Drumcree sides must accept responsibility

Speaking at the recent meeting of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, John Richardson, a member of the Orange Order, said: "The Egyptians had their plagues, the Church of Ireland has its Drumcree."

The Church of Ireland Archbishop, Dr Robin Eames, makes reference to Drumcree as his "Calvary", which I am sure should not be interpreted in a strictly theological sense. If it is, the forthcoming "Drumcree" will be his seventh!

The distressing thing about yet another Drumcree stand-off is not its annual repetition, or its legitimate expression of a religious culture and tradition, but the intransigence and the violence. That this stand-off should be allowed to continue for so long is a challenge to any modern democratic society.

The past six years are littered with the efforts of various people and groups to broker a compromise over this most contested piece of road. All to no avail. The use of various "brokers" such as Brendan McAlister of Mediation Network in the earlier years of the dispute, to the more recent involvement of Brian Currin, the South African human rights lawyer, have not produced a positive result.

The intransigence on the part of both sides in this dispute is beyond comprehension. The procedural wrangling of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition at the various initiatives is matched only by the stubborn refusal of the Portadown District to get involved in "face to face" negotiations.

The refusal of the coalition to accept a British government minister to adjudicate the dispute on the grounds that the government was part of the problem is matched only by the refusal of Portadown District to talk directly to Brendan McKenna, of the residents' association, on the grounds of his past. The morality for such a position was lost when the Portadown District Master, Mr Harold Gracey, shared a platform with the late Billy Wright.

The difficulty at the heart of this dispute is the problem of accepting responsibility for one's actions. It is a problem as old as mankind. When God asked Adam in the Garden of Eden "have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?", Adam replied: "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Likewise, the woman blamed it on somebody else: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:11-13)

It is, however, the violence which is the most visible and unacceptable aspect of this dispute. Over the years, instead of the word "Drumcree" depicting a small, peaceful and secluded hamlet in Co Armagh, it has become a byword for disruption and violence.

Having public protests which result in the injury or death of members of the security forces must bring shame on any organisation which professes to be both Christian and Loyal. Those who call people on to the streets today, particularly in a volatile situation, must accept responsibility for the consequences. Human responsibility is a fundamental principle of the Gospel.

Accepting personal responsibility for our actions is also a sign of maturity. But the Scriptures also teach us that we are "our brother's keeper". Paul encourages the early Christians: "Do not cause anyone to stumble." (1 Corinthians 10:32).

In accepting responsibility for our actions we must also recognise that we must accept some responsibility for the results of our actions. We cannot wash our hands, either in public or in private, of the consequences of those actions. History did not judge Pontius Pilate well for a similar "hand-washing" exercise.

Of course, statements have been issued condemning the violence, but actions speak louder than words.

In their book Drumcree, released today, Chris Ryder and Vincent Kearney summarise events as follows: "Its [Orange Order] leaders had vacillated about condemning violence, issued ambiguous and contradictory statements, refused to distance themselves from the likes of [Johnny] Adair and generally appeared to have acted like rabbits in a car's headlights . . . Within Grand Lodge, equivocation and ambivalence were the order of the day."

The ambivalence towards violence was further revealed when in 1998, in the midst of the increasing violence, Harold Gracey refused to read out a statement because it contained a sentence condemning violence.

The Orange Order might well spend £50,000 on training individuals to make a good presentation to the media, but it would all appear to be in vain when Harold Gracey gets in front of a microphone.

And yet, all this could and should be very different. The basis of the Orange Institution is in the public domain. It states: "It is exclusively an Association of those who are attached to the religion of the Reformation, and will not admit into its brotherhood persons whom an intolerant spirit leads to persecute, injure, or upbraid any man on account of his religious opinions."

Brian Kennaway is minister at Crumlin Presbyterian Church in Belfast and former convenor of the education committee, Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland