themselves to that dimension.”
However, it is the stability of the Northern Ireland peace process that is causing perhaps the biggest fear. Working-class Protestants may wonder if their culture is being eroded. Sir Tom said: “That discontented element will certainly not be more contented by Scottish independence. Unless some-thing can be done for these people, they have got nowhere to go except on to the streets. They have really had a kicking, and this will be a continuation of it.”
I have no idea how many people were killed at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, but I'm sure it was a lot less than the 100,000 or so Scots who lost their lives in World War I.
One hundred years later the various Europeans countries who lost so many of their citizens during that terrible conflict came together to remember the fallen on both sides of the conflict and pay tribute to the war dead.
As listened to the coverage of thee events on TV and read the often moving reports in the newspapers, I found myself thing about the Orange Order parades in Glasgow which celebrate a great 'victory' of one side over the other, in a tribal atmosphere of triumphalism as opposed to peace and reconciliation.
I wonder what the reaction would be if Israel celebrated its military 'victory' over Gaza with a public parade through the streets to which only Zionist Jews were invited?
Yet that's exactly what the Orange Order parades in Scotland and Northern Ireland are all about - exclusive events which are organised by and for bigoted elements within the Protestant community, and which are anti-Catholic by their very nature.
The whole nasty business makes about as much sense as the northern states celebrating their victory over the southern states during the American Civil War, by publicly rubbing the losers' noses in their historic defeat once a year.
So if you ask me it's time to start challenging these religious bigots because their behaviour is an embarrassment in 21st century Scotland.
French and German presidents mark 100 years since start of first world war
François Hollande and Joachim Gauck embrace at monument in Alsace where remains of 12,000 soldiers are interred
By Anne Penketh - The Guardian
Joachim Gauck and François Hollande embrace at Hartmannswillerkopf, which saw heavy first world war fighting. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
On a high ridge in the Vosges mountains, where 30,000 German and French soldiers died in the first world war trenches, the presidents of France and Germany stood side by side in a silence, then turned to each other for a long hug.
The image of reconciliation, in the crypt where the unidentified remains of 12,000 of both countries' soldiers are interred, came at the start of carefully choreographed ceremonies on Sunday commemorating the 100th anniversary of Germany's declaration of war on France.
François Hollande and his German counterpart, Joachim Gauck, went on to place a wreath at a monument to the fallen at Hartmannswillerkopf, now known as Le Vieil Armand, before laying the first stone of a future Franco-German exhibition centre.
It was the first time that a German president had visited the cemetery, where 1,256 French soldiers are buried. The summit, used to control communications in the valleys of Alsace, changed hands eight times in the twelve months following December 1914.
In their speeches paying tribute to the dead, both presidents sought to present France and Germany as an example to the world of peace and reconciliation, and to revive the European dream. Hollande used much of his 20-minute address to plead the case of a reformed EU, stressing that Europe"doesn't dilute nationhood". Recognising that the EU had been unprepared for crisis and that it had failed to bring prosperity to all its peoples, he called for "growth, jobs and solidarity".
France and Germany had made their voices heard in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, he said, urging a ceasefire in Gaza "to end the suffering of the civilian population".
On a more personal note, Hollande mentioned that both his grandfathers had fought in the first world war, although they had rarely discussed their wartime experiences. Gauck picked up the reference, noting that "our grandparents were fighting each other".
Five days before Scotland votes on independence the streets of Edinburgh will be awash with orange. More than 10,000 people are expected to march through the city in support of Scotland staying part of the UK — though they will have nothing to do with the Better Together campaign.
The march is being organised by the Orange Order, and will include hundreds of Irish Protestants who will have travelled across the North Channel.
Amid the 17th-century battle regalia of drums, flutes, orange sashes and banners, there will be an underlying anxiety about the future.
The break-up of the UK would be a significant blow to the Protestant community of Northern Ireland, which could force a reassessment of their constitutional allegiance to England and question the Union itself.
“There is a real concern among the Protestant community of Northern Ireland,” said Sir Tom Devine, one of Scotland’s leading historians. “There will be a feeling of tremendous sorrow at the departure of Scotland if it’s a ‘yes’ vote.”
