The GFA and people naming it the Belfast agreement

Yes, among nationalists and the Irish government, it is known as the Good Friday agreement. Among unionists and the UK government it is known as the Belfast agreement.

It really should come as no shock that they couldn't agree on the name of the agreement tbh.

Unionists can't be seen agreeing to use a term acceptable to nationalists, so they adopted their own reference for the Agreement.

I saw that bigot Sammy Wilson being interviewed on TV a while back about Brexit trade between Northern Ireland and Britain. He couldn't even bring himself to say the word "Irish" in Irish Sea, instead making vague references to some body of water.

What do you mean by "those people"?

Sammy Wilson, a full on enthusiastic climate change denier, whereby on expressing these views in parliament he was laughed out of the House of Commons….and a man who is a homophobe…on record referring to members of the LGBT community as ‘poofs’ and ‘perverts’….

Yet repeatedly elected by his constituents…. Shows you what a black hole certain parts of the six counties are, still….that that’s the sort of individual repeatedly elected… absolutely nothing likeable or responsible about him. Or indeed his supporters.

You do realise that the bigotry you espouse here makes you little better than those you're giving out about. Coconut indeed. You'd wanna work on that anger of yours old man.

If they are using the formal name for the agreement instead of the nickname, perhaps that is some in-house style rule for editorials?

Edit: similar already posted

The GFA agreement doesn't have a formal name since it is a collective nickname for two separate agreements: a bilateral international agreement between the governments and a multi party agreement between the parties of NI.

Just thinking of the day it was agreed.

I was in Newry and folk were talking to each other and to strangers in the shops and on the street about the news from Belfast.

The excitement was palpable and hopes were high.

Pity that all these years later people are trying to weaponise even the name.

We have come a long way since that day and have a good way further to go.

Eh, Good Friday is a public holiday in the UK.

I think the idea was to name a truce between two historic Christian communities after a holy day based on hope (Jesus has died but not yet been resurrected).

Do you really feel insulted? I find that surprising. I was an atheist when the agreement was signed (I'm not one now) and that would have never even occurred to me to feel 'excluded' or whatever. But I suppose 1998 is a universe away now.

See what MrMusician wrote:

'The GFA agreement doesn't have a formal name since it is a collective nickname for two separate agreements: a bilateral international agreement between the governments and a multi party agreement between the parties of NI.'

My understanding is the multi-party agreement is called the Belfast Agreement. Presumably then the other agreement is called something else?

Btw I have seen Unionists use the name Good Friday Agreement as well.

Lutherans and some other Reformed churches have services on Good Friday. It is not a Catholic and Orthodox thing exclusively.