OF all the things we are good at in this part of the world, we are probably best at hypocrisy.

The racist violence on our streets and the political reaction to it showed a shameful combination of ignorance, dishonesty and old-fashioned northern bigotry, which has elevated us to the top of the hypocrisy scale.

Let us start with those in loyalist areas who burned out families because of their skin colour.

Their cause was presumably fuelled by the belief that immigrants do not belong here because they do not adapt to our beliefs and culture.

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Most unionist ancestors came here over 400 years ago and many of their descendants have failed to adapt to the culture and traditions they found here.

Indeed some of their political representatives have made a career out of opposing the Irish language and other Irish traditions and customs.

The loyalists who burned Bombay Street were not attacking immigrants. They were immigrants who were attacking what loyalists now describe as locals.

Then there........

© The Irish News