Over the past few weeks sectarianism has once again been thrown onto the political agenda with the parading outside St. Patrick's church, the riots in North Belfast and the Ulster Covenant centenary march.

County Grand Chaplain of the Orange Order Mervyn Gibson has declared that "No one will have a Veto over the Ulster Covenant parade", in response to residents from Carrick Hill who had issues with the march passing the church again, after the anti-Catholic 'Famine Song' was played outside the venue when loyalists provocatively marched outside the church previously.

The Orange Order talks about being a cultural or historical organisation. But anyone who sees the ‘wood from the trees’ will see them for what they are, a sectarian organisation that wants to return to the old days of discrimination and triumphalism.
Be it the playing of sectarian songs, or the racist speeches on the 12th – the order is a deeply political organisation that brings trouble with them everywhere they go.

Unionist bigots

Next up we have the bigots masquerading as politicians - Nelson McCausland and Peter Robinson who lend their support to the civil disobedience of the Loyal Orders. Unionist Politicians and Orange leaders have always stated that all Protestants, regardless of whether they are unemployed from the Shankill or an elected politician with several homes milking expenses should stick together.

Robinson, McCausland and the Orange Order are stoking sectarianism and are trying to get across the idea that Loyalists have "legitimate” concerns because of the occasional refusal by the Parades commission to allow the Order to march wherever they want.

This has been put alongside the nonsensical idea that Catholics are somehow doing better out of the Good Friday Agreement than everyone else. Not only are such statements factually incorrect, they are deeply sectarian and potentially make it harder for those really left behind-working class Catholics and Protestants to fight together.

Sectarianism is a rotten idea that divides people with common interests, but it doesn’t just spring from nowhere. It is deeply rooted at the heart of our society and is bolstered by the actions of politicians in Stormont.

After all, sectarianism supports the political class by making unity harder and those reducing resistance to the agenda of cuts.

Just as Stormont has failed to tackle sectarianism it has failed to stop the terminal jobs decline.
Job losses

FG Wilson’s statement that over 700 jobs are to go in the next few months as the company moves to China is a devastating blow for workers in the North.

Once again it shows who wins and loses in the recession.

It has been revealed the firms responsible for laying off the most workers in the North-FG Wilson and Seagate in Limavady have also received the highest handouts from the taxpayer.

The lesson of FG Wilson shows that no matter how many millions are given to a multi-national corporation or what promises are made, they are motivated by one thing –maximising profits and will go where they can achieve this. Over the last few years the company received £46 million of taxpayer’s money from Invest NI. Instead of kneeling before the bosses and looking like a bunch of helpless stooges on TV, the Executive should claw back the millions we gave FG Wilson and save the workers jobs.

In light of the FG Wilson debacle Stormont should really drop its obscene calls for corporation tax to be cut down to a paltry 12.5% in the North. Instead the focus should be on keeping jobs rather than cutting taxes for the rich.

Trade Unions have called a demo in Belfast on 20 October for everyone from FG Wilson workers, public sector workers and everyone else affected by the cuts to take to the streets and voice their opposition.

This is an important date for us not only to give hell to the politicians cutting our services and destroying our lives but also to unite Catholics and Protestants and fight the cuts together.

Cuts cannot be beaten separately in Catholic or Protestant communities but can only defeated when we stand and fight together. This is our only method against the austerity drive which will send us back to the Victorian era.