We must return to the promise of our 1998 Belfast Agreement peace deal by fully implementing that Agreement… or we condemn ourselves to perpetual strife and division.
Ireland was the British crown’s first colony, and the Northern Ireland state is an undemocratic gerrymandered remnant of that once larger colony.
British conquest of Ireland was immoral, as was partitioning it at gunpoint. All ensuing events are indelibly tainted with a perfumed-over stench of immorality, and pontificating about ‘moral values’ to the disenfranchised native population is the most perverse form of hypocritical supremacism.
That said, every person born on the island of Ireland is entitled to be here and to enjoy equal citizenship rights. In this there is no qualification whatsoever.
In any event, during our most recent conflict the DUP-linked Ulster Resistance terrorist group were supplied with guns by the white supremacist Afrikaner regime with whom they share a colonisers affinity. Similarly, the DUP and other Unionists openly display a great affinity with modern-day colonisers in Israel – all this gives some credence to that old adage; birds of a feather flock together.
Following Anne Lo of the Alliance Party contending that NI was ‘artificial’ and that she supported reunification of Ireland, the DUP’s Arlene Foster angrily retorted:
‘Northern Ireland is not a colony, it is a full and equal part of the United Kingdom’.
However, due to the above and below facts NI citizens know that DUP assertion is patently untrue.
Firstly, NI is not “as British as Finchley” no-matter how much the DUP pretend otherwise. Within the UK, NI alone is obliged to function pursuant to our 1998 peace deal provisions. That requires a mandatory coalition Executive and one constrained by a anti-discrimination petition of concern safety mechanism.
Secondly, NI citizens have lesser rights than their fellow citizens in other regions of the UK i.e no LGBT marriage equality; no liberal abortion access rights; plus, whereas the Scottish and Wales nations have language protection Acts, the Irish nation is denied one despite our SAA peace deal provisions and even despite the UK’s international “minority native languages” obligation – the Irish language was not politicised by we Irish in Ireland but by British colonial penal laws and then by the UUP who excluded all things Irish from the new NI state school system.
Thirdly, NI is consistently proven to be the poorest region across the UK and Ireland and by every national and international quality of life index.
Alas, the media miserably fails NI society by not upholding its solemn ‘public interest’ duty and by framing debates that avoid truly interrogating civic and political Unionism on the above and below issues:
- The DUP and UUP have cherry-picked to death our peace deal agreements and condemn us to perpetual division, and the subservient SDLP will acquiesce just to be gifted some crumbles from the top table.
- The leaders of political Unionism (the DUP and UUP) have refused to reciprocate Sinn Féin leaders’ many cross-community acts of reconciliation, and that non-inclusive and disrespectful stance is counter to building a genuinely shared future.
- Why is it that most Unionist voters empower a supremacist Unionist mindset that frequently engages in sectarianism, bigotry, homophobia and racism?
- Brexit is a disaster for a pro-EU Northern Ireland at the mercy of a little-Englander mentality (unsurprisingly, though Unionists rejected Westminster’s 1912 Home Rule Bill, they now demand Brexit be imposed upon us).
It’s time to recognise, the parties of modernity are Sinn Féin, Alliance, the Green Party and potentially the Progressive Unionist party; the others will keep us stuck in the past or drag us further into a worse past… it’s time for moderate Unionists to get voting to build a new future.
Now, repeat after me: it’s all about DUP Arlene Foster’s RHI scandal.
There is no future for the UK in Ireland.
By refusing to compromise or engage and respect Irish nationalism, unionism is sleepwalking to what they see as utter defeat and it will be of their own making.
We can either exit the UK on amicable terms and accommodate one another building a better relationship, or we can allow it to get messy and in that case I would support the ending of the common travel area which would have to be put on the table under those circumstances.
Sooner of later Ireland will elect a government prepared to put Ireland first.
The result of this election will be an indicator of what direction we will be going in and it could have a big influence in the southern election coming down the road.
I would recommend that as many people vote no matter who you choose to vote for.
This year will be a game changer and it will be too late to have your voice heard when it is over.
“the Northern Ireland state is an undemocratic gerrymandered remnant of that once larger colony.”
