NI Dec 22 Assembly Election

rock22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631491#Comment_120631491

"If this true etc etc' No-one has denied it??"

That's a pretty low bar for truth then,

SF are an all Iireland party. Are you suggesting that SF officers should not be able to participate in NI local elections?

FF and FG have both toyed with the idea of running candidates in NI, just like SF. Are you saying they should be stopped? Are you suggesting that the British government should legislate to deny Irish people the right to participate in NI elections. Do you think that Irish people should be denied to right to participate in British elections?

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632360#Comment_120632360

Ah I was yanking your chain a bit at the sense of entitlement more than anything, Downcow.

Apart from the Freeports thing, which would likely involve going back to the negotiating table with the EU, and there's zero appetite for that in either the EU or UK outside of the DUP.

I also don't think subsidising ferries will do anything at all for your Union, except have a few people wondering why their noisy cousins are back out with the begging bowl. Given the plethora of cheap flights available, I don't see any tangible benefit, but it's ironic that all the moaning you do about the supposed costs of an Irish Language Act (according to you that should all just be spent on healthcare), you wouldn't apply the same standards to the change you end up with in the begging bowl this time.

As for the food labels, do what you want with that, but it reeks of insecurity.

Of what you've suggested, zero has anything to do with Stormont, and the only one of any substance.....well I'd be willing to put a friendly wager to the charity of our choices that there won't be a freeport in NI within say the next two years just to put a sensible time frame on things.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629948#Comment_120629948

The stain of terrorism which will forever be part of Sinn Fein does not seem to be a deterrent to the nationalist electorate in Northern Ireland. Many will say that Sinn Fein is a political party that people are entitled to vote for, but their continuing hegemony does speak uncomfortable truths about the values and priorities of members of the communities which support them.

Maybe I'm the only one but this, accompanied by the what can only be described as a Hitleresque pose photograph, spoke to me as being a not so subliminal attempt to characterise SF voters as being brainwashed fools akin to 1930 Germans.

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632747#Comment_120632747

Doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent on the other side of the border for SF, nor does FG and FF's own terrorist links.

DUP's own stain of terrorism doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent for Unionist voters either.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632760#Comment_120632760

No it doesn't, but the author has conveniently overlooked that.

For something directed at a UK audience, i thought it was a pretty disgusting attempt to sway opinion.

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632791#Comment_120632791

It's the Spectator; same owners as the Torygraph....what would you expect from a pig but a grunt?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632469#Comment_120632469

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

You know the old trope - 'no taxation without representation' - just reverse that, the other side of the coin. You canvas, campaign, vote where you pay your taxes. Simple.

SF, FF, FG party workers down south do not reside or pay taxes in the north - so clearly they should butt out.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632844#Comment_120632844

They are helping in a campaign. They ate not voting in the elections.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632867#Comment_120632867

Thin line Francie, very thin line.. butting in, interfering in a neighbouring state.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632875#Comment_120632875

A neighbouring state that the voters they are campaigning for wish to be part of.

Its not illegal despite you somehow believing it is. And every party is involved in it - Alliance have Lib Dem support, Unionists get all sorts of random Scots/Tories/Whatever supporting them, etc.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632875#Comment_120632875

No it isn’t.

Your reasoning is bonkers which is why nobody from the SDLP FF FG SF Lab etc will take a blind bit of notice.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632882#Comment_120632882

Are you're inferring that this is OK because the SF voters in NI sure want to be part of the south and so it's fine?

That is most definitely interfering and seeking to destabilise a neighbouring state. This is what the Russians and Israelis etc get up to - sow seeds of dissension in regions that you wish to conquer, infiltrate them, corrupt their elections etc. Do you not see the obvious as to why this is a bad idea.

Fine for politicians and civic groups in the south to make policy and make proposals on unity matters. But not directly interfering and seeking to undermine the neighbour state.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632913#Comment_120632913

I'm inferring absolutely nothing. I'm saying outright its OK. You are the one trying to hint that its illegal without a shred of a clue of how it could be so.

