| Description | Interview with a group of men in the Royal Bar, Londonderry. They discuss hatred on both sides of the sectarian divide, their belief that the Order of Hiberians hate Protestants and anything to do with Britain, and their suspicion of elected Nationalist MPs who they think will work for a united Ireland. They think that people who are against the constitution should not be represented, and their concern about going into the Bogside for building work on Commission housing because they have had stones and insults thrown at them. Many of the men discuss their suspicion and dislike of members of the Catholic community and talk about incidents where Protestants have been discriminated against and when they have felt vulnerable to being attacked on the street. They discuss the longevity of sectarian disturbances, the parades and marches that the Catholic community have, and their dislike of the involvement of the government in Dublin in Northern Ireland affairs. They discuss the reasons that people from Ireland fought during both World Wars, and their royalist feelings. They are suspicious that some of their Catholic fellow workers have Communist sympathies and want a socialist republic, but think that they are ill-informed. They talk about Bernadette Devlin being elected, their fear of being ruled by the Pope, and their mistrust of activists like Eamon McCann and amnesties for Catholics caught throwing stones. They question why Irish migrants have to seek work in Britain, and blame the strikes and industrial disputes of Catholic workers for the decline of the docks and the closure of the BSR (Birmingham Sound Recording ) factory in Derry. Some of the group talk about being unemployed, and discuss their feeling that social security benefits are too high and discourage people from seeking work. They do not accept that Catholic workers are discriminated against and discuss the lack of ability on both sides of the sectarian divide to separate history from politics. One of the men says that he would rather have a political debate with a Catholic from the Republic of Ireland than a Catholic from the North and they find it hard to understand why people from the Republic of Ireland seek work in England. Another man and a woman join the discussion to argue that the only thing the Catholic community want from the British government is social security benefits, and one man talks about working with some young men who admitted to him that they threw stones and petrol bombs during the recent disturbances (tracks 1-19).
Track 20: One of the men sings 'The Sash My Father Wore' 1.28 mins
Total: 32.43 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF571E0552080 |