It’s neither undemocratic nor gerrymandered. The writer doesn’t understand the meaning of gerrymandered.
“British conquest of Ireland was immoral”
On what basis was it immoral?
“as was partitioning it at gunpoint.”
Presumably also seeking to partition the British Isles at gunpoint was also immoral?
“the UK’s international “minority native languages” obligation”
What obligation is this?
“Thirdly, NI is consistently proven to be the poorest region across the UK and Ireland and by every national and international quality of life index.”
No it isn’t. In fact it usually ranks highly on quality of life indices.
“The DUP and UUP have cherry-picked to death our peace deal agreements and condemn us to perpetual division, and the subservient SDLP will acquiesce just to be gifted some crumbles from the top table.”
To what cherrypicking do you refer?
“Why is it that most Unionist voters empower a supremacist Unionist mindset that frequently engages in sectarianism, bigotry, homophobia and racism?”
Why is it that most nationalist voters empower an anti-democratic pro-terrorist mindset that frequently engages in terror glorification?
“Now, repeat after me: it’s all about DUP Arlene Foster’s RHI scandal.”
Yet you didn’t even mention RHI in your long rant.
Ta bron orm MT nach, ‘It’s neither undemocratic nor gerrymandered. The writer doesn’t understand the meaning of gerrymandered.’
Even, as I’ve pointed several times, ordinary working class protestants had lesser voting rights than the teach mor unionist, c. similar to the Catholic neighbour’s, but areas like mine or Derry are principal examples of gerrymandering, constituencies looking more like octopus than wards to reach to incorporate a protestant majority in places like Armagh and Strabane.
“Even, as I’ve pointed several times, ordinary working class protestants had lesser voting rights than the teach mor unionist, c. similar to the Catholic neighbour’s, but areas like mine or Derry are principal examples of gerrymandering, constituencies looking more like octopus than wards to reach to incorporate a protestant majority in places like Armagh and Strabane.”
Exactly. Tell that to the writer of the blog, who seems to think gerrymandering means creating a new jurisdiction with the support of the majority within it.
Frankly MT, I think that is not what was meant, gerrymandering would be unnecessary in a jurisdiction if one political party controlled, or achieved fullish support, like zanu pf, whose leader’s wife told conference yesterday, even if dead, her husband would be elected, there are those in our six Ulster counties who would elect Carson, or even Ian sean.
In them Ulster counties, near half the population opposed the government and it’s amoral establishment, against the will of all the Ulster people, though the OUP no longer stood in Monaghan, Louth, Cavan and Donegal, why not I think the deserted unionists had a right to know, except for those moved to south Tyrone.
“Frankly MT, I think that is not what was meant”
I think it was.
“gerrymandering would be unnecessary in a jurisdiction if one political party controlled, or achieved fullish support, like zanu pf, whose leader’s wife told conference yesterday, even if dead, her husband would be elected, there are those in our six Ulster counties who would elect Carson, or even Ian sean.”
It’s unnecessary in all jurisdictions.
“In them Ulster counties, near half the population opposed the government and it’s amoral establishment, against the will of all the Ulster people, though the OUP no longer stood in Monaghan, Louth, Cavan and Donegal, why not I think the deserted unionists had a right to know, except for those moved to south Tyrone.”
Eh?
Well, the OUP didn’t do away with proportional representation in solely some six county areas
so helping to impose immoral british rule in ireland will help..weird sort of thinking.
“so helping to impose immoral british rule in ireland will help..weird sort of thinking.”
Thinking is always a good thing billy.
Lets follow it through.
We have two options.
1
Walk away.
Lets be honest, it wont just be a political vacuum, it will pretty much guarantee a return to conflict.
It will push the two states closer together as they will both fear for their economies.
Unionism will be delighted to have bloodshed that they can blame on nationalism once again and demand a return of the british army.
The chances of improved cooperation between the southern security forces and the british will inevitably lead to a 32 county conflict and a multi faction civil war.
That is most certainly not where we want to be going.
2
I agree, british rule in Ireland is immoral and we have been sold down the river by Dublin who prefers to look after its immediate responsibilities and ignore what is going further up the country.
