When the anti Brexit campaign began along the border, I spent a good deal of time talking to a journalist from the Financial Times. He came along to the Rally we organised on the Fermanagh/Cavan border and as well as giving him an interview, I introduced him to others from the area. Yet in his very brief report in the Financial Times he never mentioned me or quoted anything I said. I learned that when you are dealing with journalists you are at their mercy. You need them for your cause but they need you more in order to fill their papers. You know they may misrepresent or waste your time and there is not much you can do about it apart from refusing to talk to them. When they have finished with you they will drop you like a hot potato.
It is a strange experience to be in the news for any extended period of time. Politicians are in the news all the time. I do not know how they stick it especially when, like SF spokespeople, they are dealing with a hostile media and hostile journalists. However, it seems that they have a strategy to use the media as a means of reaching out to their opponents and as a way of showing respect and generosity. That is admirable because it is rarely reciprocated.
I was listening to Conor Murphy from SF on Nolan this morning and I was amazed how he could remain calm and composed in face of the badgering by Nolan asking the same questions over and over again. It was an attempt to trip Conor up. For example Nolan: ”Is the Irish language Act a red line issue for SF”? Conor; ”Well you must look at the whole context”. Nolan; “You almost said it was a redline issue.” And on and on it went. Nolan: ‘Answer me yes or no.’
For me it is a difficult experience to be in demand by journalists looking for a comment or a headline or an interview. I have experienced all of this after being in the news in recent times. Firstly, as a spokesperson for Fermanagh Border Communities Against Brexit and secondly, when the windows of my house were smashed in on Remembrance Sunday last November (2016).
Since last September, I found myself being contacted and interviewed on an almost daily basis for newspapers and radio and some TV. The calls were from all over Ireland and England and all over Europe with regard to Brexit. It was quite an amazing experience to be in demand on a daily basis when we held the first Anti-Brexit rally on the border at Aghalane and Belcoo. I thought the publicity for the cause of the people on the border in Fermanagh was good and hopefully useful in putting pressure on the Dublin Government and alerting them to our concerns about the negative effects of Brexit on people living near the border. Brexit is going to mean the return to border posts and delays. There is no avoiding that now. This is going to be an ongoing news story. I am glad there is a grass-roots structure Border Communities Against Brexit (BCAB) headed up by Declan Fearon of Newry to deal with this issue and to make representations on behalf of the local communities.
The publicity for myself in November last was not so welcome but I had to put up with it. I was the story for a while. It was a story about the reality of life here almost 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement. When a Catholic priest has his windows smashed in what police described as ‘a sectarian hate crime’ it is going to be a news story -locally at any rate. The Dublin media did not think it was a news item. I have had dealings with the media over many years but it was for short periods. This time it was sustained and it continues.
It is interesting how journalists will befriend you at the start. They can be ever so nice and pleasant. Then they begin the interview and they get stuck in as if you were some kind of boxing opponent. Then they get their story and they are gone on to another story. After they have gone away, it feels like you have been mugged. I suppose that is the price you pay for speaking out or taking a stand for truth and justice. I know that I am more able to deal with that now than I used to be when I was younger. I remember the time I used to be badgered by journalists and interviewers about ‘violence’ or should I say ‘the men of violence.’ There was only one group in their minds.
Journalists and broadcasters will always use you on their programmes for their own advantage and in keeping with the political slant of their paper or broadcast medium. Every time the BBC refers to ‘Londonderry’ they show their complete pro-unionist and pro-British bias and their contempt for nationalists. How could an organisation like that ever claim to be fair?
“Every time the BBC refers to ‘Londonderry’ they show their complete pro-unionist and pro-British bias and their contempt for nationalists.”
How does using the proper name of the city and county show any bias? Surely bias could only be shown if the BBC had a policy not to use the proper name in deference to nationalist objections to it?
Stephen Nolan had every right to press Connor Murphy on whether or not the ILA is a redline issue in the negotiations. SF have been making a lot of noises about it and Irish language speakers deserve to know if they are serious or if it’ll be dropped in post elections negotiations like a hot potato.
