A Little Pony wrote: » Spot on. They have their own country in NI, they don't need an Irish Republic to prosper. They reap the benefits of the Union. United Ireland is dead.
FrancieBrady wrote: » I think any shift to the UUP or Alliance will be seen as a failure. But Arlene will have to go before SF will enter the executive. That will be the lesson.
Godge wrote: » That won't happen.
Jayop wrote: » A Little Pony wrote: » Spot on. They have their own country in NI, they don't need an Irish Republic to prosper. They reap the benefits of the Union. United Ireland is dead. In your opinion.....:rolleyes:
A Little Pony wrote: » The polls speak for themselves, society is much more normalised now than it was even 10 years ago. People get the problems with Stormont mixed up with society itself. Society in NI has never been more peaceful since the creation of the state.
road_high wrote: » Do you live there? I dont but can comment on the politics I see. And the politics usually reflects the national mood and NI is far from normal (like here) and still divided among sectarian lines.
road_high wrote: » A Little Pony wrote: » The polls speak for themselves, society is much more normalised now than it was even 10 years ago. People get the problems with Stormont mixed up with society itself. Society in NI has never been more peaceful since the creation of the state. Do you live there? I dont but can comment on the politics I see. And the politics usually reflects the national mood and NI is far from normal (like here) and still divided among sectarian lines.
Jayop wrote: » A Little Pony wrote: » The polls speak for themselves, society is much more normalised now than it was even 10 years ago. People get the problems with Stormont mixed up with society itself. Society in NI has never been more peaceful since the creation of the state. The polls in which the two most polarised main stream parties are the two biggest? Yeah really speaks to a normalised society that has totally gotten over the hang ups of the sectarian state. Seriously, do you guys just post any old ****e in the hope you won't be pulled up for it?
Not Propaganda wrote: » I think there's a disillusionment among a lot of voters because they don't have any options apart from the same old. There's also an element of "keep the other lot out". Not too dissimilar to the south tbh
Jayop wrote: » There are options there if people want to take them. Anyone could vote for the Alliance without religious prejudice and I wish a lot more people did as they have some really good people. You have other parties then on the left like the greens, Cista, PBP, the AAA etc.
Not Propaganda wrote: » No I agree, but I think it's a similar situation to the south where people know the option is there but they're not really sure if it's worth it or "ah what's the point they'll never get in power". Which isn't really the way to go about it but I think it's a factor myself
A Little Pony wrote: » Yes. Northern Ireland and Belfast are not the same thing. Belfast has the major issues which a lot of the rest of Northern Ireland doesn't have, to that degree anyway. DUP and Sinn Fein are controlled well as parties. It is up to the SDLP and UUP to up it and get better. Some people get so hysterical about Northern Ireland.
FrancieBrady wrote: » A Little Pony wrote: » Yes. Northern Ireland and Belfast are not the same thing. Belfast has the major issues which a lot of the rest of Northern Ireland doesn't have, to that degree anyway. DUP and Sinn Fein are controlled well as parties. It is up to the SDLP and UUP to up it and get better. Some people get so hysterical about Northern Ireland. The DUP are in bother because of a lack of control, no?
A Little Pony wrote: » Not really, she has managed to keep the party on her side. I am sure if a coup could happen within the DUP, now would be the time would it not? She is just incompetent but then that is Stormont for you. A system fundamentally flawed as a democratic system.
A Little Pony wrote: » A system fundamentally flawed as a democratic system.
FrancieBrady wrote: » The DUP will be forced to get rid of her IMO if they want to hold onto power. SF are holding all the cards at the moment unless they change things.
billy few mates wrote: » So this whole ploy is really just about regime change then....
