Thursday 3 June 2010

The PUP – saints and scholars

The media reaction to Dawn Purvis’s resignation from the PUP leadership, and her possible replacement by John Kyle, is little short of revolting.

Sycophantic journalists describe the odious Purvis as having “a firm committment [sic] to her left wing unionist principles”, and describe the equally awful Kyle as “a Christian GP”.

Let’s be honest here – Purvis was, and Kyle still is, mouthpieces for the political front of the UVF. Not the Alliance Party, not the Greens, not the Natural Law Party.

The UVF were – and seemingly still are – a gang of sectarian murderers. They were directly responsible for at least 426 deaths between 1969 and 2001, and their pseudonymous siblings the Red Hand Commando killed another 13. That is the minimum – another 250 were killed by ‘non-specific Loyalist groups’, many of whom were actually the UVF in drag.

Since 2001 the UVF has not had a change of heart either – it killed John Allen in 2003, Andrew Cully and Brian Stewart in 2004, Jameson Lockhart, Craig McCausland, Stephen Paul and Michael Green in 2005, and Bobby Moffett in 2010. And only now does Purvis have a fit of conscience! While the UVF were slaughtering Catholics purely because of their religion she had no such quibbles. Kyle still doesn’t.

Purvis – the left-winger – and Kyle – the Christian – chose to join a party that argued for, supported and succoured these killers. They had choices – they could have joined the UUP, or even the DUP. Purvis – the ‘committed feminist' – could have joined the Women’s Coalition. Kyle – the Christian – could have joined the Alliance Party. Neither of them did, though – they joined a party that they knew to be the other face of the UVF. Kyle has said that “he wouldn't rule out a complete break with the UVF” following the Moffett murder. That means that he accepts openly that his party is currently closely linked to a terrorist gang – and yet the media insult our intelligence by calling him a ‘Christian’.

Purvis is not a ‘left-wing feminist’ – she is a bigoted loyalist fascist who considers that the random murder of Catholics is defensible, and sang dumb year after year while her associates killed working class men, women and children.

Kyle is not a ‘Christian’ – he supports the murder of innocent people, simply because they are believed to belong to a different faction of Christianity.

And the media is a disgrace. It colludes with the UVF by pretending that their apologists are saints and scholars, while it knows as well as anyone else that they are immoral and indefensible.

7 comments:

thedissenter said...

Don't disagree with the thrust of this, though I would perhaps use less forthright language on personal description. Feel the same about media treatment of Sinn Fein.

Paddy Canuck said...

Horseman, I'm on your side and all, but... I mean, isn't this the same kind of stuff everyone always hauls out about Sinn Fein? I heard Gerry Adams speak last November and it gets on my nerves when people ignore what he's saying now and hearken back to stuff done 30 years ago that he himself didn't participate in. It's a time in the North when people are disavowing the old militant structures that they thought were necessary to defend themselves. If we're demanding that be respected for SF, aren't we obliged to extend the same courtesy to folks like Dawn Purvis? Better late than never, after all.

Horseman said...

I'm glad you're on my side, Paddy Canuck; your ability to cut through bullshit must hurt those who cross you!

While I agree in principle that we should leave the past behind us, I cannot stand the double standards. If unionists are happy to call Purvis a 'feminist '(how many women did the UVF murder, I wonder?) or a 'leftwinger' (how many ... oh, you know what I mean), then they need to extend the same 'forgiveness' to all.

The nonsense about how Purvis was 'encouraging the UVF towards peaceful methods' was bullshit. She joined them knowing who and what they were. Let the media admit that - she was a cheerleader for sectarian slaughter. Not a feminist, not a left-winger, not a christian.

Sure, the same is true on the other side, but strangely unionists (and their media friends) don't talk of Gerry Adams as a 'writer' or MMcG as a 'fisherman' - and certainly they don't try to idolise them the way they're doing now with Purvis.

Purvis may try to reinvent herself, but I doubt if she'll ever get any nationalist votes, even if she stands as a socialist.

bangordub said...

Horseman, Paddy,
What are your thoughts on the attendance of senior unionist "mainstream" politicians at the funeral on the Shankill today?
Personally I think it speaks volumes

Horseman said...

bangordub,

Dodds and McCausland at least, so I hear. I imagine that they will argue that it was 'to show solidarity with the Shankill against the UVF threats' or something.

More likely, though, is that they know that the loyalist community votes DUP, and they can't afford to alienate it.

Nonetheless, it shows an uncomfortably close relationship between the DUP and he UVF - lets not forget that Moffett was no innocent, he was a committed UVF thug (and maybe murdereer, who knows). And the DUP dares to point the finger at GA for carrying the coffin of the Shankill bomber (I forget his name)! They are so far beyond being hypocrites at this stage.

bangordub said...

Horseman, my point exactly.
particularly after all the holier than thou pontificating (couldnt resist that word), about the shinners being "terrorists". May we now refer to "DUP/UVF" as a matter of course?

picador said...

The funeral on the Shankill was not a paramilitary affair so I'd refrain from criticizing Dodds and McCausland's attendance - particularly as a local church minister criticized politicians for not lending enough support to the community in the wake of the murder.