All in all though I’ll stick to the mainstream media for my news. Shooting the messenger just because you don’t like the message isn’t the way to stay informed.
It isn’t a red line Scott, because there is no road left to draw it on.
If you are asking whether a new road can be built without an ILA, then no, absolutely no chance.
So you reckon there’s zero chance of SF going into government again without a ILA Jessica? If that’s SF position then why not say so clearly?
“So you reckon there’s zero chance of SF going into government again without a ILA Jessica? If that’s SF position then why not say so clearly?”
Sinn Fein did not create this problem Scott, unionism did, all on your own.
I am happy to spell it out for you, but Sinn Fein should not give unionism the slightest bit of ammunition to deflect blame anywhere from where it is deserved.
Just so you understand what is happening.
These elections were not called to deliver a better turnout and re-jiggle the numbers a bit.
Stormont was collapsed by Sinn Fein because it was no longer reflective of the GFA and therefore had no legitimacy or support from the people who will now have the opportunity to decide who they want to represent them in negotiations as the Stormont project is over and new options will need to be negotiated.
The only thing off the table that I am aware off is Arlene Foster being first minister in any power sharing executive before she is cleared in a public inquiry over her role in RHI.
There is zero chance of that happening irrespective of the election result.
Indeed power sharing with any unionist party is also off the table until the two governments can persuade Sinn Fein that they can guarantee parity of esteem, respect and a resolution of legacy issues including removing the veto on truth.
I see the brits are trying to knock up a form of legislation to give amnesty to state forces throughout the conflict up to 1998.
Dublin has confirmed this is unacceptable but I will expect them to keep their word on this.
If the two governments can find a way past phase 1 of these negotiations, then unionism will still need to prove they can live up to their word which is less than worthless at the moment.
Their support for an Irish Language Act would be the absolute minimum needed to restore any form of government that involves sharing power.
But what you need to get into your head, is that there is currently no form of agreed devolved government for anyone to back into, Sinn Fein have collapsed it.
THERE WILL BE NO RETURN TO THE STATUS QUO POST ELECTION.
I don’t know how they can make it any clearer without sounding foolish and petulant.
“Their support for an Irish Language Act would be the absolute minimum needed to restore any form of government that involves sharing power.”
How do you know this?
By taking the range of views from going door to door which range from being attacked by dissident supporters, supporters who want to walk away and let whatever happens happen, to those who want politics to work but only of respect can be enshrined.
Thanks to the DUP and people like Gregory Campbell, Nelson McCausland and Paul Givan to name a few, unionist refusal to support an Irish Language Act will prove nothing has changed.
It is now a rod you have made for your own backs.
“By taking the range of views from going door to door which range from being attacked by dissident supporters, supporters who want to walk away and let whatever happens happen, to those who want politics to work but only of respect can be enshrined.”
I don’t understand. How does this lead you to know PSF’s negotiating bottom lines?
I can only take them at their word MT
If they go back on the promises they have made it would be up to them to decide, but I don’t think it would work out well for them if they did
In the past they have always listened to the grass roots in their community, what makes you think they will not this time? Especially as this approach at this time is widely supported all over Ireland whereas in previous times that was not the case.
Do you think the pro union stance taken by previous Dublin governments will be tolerated post article 50 being triggered?
Sinn Fein and popular opinion throughout Ireland will be on the same page.
“I can only take them at their word MT”
But their word is that a Gaelic language Act isn’t a red mine so why are you saying that it is, if you’re taking them at their word?
“Do you think the pro union stance taken by previous Dublin governments will be tolerated post article 50 being triggered?”
I’ve no idea what this.means..What pro union stance, tolerated by whom, how will intolerance be manifested, and what is the relevance of article 50?
Incidentally, these people.on the doora who say they want a Gaelic language Act, what do they want this Act to.do?
I never said it was a red line either MT.
I simply said the same thing Sinn Fein have been saying, that the institutions of devolved british government were brought down because of unionist and british government bad faith, their failure to stick to agreements including the good friday agreement which the institutions were based upon and even an abject failure to show human decency and respect to partners in government to which both governments have also neglected their responsibilities as guarantors of the GFA.
