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Temperance and total abstinence Lodges are among the most
admired in the Orange Order.
A fairly high proportion of Lodges fall into this category.
Many were formed during periods in our history when the abuse
of alcohol had reached very serious proportions in the population.
Today, Northern Ireland, like the rest of the United Kingdom,
is faced with extremely serious drink problems.
Binge drinking, as it is known, has reached crisis proportions,
and is having a hugely detrimental effect on cities and towns
throughout the Kingdom.
A high proportion of the binge drinkers are young women.
Some town centres have become battlefields at weekends, and
the unsavoury side effects of alcohol abuse is even felt in
the accident and emergency sections of hospitals.
Violence resulting from alcohol has reached unacceptable
levels. It is taking up a huge amount of police time, and
is putting a strain on hospital and health facilities.
The Government and other agencies has been concerned - and
rightly so - with smoking, and drug taking - but remains apathetic
in its response to the drink crisis.
Instead of taking firm action to control the sale of alcohol,
the Government is easing restrictions, allowing more time
than ever for drinking.
This is apparently based on the premise that the UK can acquire
a continental-style cafe culture.
There is no evidence at all that this will happen, and instead,
the problem is threatening to run completely out of control.
Alcohol has never been cheaper, and many experts, including
the highly-respected Professor Roger Williams, who treated
Ulster footballing legend George Best, believe the price of
alcohol should be more realistic.
Northern Ireland has its own alcohol-related problems and
the recent turmoil in the Holy Lands area of Belfast underlined
the extent of the problem.
This Province once had flourishing temperance movements with
huge memberships. That is no longer the case, although such
organisations do exist and enjoy a reasonable level of support.
Ironically, the decline in the mass-movement temperance organisations
took place in the 1950s, a decade when the sale of alcohol
had dropped to record levels.
Today, alcohol is big business, with television geared to
boost its sales, and the big drinks firms have the resources
to 'sell' the pro-drink message.
Northern Ireland certainly does not need lessening of its
existing drink laws, and in fact they should be tightened
up.
As far as the Orange Institution is concerned, we must treasure
our temperance and total abstinence Lodges and encourage more
men, especially impressionable young men, to join them.
These Lodges are held in the highest respect by members of
the general public who enjoy Orange parades and believe that
the temperance Lodges project a very positive image which
reflects greatly to the credit of the Orange Institution.
There has never, in recent times, been a greater need to
combat the excesses of drinking, and the Orange Institution
must play its part in trying to get the temperance and total
abstinence message across, not only to its members, but the
population at large.
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