Sir Tom, who last weekend came out in support of independence, believes that Northern Ireland’s working-class Protestant community would feel abandoned by society after suffering years of growing marginalisation.
He said: “Elements of the Protestant working class already feel marginalised. Their education standards have slipped compared with the Catholic minority and there is a real sense of deprivation after being the top dogs for so many years. Scottish independence could be the final psychological blow.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland are deeply intertwined after hundreds of years of migration across the North Channel, which is only 12 miles wide at the closest point between the two coasts. The name Scotland comes from the Roman word for Ireland: Scotia. History, culture, sport, religion and language are all connected.
The Orange Order, founded in 1795 to protect Protestant interests, has made it clear that it feels it is its duty to stand by its Scottish counterparts. The claim comes despite Better Together asking for the rally through Edinburgh to be cancelled because it believes that it may alienate some of its non-Orange Lodge supporters.
David Hume, director of services at Grand Orange Lodge in Northern Ireland, said: “We want to show support for Scotland remaining part of the Union. We would very much feel a loss as a community if Scotland became independent. Our view is that it would change the entire dynamic of the British Isles and the United Kingdom.”
Some believe that a vote for independence could be a boost for nationalism, energising Sinn Féin and encouraging demands for a referendum on a united Ireland, which is allowed no more than once every seven years since the Good Friday peace deal in 1998. However, support for a united Ireland in Northern Ireland remains low, and it is unlikely that politicians will use the Scottish vote as a tool to reignite the debate.
Sir Tom said: “I think Sinn Féin will try to make capital of it but the view in the south is that taking on the north would be a great challenge. Southern politicians will try to stand back from all that.”
The Roman Catholic community of Irish descent in Scotland are notably split on the issue of independence. They have traditionally held a tribal allegiance to Labour, which would translate as a “no” vote, but polls have shown a considerable part of the community moving towards the SNP and independence.
Celtic, the Glasgow football club, was established by Irish Catholics who began emigrating to the west of Scotland in the 1840s, while their bitter rivals, Rangers, have always been seen as the Protestant club. Both have a huge fanbase in Northern Ireland.
About 43 per cent of Catholics voted for the SNP in the 2011 election. Many are third or fourth-generation Irish immigrants who no longer suffer the discrimination in the workplace that their forebears did in the 1950s and 1960s, and, consequently, they are more likely to feel comfortable within Scotland.
Sir Tom argues that this change, combined with a feeling of abandonment from Scottish Labour, has led to support for independence, with Catholics more keen to align themselves as Scottish than British.
“The Irish Catholic community have always felt a bit uneasy about Britishness. Their homeland had been colonised by the Brits, and symbols of British identity are the monarchy and the Empire. But with this huge increase in sense of Scottishness, I think that’s made it easier for Catholics to align themselves to that dimension.”
However, it is the stability of the Northern Ireland peace process that is causing perhaps the biggest fear. Working-class Protestants may wonder if their culture is being eroded. Sir Tom said: “That discontented element will certainly not be more contented by Scottish independence. Unless some-thing can be done for these people, they have got nowhere to go except on to the streets. They have really had a kicking, and this will be a continuation of it.”
Religious Bigots (7 August 2014)
I have no idea how many people were killed at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, but I'm sure it was a lot less than the 100,000 or so Scots who lost their lives in World War I.
One hundred years later the various Europeans countries who lost so many of their citizens during that terrible conflict came together to remember the fallen on both sides of the conflict and pay tribute to the war dead.
As listened to the coverage of thee events on TV and read the often moving reports in the newspapers, I found myself thing about the Orange Order parades in Glasgow which celebrate a great 'victory' of one side over the other, in a tribal atmosphere of triumphalism as opposed to peace and reconciliation.
I wonder what the reaction would be if Israel celebrated its military 'victory' over Gaza with a public parade through the streets to which only Zionist Jews were invited?
Yet that's exactly what the Orange Order parades in Scotland and Northern Ireland are all about - exclusive events which are organised by and for bigoted elements within the Protestant community, and which are anti-Catholic by their very nature.