Sinn Fein did not do this lightly, they gave the DUP every opportunity and support to keep things going and that was not easy with their bad behaviour and intolerance never mind scandal after scandal.
It was not until the nationalist community itself could not take any more that they had no choice but to call it a day and bring it back to the two governments to see if they are serious about devolved power sharing or not.
There are mixed views in the community. Many have simply had enough and have no longer any interest in Stormont coming back if it ends the unionist intolerance getting back into power. Some want devolved government back but to simply make unionism behave with respect.
That is a difficult one as I think everything that could have been done was done, except turn the whole thing into a battle a day bigger farce than it already was which would only have annoyed more nationalists that we sank to unionist levels.
The only option left is to call a halt and negotiate with both governments to see if it would be possible to make things work or if another solution would be preferable.
That is the Sinn Fein line MT, more or less word for word.
As to what would be the outcome of the negotiations and red lines within them.
Sinn Fein have said they will not put up any red lines, not a single one about anything. Their view is that it is unhelpful to go into negotiations with red lines or bottom lines and putting them into the public media the way the DUP have done by claiming there will never be an Irish Language act is exactly why there is so much focus on it. Media just want juicy scoops and in my view, this just shows that the DUP are still not taking things seriously.
The UUP have not said it will never happen but are clearly opposed to it and are still influenced by the position of the DUP.
All I can give you from here is the position of the majority of the nationalist community.
We feel as though we have been unfairly treated, that our Irish culture has been treated with disdain and contempt by the DUP who engaged in blatant sectarian discrimination through the Stormont institutions. Unionism has once again discriminated against nationalists through an official devolved british government.
If you do not see the enormity of that then you have no interest in sharing this place with nationalists MT and there is no point in your continued engagement here until you learn at least a little about the people you live among.
We will not accept being treated as second rate by anyone, ever again.
There have been many discriminations over the years which we now know Stormont will not deliver on, as unionists only know discrimination and self interests.
This election will be about the negotiations that follow which will decide whether or not devolved british government can be restored.
From here I can only give you my personal views.
With article 50 about to be triggered, there will be no way of avoiding a hard border as things stand.
Moving to a position of joint rule however could mean we could remain within the UK but also be in ROI which will remain inside the EU.
This could take the sting out of brexit and mean no Irish language act would be needed as we would already be covered through joint rule.
Dublin have been dragged into NI by the DUP and must play a more direct role going forward which could allow plenty of wriggle room to deal with unionist intransigence.
You cant have your cake and eat it.
The only alternative to this would be a border poll and leaving the UK altogether which would be my preference.
The SDLP and UUP have not stood enough candidates for either to top the polls in either community and the nationalist community do not want to simply return to a unionist dominated Stormont so the SDLP are still not listening to the people on the ground.
On a lot of the doors I have visited they would have been chased.
You asked what an Irish Language Act would do.
Unionism constantly compares the Irish language to that of polish, as if it is just a language spoken by x amount of people.
It isn’t. An Irish language act will identify Irish as the official indigenous language and offer a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage. It means it would be treated the same as historic listed buildings, protected and maintained.
It is no longer in the gift of unionism to say no to it MT.
I can tell you quite clearly from the door steps, Sinn Fein will not be allowed to drop it for anything other than joint rule.
These negotiations will be about what unionism and the two governments are prepared to offer to get devolution up and running again.
It will need to be acceptable to Sinn Fein for whom it will need to be acceptable to our community.
What do you think should be offered for a return to devolved british rule MT?
“I never said it was a red line either MT.”
Yes you did. You said there’d be no return to devolution without a Gaelic language Act, and you said this was SF’s words, even though they’ve never said this.
Sinn Fein have clearly said there will be no return to the status quo.
This means there will be no going back to devolved government before all of the issues which were agreed are implemented and a new arrangement is put in place to ensure confidence can be restored.
Let me put it this way.
If Sinn Fein go back into power sharing in a devolved british government still arguing for an Irish language act with unionism saying no, they will have broken their word as the status quo would be evident.
