Irish language gets full EU status today

It was also your 'original interest' to tell the lie that dual signage 'is very controversial (much of the north).'

I corrected you on that and here we are. Dual signage is all over the north without issue.

Now you want to tell the lie that consensus has NOT been arrived at several times...it has, but Unionism keeps welching on any deals they make.

Now, under the aegis of what they agreed to in the GFA, your government will step in again and force Unionism to do what it has agreed to. Same thing has happened with the Protocol and other rights legislation.

'Consensus' means 'agreement'.

Was an agreement reached in St. Andrew's? = Yes

Was another agreement reached to restore devolution? = Yes.

What 'agreement' is Brandon Lewis saying he will force through at Westminster? = The New Decade, New Approach Agreement.

I didn't say 'Irish is not controversial' downcow = another lie.

What I said was that your contention that dual signage is controversial in 'most of the north' is a lie because much of the north has examples of dual language signage now.

SSM and abortion rights here in the south have 'consensus' but you will find pockets of resistance and objection to those rights.

Majority of Unionists live everyday with dual language signage and there is no issue. Unionist politicians find it sticks in the craws, but that seems to happen with any equality or normalising legislation

I've posted a few times before that downcow seems to be a genuine poster and gives a valuable alternate viewpoint. I usually don't agree with them but I'd rather they were posting than not. They do get picked on a bit though

There is nothing 'provocative' in my language unless you are massaging a victimhood backstory.

You made claims, I objected to them. And backed up what I meant - consensus/agreement/deals have been made on Irish language rights which Unionist politicians have repeatedly walked away from, all the while Dual Language signs have been up all over the north without issue.

There are pockets of dissent about that and while Unionists try to hide AGAIN from commitments/agreements/consensus and deals they have made, Westminster will, once again, go above their heads and legislate, as they have warned. Westminster MUST do this because they made an agreement with the Irish government that, despite posturing and trying to pretend, they have not walked away from. Ask any Unionist about that fact if you need backup.

Please don't try and move the goalposts again downcow.

Of course it will never happen Donald. (blocking the English language)

Several times I have asked what rights are nationalists/republicans blocking and these posters run for the hills with deflections and victimhood.

Well the rules have to be fair at some stage.

So if someone calls for "one side" being allowed to "not reach a consensus" on having Irish on signs in their area, then equally the "other side" should be allowed to "not reach a consensus" on having English on signs in their area. So we can end up with two even more polarised "sides"

People have to think proposals through before they suggest them. It's not the 50's or 60's anymore where you could get away with two blatantly different sets of rules

It wouldn't label areas if everywhere had them though.

If you have dual language version signs almost everywhere and then suddenly you enter an area that has no Irish on the signs, surely that labels that area?

You could flip that last paragraph on its head and replace Republican with Unionist for use of the English language on signs and it would look equally ridiculous. It’s a sign.

We have plenty of signs telling in both French and German to drive on the left. Who cares.

When did the Shinners get exclusivity on a language? I suspect the same percentage of Irish in NI can speak the Irish language as we can south of the border, not a lot in both cases.

My Irish goes no further than school Irish. We have dual signage everywhere but I barely notice that. I read the English part only and off I go. I can’t understand the politicisation of a language and a bloody sign. They can put a few EU languages on them and it wouldn’t get noticed as we would use the language we can read from the sign and oddly ignore the remainder.

'Mr Lewis said it shows how some still want to spread hate and division.'

You should take a look in the mirror, Alan.

I condemn any and all sectarian threats BTW.

Racking up the lies...I never used the word 'hardline' on this issue downcow.

You claim to be worried about labelling areas...the way to ensure that areas aren't labelled is to ensure they are all treated the same.

Equality downcow...always the answer.

Most of the place names were anglicised by the British while they controlled Ireland. They simply spelled a lot of names phonetically, such as Dubh Linn, (Dublin), Doire, (Derry) etc. So in the Republic a lot (not all) of road signs are the correct spelling in Irish of the English words.

No different than in the North.