Two Glasgow' peelers bit off a wee bit more than they could chew
last weekend when they attempted to arrest an An Phoblacht seller
outside Celtic Park before the Celts game with Rangers.
Not only did the `Gers players and fans end up as blue as their
jerseys (after conceding five Celtic goals) but the peelers did
as well for the guy they targeted for harassment knew a bit about
the law.
The peelers asserted that our man was in breach of the peace; not
so, he answered and asked the boys in blue to get their
commanding officer - which they are required to do by law - but
they refused.
So says our man, ``what's your names?''.
Again, according to Scottish law, the peelers must identify
themselves, but again they refused so our man stood his ground.
d before you could say 5 - 1, 5- 1 the queue of eager readers
looking for their copy of Ireland's biggest selling political
weekly had grown so long that the `Glesga Polis' took off.
Unfortunately their hasty retreat from the scene of the crime
meant that our man didn't get the chance to thank them for their
support and a quicker turnover than usual.
What has happened to the Orange Volunteer Force? Never heard of
them? They surfaced in an advert in the official programme for
the Belfast Orange Order march on 12 July.
The group's stated objects and policies make interesting reading.
Their objects include ``to oppose and resist all attempts to
assimilate or merge Northern Ireland (British Ulster) with the
Irish Republic; to defend, support and protect the loyalist
people of Northern Ireland; [and] to carry out such actions as
may be necessary...''
Ominous stuff.
They say it is their policy to act within the law. ``However, in a
situation where the British Government (or others) would find it
expedient to allow Northern Ireland (British Ulster) and its
people to be absorbed into an Irish Republic the Orange
Volunteers will work and fight without tie or bond with the help
of Almighty God to maintain Northern Ireland's position as an
integral part of the United Kingdom.''
``Fight without tie or bond''? Does that mean killing nationalists?
I hope Tony Blair clarified that when he met the leaders of the
Orange Order on Monday.
Last Friday David Trimble met some of the 26 Counties big noises
for a bit of goodwill building and getting-to-know-you. But he
was less than successful.
He was asked to describe how he saw the relationship between the
North and South of Ireland and when he began by saying it was
like the relationship between Germany and Austria, RTE presenter
and academic Brian Farrell went ballistic.
unholy row ensued, at the end of which Farrell told Trimble
he'd be ``more foreign to the English than you would be to people
down here''.
The 26 County Government held a ceremony to remember the United
Irishmen at Dublin's Croppies Acre last Sunday. But the ideals of
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity weren't much in evidence.
Bertie Ahern and Seamus Brennan and other Fiann Fáil and Free
State Army dignatories kept aloof from the lowly invited plebs.
They had their own separate entrance and dined separately from
the other guests.
Time for an equality agenda for the 26 Counties?
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)