If they go back and the british state are still withholding evidence from families seeking justice under the false veto of national security, then they will have broken their word.
If the legacy funding is not released, again, status quo.
If by going back, they are still unable to deliver projects like the maze and to deliver for neglected communities then again, status quo.
There is no red line on the Irish language act MT, there is no road to draw the line on.
Rebuilding the way forward through negotiations will go way beyond any single issue and there will be no fudges like St Andrews this time. Unionism have proved to be unscrupulous liars, cheats and simply not trustable.
As I keep saying, it will not even be in the gift of the DUP or even the UUP to restore Stormont this time – the status quo has gone much deeper.
Do you get it yet?
“Sinn Fein have clearly said there will be no return to the status quo.”
But they haven’t said there would be no return without a Gaelic language Act, so how is that you know there won’t be?
Answer me this MT.
How would a return to Stormont without an Irish language act, not be a return to the status quo?
“Answer me this MT.
How would a return to Stormont without an Irish language act, not be a return to the status quo?”
Rather obviously, because other things might change. A Gaelic langage Act isn’t the only possible way to change the status quo.
“Rather obviously, because other things might change. A Gaelic langage Act isn’t the only possible way to change the status quo.”
Ok, I don’t see it but lets say you are right.
So what else could change the status quo that I have not considered?
The DUP have claimed there will NEVER be an Irish language act.
Convince me that there is some way to bridge that position.
Give me an example
“So what else could change the status quo that I have not considered?
The DUP have claimed there will NEVER be an Irish language act.
Convince me that there is some way to bridge that position.
Give me an example”
Unlike you, I don’t claim to know what might happen.
Now, will you answer the questions, please?
“Unlike you, I don’t claim to know what might happen.”
Exactly therefore we have to take people at their word and if you cannot produce one single example of how the status quo could possibly be avoided without an Irish language act that the DUP have claimed will NEVER happen, then what was the point in all of the stupid questions about red lines?
“Exactly therefore we have to take people at their word and if you cannot produce one single example of how the status quo could possibly be avoided without an Irish language act that the DUP have claimed will NEVER happen, then what was the point in all of the stupid questions about red lines?”
Well, we don’t have to take people at their word because we know that what is said before an election and what happens afterwards rarely match.
But even if you are taking what PSF say as their word: they haven’t said they wouldn’t return to government without a Gaelic language Act. So how do you know they won’t?
So what you are saying is that because the DUP have been more unambiguous in their red lines, that devolution can only be restored by allowing them to save face?
Why should Sinn Fein care about the DUP saving face when the very reason devolution failed was because of their intransigence and arrogance in the first place?
“So what you are saying is that because the DUP have been more unambiguous in their red lines, that devolution can only be restored by allowing them to save face?”
I’m not saying anything about the restoration of devolution or otherwise. You are.
“Why should Sinn Fein care about the DUP saving face when the very reason devolution failed was because of their intransigence and arrogance in the first place?”
You’d need to ask PSF, but obviously they need to weigh up how much they want or need devolution, for which they depend on the DUP (assuming DUP is the largest unionist party).
Now, will you answer the questions, please.
“You asked what an Irish Language Act would do.”
No, I asked what do these people on the doorsteps want an Act to do.
“An Irish language act will identify Irish as the official indigenous language and offer a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage. It means it would be treated the same as historic listed buildings, protected and maintained.”
How do you know it will do this?
What would be the practical effect of identifying Irish as the official indigenous language?
What does offering a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage mran?
.”It means it would be treated the same as historic listed buildings, protected and maintained.”
An odd analogy. What would this protection and maintenance involve?
The nationalist community see Ireland as being one country, we are one people, one identity with one shared history.
Then we have unionism which is trying to create as much division with the rest of Ireland as possible, to create a two state island where one part has an Irish heritage and one has a british heritage.
An Irish language act would help anchor the two states together and put a halt to this separatism that unionists are pursuing which is only serving to isolate the unionist community from the test of the island including northern nationalists.