I think I would notice if Russian or Israeli canvassers turned up at my door; and I certainly wouldn't vote for a party that's using them.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632913#Comment_120632913

How do you ‘destabilise’ a state by taking part in free and fair elections?

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632875#Comment_120632875

Sorry Furze but this is a ridiculous argument, anyone from anywhere is entitled to canvas a prospective voter, it happens anyway online as is obvious in previous elections.

A voter can agree with everything a canvasser says and promise them their vote, and then do the exact opposite when they're in the booth, but that's democracy for you.

Furze99

What exactly have our friends the Russians been up in Belarus, Crimea or the Donbas or Georgia or Chechnya.

Oh let's see - infiltrating and interfering in any elections. Getting their puppets in power, a bit of ethnic cleansing (persuading people to leave), arranging fake unity votes.

Political party workers from the south should not be interfering in NI elections, as the parallels with above are obvious and unwanted by the other community that shares the space.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632952#Comment_120632952

This is an absolutely bonkers argument.

Canvassing is not "infiltrating and interfering"

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632952#Comment_120632952

You want to affiliate people in the South with the Russians now?

Do yourself a favour, don't double down on this.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632952#Comment_120632952

This is histrionic absurdity. Canvasing is not election interference and no amount of attempts at hysterical equivalence is going to persuade anyone.

A bunch of RoI volunteers - people who haven't even been confirmed to exist I might add, with only the DUP to believe - heading upo to the north to hand out fliers is not "interference" and it's a weird stubbornness at this stage that you insist it is.

Fionn1952

This whole thing alleging, 'interference' with Northern elections is one of the most bizarre takes I've seen here in a long time.

I reckon even our resident Unionists will distance themselves from it for fear of association with that level of irrationality.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632360#Comment_120632360

There's about 80 Freeports in the EU. There were even 5 in the UK prior to 2012. So it's not the differentiator you may think it is unless you can do it better than everyone else starting from zero.

Shannon started off the whole Freeport thing back in the 1950's so that may not be as easy as you'd like.

Sam Russell

Would a Freeport be allowed by the GFA? Or even the WFA?

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633299#Comment_120633299

EU permission would be required it seems;

Warning; this is a PDF download.

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8823/CBP-8823.pdf

.Donegal.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632952#Comment_120632952

The fking irony 😂 I wonder did something like that ever happen to Ireland . Jesus wept you are absolutely ridiculous

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120632583#Comment_120632583

I’m not saying any of this will happen. The ferry thing I believe would be great. We all travel a fair bit back and forth but if it was £100 for a car rather than £300 then I would be over every farts end

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633299#Comment_120633299

I honestly don’t know.

i’ll hold my hands up here. I said a month or so ago that I thought unionism was working on something that I didn’t want to disclose at that point. I even mentioned ‘8 letters’ when people accused me of setting up a situation that I could claim anything afterwards. Well they had time and we aren’t there obviously. So yes it was a freeport. I don’t hear it mentioned now so o don’t know if it is being negotiated or not. I may have been completely wrong but as you know I have never minded admitting that when it happens

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633447#Comment_120633447

It's free to travel South if you're ever minded.

downcow

I haven’t done the sums but is this accurate. I’m not saying it is but I read it on a reliable Twitter account. Can the statititions tell us could this possibly be true?

“SF have more councillors to lift the bins and cut the grass etc, but in reality their actual 1st pref vote was down 17k on assembly 1st prefs.. Dup was down 8k Alliance down 16k. Sdlp down 12K and UUP down 14K.”

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633478#Comment_120633478

Remind me how much a pint and a packet of crisps is?

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633447#Comment_120633447

I really don't see this having much in the ways of mass appeal, and at 200 quid a pop per car I'd certainly question the cost effectiveness of it as a tactic to secure your Union.

I know we somewhat aggressively disagree on quite a few things, but this is just a bit of a....Meh from me.