As David Ford slept and George Hamilton looked the other way, The Loyalist Communities Council, incorporating the UDA, UVF and the Red Hand Commandos and for some reason Jonathan Powell, has been launched under the heading of ‘Unfinished Work’.
Its purpose or aim, let’s hope not down a gun barrel, is to improve the standard of "neglect" of loyalist working class communities by restricting drugs, prostitution and general racketeering to between the hours of 00:00 and 23:59!
It is no coincidence that the attainment levels of working class loyalist young people are the lowest in the UK.
The launch of the council has been timed to coincide with the 21st anniversary of the loyalist ceasefire and which much like the Provo ceasefire, was concocted in meaningless words and supported in violent deeds.
Powell in sharing the same platform with those running criminality within Loyalist working areas and blinded by Blair’s surreal view of worldly matters, went on to state that criminality, must be left behind and pointed out that:
The misuse of loyalism for criminal purposes will not be tolerated ... but we should be ready to help those who want to make the transition.
Perhaps arresting them would be a better solution!
The Council will focus on "law abiding responses to criminality", as well as addressing loyalist "disenfranchisement" from the political process and increasing educational standards in loyalist communities. Education standards in dire need of rescue and best summed up with the following. To emphasise their support on "law abiding responses to criminality", the Council announced in the joint declaration.
We eschew all violence and criminality. If there are those who attempt to use current or past associations with our organisations to further criminality they will be disowned and should be aware that they will not be permitted to use the cover of Loyalism.
Yes, quite, and much like the Provos, a veiled threat of a return to the use of violence outside of the ‘law’ whenever the need should arise.
But the icing on the cake came towards the end when Powell, attempting to portray the members of the Council as men of integrity and honesty, failed miserably when the question of funding arose.
Denying that the main focus and aim of these men, whose organisations are heavily involved in racketeering, was money, he continued to espouse their virtues as rightful, caring and law abiding citizens as the main reason for this today. But, if funding, miss-spelt as ‘help’, were forthcoming to help them achieve their goals then all the more welcome so as they don’t feel left behind in the peace process.
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