It may no longer be enough to satisfy nationalism but that is certainly one element. It has most definitely gone beyond the Irish speaking community and is extremely important to most nationalists now regardless of their ability to speak Irish.
To my shame, I only speak a little Irish but going forward, the Irish language must be prioritised within the school curriculum.
Until it is, much more effort must be made to address the neglect it has been given.
“An Irish language act would help anchor the two states together and put a halt to this separatism that unionists are pursuing which is only serving to isolate the unionist community from the test of the island including northern nationalists.”
Why haven’t you answered any of my questions?
1. How do you know that a Gaelic language Act will ‘identify Irish as the official indigenous language and offer a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage’?
2. What would be the practical effect of identifying Irish as the official indigenous language?
3. What does offering a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage mean?
.”It means it would be treated the same as historic listed buildings, protected and maintained.”
4. What would treating a language the same as historic listed buildings mean in practice?
“1. How do you know that a Gaelic language Act will ‘identify Irish as the official indigenous language and offer a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage’?”
That is the whole purpose of language acts elsewhere in the UK such as Scotland and Wales, why on earth would you think we should be any different?
“2. What would be the practical effect of identifying Irish as the official indigenous language?”
It would help stave off the deliberate attack it is under from political unionism and the act should be worded to guarantee that is the case.
“3. What does offering a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage mean?
.”It means it would be treated the same as historic listed buildings, protected and maintained.”
4. What would treating a language the same as historic listed buildings mean in practice?”
Use your loaf MT, what do you think protecting a language entails?
“1. How do you know that a Gaelic language Act will ‘identify Irish as the official indigenous language and offer a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage’?”
That is the whole purpose of language acts elsewhere in the UK such as Scotland and Wales, why on earth would you think we should be any different?”
The Welsh Language Act doesn’t offer any ‘state guarantee’ and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act neither recognises Gaelic as the official indigenous language nor offers a ‘state guarantee’.
Therefore clearly this is not the whole purpose of language acts elsewhere in the UK.
So how do you know that an Irish Gaelic language Act will ‘identify Irish as the official indigenous language and offer a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage’?
“2. What would be the practical effect of identifying Irish as the official indigenous language?”
It would help stave off the deliberate attack it is under from political unionism and the act should be worded to guarantee that is the case.”
You haven’t answered the question. Would would be the practical effect? How would it ‘help stave off the deliberate attack’?
“3. What does offering a state guarantee to encourage its survival and growth as part of our heritage mean?
.”It means it would be treated the same as historic listed buildings, protected and maintained.”
But you haven’t explained what this means. How can you treat a language the same as a building?
“4. What would treating a language the same as historic listed buildings mean in practice?”
Use your loaf MT, what do you think protecting a language entails?”
I’m asking you. It seems you don’t know.
The Act itself is the state guarantee, nothing more is required here and Irish is the indigenous language, what other language originated in Ireland?
A language is not the same as a building, I never said it was and only an idiot or an ignoramus would come to that conclusion.
Protected buildings of historical relevance are so, to ensure their heritage survives for future generations to enjoy.
The same case must be made for the Irish language for example, it must also be given greater importance in the school curriculum.
“The Act itself is the state guarantee, nothing more is required here and Irish is the indigenous language, what other language originated in Ireland?”
I don’t follow. You’re saying an Act – regardless of what it says – is a ‘state guarantee’? How can that be? What does a ‘state guarantee’ mean and what would be involved in such a guarantee?
“A language is not the same as a building, I never said it was and only an idiot or an ignoramus would come to that conclusion.”
Exactly, So how can protecting a language be the same as protecting a building??
“Protected buildings of historical relevance are so, to ensure their heritage survives for future generations to enjoy. The same case must be made for the Irish language for example, it must also be given greater importance in the school curriculum.”
This doesn’t make sense. Historic buildings aren’t protected through the school curriculum.
But we’re getting somewhere as you appear to suggest that the Act would involve some kind of provision in relation to the school curriculum. What would this provision be, and how do you know it would be included?
well hopefully it works out like that,then the only option is direct rule which wont be a bad thing heading into brexit and the hard border.after last nights invasion by what has been described as a gang of savages wielding axes stormed a spanish border in morocco we might need a wall.all this will be a win win for the dup.
