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In the late 70s and early 80s Ulster Unionist leader Ian Paisley led the Save Ulster From Sodomy campaign, to prevent the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland. Recently the Northern Ireland Assembly voted against the Equal Marriage Bill. Ironically the Unionists were supported and lobbied by their old foes the Catholic Church.

Save Ulster From Sodomy

Papists rule out rubbers
lobby Paisley, Cardinals campaign,
petition Orange Men,
united by a great and noble aim,
odd bedfellows marry hastily.
Saving Ulster from sodomy again.

Forty-two to fifty
they threw out equality,
ranting, foaming, raving, canting,
Stormont storms. Sodomy,
my protestant Gran informed me,
if not the norm, was once a favoured form
of birth control.

Now, the laws the law
in Catholic France and Spain, but
special conditions pertain,
to a corner of the UK where
Old Women reign.
Gran will turn beneath the turf when I say
the side of the angels is Sinn Fein.
Presbytarians are arseholes so stuff 'em!

Strange unsettling settlement
upsets. Sectarian alliances crystalise
and cave, Form and fold,
old favours, old grievances, old scores,
exchanged for what religionists crave.
What's not settled at assembly
Is delayed, until we settle.
See you in court.

"See you in court." ~ YES!!!
It appears to be the single best approach in all of this.
Common sense and logic seem to hold little sway.

Love how you did this, Jonnie.
VERY individually strong and 'intelligent' words packed in together in forms easy to follow and understand.
Well done in expressing due outrage in such civil style.

Wish I were doing as well on FB regarding the Trayvon Martin case

Jonnie, there’s a hole in the damn and the structure is starting to leak; one way or another that wall is coming down.

Jonnie Falafel wrote: united by a great and noble aim,
odd bedfellows marry hastily.

That makes me smile, how nice that they are finally getting along.


I didn't know that Northern Ireland was so close to reforming their marriage laws, 42 to 50 is very close.


edit note
opps -- got my numbers wrong

Yes Lizzie, I suspect you're right. Politicians can't be trusted to make rational judgements. And Cate your right, it's so ironic these sworn enemies are united in this. I come from a strongly protestant family and so it's deeply ironic to me that my granny would hate my support of Sinn Fein in this! In my orginal version I wanted to forcefully draw attention to the very private act (not really linked to sexual orientation) that seems to focus all their fear.. It was originally, "presbytarians are arseholes so fuck 'em"... but I backed down for delicacy and lost some impact.

Hi Jonnie ~

Great line ... not sure whether it ought to have been left in, or if the impact [still there] is fine coming with a more 'dignified' delivery. The double entendre of your first choice is clever and punchy, but it's still there in what you went with. [My opinion, anyway.]


~ Lizzie