Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground

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I think it has been very thoughtfully and sensitively put together, to show the northern Protestants as they are, in all their various manifestations, situations, hopes and fears. Similarly, we hear the views of the LGBT community within Northern Protestantism and learn how these people reconcile their sexuality with a political ideology that has more often than not been fiercely intolerant of them. It’s a deep but breezy read, and I found myself constantly saying far past my bedtime, “Just one more section. That frustration with things as they are is a constant in this fascinating and constantly thought-provoking book.

A deeply unflattering portrait of an insufferable and hysterical people,a "law abiding" people who quickly turn against the law when it ceases to serve their interest,a people always inventing an impending doom they can violently react against,a people who's religious piety has rendered them impervious to reason,a people too often preoccupied with only the veneer of respectability and a fatalistic,often servile mentality that causes them to accept their place near the bottom of the ladder - as long as they were one rung above the Catholics.Looking for a single book to tell you what to think about the province is a fool's errand in my humble opinion - and that book, if it existed, likely wouldn’t be worth reading. Written with McKay’s trademark passion and conviction, and full of vulnerable and valiant testimony, this book is compelling, essential reading. But as many Ulster Protestants will denounce this book as an indictment of their people,I found myself warming to many of the people in the book and found their perspective refreshing.

England has a responsibility to undo its mess but it washes its hands like Pontius Pilate and blames the result on the barbarous and factionalist Irish. This book is a very impressive collection of verbatim interviews with a broad spectrum of people who fall under the umbrella of Northern Protestants. There's constant, unsettling chatter about a poll for a united Ireland, for the first time in years.It is a potentially transformative narrative for anyone who takes the time to read it and reflect on the many experiences, commentaries and stories of the contributors. Feminism in particular is striving for change and you can only feel optimistic with so many driven women featuring strongly, looking to make the shift to issues that need to be tackled. I was particularly taken with the politics of Dawn Purvis, ex of the PUP, and how she was much more interested in tackling inequality in education, health and gender. perhaps because I know more of the interviewees, some better than others, and even with those I don't know I recognise the mindset.