“All in all though I’ll stick to the mainstream media for my news.”
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. You have a lot to learn Scott.
windows are broke everyday of the week,maybe gossip in some backwater but hardly newsworthy in the real world.
Yes, indeed, yet the seeming indifference of the Southern media to the breaking of a Catholic priest’s windows in far-away Fermanagh is in no way to be misconstrued as a sectarian reaction..
If, say, the windows of a rabbi were to be,erm, shattered it would be blithely dismissed as a mere pogrom.
I think the BBC have a policy of using Derry and Londonderry
Does Joe object to the Irish Times policy of referring to NI as the north? Complete pro-nationalist and anti-British bias and contempt for unionsts. How could an organisation like that ever claim to be fair?
The BBC’S most prominent journalist of all time,Robin Day,once introduced Bishop Eddie Daly as “the bishop of Londonderry”!
The Meedja is a curious beastie, alright. On the nightly news I am constantly amazed when some poor family is doorstepped at possibly one of the worst times of their lives. There they are being interviewed after the death of a loved-one …possibly still in a state of shock……..maybe even teary-eyed …all for posterity and the public record…while some lugubrious reporter relays the state of their private terror or sadness in hushed and measured tones ,to the world beyond.
Why would they let a reporter in at all? Is there no one to protect them or can they not protect themselves ? I ask. I have had had a little bit of this myself in the past .Some thirty-odd years ago when a group of us were involved ain a self-build scheme we made the local news .The local press proceeded then to make up their own story , complete with lovely made-up quotes which none of us uttered at all. They put all these words in our mouths and it was duly written up in the papers. On another occasion some eight years ago, my wife’s mother was unfortunately killed while on holidays abroad by a drunk-driver….in a wheelchair on a road crossing , accompanied by two of her other daughters.The press and television were onto us like flies on rotten fruit for a week while we organised the return of the body. It was my job to field all the calls and tell them to shove it….but man , were they persistent !! Sometimes no has to mean no.
Actually SF have refused to commit to demanding an Irish Language Act as a condition of a return to participation in a ‘powersharing’ executive. No resolution of the past. No new houses in North Belfast. No Maze Peace Park. No comprehensive education. No same sex marriage. No Irish Language Act. What is the Nationalist/ Republican community getting out of this toxic ‘partnership’?
The same thing Ireland has always got any time be put any faith in england.
Screwed
It is time to go our separate ways and ended this toxic union with Britain
They sometimes say about religious people that their minds are so heavenly bound that they are no earthly good. I wonder is there an equivalence among politicos?
You mean so desperate to get into power they could plead with people to vote for them and give change a chance the way you do with the SDLP/UUP alliance?
You could be right.
No, I mean people so caught up with their own version of the past that they refuse to see the wood for the trees. Mike Nesbitt’s emphasis on mental health shows a groundedness that enhances his progressive views on the way forward here. The political commentariat, and hardliners on his own party have been unimpressed I know, but that might be an advantage given some of the myopic nonsense that comes from those quarters.
There are definitely plenty of mental health issues myself included but based on his past actions, Mike cares very little about them.
I think we desperately need the troubles museum at the maze which should tell the story of each event from all of the different narratives.
There is no one version of the past, it has to be told from each relevant point of view and taking into consideration the various points of origin.
If we only see everything from our own point of view, then what use is that, we learn nothing?
Mike Nesbitt is a one sided unionist bigot who prioritises and considers only the british view point. You are being fooled by his latest ploy to attract the additional votes he needs to counter the DUP from wherever he can muster them, in your case SDLP supporters.
Have you forgotten his leaflet campaign causing the flag protests, his engagement with loyalist muscle in the graduated response, his attempts to out DUP the DUP?
He still does not consider combatants to be worthy of respect or support unless they fought for the british state.
He is not a peace maker, and his progressive views are just simply that of someone who has gone all in for one last bash at reviving his beloved UUP. When it fails he will along with Colum will be out on their ear.