A Little Pony wrote: » Godge wrote: » FrancieBrady wrote: » A United Ireland would sort his problems out overnight. His predicament is not a good thing really. New flag, New republic, he and others like him would jump at it. That is a very patronising response dismissing the opinion of Ireland's leading sportsman, who should be seen as a spokesperson for the new generation of Northern Ireland people. Jayop wrote: » Wow, one person's opinions when he clearly has a huge vested financial interest in keeping "both sides" placated is now the spokesperson and represents the views of the majority of young people in the north. Christ Gogde is I came up with ****e of that standard you'd be pissing yourself laughing. I recognise that McIlroy personifies the fear that republicans have of the North becoming normalised and ordinary Catholics developing an attachment to that state, but it is the reality. The demographic dividend that was supposed to arrive in the mid-1990s and change the political landscape of Northern Ireland still hasn't arrived twenty years later and it is now clear it never will. Just like the tide that doesn't wash over the sand-dunes, the dream of a united Ireland is on the way out. The high water mark was reached and the only way is down. Spot on. They have their own country in NI, they don't need an Irish Republic to prosper. They reap the benefits of the Union. United Ireland is dead.
Godge wrote: » FrancieBrady wrote: » A United Ireland would sort his problems out overnight. His predicament is not a good thing really. New flag, New republic, he and others like him would jump at it. That is a very patronising response dismissing the opinion of Ireland's leading sportsman, who should be seen as a spokesperson for the new generation of Northern Ireland people. Jayop wrote: » Wow, one person's opinions when he clearly has a huge vested financial interest in keeping "both sides" placated is now the spokesperson and represents the views of the majority of young people in the north. Christ Gogde is I came up with ****e of that standard you'd be pissing yourself laughing. I recognise that McIlroy personifies the fear that republicans have of the North becoming normalised and ordinary Catholics developing an attachment to that state, but it is the reality. The demographic dividend that was supposed to arrive in the mid-1990s and change the political landscape of Northern Ireland still hasn't arrived twenty years later and it is now clear it never will. Just like the tide that doesn't wash over the sand-dunes, the dream of a united Ireland is on the way out. The high water mark was reached and the only way is down.
FrancieBrady wrote: » A United Ireland would sort his problems out overnight. His predicament is not a good thing really. New flag, New republic, he and others like him would jump at it.
Jayop wrote: » Wow, one person's opinions when he clearly has a huge vested financial interest in keeping "both sides" placated is now the spokesperson and represents the views of the majority of young people in the north. Christ Gogde is I came up with ****e of that standard you'd be pissing yourself laughing.
rockatansky wrote: » Don't agree with this. 2 points why, The DUP are right about one thing, the people of the North do not want another election. They've repeatedly stated that the collapse of the institutions was a Sinn Fein decision. If they keep on this then Sinn Fein could well be blamed at the polls by the Electorate.
Sinn Fein have already gone off message. If they had kept it about one single issue, the RHI scheme, then people would have probably given them credit for standing up on this issue that concerns everyone in the north. By bringing in other issues such as the Irish language and Fosters unwillingness to partake in North/South bodies then they've made it the usual tribal warfare.
Anita Blow wrote: » Have to laugh at this. Reap the benefits of the Union? Britain literally could not care less for NI and NI has certainly reaped no benefits in the last 10 years.Here's a graph for you. The line you see skirting along the bottom of the graph far below any other is the GDP per capita of NI compared with any other region in the UK. Not only has it been stagnant since 2012, it is still nearly a decade later less than 90% what it was in 2007 while the rest of the UK has shown recovery
Godge wrote: » Thanks for this, absolutely convinced now that Northern Ireland would be nothing more than a millstone around the neck of the South in the event of a united Ireland.
Godge wrote: » So it was just a cynical play by SF, and you don't think the electorate won't see through that.
billy few mates wrote: » Not the first time the Shinners have gone off half cocked and shot themselves in the foot (no puns intended)....:) Far be it for me to give the Shinners election advice but they may have missed a great opportunity to be the bigger man here and remain presidential in all this by watching the DUP pull themselves asunder and not being seen to try and collapse the assembly but all the while quietly keeping the focus and pressure on. They didn't need to be getting involved in the DUP internal politics by calling for Arlene to step aside but once they did the focus of the argument changed from the Cash for Ash scandal to the good old fashioned 'them and us' nationalist v unionist battle. You had them on the ropes, it was only a matter of time before they imploded and if there was any serious wrongdoing an enquiry would have uncovered it whether or not she was still in office. You could find yourself 'Hoist by your own petard' if this cynical ploy backfires (no pun intended). In my opinion...
Danzy wrote: » RHI is a scandal of such a scale that it should be front page on every paper in Britain and even a threat to the Westminster Govt.