The whole nasty business makes about as much sense as the northern states celebrating their victory over the southern states during the American Civil War, by publicly rubbing the losers' noses in their historic defeat once a year.
So if you ask me it's time to start challenging these religious bigots because their behaviour is an embarrassment in 21st century Scotland.
French and German presidents mark 100 years since start of first world war
François Hollande and Joachim Gauck embrace at monument in Alsace where remains of 12,000 soldiers are interred
By Anne Penketh - The Guardian
Joachim Gauck and François Hollande embrace at Hartmannswillerkopf, which saw heavy first world war fighting. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
On a high ridge in the Vosges mountains, where 30,000 German and French soldiers died in the first world war trenches, the presidents of France and Germany stood side by side in a silence, then turned to each other for a long hug.
The image of reconciliation, in the crypt where the unidentified remains of 12,000 of both countries' soldiers are interred, came at the start of carefully choreographed ceremonies on Sunday commemorating the 100th anniversary of Germany's declaration of war on France.
François Hollande and his German counterpart, Joachim Gauck, went on to place a wreath at a monument to the fallen at Hartmannswillerkopf, now known as Le Vieil Armand, before laying the first stone of a future Franco-German exhibition centre.
It was the first time that a German president had visited the cemetery, where 1,256 French soldiers are buried. The summit, used to control communications in the valleys of Alsace, changed hands eight times in the twelve months following December 1914.
In their speeches paying tribute to the dead, both presidents sought to present France and Germany as an example to the world of peace and reconciliation, and to revive the European dream. Hollande used much of his 20-minute address to plead the case of a reformed EU, stressing that Europe"doesn't dilute nationhood". Recognising that the EU had been unprepared for crisis and that it had failed to bring prosperity to all its peoples, he called for "growth, jobs and solidarity".
France and Germany had made their voices heard in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, he said, urging a ceasefire in Gaza "to end the suffering of the civilian population".
On a more personal note, Hollande mentioned that both his grandfathers had fought in the first world war, although they had rarely discussed their wartime experiences. Gauck picked up the reference, noting that "our grandparents were fighting each other".
Ugly Embarrassment (6 July 2014)
When I was a young boy there used to be tens of thousands of religious bigots celebrating their 'culture' in these Orange marches, but nowadays it's dwindled down to a mere handful, relatively speaking.
And that's because they are essentially sectarian events and, unlike other faith groups, the Orange marchers are exclusive events - with Catholics being top of the list of fellow citizens who, solely by virtue of their religion, are not welcome to participate.
Little wonder then that the Better Together campaign won't touch the Orangemen with the proverbial bargepole.
What an advert for the City of Glasgow, an embarrassment from beginning to end, though looking on the bright side support for this kind of intolerant, religious apartheid is fast dying out.
The Sunday Herald reports in more detail.
Donaldson says loyalist parade response 'will be peaceful'
On Thursday, unionist parties walked out of talks about contentious issues in Northern Ireland, in protest at the Parades Commission barring an Orange Order march from returning along part of north Belfast's Crumlin Road on 12 July.
The road separates unionist and nationalist communities in north Belfast, and it is the second year in a row that the commission has ruled against the return leg of the 12 July parade marching along the route.
In recent years, there has been serious rioting in the area.
A joint statement by the DUP, Ulster Unionists, Traditional Unionist Voice, Progressive Unionist Party and Ulster Political Research Group talked of a "graduated response" to the Parades Commission's determination.
Mr Donaldson said further announcements about their plans would be made later on Friday, but they were "seeking to develop a programme that will enable people to channel their frustration about this, but in a constructive, non-violent and peaceful way".
'Clear statement'
He said the importance of the joint statement was that political representatives of the UVF and UDA had committed to a non-violent response.
"We can only seek to use our influence - at the end of the day, we are not in a position to direct people and to order them into what they should do," he said.
"We rely on others to use their influence, and I take it at face value the commitments that have been given.
"If it turns out that people do engage in violence they have to answer for that, and we will hold them to account.
