Jamie Bryson: Bonfire injunctions are part of Sinn Fein strategy to neutralise all expressions of unionist culture

Sinn Fein’s ‘New Ireland’ strategy hinges on an ability to complete the ‘harmonisation’ phase of their so-called struggle. And the key staging post is their cultural war; designed to neutralise all expressions of unionist culture and to dismantle single identity cohesion.

All the agitation we are seeing comes straight from the Sinn Fein playbook. Here is how it works; firstly, pick an issue and draw in a broader coalition to cloak the underlying political purpose.

Secondly, create a public narrative that this coalition is coming together to strive for some form of ‘rights’ or ‘justice’.

Thirdly, use this unwitting coalition of pawns as a vehicle to set up arms length groups/committees to champion their opposition to the particular issue.

And finally, use these arms length groups – which pretend to be non-political – to agitate on issues that feed into Sinn Fein’s overarching strategy for the de-britification of Northern Ireland, neutralising expressions of British culture and promoting their ultimate objective of Irish unity.

This strategy was deployed in relation to parading, the past and now Sinn Fein’s fingerprints are all over these new ‘movements’ agitating in relation to flags and bonfires. These cultural expression injunctions flow from that strategy.

There may be genuine concerns about safety from the SDLP, Alliance and some others but I believe those parties are unwitting pawns in Sinn Fein’s game. They are also continuously drawn in to these contrived coalitions when it comes to social issues.

There is a clever politically contrived notion that there is a middle ground and that is where the ‘good people’ reside; sitting passively between the diametrically opposed ‘extremes’. Sinn Fein are increasingly trying to inhabit this space.

The truth is quite different. There is a fundamental instinct within every human being to prevail. It may be suppressed, it may even – like the liberal left – be cloaked in the flowery language of tolerance, equality and respect. But it is there nonetheless and behind the spin, the flowery language and the contrived morality, the basic instinct to prevail resides.

These types are in fact the most devious. They hide their true objective and desire to prevail beneath a facade that pretends they are above entertaining such instincts.

In fact, their ‘progressive’ coalitions are simply another way in which they can satisfy their instinctive desire to prevail – all the whilst outwardly pretending that their movement is the polar opposite of those that would seek to promote their own views and ideals.

I call this linguistic warfare. Cloaking political objectives in the language of civil rights. Demanding political concessions under the flowery language of ‘parity of esteem’, ‘equality’, and ‘tolerance’.

It is designed to emotionally manipulate the public.

But when you peel back the propaganda layer and see through the linguistic warfare strategy, then you realise that the use of ‘rights’ language is simply an effort to manipulate minds into acceding to malevolent political demands.

Unionist culture is under attack and we must fight back with the same venom, clever strategies and propaganda as is being used to wage war on every vestige of British and unionist culture.

The violent conflict is over, and no one would ever want to return to those dark days, but make no mistake about it – a political war still rages.

The battlefields are in the media, council chambers, civic society, social media and the political arena. No more must we passively sit bunkered in as Sinn Fein – aided and abetted by their ‘progressive’ allies – attack from all sides. It’s time to go on the offensive.

Jamie Bryson, Co Down