Vodka and Orange fest - Glasgow

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Any free cheese with it ?

Bob was selling some.

Did wee eck or Nicola make an appearance.

I've not heard either of them make any comment, aka.

Pretty classy of them, eh?

SNP think it was approved by a cynical Labour council
trying to curry favour with protestants

I'm an NI Unionist, never been in the Orange (or ever want to be) but I feel the OO gets a raw deal.

A lot of it comes off their own bat but most of it is a hidden nationalist agenda to wipe everything Unionist off the planet.

I hear the "bands" every Twelfth but I lie in bed and ignore, yet people are so offended by the marches they come from Spain to be a "local" resident to be arrested, why don't they just lie in bed and ignore as I do?

28k signatures is a lot and shouldn't be ignored. The OO should look at that figure and see how it could be addressed. A parade in Glasgow should be welcomed btw.

@Ovalman
This was in effect an open day whereby the OO opened itself to the public.
The event was attended by Catholic Bishops and Muslim leaders.
The purpose of the day was to enlighten people to its objectives whilst showing the work it does for charity.
They highlighted various groups of all religions who had benefited from their works.

I think the orange order get a very good deal in n.ireland. Nearly all orange marches are allowed. However, what the orange men and their supporters think of an erosion of their culture is simply a dilution of what used to be their absolute power to do what they pleased.
As a republican in n.ireland I would stick up for the orange men if I thought they were being treated badly or discriminated against but they have no right to walk wherever they want and every street in n.ireland is not what they like to call the queens highway.

I think they shoot themselves in the foot at times. Their not an inch mentality usually ends up losing miles but there is a subtle but cynical movement within Republicanism that don't want anything Unionist on the Island. Ardoyne shops/ Twaddel Avenue isn't exactly backing on to any houses yet people feel so offended that their bussed in from all over Ireland (and one arrested from Spain) to be offended. Now it seems if they can hear the music that's enough for a protest.

A lot of this is caused by themselves, they seem to be still stuck in the 90's (The 1690's). Their image on the mainland is bowler-hats, swords and the trampling of Catholics. Most of this is untrue so it's up to them to change their image.

Imo The Orange should take the initiative away from the militant Republicans. They should be looking for alternatives themselves and take the rug from under Republicans. The thing is, every time they dig in, they end up losing much more than they were staking in the first place. Ormeau Road was lost so Republicans targeted Garvaghy Road once they won that they targetted Ardoyne Shops, now they've lost that they are targetting my area the Lower Newtonards Road. The thing about all this is, apart from Ormeau, these parades pass by just a handful of pensioners houses who mainly don't give a damn about it all. It's not as if the Orange are parading through vast streets of Catholic areas because it's simply not true but many who don't know about the situation perceive it this way. The OO should switch off music, keep noise to a minimum, find alternative routes or bus themselves away from these areas where possible. If you seem to be conciliatory then you've taken away the petrol to stoke the flames.

I do think the OO get a raw deal but they've themselves to blame a lot. Even though I can't be arsed watching it (I've seen it many times) The Twelfth of July Parade is a truly spectacular and colourful parade. It could easily be up there with things like the Spanish Bull Run, La Tomatina, Trooping the Colour and all the other top fiesta's around the planet. I'd like some day that it's all inclusive and that our Catholic neighbours can enjoy it also.

@akabula I think my points are pertinent. OK this was Scotland and I'm not in the OO but I certainly never knew anything about the event until it happened and the main thing I read out of the story was 28,000 signatures against it. I didn't know it was an Open Day, I thought it was just a general Parade they hold from time to time in Glasgow. Again this is very bad press and not something the OO should be proud of. The story I should have read was about the colourful day and the vast crowds in attendance, not about 28,000 signatures. They could certainly do with hiring a top PR guy.

@Paddletoe, I'm glad your not against the OO, I think it's give and take on both sides. The vast majority of these parades are through Unionist areas and why there is no controversy but the contentious parades only skirt by Catholic areas, not through them.

I am not against orange parades whatsoever Ovalman. Its an important part of culture and tradition for many people in n.ireland and in Scotland too. The fact is 99% of parades go uncontested so there has never been any attempt or desire within republicanism to take away the culture of the protestant people.

There is a minority that want nothing whatsoever Orange on the Island, the problem is it is they who scream the loudest. 99% of all those who live on interfaces want nothing but peace and it's the extremists on both sides who don't live there that cause all the problems. If you remove the fuel then the extremists will have nothing to cry about. That's why I think the OO should take the initiative and stop being reactionary. Yesterday was a perfect example, something that could have put them in great light was overshadowed by the story I read of 28,000 signatures.

I live not far from an interface and hear the bands on the 12th morning. I've no desire anymore to watch them, that's not to say I don't like them, it's just I'm too old in the tooth and have seen the parade many times. My Wife and her friends love the spectacle and I just wish it was something we could all enjoy.

The orange men need to stop fighting over a very small number of parades and accept that their culture is not being attacked and true republicanism is not about religion and stands under a flag of green white and orange. You just need to go to the many orange parades in the border counties in the south of Ireland to see how the culture of the orange men is respected.

Sensible people just laugh at them.

Once had the misfortune of having to endure an Orange Order parade through our streets in Aberdeen
Tuneless jakie types urinating where they stood and most drunk as skunks ..thankfully they were not invited to return.