"That's why we wanted to bind people into a clear, unequivocal statement which makes clear that violence and unlawfulness can be no part in what we are seeking to achieve."
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said the 'graduated response' would "become more obvious as the days and weeks roll out".
"All I'm prepared to say at the moment is that graduated is not necessarily the same as escalated, and everything we do will be lawful and peaceful," he said.
Mr Nesbitt added: "What we have done collectively as unionist leaders is show leadership and say 'you don't have to do this any other way but politically'.
"As political leaders, we are prepared to act and react when people are not treated fairly."
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the walkout was part of an "escalating crisis within the political process" in Northern Ireland.
"This week we warned David Cameron that the political process in the north is deteriorating," he said.
"We told him that the British and Irish governments, as co-equal guarantors of the agreement, should not acquiesce to unionist threats and must ensure continuing progress and this has to include implementing agreements already made that are the sole responsibility of the two governments."
Martin McGuinness told BBC Radio Foyle he believed First Minister Peter Robinson's position was being weakened by elements within the DUP "who are hostile to being in government with Sinn Féin and the whole concept of equality".
Asked if he felt Mr Robinson was a "lame-duck first minister", the deputy first minister said: "It appears that no decisions can be taken by the leadership of the DUP without the agreement of what I consider to be extreme elements within the party.
"He has not been able to take decisions - you can make your own judgement on that."
The ugly face of Glasgow is on show at the moment as a series of dreary 'Orange Walks' parade through the city to celebrate the victory of Prince William of Orange over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Now unlike other wars and battles, the tone here is not one of commemoration and sadness about the loss of life caused by these conflicts - where both sides pay their respects to those who fought and died.
Unlike, for example, the recent inclusive ceremonies in France to commemorate the earth shaking events of World War Two where the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, stood side by side with the French President, Francois Hollande, and the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, while emphasising their common bonds and shared values.
But that's not what the Orange Walks are all about, not for a minute, because these ugly parades are all about triumphalism and celebrating a great 'victory' over historical enemies - they are exclusive, elitist events which set out to parade differences instead of bringing people together on a cross community basis.
And what drives the Orange Walks is good old-fashioned religious bigotry which is sad to see in this day and age, but looking on the bright side these events are slowly dwindling and losing their significance too most Scots who can find other ways to celebrate their culture and identity.
Orange Order vows march to save Union will go ahead after violence mars Glasgow walk
The Orange Order said its march to save the Union on the eve of September's referendum will go ahead despite the violence which marred yesterday's loyalist parade in Glasgow.
The Grand Lodge of Scotland plans a "British Together" parade and rally in Edinburgh on September 13 - just days ahead of the referendum.
Better Together has already distanced itself from the Orange Order, which has officially registered as a "permitted participant" in the referendum. Yesterday marchers carried pro-Union banners throughout the parade.
Jim Murphy, the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire and former Scottish Secretary who is travelling through Scotland with his "100 towns in 100 days" tour on behalf of Better Together, said the Orange Order was an "unsavoury" organisation, adding: "Not for a moment would they be part of the Better Together campaign. They'd be unwelcome."
Yesterday's annual County Grand Orange Order parade in Glasgow saw Orange lodges and loyalist flute bands taking part. But there were ugly scenes when their supporters were involved in violent scuffles which left at least one person badly injured.
A young woman received a serious head wound and was given medical treatment at Glasgow Green where those taking part in the parade and their supporters gathered after marching through the city. Eighteen people were arrested. Police said the arrests related to disorder, drinking in public and minor offences.
Around 4500 marchers took part with 4000 spectators. One eyewitness at Glasgow Green, who was not a participant and did not want to be named, said trouble broke out amongst a group of 25-30 spectators after the marchers congregated.
"I couldn't say what had happened to the young woman, but people around said she had been bottled," he said. "I heard voices getting raised and the next thing it all blew up, you could see fists and stuff flying about.
"The mounted police came in and as it started to disperse I saw this girl out the corner of my eye coming across the grass screaming.
