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Many
have articulated their reasoning as to why the rise
of sectarianism has developed within our society and
the attacks on interface areas. Yet it is of equal
importance as to how to deliver an end to this violence
with its potential impact on wider society. When I
look at the growth of anti agreement loyalism and
through the aspects of their bigotry I see in it both
the reflection to a large extent of a growing confusion
combined with lack of the widely perceived practical
delivery to both them and the areas they represent.
So with this situation they have attempted to continue
as always to intensify the marking of their own territory
while in tandem trying to impact further both within
the loyalist community and wider working class areas.
This strategy, if indeed that, will give rise to tension
within the loyalist groupings which can and will continually
spill into working class nationalist areas while attempting
to increasingly both widen and intensify the situation.
Yet as always it is the working class areas that bear
mostly the brunt of such violence which is often articulated
as an ongoing perception of such areas.
The
'peace process' as often stated is not perfect yet
no real attempts to rectify this is forthcoming. As
the 'peace walls' grow more numerical and higher the
mindsets of such communities will grow more entrenched
and bitter. In reality we have seen such working class
estates facing huge cuts in funding to community and
social initiatives. And people living in those areas
can see the repercussions of this. How does closing
adult training centres, youth clubs, advice centres,
mother and toddler clubs, youth links for teenagers,
recreational centres, community halls in their scores
in the most social and deprived areas enhance the
peace process? How can people’s expectations
of not only the peace process but of them selves and
their surroundings be enhanced when the little resources
through recreation, training and housing is continually
worsening or taken off them? How can they believe
there is any real change when they see their children
facing the same and in cases worsening economic and
social impacts on their lives?
In
reality such working class people from similar estates
have and are born into a society with both inadequate
and unfair economic support and funding, leading to
a social perception which develops through in many
cases to continual alienation, This lasts into and
through adulthood, thus very possibly then inherited
by their children. So the vicious circle continues.
From the onset working class people’s opportunities
fall far behind those in differing areas, with health,
education, careers and life expectations all with
constant obstacles put against them because of social
background and this will grow as funding is continually
cut.
Therefore
expectations or lack of are not only enhanced but
concretized both socially and economically due to
the material conditions and confined-defined parameter
of their social upbringing. Yet just a glimpse around
a working class estate will find a wealth of talent
through art, music, sport, academic achievement, cultural
etc, against all the odds of the established obstacles
put against them. Would this not be for the betterment
of society if peoples could develop their talents
in this direction rather than being sucked into the
vacuum of violence? Yet initially while attempting
to unite our class this can be forwarded if government
sees this as a priority not only politically but economically
and socially. The potential though still lies far
behind the possibilities due to the still discriminative
agenda of economic and social exclusiveness. Such
estates have so much to offer but are and have been
held back by a perceived political and economic agenda
which needs to be addressed if normality is to be
found then sustained. Monies can be found in the tens
of millions to stabilise or to bail out bad management
of private companies. Can it therefore not be found
for those areas that have borne the brunt of the troubles
and help bring back some stability to those areas
and more importantly to the lives of the people that
live there?
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