The sectarian row over the former Girdwood army barracks site in North Belfast is part of
a larger picture of sectarianism and segregation forming the bedrock of the status-quo,
with our local political class depending on it for their very political survival. -- In a
recent report, Trademark, the Belfast-based social justice co- operative affiliated to the
Irish Congress of Trade Unions, "Sectarianism still remains a serious problem in Northern
Ireland." The group conducted a major survey with more than 40 interviews in private
sector companies and surveyed 2,500 workers in a large retail company as part of its
study. It found that "low-level but persistent sectarian harassment is a feature of too
many workplaces in Northern Ireland". ---- Trademark says "the segregated nature of
Northern Ireland" ensures the continuation of workplace cultures that are "partisan" to
...