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The recent revelation that the UK has the worst statistics
in Europe regarding young people in relation to crime and
anti-social activities will come as no surprise.
For some time the 'Orange Standard' has been warning of the
danger of Northern Ireland experiencing much of the same unless
everyone is on the alert.
Moral standards have been declining alarmingly in the UK
in the past few decades, and this is now reflected in the
appalling crime statistics.
Gang shootings, drug-related crimes, record levels of teenage
pregnancies, and a similar situation regarding divorce statistics.
It's a grim scenario, and it is hardly surprising that prisons
are bursting at the seams, and large parts of urban Britain
are overshadowed by a gun and crime culture.
With all this happening, the Government is poised to permit
more casinos to open, with all their attendant evils, and
there is abundant evidence that the relaxing of the drink
laws have accelerated the problems arising from binge drinking.
Of course all this is not the fault of the present Government,
although it has done little to stem the tide. But the decline
in British standards began in the 1960s with the lifting of
laws relating to pornography and obscenity.
Combined with this was the removal of discipline in the schools,
and the tendency to replace the 'bobby on the beat' with police
in cars.
Northern Ireland remains the most law-abiding part of the
United Kingdom, but it would be foolish to pretend that there
has not been a sharp decline in the high standards which pertained
before the start of the 'Troubles.'
The opening of public houses on Sundays, against the wishes
of the vast majority of Ulster people, and the similar step
regarding shopping centres and places of entertainment, has
helped to dilute the standards which made this province a
special part of the British Isles.
It is a challenge to the Protestant Churches, to Sunday Schools,
and to the Loyal Orders, to protect what is left of the famed
Ulster Sabbath.
Not easy, when one looks at Belfast and the large provincial
towns on Sundays, with evidence of drunkenness and yob behaviour.
The Orange Order and the Royal Black Institution must make
this 'keep Sunday Special' at the top of their priority list.
But Members of Parliament must also speak out strongly at
Westminster to put the spotlight on the decline in standards
and the deterioration of the quality of British life.
Throwing money at the problems is not the answer. Vast sums
have been spent on the so-called 'sink estates' of large cities,
without much effect.
Of course there must be every effort to improve facilities
for young people, such as more youth clubs and youth leaders,
with Northern Ireland receiving its fair share.
But the problems go much deeper than that, and there is no
doubt that what is needed most of all is a spiritual revival
along the lines of the Wesley and Whitfield-inspired revivals
of the 18th century, the Ulster revival of 1859, and the similar
experience in Wales in 1904.
Many Orange banners carry the traditional picture of Queen
Victoria presenting the Bible to African peoples with the
message 'The Secret of England's Greatness.'
Oh, if only that were the case today. All people with the
welfare of the nation at heart, and of Northern Ireland where
traditional standards are under fierce attack, must strive
harder than ever to protect what remains of the pillars of
protection.
The Orange Order will be in the vanguard of the resistance
against further secularisation and deserves the support of
all concerned people of every denomination.
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