"It looked like she was cut across her forehead, there was a lot of blood. It was a clean cut and she looked like she was about an inch away from losing her eyesight. I think she was just unlucky to be caught up in it."
It is understood the young woman was part of a family group watching the parade. Police had earlier warned sectarian behaviour and drinking in public would not be tolerated.
Trained stewards accompanied the march, freeing police to concentrate on street drinking, drunkenness, and anti-social behaviour - in particular sectarian behaviour.
Police Chief Superintendent Andy Bates said: "This event is one of the biggest policing operations the division manages on an annual basis.
"Our priority is to make sure the parade is peaceful with the safety of those taking part, the general public and officers, being paramount. I recognise that it is not the people taking part in the parade who cause trouble but an unwelcome minority who turn up and use the event as an excuse to drink, cause offence and behave in a manner which cannot be tolerated in our communities. It is these people that my officers will focus on, targeting violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour."
Police Scotland said it worked closely with the Orange Order and Glasgow City Council to agree a route for the march and to minimise any disruption to the city centre.
Officers and stewards were stationed along the parade route to help with traffic restrictions.
Edward Hyde, County Grandmaster of Glasgow and Grand Secretary of the Orange Lodge of Scotland, said he was aware of the incident at Glasgow Green and said he had been told by the police it was "nothing to do" with the Orange parade.
He blamed the trouble on what he called "the blue-bag brigade" in reference to fact that some followers of the parades are seen carrying alcohol in off-licence bags.
He said the Orange Order was training stewards to "identify troublemakers and make the troublemakers known to the police - we are quite willing to do that."
He added: "We are also taking it a step forward to involve the bands and try to get them to dissuade the bad elements. If you were in the town today there was an awful lot of families there, waving the Union flag and it was a family event. These people - the blue bag brigade - are a total embarrassment to us."
He added: "We are doing our best to rid ourselves of that element and we will get there - we are working very hard."
Referring to marchers carrying No banners, Hyde said: "Being a pro-Union organisation we obviously took the opportunity to get our message out."
Another senior Scottish Orangeman, Ian Wilson, former Grand Master and currently on the Orange Order's planning committee said: "Our rally on September 13 has been two years in the planning and so we certainly intend to go ahead with it ... The rally in Edinburgh is intended to be a celebration of Britishness. We are proud to be Scottish and proud to be British and the event will look very much like a Lodge parade but with carnival elements."
In an interview with the Sunday Herald before yesterday's walk, Labour MP and prominent No campaigner Jim Murphy said: "I've never had anything to do with the Orange Order and I'm never going to have. Not for a moment would they be part of the Better Together campaign. They'd be unwelcome."
He claimed that "other faith organisations … appear to be all-welcoming. The Orange Order exist for a different purpose. Their unsavoury history ... no matter how you slice and dice it ... it's not an inclusive organisation. They've got a vote so they should have a voice, right? But we'll find no common cause with them."
Better Together said: "This organisation isn't part of our campaign and never will be. The best way for people who believe that we are stronger and better together as part of the UK to get involved is by speaking to undecided voters, not marching in the streets."
The hard won peace process in Northern Ireland is under siege again as religious bigots insist they have a civil 'right' to parade and celebrate bogus cultural values under the noses of and in the faces of their neighbours - a bit like people demanding the freedom to hold a 'whites only' barbecue in the former slave states of America, if you ask me.
Donaldson says loyalist parade response 'will be peaceful'
Loyalists have held a protest camp in north Belfast since last year's ruling
Loyalist paramilitaries will take a "peaceful approach" over the restriction of a contentious parade, DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said.
A joint unionist statement was issued by parties including the paramilitary-linked Progressive Unionist Party and Ulster Political Research Group.
Mr Donaldson said those parties had pledged there would be no violence.
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said when large crowds are on the streets, it was "something that cannot be controlled".
"The agenda in north Belfast is being led by the UVF and the Orange Order," said the deputy first minister.
"I think it's very disappointing that we have now seen effectively the Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP throw in their lot with those who would attempt to foment conflict on the streets."
