[junder]

Originally Posted by thecommietommy

I'm a bit doubtful by your OP and the post above, I have many relations in the six counties met innumerable people from there etc. Not trying to insult you, but it's a contradiction that unionists have to come on to .ie forums (boards.ie, politics.ie ) etc to discuss politics. Try and discuss NI with some English people You may as well be talking to a Swiss or Estonian person for all the ordinary English person cares !!!!!

And also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I interpret from your OP that your trying to say you personally openly discuss in the north about NI's politics in the pub after work, on the train, in college or whatever. Are you seriously going to tell me that you would openly raise a controversial topic in the presence of nationalists an issue like the trouble in Ardoyne and the orange march ?? ??

You assume alot and are totally wrong, the reason I raised the subject ( and it was out of genuine interest, not malicious intent) is because living in northern Ireland, I am aware of things happening that in the context of northern Ireland are very important and yet don't get discussed on this site, I am curious about that, nothing sinister about that. Is it lack of knowledge ( which can be remedied) or because they don't care ( which is fair enough)

[junder]

Originally Posted by thecommietommy

Your the one who brought in the subject of "they" and killing and obviously ignored the British ones.

Ok I have changed the question to - are you seriously going to tell me that you would openly raise a controversial topic in the presence of nationalists an issue like the trouble in Ardoyne and the orange march ?? ??

All depends on the context of the conversation and the enviroment. I was involved in a political youth programme were I represented the youth wing of a political party and met with other people who represented youth wings of most of the political party so yes we did discuss controversial subjects. While I was at universty my circle of friends was diverse, including a good friend who was a member of the workers party and was interned so, yes again topics relevant to northern Ireland were talked about. Correct me if I am wrong but this a politics forum, a good place to talk about politics, including northern Irish politics maybe? Would a strike up a conversation on a controversial subject with a random person I met on the bus or in a pub, of course not

[thecommietommy]

Originally Posted by junder

You assume alot and are totally wrong, the reason I raised the subject ( and it was out of genuine interest, not malicious intent) is because living in northern Ireland, I am aware of things happening that in the context of northern Ireland are very important and yet don't get discussed on this site, I am curious about that, nothing sinister about that. Is it lack of knowledge ( which can be remedied) or because they don't care ( which is fair enough)

Ok good reply. The thing is - and I 'm not trying to insult or stir anyone up - is that NI/Stormont is a glofied regional council, the main action happens in parliament Westminster or down here the Dail. NI has got a similiar population to greater Dublin* 1.8 million. Now I used to watch Hearts and Minds most weeks, but quite a lot of the issues that used to arise were by any standards were fairly local and trival eg the allocation of housing in a new estate in Belfast etc

Take todays UTV news** - Ardoyne gunman caught on camera, Quinn's no-show nephew to be arrested ( on RTE also), Shotgun found by Antrim children etc Now let's see RTE*** - Peter Darragh Quinn Seán Quinn Jnr to be jailed, 12 shot dead at Batman premier in Denver, HSE writes to hospitals over implementing cuts etc So apart form the Quinns, to look at 2 of the UTV main stories - Ardoyne gunman caught on camera and Shotgun found by Antrim children, their both fairly minor trival stories. Doubtless today in Dublin their will be an armed robbery, a court will pass judgement on a gangland murder, both fairly minor trival stories also. The thing is apart from the Quinns, their isn't a lot as per the UTV news for people to get into a big discussion on boards.ie is there ? For example I don't expect people in the rest of the country to get into a big discussion on say, Eirigi Dublin city councillor Louise Minihan going to prison for seven days for not paying a fine. and likewise most of the stories from the north.

* See Greater Dublin 1,804,156. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin#Demographics
** http://www.u.tv/news
*** http://www.rte.ie/news/

[thecommietommy]

Originally Posted by junder

All depends on the context of the conversation and the enviroment. I was involved in a political youth programme were I represented the youth wing of a political party and met with other people who represented youth wings of most of the political party so yes we did discuss controversial subjects. While I was at universty my circle of friends was diverse, including a good friend who was a member of the workers party and was interned so, yes again topics relevant to northern Ireland were talked about. Correct me if I am wrong but this a politics forum, a good place to talk about politics, including northern Irish politics maybe? Would a strike up a conversation on a controversial subject with a random person I met on the bus or in a pub, of course not

Yes. And I have been inumerable times in the north, have relations there etc. Have taken part in various political discussions etc ( one with a member of the PUP and former loyalist prisoner - whom on personal level I got on quite well with due to our common interest in sport !!! Can't say we seen eye to eye on politics though ) But it takes place in, a let's say, neutral controlled enviorment with a pre arranged meeting or with close friends or relations. But still I wouldn't go into a nationalist pub on the Falls and turn around to a stranger and say " how do you think things have gone since the Good Friday Agreement " etc

Down here you could strike up a random conversation with almost anyone, though it would probably take the line " Jayus the crowd that are in now are little different than Ahern and Fianna Fail before them....... Ah sure their feckin' all crooks regardless " etc If I told them I was a United Left Alliance voter, you'd probaly get " well your ok with your objections, but I'm afraid to say Joe Higgins or Boyd Barret don't seem to have the answers or alternatives".

[johngalway]

Originally Posted by junder

Sonething I have noticed on this forum over the few years I have posted on this site, is the news / information about significant events in northern ireland never gets talked about. An example being the riots at arydone this year. Is due to not caring, not hearing or just general exasperation about the northern Irish situation?

Over exposure fatigue for me, have been hearing about NI all my life. The more I hear and see of the peoples representatives and certain organisations the less I want to know really. In the context of NI recent history is a riot even news? Seems to be a somewhat regular past time "Let's have a day out throwing petrol bombs at the police/shinners" which ever applies. There's never a shortage of fancy words, and always they get lost in the detail and revert to form. If NI decides to be serious about growing up and leaving the past behind then I might be interested, until then they can keep the squabbling to themselves.

