Rebel Voice is unsure if anyone really cares who killed a member of a drug gang that specialized in sectarian murder. But Jim Gray and his associates in the UDA played a role in a conflict that cost the lives of many Nationalist civilians. They also preyed upon their own community as their drugs and violence destroyed local society.

In this documentary, we hear from thugs, Johnny Adair and Michael Stone, both members of the UDA when Jim Gray was making his bones. They do not appear to have had a high opinion of Jim Gray. The interviews are revealing in their way in that viewers get some strong insight into working class Unionism and their paramilitaries. We also see further evidence of the strong connections between the Orange Order and Unionist paramilitaries. Rev Mervyn Gibson, head of the Orange Order, speaks about his relationship with Gray.

Although Jackie McDonald, de facto leader of the UDA, is featured in this program decrying drug dealers, it’s common knowledge that Unionist paramilitaries were to the fore in selling drugs across the Occupied Six Counties. It seems that Jim Gray became a problem for the UDA not because he was selling drugs, but because he was blatant in his drug-addled lifestyle. It was his flamboyant behaviour that caused his downfall. Gray died because he couldn’t control himself and his egomaniacal urges.

Take a look at what passed for a leader of working class Unionism in Belfast. Then ask yourself, is it any wonder that that particular sector of Unionist society is so easy for the wealthy of the DUP to manipulate?

If you care about this, please tell others