You are so caught up in Colum and Mikes desperate bid to show some sort of alliance is possible you are unable to see the wood for the trees yourself.
Neither they or Stormont have anything left to offer. It must now go back to the drawing board, there is no other way forward.
You are fooling yourself if you think they have and they don’t even believe it themselves judging by the so few candidates they are standing.
Is that a mindset or a reasoned argument? I agree with you on the maze project though.
I think it is a reasonable conclusion based on his past actions since entering politics.
I was actually shocked when his true colours came out after entering politics as I still recall his tears when the kids lost their life in an arson attack over drumcree protests.
I never would have guessed he held the sectarian views he has since expressed.
His stance on supporting the veto on national security and denying the truth and justice to victims of state murder is simply hypocritical as someone who was a victims commissioner.
He didn’t have to enter politics or say what he said about voting for people who would best build politics here. He must have known how some in his own party would react. He doesn’t appear to be a stupid man. I think he has thrown down a gauntlet to everyone here. The DUP have a visceral hatred of everything Irish.
He didn’t, he entered politics to revive the UUP.
When DUP style sectarian politics failed to win back voters, electoral pacts only strengthened the DUP. so he decided then to try pretending there was an opposition and try criticising everything in Stormont even things stemming from their own time in the executive less than a year earlier.
Now he is trying to pretend there is some sort of bond between himself and the SDLP who followed him out into opposition for similar reasons.
Desperation.
I find it simply breath-taking that Sinn Fein can spend literally 10 years reaching out to unionism, working for all communities, taking risks for peace such as standing with the chief constable against dissident killings and encouraging positive politics and to support parties in favour of the GFA.
Yet Mike claims he will vote SDLP after UUP in one interview in a desperate bid to turn his parties fortunes around and you are up singing his praises and claiming he has thrown some sort of gauntlet down when he has clearly said he didn’t expect anyone in his party to vote for them at all.
I am guessing your naivety is more in the hope that somehow the SDLP will benefit.
The SDLP already benefit from unionist transfers if it will hurt Sinn Fein.
This coupled with Colums republicanism showing out could just as easily backfire on the SDLP which is what I would expect will happen.
Politics didn’t work under ten years of SF/DUP. There’s a chance to try something different. The people will choose the kind of political future they want. They can change things radically or they can go back to SF/DUP and hope that things will be different this time.
I do think radical change is needed, but the SDLP/UUP in the same institutions is hardly it.
But based on the candidates selected, I don’t think there is any possibility of it not being SF/DUP who come out on top.
Radical change will only come about by renegotiating how devolved government works or scrapping the whole shebang and dealing with it as part of the brexit negotiations and holding a border poll.
The DUP have done more to get is out of the UK than they yet realise.
If Sinn Fein come out as the biggest party, surely that would qualify for having a border poll.
“If Sinn Fein come out as the biggest party, surely that would qualify for having a border poll.”
How?
It’s the people who will choose who leads us, at least they have an option now.
“I never would have guessed he held the sectarian views he has since expressed.”
What sectarian views?
I’ve suggested this in the past.
I think Jessica and MT should meet up for a cup of tea or coffee, then take a long walk on the beach followed up by a pint or two at the pub.
If Martin and Ian learned to get on why can’t they?
Regarding the media I have had a number of bad experiences with them over the years.
At one point I gave an interview at some length . At the end of it I made what I thought was a jocular, offhand remark which was met with a shared laugh with the reporter.
When the story was written parts of what I said were quoted without attribution.
Weeks later the offhand , one sentence remark was quoted fully with my name attached .totally out of context and in a damaging manner and not at all within its meaning when uttered.
Another time a TV interviewer with an agenda spent the entire segment misrepresenting the underlying facts and never got to the real issue.
So the lesson to be earned is to always, always be on your guard in these situations.
Why is it when the comment on that City is bad its Derry. When the comment is good it is Londonderry. Why does MT insist in calling Sinn Fein- PSF? There is only one SF
Would MTs name be Sammy,Nigel or Gregory?
“Why is it when the comment on that City is bad its Derry. When the comment is good it is Londonderry.”
It isn’t.