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Plight of Village residents is being ignored
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| RSAUB | Date: Tuesday, 2012-02-21, 11:19 PM | Message # 1 |
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Colonel general
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| I WRITE as someone who is proud to live in the Village, Donegall Road, south Belfast.
Your readers may or may not be aware of the plight of the residents and community in this inner-city area of Belfast.
At present I am living in a house surrounded by derelict homes and mass areas of land which once had houses standing on them.
We have been promised new homes for years, despite concerns echoed by the community.
Last August the first homes were demolished, yet nothing has happened since.
Here we have one of a few areas of Belfast, once heavily populated by the unionist community, left to die.
As a Housing Executive tenant I have been seeking to get clarification from the Housing Executive as to when I can expect to vacate my own property, which is to demolished, and move into one of the new homes we have been promised for some time now.
These new homes remain to be seen and just appear to be a distant hope of existence at this point.
We in the Village are being ignored. There do not seem to be any formal plans as to when work will begin.
In the meantime, many of those residents who vacated their homes have moved on and may never return given the lack of information and delays in bringing about this transformation.
It appears to be typical of Housing Executive tenants, especially those who are unionist and living in Belfast, to be treated in such a fashion.
It is in many people’s eyes a form of ethnic cleansing whereby a large section of the unionist population in Belfast have been displaced and moved on elsewhere.
Angry Village Protestant
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/communi....3518309
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| Culzie | Date: Wednesday, 2012-02-22, 5:29 PM | Message # 2 |
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Generalissimo
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| Very true,and its happened before as we saw in Sandy Row and other unionist areas. In the case of Sandy Row and other areas our so-called politicans could hide behind the 'Direct Rule' screen,saying there was nothing they could do as Westminster was responsible. What is their excuse now? Its sad to see the way things are being manipulated and our politicans seem to be involved in these manipulations going along with nationalists/republicans in the devestation of unionist areas. They have a lot to answer for!
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Wednesday, 2012-02-22, 6:38 PM | Message # 3 |
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Colonel general
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| Indeed, I think a lot of it boils down to a lack of conviction in the cause and a desire not to rock the boat. The other major problem is the Housing Executive is full of Roman Catholics as is the main housing officer in South Belfast.
I just don't understand the Unionist politician’s viewpoint, as at the end of the day it's in their interests to have large Unionists communities to get them elected. With this in mind you would think they would fight tooth and nail to maintain, develop and build our communities up.
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| Culzie | Date: Wednesday, 2012-02-22, 8:14 PM | Message # 4 |
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Generalissimo
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| Yes,thats so very true. You'd think they would do as you are saying,but for whatever reason they have no interest in doing so, A blind man could have seen what way south Belfast was going and now it has happened with an sdlp member of parliament. I don't think that had ever happened before in that constituncy. I think a normal reaction to any sort of threat is to take steps to ward it off. But not our lot it seems. In 'The Hound of Ulster' book it tells how the men of Ulster were in a deep sleep as the armies of Ireland advanced. Seems like they are again. Setanta saved the day for them that time but doesn't look like there is a Setanta (or Craig or Carson) in sight nowdays.
The slogan for unionist politicans seems to be 'I stop counting at one'
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Thursday, 2012-02-23, 0:20 AM | Message # 5 |
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Colonel general
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| I think that’s the problem we really have, we have no real inspiring loyalist figure-heads lefts. In our history there has been great men who have came to the forefront, even during the recent troubles the State and Irish Republicans many times in collaboration knew how to take out. We now know that they had prior knowledge of the murders of Robert Bradford and the collaboration in the murder of Billy Wright, and it will probably come out in the future that men like Ray Smallwoods and John McMichael, George Seawright, Edgar Graham etc, were also allowed to be murdered etc.
At the moment the likes of Jim Allister and Willie Frazer are still fighting the corner, Robert McCartney was someone who I always believed could win over people, but he had something that doesn’t go well in politics and that’s principles, he’s now in his mid-70s so I doubt we’ll see him back on the political scene, but he was a man who I admired. Apart from that, there is a couple of people like Jeffery Donaldson who are good constituency MPs but there is no-one who will really come to the fore-front and inspire belief and passion in our people.
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| Culzie | Date: Thursday, 2012-02-23, 8:59 PM | Message # 6 |
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Generalissimo
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| Anyone who may have shown leadership and had principles was not going to be allowed to function,only the Lundies would be given a clear run. ''ULSTER IN CRISIS'' screamed the headline but then all of a sudden there was no crisis. So what was it that caused the change? What deal was done? And who were involved? We may not know,but I think we have a fair idea.
Yes I have a lot of time for Willie Frazer and Jim Allister. Jim lacks the charisma and so doesn't come across to well in the media. Willie is not so bad but there is not anybody on the horizon who can make people sit up and take notice. Of course its the times and circumstances which also play a part and of course the media (backed by the goverment) which can elevate you or ignore you. Davy Ervine was backing the goverment line re the BA and the media gave him big big coverage. If Davy had to have paid for that amount of time he got on the TV he would never in a lifetime have been able to afford it. The media can make you or break you in this world we now live in.
I agreed too with Bob McCartney sometimes but other times he came across as a bit arrogant. But then aren't all politicans a bit like that.
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Sunday, 2012-02-26, 1:16 PM | Message # 7 |
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Colonel general
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| Indeed, Davy Ervine has been made out to be this great iconic loyalist figure by the media, and amongst some within the loyalist community. A lot of people are like sheep and don’t even look and analysis what the man said over his life-time, he regretted and rejected violence, only got involved because of a knee-jerk reaction to bloody Friday, when someone of a similar name was killed and some believed it was him who had been killed. Instead of for a genuine love for Ulster and to safeguard our Country and People.
