"Belfast" vs "Good Friday" agreement

Yes, so it is a bit rich to be claiming that the Irish language Act is being "forced upon them". That is my point, they are trying to have it both ways. If they want to ruled by London then there is no "forcing upon". If they want the Assembly to govern then get on with what they have already agreed.
It looks like DUP members are still trying to scupper the deal and have urged Poots to delay nominating a First Minister.
 
Rather an ingenious little way of squaring the circle. Perhaps the British Government should have a continuing role in a future UI as legislator of last resort for unpopular laws.
I note that SF are being anything but friendly towards the DUP in their press comments, which is of course how they both like it, SF/DUP becoming palsy-walsy like the chuckle brothers would never do these days.
 
I note that SF are being anything but friendly towards the DUP in their press comments, which is of course how they both like it,

For a minute there I thought you were referring to FG comments about SF at their Ard Fheis.

Givan and O'Neill have accepted their nominations as First and DFirst Minister. I suppose its up to the DUP members who tried to delay this to take the action they deem necessary now and quit the DUP. Otherwise it just comes across as a bit of drum-beating to play to the grassroots.
 
Speculation on Emma De Souza twitter feed about a possible heave against Edwin Poots as leader of DUP.
 
Looks like Leo's vision is just a bit of pipe dream after all.

Is his vision much different to the Shinner one or is he right about them?

Personally I'm not a fan of Leo's vision of a united Ireland at all. If they want in it should be on our terms. No Queen, no bigoted extremism, no Scripture based politics, no homophobia, no racism, no Union Jack and a functioning economy that doesn't rely on bribes, sorry, a Peace Dividend, to pay for things.
 
Is his vision much different to the Shinner one or is he right about them?

Not much different except Leo's vision is wholly wishful thinking without putting in the hard graft of standing up against bigotry, homophobia and racism.
FG need to put in some serious mileage on political campaigning front at grassroots level before any notions of a shared United Ireland as seen through their eyes is concerned.
 
Not much different except Leo's vision is wholly wishful thinking without putting in the hard graft of standing up against bigotry, homophobia and racism.
Yep, sure what would the gay dark skinned son of an immigrant know about bigotry, homophobia and racism? The people in a Party who talk about opposing it while excusing extreme racism and homophobia amongst their elected representatives and members are a much better example. Sure just look at the dark skinned and LGBT+ members on their front bench... oh, wait...

You guys will find that talk is cheap when in opposition but when you have to make decisions it's a different story. To quote Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing, "Runnin’ things. It ain’t all gravy.”
And you won't be able to whine like little girls about how it's not your fault like you do in Northern Ireland.

FG need to put in some serious mileage on political campaigning front at grassroots level before any notions of a shared United Ireland as seen through their eyes is concerned.
Does that include kneecappings or just making promises they can't keep?
 
Yep, sure what would the gay dark skinned son of an immigrant know about bigotry, homophobia and racism?

I'm not questioning Vradakars record of standing up against bigotry, homophobia and racism. I'm questioning FG ability to stand up against it in NI while they hold an abstentionist policy from grassroots political activism in NI.
I'm pretty sure it was NI you were referring to when you said

If they want in it should be on our terms. No Queen, no bigoted extremism, no Scripture based politics, no homophobia, no racism, no Union Jack

... please forgive me if I misconstrued the meaning of this comment.

NI could do with Vradakars and FG political activism. I've been saying this for some time.
 
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If there ever was a United Ireland then the make up of the new Dail would be interesting. Based on the maths and assuming PR extended to NI we'd have around an additional 50 seats in the Dail
  • No getting past the fact that SF would be the largest party based on the election results and polls over the last couple of years but they'd probably be a distance away from a majority
  • FF&SDLP (merged or in an agreement) would be second
  • FG would be a distant 3rd unless they entered into some sort of an agreement with the likes of the Alliance party
  • Combined Unionists would be 4th but would probably play a key role as "kingmakers" and it would be hard to see any coalition govt wanting to exclude them
  • Greens and Alliance would be next
  • hard socialists, independents etc could lose influence as keeping the Unionist on side as a block may be easier then a disparate bunch.
  • Labour would be largely irrelevant.
 
Watching TV last night, with the cocktail of politics, personality, history and religion, mixed together and swilled down by all I was reminded of the words of Abraham Lincoln that "We cannot escape our history".

I'd expand that to "We cannot escape our unresolved history" but I suppose in the context of Northern Ireland the very fact that there is a Northern Ireland, it's the same thing.
I'd also say that Northern Ireland, more than anywhere else in Western Europe, is a prisoner to it's history and because it faces backwards it has no path into the future.

