Dublin Orange Lodge (@dublin1313) - Peaceful 12th obviously very effective in annoying our opponents

Previously the Martin McGuinness handshake had deprived loyalist hostility of its substance. 

Violence is utterly self-defeating. As the News Letter said:

"Loyalists have allowed Sinn Fein to depict themselves as the reasonable democrats" 

 http://t.co/qTflFJLW

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Alex Kane (@AlexKane221b) - The Mrs Lincoln argument

Alex Kane wrote in the News Letter in June 2014:

"At some point we’ll also hear someone deploy a variation of “the vast majority of [Orange Order/loyalist] parades pass off peacefully, it’s only a few that cause problems”. I call this the Mrs Lincoln argument, because it’s a bit like saying to the assassinated president’s wife, “but apart from that, how did you enjoy the play?"

And:

"People don’t remember, let alone notice, the parades that pass off peacefully. They notice and remember the ones that result in protests, violence, stand-offs and heightened tensions. They notice the ones that dominate the headlines and confirm their opinion that nothing is ever really going to change here."

In full here: http://m.newsletter.co.uk/news/put-blame-where-it-belongs-the-parties-1-6149534

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Julian O'Neill - 'Image problem' may explain fall in NI visitor numbers

An "image problem" may explain a fall in visitor numbers to Northern Ireland from across the border, according to a review of the tourism industry.

Overnight visitors from the Republic of Ireland declined by 7% in 2013.

A report for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) said "social unrest over parades and flags" had potentially had an impact.

It also said the local tourism industry was worried about "continuing sectarianism and racial prejudice".

The report said there needed to be "concerted action to promote a safe and secure image of Northern Ireland, including targeted marketing".

The review was ordered by DETI minister Arlene Foster last year.

It calls for a need "to deepen the relationship" between the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Invest NI.

It rules out a merger, but suggests a shared office and renaming the Tourist Board either Visit NI or Discover NI.

The recommendations contained in the report have been put out to public consultation.

It calls for an updated strategy and says the Tourist Board needs to improve "partnership working".

"NITB is at a crossroads," the report's author writes.

"Given the board's achievements in recent years... I am confident that NITB will meet the challenge."

Here: http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-28136326

Report here: http://www.detini.gov.uk/deti_tourism__14__review_doc_2-7.pdf

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Matt Bagott tacitly slams unionist politicians for their licensing and indulgence of lawlessness

Matt Bagott tacitly slams unionist politicians for their licensing and indulgence of lawlessness http://tmblr.co/ZTxVUt1K4JoTu

Also said: I think there are times when politicians need to be less risk averse and actually more equivocal that, irrespective of if we like it or not the law is the law.

Matt Bagott - In terms of ordinary crime Nothern Ireland is probably the safest place I have ever worked

Matt Bagott said to the Belfast Telegraph: 

"In terms of ordinary crime, [Nothern Ireland] is not the most challenging. In fact, it is probably the safest place I have ever worked. Inner city crime in Peckham, where you have street gangs and hundreds of robberies every month, is much more challenging crime-wise."

In full here: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/matt-baggott-its-time-the-psni-stopped-dealing-with-past-30388114.html

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Newton Emerson - Sinn Fein oppose integrated education and mixed housing because it normalises Northern Ireland

Newton Emerson wrote in the Irish News:

"As with integrated education, Sinn Fein sees mixed housing as a plot to "normalise" Northern Ireland and therefor partition."

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John Tongue - Racist attacks damage loyalism

Jonathan Tongue, author of ‘The Democratic Unionist Party: From Protest to Power’ said:

“They [loyalists] don’t see how much damage these attacks are doing to their own image, their own communities even if, to be completely fair, loyalist leaders on the ground see this… There is a bit of a Millwall mentality within working-class loyalist communities – the perception that ‘no one likes us, we don’t care’.”

And then:

“These people [loyalists] are used to having a united identity and they are not used to outsiders in their midst. Catholics were driven from their areas decades ago so they are stunned by this recent wave of immigrants coming into their communities.”

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/12/racism-northern-ireland-couple-tell-abuse-belfast)

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Kyle Paisley criticism of Peter Robinson

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