IntenseDebate - Jake

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Queen\'s University st... · 0 replies · +11 points

They have every right to debate the topic, that's democracy, but its still divisive and I assume it will fail....

Draculastongue "Records show that he regarded the Irish as a type of non-Aryan sub race, so they would have faced the same prospect of the Jews, the Romany people etc etc"

Relevance ?. Either way your statement is incorrect, Hitler for what's it worth (nothing) viewed the Celtic peoples, including the Irish as an Aryan race....

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Twaddell organiser Ger... · 0 replies · +8 points

....... but why do they need to be policed? Ignore them and leave them to their tea and twaddell...

and I'm sure if journalists like Rebecca stopped interviewing them they would eventually grow bored in a year /or 2 (if they have an ounce of sense) and simply go home ....

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Twaddell organiser Ger... · 2 replies · +25 points

If Gerald and the other folks at Twaddell have nothing better to do with their time than sit around in caravans surrounded by union flags, drinking tea and talking endlessly about their British identity...

..... then why not, they are largely ignored and don't appear to be bothering anyone ...

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 0 replies · +1 points

Yes true and prior to a fleeting 120 years unified within the union is was unified for thousands of years before / it had a series of kingdoms that had a recognised High King and for many centuries ruled under a system of Irish brehon law

So that 120 years is pretty much irrelevant in the history of the island for those of us that can see beyond a UK centred view of history here ...

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 0 replies · +2 points

There is no evidence whatsoever ever that Ireland would be better off economically in the union / in fact the evidence shows precisely the opposite as the massive economic divergence between the two parts of the island has shown since we had the very good sense to get out of a union we never wished to be involved in.

But feel free to continue to live in cloud cookoo -land ....

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 3 replies · +3 points

Aholeintheearth: the facts I laid out are unchanged by anything in your reply in relation to why Ireland rejoining a union it never cared for is simply a nonsense.

The absolutely fundamental point that unionists like you don't seem to grasp is that Irish citizens do not need Britain or any other outside entity for validation of their national outlook in the way they do. To us Ireland and its interests and its place in Europe and the world are paramount. Unionists have always had Britain's interests above Ireland's - which I personally find bizarre.

Ireland is our nation, Britain is a neighbour and now a good friend with which we have had an often challenging relationship nothing more or nothing less than that.

Back to NI / the UK subvention so beloved by unionists is if you think about it a disincentive to economic progress in NI / It delays the reforms necessary for proper economic growth and real wealth creation and is part if the reason why continuation in the union has had a negative economic effect in NI

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 6 replies · +8 points

Aholeintheearth: How about a United Ireland, united as part of the United Kingdom - in all seriousness.

Yes that's sensible all right ....

Southern Ireland within the UK at independence the poorest part of these islands by a country mile and one of the poorest regions in Europe / 90 years after independence it is one of the wealthiest parts of these islands (outside South east England) and one of the wealthiest in all of Europe

Compare that to:

The northern half that remained in the union / it has become one of the poorest regions within these islands, with practically no private industrial sector and is in serious danger of becoming a permanent economic backwater

Who in their right mind would consider such a nonsensical idea even on economics alone ...

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 0 replies · +4 points

seemack87: You're absolutely right, 40.2% of people voted in 2011 for parties whose primary objective is reunification. However, only 54.5% of the people voted......so only 20.3% of the total electorate voted for SF and the SDLP.....

Yes Seemack that's called democracy, if you don't bother to vote it cant be counted ..,.

Probably a more important measure is based on the census that shows fast approaching 50% of the actual population are from a catholic background, and while many of them may be happy with the status quo for now they generally have a less ideological and political affinity for Britain than protestants and will tend to see themselves as Irish/ N Irish and view Ireland as their "nation".

So one can certainly argue that as they become the majority in NI over the next 20-30 years and move into voting age that they will have no ideological issues with reunification. They will be open to sensible persuasion on economics mainly as the cultural affinity to the rest of Ireland is already generally there.

In the past with a solid protestant majority in NI even logical arguments for unity would have fallen on deaf ears as protestant unionism is generally driven as much by political, cultural and religious reasons regardless of the economics and were therefore never open to the concept reunification.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 0 replies · +1 points

Spot on/ well said ....

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Alliance Euro-candidat... · 0 replies · +4 points

Spelegraph2: If Anna Lo is a nationalist, she should join a nationalist party. If she is "flabbergasted" by the reaction of people to her remarks maybe a complete career change would be better

So all the pro-union members of Alliance should also join the DUP and UUP, TUV? Why its a surprise to anyone that there are nationalist leaning and union leaning members of the Alliance party is completely beyond me even in somewhere as intolerant as NI, a middle ground party happy with the current status quo will have members that will have different longer terms objectives for NI

Whats the problem with that?

IntenseDebate Comment System

Connect with Jake_M

People I'm following

Jake_M