According to the Grudian there have been a record number of Anti- Social Behaviour Orders issued in England and Wales this past year. Huttonian is beginning to wonder about their use in Norn Iron and particularly the peaceful little seaside town of Newcastle. The local paper, The Mourne Observe our version of the Berwickshire (but not a patch on it imho) had deep brooding headlines on 'Terror','Anarchy' 'Widespread destruction' which was not the description of some 'loyalist'or 'nationalist'outrage but of the 'carnage'inflicted on the town on Halloween night by gangs of 'mindless'yuff roaming the streets in the wee small hours upending cars, smashing windows and worst of all in a place voted Norn Iron's tidiest town in 1956 or so, emptying recycling wheelie bins. And putting all God Fearing people in terror or 'feardy' as they say in Old Mourne-speak.
Huttonian has his old family abode in the quiet ( eg boring) end of town beyond the one way system which defines down town Newcastle and its excitements of coin operated pokey and other machines, takeaways, off licences, fast food joints and tacky souvenir shops-all probably closed by 3 am. Our end of town known as 'The Harbour does have a couple of pubs and a good restaurant but the main excitement is watching the waves breaking over the harbour walls or in even quieter times the tide come in and out over the silt and mud. Fortunately this does not seem to appeal to the yobbish yuff tendency so we are generally left alone apart from some surreptitious smoking in our lane by children from the Integrated School on their way to the first class of the morning.
I asked the plumber about the town breakers. Not from Newcastle he affirmed. Just rabble from Belfast. I blame the parents ..I know where my children are at night and they will have to answer to me if there is any trouble. So there isn't. How old? Oh mid twenties. No problem with traditional family values in South Down, apparently