The GFA outlines a means of achieving unity peacefully which involves accepting to live with british rule until there is a majority in favour of ending it.
Had unionism been prepared to accept this and get on board, we could have worked on economic and social improvements making our lives better until such times as we are ready and comfortable to create a new agreed Ireland either within the UK or outside of it.
The actions of unionism not only the DUP and the failure by the british state to drop its veto on truth over national security or by both states to guarantee the parity of esteem that was required to deliver this peaceful route have left us in a position which pretty much guarantees there will be no united Ireland within the UK.
That has pretty much been ruled out.
This would not have happened had Sinn Fein not genuinely given devolution on british terms the opportunity to work. It simply had to be done.
Unionism only now realise the opportunity they have missed and are desperate to roll back the clock and engage in more political revisionism.
We cannot return to devolved british rule while these issues remain.
I get that it is hard to swallow, no more for you than it is for me.
But out of the two options, I am in no doubt Sinn Fein have done the right thing.
3
The third possibility is for anti Sinn Fein republicans to empower a return to republican paramilitarism which will inevitably lead to republicans targeting Sinn Fein supporters and it is already happening.
Some may claim not to be conflict supporters but we are a post conflict society and ignorance is no excuse.
I have already made my choice and will support Sinn Fein no matter what
This rift is deepening within the republican community
Is this really what you want?
used to be the securocrats got the blame for imaginary rifts come election time.whatever happened to them.
Ruaidri, you’re wrong in assuming that they had one to start with.
“Well, the OUP didn’t do away with proportional representation in solely some six county areas”
Could you phrase this in more easily understandable way and explain what point you’re trying to make?
MT, you made the point on ‘jurisdiction’. The OUP, once political supremos in the six Ulster counties, did away with the imposed, by their government, PR system, so imposed to better enable the nationalist minority there to have a fair crack at government in this part of Ireland post partition.
Why should this have been so, if not frightened of the same population?
As above, and before, they occasioned similar discrimination against working class prods, a point made to me decades past by my mother in law, a Shankill Rd. woman.
The whole populace here need remember, it’s not just the DUP whom make a hash of equality here.
Thuigim anis?
“MT, you made the point on ‘jurisdiction’.”
What point?
“The OUP, once political supremos in the six Ulster counties, did away with the imposed, by their government, PR system, so imposed to better enable the nationalist minority there to have a fair crack at government in this part of Ireland post partition.
Why should this have been so, if not frightened of the same population?
As above, and before, they occasioned similar discrimination against working class prods, a point made to me decades past by my mother in law, a Shankill Rd. woman.
The whole populace here need remember, it’s not just the DUP whom make a hash of equality here.
Thuigim anis?”
I still.don’t understand what point you’re trying to make. I never made any lpoint about PR, fear or lack of fear, or discrimination.
‘gerrymandering means creating a new jurisdiction with the’
Anseo.
“‘gerrymandering means creating a new jurisdiction with the’
Anseo.”
What does Anseo mean?
It is Ruairi not me who thinks gerrymandering is creating a new jurisdiction with the support of the majority within it. I was pointing out that he doesn’t understand what it means.
MT, agreed, you repeated the term, anseo is, as every national school child can tell you, means ‘here’.
“MT, agreed, you repeated the term, ”
You’ve completely lost me. I’ve no idea either what point you are addressing or what point you’re trying to make. I cannot continue the discussion on this basis, unfortunately.
“anseo is, as every national school child can tell you, means ‘here’.”
Thanks.
HAHAHAHA. Everyone got snookered in by MT again ! He’s playing his usual silly, childish games of refusing to engage in mature, meaningful conversation. But you all fall for it again and again and again…..
Unionism had and still may have legitimate fears and concerns about reunification . But certainly MT has never expressed them. He just likes to provoke and troll.
“Unionism had and still may have legitimate fears and concerns about reunification . But certainly MT has never expressed them. He just likes to provoke and troll.”
Nationalism had and still may have legitimate fears and concerns about the United Kingdom . But certainly Beachguy has never expressed them. He just likes to provoke and troll.