After 40 years, the terrorists turn to politics

In the East Belfast Mission hall, the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando announced they had put weapons “beyond use”

Henry McDonald

At precisely two minutes past 10 yesterday morning, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with grey hair walked up to the podium inside a church hall usually used for religious services and a mother-and-toddlers’ group. Shorn of the usual trappings associated with a member of the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force – black commando-style jumper, monkey hat, military-style white belt and woollen mask – this nondescript figure was about to deliver a historic message.

Reading from a single white page, the man announced: “The leadership of the UVF and Red Hand Commando today confirms it has completed the process of rendering ordnance totally, and irreversibly, beyond use.”

The oldest loyalist terrorist groups in Northern Ireland had put their weapons arsenal beyond use.

The building chosen by the UVF leadership to make its announcement was apposite. The Methodist East Belfast Mission hall is only several hundred metres away from one of the city’s many sectarian interfaces. It was there in 1970, where the Newtownards Road meets the Catholic Short Strand, that a gun battle raged following an Orange march. This confrontation marked the birth of the Provisional IRA and, given the large number of casualties inflicted on the loyalist side, was also instrumental in driving many working-class loyalists into the arms of the UVF.

The UVF was formed in 1966 and has been responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Troubles.

The other main loyalist association, the Ulster Defence Association, grew from the street militias formed to defend loyalist areas of Belfast in the early 1970s and became so large that it helped topple the 1974 power-sharing executive through a combination of mass intimidation and a general strike. A year before the 1994 ceasefire, its killing machine, the Ulster Freedom Fighters, helped push Northern Ireland close to civil war with indiscriminate gun attacks on Catholic bars and betting shops. Like the UVF, the UDA has attempted to politicise through the conflict and has now reached the point where it recognises it has nowhere else to go other than to disarm and eventually dissolve.

Both announcements were made in the constituency of Northern Ireland’s first minister, Peter Robinson. The news that the main loyalist organisations have either fully disarmed, or are about to, is a significant boost for the Democratic Unionist MP for East Belfast. Robinson and his party suffered a major electoral setback this month in the European elections, when the DUP lost thousands of votes to the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice leader, Jim Alliste.

The Observer, June 28, 2009

Task 3. Answer the following questions.

1. What do the realia Ulster Volunteer Force; Red Hand Commando; an Orange march; the Ulster Defence Association; Northern Ireland First Minister mean? Find more realia in the material.

2. What is the role of descriptive adjectives an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with grey hair; a black commando-style jumper; a monkey hat; a military-style white belt and woollen mask; a nondescript figure; a single white page found in the introductory part of the article?

3. What is the synonym of the idiom to put something beyond use? Identify it in the article.

4. What sentence reveals the main idea of the article?

5. Find the sentence concluding the article.

6. Why do you think a comma is used in the headline?

Task 4. Make lexical and grammatical analysis of the text.

Task 5. Watch Video 4.1 (Unit 4) and fill in the gridas in Task 5, Unit 1.

Task 6. Read the following subheads and restore the headlines.

1. A CANCER victim has been refused treatment that could extend her life – just three weeks before a...

fund / victim / radiation / in / £50m drugs / cancer / is denied / confusion

2. DOGS’ dinners are going gourmet as owners feed them takeaways, a survey revealed yesterday.

feed / gourment / dogs / as owners / takeaways / food / get / them

3. A FIREBALL caused by a gas explosion ripped through a city’s streets yesterday, leaving at least six...

San Francisco / dead / six / leaves / fireball / in

4. A TODDLER suffered horrific injuries and needed 200 stitches in his face after being savaged by his...

leaves / needing / sheepdog / 200/ attack / stitches / boy

5. WHEN an elephant decides to sit on you, it’s just as well that you’re an elephant yourself, or you...

takes / as a seat / elephant / young / his friend

6. GRINNING and swaggering, the young man who helped kill schoolboy Damilola Taylor enjoys his freedom...

he / killer/ as / from / grins / Damilola Taylor / jail / walks free

Task 7. Watch Video 4.2 (Unit 4) and fill in the gridas in Task 5, Unit 1.

Unit 5

FEATURE ARTICLES: ESSENCE, STRUCTURE, LINGUISTIC PROPERTIES

A feature story differs from a news story in one respect – its intent. A news story provides information about an event, idea or situation. The feature does a bit more – it may also interpret news, add depth and colour to a story, instruct or entertain.

It tends to be longer than news articles. Feature articles often begin with a hook that is meant to catch the reader’s attention, and go on to describe interesting aspects of the topic under consideration without necessarily following the “inverted pyramid” structure. As a feature article does not address an immediately topical subject as would be expected of a news story, it is usually considerably longer, and may well present an opinionated view.

Features are commonly seen in newspaper supplements and magazines.

A feature story falls into the following categories:

- colour piece – describing a scene and throw light on its theme(s);

- behind the scenes (similar to the above, but with the journalist a part of events);

- in disguise (pretending to be another person);

- interview;

- profile (an examination of a particular person. Will often include an interview);

- factbox or chronology (a simple list of facts, perhaps in date order);

- backgrounder (or a history of an extended factbox);

- full texts (extracts from books or transcripts of interviews);

- my testimony (a first-person report of some kind);

- analysis (an examination of the reasons behind an event);

- vox pop (or expert roundup – a selection of views from members of the public or experts);

- opinion poll;

- review.

The feature article includes an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

The introduction is the most important part which entices the reader, hooks him in. Quiet often it uses emotion, quotations, questions, descriptions.

The body of the article keeps a promise or answers any questions raised in the introduction. Facts in the piece can be only interpreted and embroidered but not fudged.

The conclusion helps the reader remember the story by using a strong punchline.

The feature story linguistic features are characterised by the wide use of active voices and present tenses, as well as direct quotes. Clichés are usually avoided, especially at the end of the piece.

As features focuse on human interest, the feeling and emotion are put into the article. Such articles concentrate on persuading, evaluating, observing or evoking emotion, they are usually emotionally coloured as they tend to appraise, convince and influence.

The following stylistic devices can be found in features:

- epithets (the long and bloody road to peace; unflattering photographs);

- metaphors (This confrontation marked the birth of the Provisional IRA; the death of New Labour);

- metonymy (the door of No 10; No 10 policy unit);

- similes (a thin mafioso moustache; resembling less the Iron Lady than Miranda Richardson’s Elizabeth I in Blackadder; the marriage between Charles and Diana was based on a fantastical ideal, the relationship between the prince and Camilla has a much more earthy foundation);

- idioms (to be in stark contrast to something).

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