Pro-Union Futures: Evidence Based Discussion Three

The Pro-Union Community is Beleaguered We are told the pro-union community is beleaguered and broken. Such a perspective sets the tone of media and other commentary - a hapless community that lacks hope and capacity to deal with the rapid social, demographic and other changes that have evolved over the recent past. So let us consider these claims.

This is an undoubtedly audacious and erroneous claim that those who are pro-union do not do community. Let us consider a few examples;

• The Shankill Winter Festival in 2019 began with a celebration of Diwali a Hindu Festival and ended with Burn’s night
• Through a diverse team of artists and community activist Beyond Skin designs and facilitates innovative creative projects and solutions that strengthen community relations, nurture peace processes, assist good mental health and promote interaction between different cultures through diversity and global education. The Shankill Road Defenders (SRD) band have worked with musicians from Kurdistan, India, Ghana, Ireland, Slovakia and Jamaica. The aim is to challenge racism together.
• EastSide Arts Festival is an annual summer festival that showcases the brilliant creative talent that lies within east Belfast featuring music, comedy, movies, theatre, talks, workshops, exhibitions, poetry and other events. Each year sees the festival growing in ambition and reach
• New Gate Arts & Culture Centre is a vibrant arts and culture centre, where everyone can experience the unique cultural heritage of our community located in The Fountain area of Londonderry. They provide a range of workshops, classes, performances, talks (including Mary Lou McDonald), tours, festivals and cultural events. As well as facilitated discussions, good relations workshops and peace building initiatives
• Northern Ireland Alternatives is a government accredited restorative justice programme that aims to promote and develop non-violent community responses to the issues of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in areas across Northern Ireland. NIA have branches in North Belfast, Greater Shankill, East Belfast, South Belfast and North Down.
• The Resurgam Trust in Lisburn supports social enterprise organisations. Although a non-political organisation the Trust build alliances and relationships with all locally elected representatives and the communities that elect them.  The themes of their work include: Education & Employment, Community Development, Youth Provision, Social Enterprise, Community Safety, Health & Wellbeing, Early Intervention and anti-racist work.

All across Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland inter-community work and the bonds of reconciliation are being built.  So we have had, at the societal level, a huge amount of effort to lift us all into a new place in which we challenge prejudice, offer alternatives to conflict and develop jobs and opportunities. A massive contribution that the media rarely engage with and others, form their own prejudiced perspective, continue, despite the facts, to state that pro-union community does not do community.

There is more Protestant than Catholic poverty

Some of the most facile forms of sectarianism related to debates about poverty, social exclusion and multiple deprivation. Over the years there has been an increasing claim that Protestant communities suffer more from multiple deprivation than their Catholic counterparts. A sign, supposedly of a failing community, the wreck upon the shore that has no capacity to recover or capacity build.  A sense of nothing more than an alienated rump that lacks aptitude and a future.  However, if we look at recent Multiple Deprivation Measures by Special Output Area (the units that comprise wards) we find that the majority of poverty is located within predominantly Catholic areas. Of the 100 most deprived placed 28 are predominantly Protestant, 5 mixed and 67 are primarily Catholic. In the ten most deprived 1 is Protestant.

Again, we remind ourselves why is the opposite of fact being said and how do we deal with the wicked problems of multiple deprivation if we base opinions upon erroneous and sectarian perceptions?  How do we solve these problems if we are faulty in our conclusions? Few wish for either community to be struggling or even use the term Catholic or Protestant when discussing such matters.

Protestant Leave to Study in GB and rarely comeback

Another myth is that more Protestant school leavers head of the study in universities in GB and never come back. Of course many do, from both backgrounds, and it is probably correct that around 60+% stay in GB when they graduate. However, the Department for the Economy, via its yearly survey, shows that slightly more Catholics go to study in GB. Again, we have an enduring and un-evidenced opinion that is based upon another the belief that hapless Protestants flee.