For me the prospect of a united Ireland is like having a loved family member with addiction and behavioural issues; you'd like to invite them to live with you but you know there's a very high likelihood that they'll wreck your house and beat up your kids.
 
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  • No getting past the fact that SF would be the largest party based on the election results and polls over the last couple of years but they'd probably be a distance away from a majority
True, but an FF/SF coalition is likely in the future.
  • FF&SDLP (merged or in an agreement) would be second
FG&SDLP is also possible.
  • FG would be a distant 3rd unless they entered into some sort of an agreement with the likes of the Alliance party
See above. An FF-FG merger is also quite possible. They are both socially liberal centre-left parties with nothing but history between them.
  • Combined Unionists would be 4th but would probably play a key role as "kingmakers" and it would be hard to see any coalition govt wanting to exclude them
There'd have to be some power sharing type arrangement which gave extra powers to Unionist. The last time there was a sizable Protestant minority in this country we ethnically cleansed them in 3 generations.
  • Greens and Alliance would be next
Yep.
  • hard socialists, independents etc could lose influence as keeping the Unionist on side as a block may be easier then a disparate bunch.
No real harm there, though the more voices in the room the better.
  • Labour would be largely irrelevant.
No change there then.
 
In a UI would not the concept of Unionism fairly quickly disappear? I don't see it morphing into a crudely Protestant party. There would be similar though less pronounced obsolescence of republican aspirations. In this context all political views would realign along more conventional lines although the historic baggage of sectarianism would linger for some time. Nonetheless I would see fairly quickly that there would not be parties that one side or other of the sectarian divide would not touch with a barge pole.
 
No getting past the fact that SF would be the largest party based on the election results and polls over the last couple of years but they'd probably be a distance away from a majority

True, but assuming a UI is on agreed and peaceful terms, would there be a need for SF to exist?
A major realignment of all political parties would occur. What point in unionism if the union with Britain is gone?

Alternatively, a UI based closely to the democratically achieved, through exclusively peaceful means, Home Rule Act of 1914, could see rights and entitlements of the British identity and loyalty to the Crown maintained while the business of government - dealing with the social and economic welfare of the country could proceed on an All Island basis.
 
In a UI would not the concept of Unionism fairly quickly disappear? I don't see it morphing into a crudely Protestant party. There would be similar though less pronounced obsolescence of republican aspirations. In this context all political views would realign along more conventional lines although the historic baggage of sectarianism would linger for some time. Nonetheless I would see fairly quickly that there would not be parties that one side or other of the sectarian divide would not touch with a barge pole.
It took 90 years, an economic crash and the rise of Sinn Fein for the FF/FG Civil War political divide to start to close. There's still a big gap between the two more traditional wings of the parties.
There is a much bigger gap between what is ultra-conservative, scripture base Unionist Protestantism and and any of the current parties in the "Soyth".
 
True, but assuming a UI is on agreed and peaceful terms, would there be a need for SF to exist?
A major realignment of all political parties would occur. What point in unionism if the union with Britain is gone?

Alternatively, a UI based closely to the democratically achieved, through exclusively peaceful means, Home Rule Act of 1914, could see rights and entitlements of the British identity and loyalty to the Crown maintained while the business of government - dealing with the social and economic welfare of the country could proceed on an All Island basis.
An interesting point on SF, would they then simply become a left of centre party with a chequered history? Of course, they might still be able to wave the nationalist flag if, for example, as part of the compromise for a united Ireland, the island had rejoined the Commonwealth?. Would there still be RAF and Royal Navy bases in the North like we had in Cobh after independence? Who know what else may come out of any deal

The other interesting question would be how many Unionists would migrate to "the mainland" as Arlene Foster has said she would do.?

Could we end up with the following as our political parties (in no particular order)
  • Hard left
  • Sinn Fein and some of FF
  • Rest of FF, FG and the SDLP
  • Alliance & Social Democrats
  • Unionist/right of centre "Conservative" party
  • Greens
  • Labour
  • The rest
 
Loyalist Community Council has a message for Dublin.

"Until they accept and repair the damage they have created Irish government ministers and officials are no longer welcome in Northern Ireland"

A terrorist organisation with no mandate to represent anyone making sinister threats to officers of the democratic institutions of this State, supposedly on behalf of the people of NI.

Silence from Unionist leaders.
 
"It is not for the LCC or anyone else to dictate who is and who is not welcome here – they speak for no-one but loyalist paramilitaries," Mrs Long told The Irish News.

- Minister for Justice, Naomi Long.
 
Well played Leo, dismissing the "now is not the right time" brigade for talk of a UI. In a democratic Republic, who fears to speak?
 
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