Every Littlle Yelpppsssss....Is Tesco's action on the wearing of GAA regalia, deemed contentious in our normalised NI society! It has emerged that a group of GAA juveniles from St Comghall's GAA club were refused admittance to their local Tesco store, on the grounds of wearing
"alleged"inappropriate clothing!
Tesco has admitted to asking a group of local GAA charity bag-packers at its store in Antrim, to remove GAA jerseys following alleged complaints from the public. Children as young as nine were participating in collecting money for their local club on Sunday, when they were asked to go home and change out of their beloved club jerseys.
Tesco’s claim the decision was taken following allegedly
“vociferous”complaints from the public, including complaints allegedly passed on by the local Ulster Unionist Councillor, Adrian Watson, on the bequest of some of his constituents. (A point I will elaborate on later!!). Since the event local media including T.V. stations, BBC, regional newspaper's, Belfast Telegraph. and regional Radio Station'sBBC Radio . Numerous websites have also picked up on the story including most notably politics.ie , An Fear Rua, gaaboard.com
This whole issue has served only to bring to public attention a host of issues:
Sport and Sectarianism Embroiling the GAA?
Surely, this flies in the face of the strenuous attempts made by the GAA to eliminate tribal sectarianism from within its ranks. It has always held the neutral ground and maintained a poignant stance on non-sectarianism, and has been an avid supporter of building cross community links. One of it’s current strategies, ”The Game of Three Halves” fully endorses its aim of forging links with non-traditional GAA communities.
However, it’s very generic association with Irish nationalism has made the GAA a target on several occasions for loyalist paramilitaries during the Troubles. Through the course of The Troubles, regrettably, a number of GAA supporters were killed and clubhouses damaged or destroyed. Even in recent times, being in the vicinity of a GAA ground has been enough to become a loyalist target, as in the case of the late Gavin Brett (July 2002), a 19-year-old Protestant. This has been accompanied by an increase in the number of sectarian attacks on Gaelic clubs in Northern Ireland. Is this a sign of the normalization of political life in Northern Ireland?
Will these rumblings be felt in the Tesco Boardroom?
Currently, Tesco, approximately takes £1 in every £8 spent in shops by British consumers. Moreover, during the last ten years it accumulated a network of 1,376 stores (and counting!) outside the UK, which last year generated £564 million worth of profit. What %/head spend of this do Southern Ireland consumers make up we wonder?
There are thousands of Southern Ireland shoppers who make the long pilgrimage every week/fortnight to do their family shop. They then, quite happily pass beneath Tesco’s hideous blue and red logo, and proceed to tread down its speckled orange flooring, to over fill their trolley’s to the point of cracking at the axle! Will they continue undeterred, or listen to the cries of boycott?How much is all this costing Ireland's Exchequer, might we ask? Let's not forget that cross-border alcohol shopping alone, could cost the Irish State €100 million in lost tax revenue and up to 400 jobs, according to DCU economist Anthony Foley, which can be reinforced by Nielsen statistics as quoted in The Sunday Business Post.
Whilst all this going on, Southern Ireland retailers and suppliers have been ravaged by this mass exodus of their clientele, flocking in their droves to Tesco outlets North of the Border. On the ground, various organisations such as the CSNA,(Consumer Stores & Newsagents Association) are vigorously campaigning for the rights of local Irish retailers and suppliers. This organisation is currently run by over 1,500 local Irish Store Owners for the benefit of their businesses in attempt to stem closure and keep local jobs alive!
And Ireland's Retail Clothing Trade? In vain attempts to try and abate these rumblings of discontent, Tesco Ireland, recently introduced euro-sterling price parity on all its clothes as recently reported in the Irish Times ,representing a 7% reduction for Irish shoppers based on current exchange rates. However, when The Irish Times’ columnist Connor Pope asked if the chain was planning to introduce price parity across its grocery range, he was told this was a more complex situation, although Tesco was;
“working to reduce the gap there too.”
Au contraire, according to one of TODAY’s Irish national newspaper’s front pages it has recently been reported that numerous grocery brands, popular in the Republic of Irleand, are due to be removed from Tesco shelves as of Tuesday as it continues it’s major restructuring policy!
Industry sources claim up to 13 stores in Ireland's Border counties, including a large Tesco Extra outlet in Cork are to be affected. This action appears to be in stark contrast to the fact Consumers in the Republic are deemed more brand aware than shoppers in other jurisdictions!. Read the full article by Conor Pope in today’s Irish Times.
And Where does the Ulster Unionist, Mr Martin fit in!
Whilst, Mr Martin has moved to strenuously disassociate himself from the alleged remarks it will be seen as quite a futile gesture, in the eyes of most nationalists!
The GAA has long been viewed as an exclusive, sectarian organisation by the Unionist establishment. In 1979, the GAA passed motions calling for a withdrawal of the British army from the North, and another calling on the organisation to:
"unequivocally support the struggle for national liberation"But that was then and a completely different set of circumstances faced both sides. However, since then, the Unionist's community has always maintained a shrowded mis-trust and suspision of the organisation. Sport is always deemed as playing an integral part in society, especially within Northern Ireland. Although we have enjoying a relatively sustained period of peace we are still nonetheless, a segregated society. Nothing enflames the passions of the natives, like sport does in this wee state-let!.
But what if these perceived allegations are found to have some truth attached? But surely such alleged behaviour could be no way indicative of the all new Conservative/Ulster Unionist’s Alliance? Also, in the not so distant past, we were all treated to the the unfurling of a new look re-juvenated Orange Order! A blaze of publicity surrounded the arrival of the ginger-haired, Buzz Light-Year look-alike new Orange Icon, drapped in a purple cape and the traditional sash. His inception was then hailed as a brilliantly subversive piece of propaganda, for an organisation that has suffered from a serious image problem! No more the ruddy face, bowler hat and sombre suit figure. He had been skilfully cast aside and in his place stood a cartoon-like superhero, ready to take the Orange Order to new heights! At Sash Gordon/Boyne Wonder’s unveiling, David Hume, the Order’s Director of Services, pronounced:
“We want to make the Orange Order more relevant to the young and appear less stuffy. Our new hero has been carefully designed and is really a bit of good fun. Our research shows that he should appeal to the young. He will appear on Christmas cards. The only problem is that we do not have a name for him so we decided to launch a competition. We hope that junior members of the order or anyone who is interested will send in suggestions.”
Can the Orange Order/Unionism umbrella be seen to bruise itself by stumbling into this controversy, Mr N.I. Minister for Arts, Culture & Leisure?
Or are we back to the bygone days of the pompous over claim of:
"The future's bright, the future's Orange!”A Final Thought!, Are we heading back to this ...........
Or will it all just be ???????????
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