People like him, despite being basically rejected at the electorate, the UDP and PUP didn’t even get the number of votes throughout the whole Country that the membership of the UDA and UVF had. You had the interesting scenario were in many cases loyalist paramilitaries weren’t even voting for the political wings of their own organisations, yet the media gave them a free run, because they were spreading the right message.
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| Culzie | Date: Sunday, 2012-02-26, 8:56 PM | Message # 8 |
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Generalissimo
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| Summed it up there RSAUB. Given the numbers which were in both organisations it does seem that they wern't even getting their votes. The DUP played a good game in switching from their hardline role to softline. They could afford to loose some of their traditional voters and draw some middle-of-the-road people who wanted peace at any price. By doing that they could afford to forget their old support, They wern't needed any longer. They had served their purpose and so could be discarded.
As regards the Village I was talking to a fella on Saturday who was saying about re-developing in general. He was saying that the people should make it plain that any of this work should be done in stages. That a row of house is knocked down and thats all. A row of new houses is then rebuilt where the old ones were and it should work right though the whole area on that understanding. No more flattening the whole place and then stopping while people get fed up and move out never to return. This should be signed up to by the 'powers that be'and any reneging on it should be brought to court. People shouldn't move until they are given a cast-iron gurantee.
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Sunday, 2012-02-26, 9:19 PM | Message # 9 |
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Colonel general
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| Too right, as plans can change at the drop of a hat, so you need cast-iron guarantees, especially when the evidence is there to see in other working class loyalist areas what re-development has really meant for our community.
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| RSAUB | Date: Sunday, 2012-02-26, 9:20 PM | Message # 10 |
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Colonel general
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| Too right, as plans can change at the drop of a hat, so you need cast-iron guarantees, especially when the evidence is there to see in other working class loyalist areas what re-development has really meant for our community.
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| Culzie | Date: Monday, 2012-02-27, 10:53 PM | Message # 11 |
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| Thats why I cannot understand how the Village is now as it is. They must have been aware of what happened to Sandy Row and Billy Dickson was in the DUP at one time I think. Maybe he still is? But how they fell for it after all that went before I'm left wondering. Suppose again its a matter of too many chiefs and....we know whats best...no you don't we do.
But when they put out the questionaire there was more which didn't even answer it than the yes or noes who did reply. Indifference,couldn't care less. But whatever the reason it looks like the Village is not what it was.
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Tuesday, 2012-02-28, 4:50 AM | Message # 12 |
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Colonel general
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| It will go the same way as the once loyalist streets on the Lisburn Road, there is no longer a housing executive area in South Belfast that is now classed as Protestant they are all classed as mixed. Mainly due to the main housing officer in South Belfast being a Roman Catholic, so we can imagine a fair few Roman Catholics being moved into the Village area, and in all honesty, if anyone can't see that happening, they only have to look at what's happened to the once loyalist streets on the Lisburn Road, just across the Railway line.
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| Culzie | Date: Monday, 2012-03-05, 4:50 PM | Message # 13 |
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Generalissimo
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| I can remember Ethel St running off the Lisburn Rd having a banner strung across the street 'six into twenty-six won't go'. On down the Lisburn Rd a bit was Cussick St which had an Orange arch erected for many years. There were bonfires every 11th night, and in Fane St alone which is a fairly short street there were three bonfires. In the early 1990s there was an 11th of July street party in Lower Windsor Avenue.
Lisburn Rd was sort of like the Lower Ormeau Rd in that it was mostly the easy going,middle-of-the-road type of Prod. They would maybe join in the fun at the 12th but fighting to hold an area would not be in their character But there were those who were a bit more militant. I remember a guy saying to me years ago in a half-joking way that Sandy Row wouldn't be still there if it wasn't for the Village and the Pass. He might have had a point. But on the Lisburn Rd that didn't apply so it was always open for 'peaceful penetration' That Sandy Row song has a line in it 'the fenians they are spreading from their ghetto on the Falls,ther'e even making chapels out of loyal picture halls'. That I believe referred to a time when it was said that the Catholic church was after buying the Regal cinema on the Lisburn Rd for use as a chapel. It didn't happen as there was a bit of a kick-back about it. But nowdays?
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Monday, 2012-03-05, 6:56 PM | Message # 14 |
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Colonel general
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| And what's left today on Lisburn road. I can't see the Marlborough Social Club staying open in years to come, any time i'm in it, there's not many about and if it does stay open it will be because it has become mixed rather than remain Prod. There's still a wee bonfire down beside the railway lines on the Lisburn road, by lads from the Village.
You can really see it in the number of flags put outside the houses, there's about a dozen flags outside houses for the whole of the Lisburn Road, in years gone by, there would have been that on one street. A lot of it has to do with Buy to Rents in years gone by, mostly rented out to students which has changed the area beyond belief. A few years ago I seen a few GAA flags outside windows when a big GAA match was being played by Queens GAA team.
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| Culzie | Date: Wednesday, 2012-11-28, 6:22 PM | Message # 15 |
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Generalissimo
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| Ulster Television ran a clip about the Village last night 27/11/2012. It said that there were 538 houses in the Village but when rebuilt there will be 114. Yes, there was obviously going to be a reduction in the number of houses,but away below half of what there once was.  
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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