DR Samuel Johnson had a way with words, while at the same time being a right old eighteenth century misogynist. On being asked his opinion of women preachers, he replied: "Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."

Something similar could be said of the 2,000-plus loyal order marches held throughout the North every year.

The Apprentice Boys of Derry were a group which caused great upheaval in Derry; the original Battle of the Bogside followed the insistence of the Apprentice Boys that they should walk where they wanted. Today, the Apprentice Boys parade passes  each year without a single objection

The late June Orange parade along the Springfield Road in Belfast ran through a nationalist area and for years was the scene of serious rioting. Now the Orange Order parade with little or no rioting.

Rasharkin and Dunloy were frequently the scene of friction and outright violence in response to Orange marches. Now the marches happen with little or no tension, let alone violence. 

How was this achieved? We’re told it was because of direct talks between the organisers and the residents, often with a neutral facilitator. The route followed, the numbers involved, the behaviour of bands and careful stewarding  brought violent opposition to an end. 

Drumcree is in sharp contrast. The lodge involved has in the past refused direct engagement with the residents.

So where does Dr Johnson come into the picture? Because somehow or other, local residents and marching bands have met and carved out an agreement. It’s not that these agreements are well done, but the surprise is that they were done at all. Likewise the Parades Commission’s green light given to parading along the Garvaghy Road: the surprise is not that they were lazy and didn’t do the job they were paid to do. The surprise is that they then were so stupid as to give their blessing to the Orange Order to march down Garvaghy Road and ignore the pain and death resulting from that march in the 1990s.

I am filled with admiration and an element of unease that so many parades have been shown the green light by residents. I wonder at the acceptance by residents of a triumphalist group in their area; and my unease is that this generosity may have enboldened Orange bands to look for more, interpreting generosity as weakness.

The Orange Order is a sectarian, anti-Catholic organisation. Anyone who has even glanced through John Boyd’s Holy War in Belfast will know that the Orange Order is sectarian in nature; no Taigs need apply, 

On the other hand, the Orange Order no doubt is a warm haven for Orangemen, in which they can meet and believe they are a force for social cohesion and have a grand day out every Twelfth. But year after year, it encourages tribal attitudes, and if you’re a member of the Order you must shun things Catholic or be expelled.

There are commentators in the South who say that the Garvaghy Road has set back a united Ireland by at least a decade. The less frequently-heard response from Southerners is that actually this year’s eruption on the Garvaghy Road has increased Southern understanding of northern bully-boys and their sad, tattered, threadbare old prejudices.

Orange attempts to walk down the Garvaghy Road resemble the efforts of a three-legged dog trying to walk on its hind legs.