Honest opinion.

[junder]

Originally Posted by johngalway

Over exposure fatigue for me, have been hearing about NI all my life. The more I hear and see of the peoples representatives and certain organisations the less I want to know really. In the context of NI recent history is a riot even news? Seems to be a somewhat regular past time "Let's have a day out throwing petrol bombs at the police/shinners" which ever applies. There's never a shortage of fancy words, and always they get lost in the detail and revert to form. If NI decides to be serious about growing up and leaving the past behind then I might be interested, until then they can keep the squabbling to themselves.

Honest opinion.

Again its about context. A riot on its own not it self news. However in this particular riot we had armed men on the streets ( worth noting a certain mr Colin Duffy was seen at the arydone) after the gfa there's things stopped happening even riots were rare, surly it's note worthy in itself that even people in the republic have yet again become used to violence in northern Ireland.

[pontia]

i turn off the tv when the norths mentioned,best thing that could happen is it sinks into the sea,it wouldent be missed by us or the brits

[old hippy]

Originally Posted by pontia

i turn off the tv when the norths mentioned,best thing that could happen is it sinks into the sea,it wouldent be missed by us or the brits

It bloody would, you know. Some of us have family there.

Apart from personal connections I used to be more confident about unification but I realise now that's unlikely in this lifetime. I'd be more supportive of an independent 6 counties, we have our Republic and that's enough for me.

But I'd like to see some kind of lasting peaceful, inclusive solution in NI. People who come out with that sink/float off in the sea - I've heard that for years. I even heard some ass come out with it at a funeral where a number of folk from up North were present. Very ignorant.

[johngalway]

Originally Posted by junder

Again its about context. A riot on its own not it self news. However in this particular riot we had armed men on the streets ( worth noting a certain mr Colin Duffy was seen at the arydone) after the gfa there's things stopped happening even riots were rare, surly it's note worthy in itself that even people in the republic have yet again become used to violence in northern Ireland.

No idea who Colin Duffy is, honestly don't care who he is.

All I can tell you is I was born in 1978 and all my life have been hearing about NI on the news, radio, or in newspapers.

I am used to violence happening in NI, I think most my age would be. Personally I've never been under the assumption that it could, or would, never return to NI, so my view of NI has never changed.

I genuinely would be more surprised at positive large actions between the people up there than riots or shootings.

It's just gotten "old" for me, at the heart of it whether it's bombs, negotiations or marches, it boils down to the same two sides disagreeing and various levels of action coming from those disagreements.

[junder]

Originally Posted by johngalway

No idea who Colin Duffy is, honestly don't care who he is.

All I can tell you is I was born in 1978 and all my life have been hearing about NI on the news, radio, or in newspapers.

I am used to violence happening in NI, I think most my age would be. Personally I've never been under the assumption that it could, or would, never return to NI, so my view of NI has never changed.

I genuinely would be more surprised at positive large actions between the people up there than riots or shootings.

It's just gotten "old" for me, at the heart of it whether it's bombs, negotiations or marches, it boils down to the same two sides disagreeing and various levels of action coming from those disagreements.

We were all used to the violence, we then had a brief point in time when we hoped the violence was over, we even had a generation that grew up not knowing violence. We got used to there not being violence, now we are used to violence again, not only that, you in the republic are also used to violence in northern Ireland again. That's saying something.

[Einhard]

For me, Northern Ireland is, like the past, a foreign country- not so much in the physical sense, but culturally and socially and politically. I take an interest in the overarching narrative, but the nitty gritty incidents and events, especially when they involve atavistic tribalism, would begin to wear me down if I took anything other than a passing interest.

[johngalway]

Originally Posted by junder

We were all used to the violence, we then had a brief point in time when we hoped the violence was over, we even had a generation that grew up not knowing violence. We got used to there not being violence, now we are used to violence again, not only that, you in the republic are also used to violence in northern Ireland again. That's saying something.

Funny you should mention hope, my girlfriend put up the saying about the best trick the devil ever had was to make people think he didn't exist (or however it properly goes).

Yesterday I was thinking about hope and those that offer false hope. Offering false hope is possibly worse than offering no hope.

So is God worse than the Devil given the world in which we live and the things that happen there.

Again I can only give my personal opinion based on what I've read, heard, seen to do with NI, including visiting the place. That is I have not allowed myself to believe in hoping the violence was over.

While people pour out of NI in July, while kerb stones get painted, while numerous flags fly, while areas are ghettoised, I can't believe in what may be a temporary thing.

It will take generations, literally, of trusting and building before NI is anywhere near normal. That's not meant as an insult to anyone, but there are many instances where it can be backed up from the Jean McConville crime to that idiot mistaking the Italian flag for the Irish flag and making a fool out of himself.

I'm too long in the tooth to believe in miracle spot changing leopards. The way of life and thinking needs to be bred out of the place to become normal.

[Galwayguy35]

Originally Posted by Boulevardier

Our interest is not reciprocated. The NI news on UTV and BBC-NI almost never mentions anything here in the ROI unless there is a NI aspect to it. The only exception is the odd Donegal story.

Have to agree with this. BBC Newsline go out of their way to avoid giving a bit of weather that's outside the 6 counties.

[losthorizon]

Regarding the original question - I wish NI would just go away.

I pray to God there will never be a United Ireland and thats from someone who was fairly nationalist.

[pontia]

i dont like the north,the people from there,even the accent,would it be missed if gone in morning,i doubt it,very bored of listening about it,we dont want it anymore than the brits do