Loyalist paramilitaries will take a "peaceful approach" over the restriction of a contentious parade, DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said.
A joint unionist statement was issued by parties including the paramilitary-linked Progressive Unionist Party and Ulster Political Research Group.
Mr Donaldson said those parties had pledged there would be no violence.
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said when large crowds are on the streets, it was "something that cannot be controlled".
"The agenda in north Belfast is being led by the UVF and the Orange Order," said the deputy first minister.
"I think it's very disappointing that we have now seen effectively the Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP throw in their lot with those who would attempt to foment conflict on the streets."
Police were attacked by loyalists after the same parade was restricted last year
On Thursday, unionist parties walked out of talks about contentious issues in Northern Ireland, in protest at the Parades Commission barring an Orange Order march from returning along part of north Belfast's Crumlin Road on 12 July.
The road separates unionist and nationalist communities in north Belfast, and it is the second year in a row that the commission has ruled against the return leg of the 12 July parade marching along the route.
In recent years, there has been serious rioting in the area.
A joint statement by the DUP, Ulster Unionists, Traditional Unionist Voice, Progressive Unionist Party and Ulster Political Research Group talked of a "graduated response" to the Parades Commission's determination.
Mr Donaldson said further announcements about their plans would be made later on Friday, but they were "seeking to develop a programme that will enable people to channel their frustration about this, but in a constructive, non-violent and peaceful way".
'Clear statement'
He said the importance of the joint statement was that political representatives of the UVF and UDA had committed to a non-violent response.
"We can only seek to use our influence - at the end of the day, we are not in a position to direct people and to order them into what they should do," he said.
"We rely on others to use their influence, and I take it at face value the commitments that have been given.
"If it turns out that people do engage in violence they have to answer for that, and we will hold them to account.
"That's why we wanted to bind people into a clear, unequivocal statement which makes clear that violence and unlawfulness can be no part in what we are seeking to achieve."
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said the 'graduated response' would "become more obvious as the days and weeks roll out".
"All I'm prepared to say at the moment is that graduated is not necessarily the same as escalated, and everything we do will be lawful and peaceful," he said.
Mr Nesbitt added: "What we have done collectively as unionist leaders is show leadership and say 'you don't have to do this any other way but politically'.
"As political leaders, we are prepared to act and react when people are not treated fairly."
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the walkout was part of an "escalating crisis within the political process" in Northern Ireland.
"This week we warned David Cameron that the political process in the north is deteriorating," he said.
"We told him that the British and Irish governments, as co-equal guarantors of the agreement, should not acquiesce to unionist threats and must ensure continuing progress and this has to include implementing agreements already made that are the sole responsibility of the two governments."
Martin McGuinness told BBC Radio Foyle he believed First Minister Peter Robinson's position was being weakened by elements within the DUP "who are hostile to being in government with Sinn Féin and the whole concept of equality".
Asked if he felt Mr Robinson was a "lame-duck first minister", the deputy first minister said: "It appears that no decisions can be taken by the leadership of the DUP without the agreement of what I consider to be extreme elements within the party.
"He has not been able to take decisions - you can make your own judgement on that."
Ugly Face (1 July 2014)
The ugly face of Glasgow is on show at the moment as a series of dreary 'Orange Walks' parade through the city to celebrate the victory of Prince William of Orange over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Now unlike other wars and battles, the tone here is not one of commemoration and sadness about the loss of life caused by these conflicts - where both sides pay their respects to those who fought and died.
Unlike, for example, the recent inclusive ceremonies in France to commemorate the earth shaking events of World War Two where the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, stood side by side with the French President, Francois Hollande, and the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, while emphasising their common bonds and shared values.
But that's not what the Orange Walks are all about, not for a minute, because these ugly parades are all about triumphalism and celebrating a great 'victory' over historical enemies - they are exclusive, elitist events which set out to parade differences instead of bringing people together on a cross community basis.
And what drives the Orange Walks is good old-fashioned religious bigotry which is sad to see in this day and age, but looking on the bright side these events are slowly dwindling and losing their significance too most Scots who can find other ways to celebrate their culture and identity.
