I think they could. There's clearly a gap in the market for a political party which supports traditional values, families, are anti-abortion and are sceptical of the wokery rubbish.
Whereas you're saying that people like Garret Fitzgerald supposedly had an "affinity with unionism" based on absolutely nothing at all.
This is getting tiresome in the extreme.
His 'Constitutional Crusade' was designed for them (unionists) principally and at the time he was heavily criticised for that and failing utterly to speak out on behalf of nationalists. He zealously rushed through ill thought out divorce legislation without taking even his own party with him never mind the electorate and it predictably failed.
Like how inviting Donaldson to congress backfired on Varadkar and Coveney (not too long after they were being vilified by the DUP) so too did Garrett's approach's as Unionists came to hate and vilify him him for negotiating the Anglo Irish Agreement etc. Something he believed helped Unionists, you don't believe you are helping people or try to (however misguided) without having an affinity with them
His 'Constitutional Crusade' was designed for them (unionists) principally
Laughable nonsense.
I think you need to do some research. Start with his Dimbelby lectures where he mapped out his 'crusade' to change Irish law and the constitution and what it's intentions were. It's a fact that they were designed to make the south more palatable for Unionists.
I don't think going forward towards a UI,narratives villifying being accomadating towards unionism should be espoused,more especially because increasingly it's more and more what we are going to have to be looking at
Who was villifying? Question was posed in the OP and when facts were alluded to the defensiveness started. Even had somebody make assumptions based on religion, not very accommodating is it?
Any future relationships should be based on mutual respect not because we ‘have’ to. Respect is earned.
overtures/niceties extended to unionists historically or now should not be dissed,its on doing so,you enter the territory of disrespect imho
For the record (again) I didn't make assumptions earlier on religion,I gave anecdote that countered yours and I know my understanding to be true
You seem to think my description of protestant affinity down south with their brethern up north is casting aspersions when I clearly stated the opposite
(i'm frankly quite surprised your experience closer to the border is different tbh but there may be a different dynamic in play)
As we don't know each other I'll put earlier differences down to yet another internet misunderstanding and leave it at that
Readers can make of it what they will
Erskine childers was a protestant and so was Hyde before him both FF figures
Nobody was talking about 'protestants'. Own it and move on.
How has this obvious attempt at a wind up got 10 pages?
You seem to be interested in the tat titting
Not my thing baby
You are trying to undermine what I say by stereotyping religions and by insinuation:
Classic tit for tatting. For the record, my experience close to the border sees some Protestants with an affinity to Unionism but not all of them. I don't, like you, make assumptions. Insinuating that there is a different dynamic at play is pathetic. Again for the record, I don't have issue with people having Unionist sympathies (I know and deal with such people everday) but I do have a different political outlook.
Unnecessary argument finding much
Of course theres a different dynamic somewhere at play when my experience of a community 100's of miles from the border is markedly differs from yours
And no I didn't tat your tit by outlining my own experience
I posted
Neither of us are the only people in the world,each of us expressed our own experience and extrapulated our own take
There is no different dynamic other than the truth versus stereotype. I contest your 'experience' - not all protestants are aligned/sympathetic to unionism and never were here or in any other part of the country. You assessment is lazy.
So you have a monopoly on the truth and experience
I see
No monopoly, I know that Protestant does not automatically equal unionist and never did here.
Apparently it does where you live and in your version of history.
We'll just have to agree to disagree
Aww don't be a spoilsport. He hates when people prevent him from adding yet another notch to his bedpost.
Yes, plenty of ppl who don't know they are not British people transplanted in a different country. These will be as devoted to dup etc as much as the fg'ers are in the more southern-minded ppl.
Whatever about the future which none of us can be sure of it is absolutely gas to witness the denial of the past.
considering how a load of Dubs went up to belfast to hang around with a gang of tri-colour burning loyalists and then burn out shops, it wouldnt surprise me in the DUP done well in the south
Works both ways mac, if the kids can forget and vote for SF they can forget and vote for the DUP just as easy. How many applauding Jeffrey Robinson 'forgot', willfully or otherwise, the DUP's involvement in paramilitarism for instance.
The DUP can quite easily win a lot of people in the south if they pivot from Ulster unionist sectarian concerns to being anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim.
Is that another way of agreeing that the DUP won't gain support if they continue as they are today? You believe they'd have to be a different party, with different goals and different priorities?
For the anti immigrant point - that's still demonstrably false. No anti immigrant party has done well to date, and long may that continue.
its almost quaint. We really should laugh because it actually is quite funny the idea of a load of Dubs running up to Belfast to hang out with a bunch of rioting loyalists who really couldnt give a hoots about coolock or the republic of ireland
FG: We will never and should never forget what IRA/SF did.
Also FG: Howya Jeffrey, wanna address our convention, nobody will question you on the past of your party and what your party did nor about the extremes you are still connected to, who knows we might even give you an ovation?
I think the question is upside down
Do you know in the event of an inevitable UI,it's the DUP that will discipate as the 26 county parties permeate the 6 counties not the other way round,normal left ,right and centre politics establishishing up there
The southern parties have realistically failed in any attempts to enter politics in NI, and most of them *have* tried. PBP have one assembly seat. Labour had one MP in the 60s.
FF tried to Borg the SDLP quite recently and while the leadership was OK with it, the members absolutely weren't
Aye but a UI would be new and completely different disposition than heretofore
The southern parties have realistically failed in any attempts to enter politics in NI
Sinn Fein seem to have done well.
"…Borg the SDLP.." LOL
If (when) there is a UI then the DUP will probably have faded into the background of NI politics.
As I've said before without the Union they'll be left with just their opposition to the dreaded "Godless socialism" rampant in Ireland. And I can then see them and whatever version of Renua is around forming some sort of soi disant "Christian Coalition".
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