Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[charlieTully]

I know from my own experience over the past 12 months. I've attended probably about 7-8 funerals at various stages in the past year. Some locally and some further afield. At the burials I would say the common gatherings have been probably around the hundred mark anyway. People will want to pay their respects.

The hypocrisy here of some trying to turn this into political point scoring is pretty shameless as far as I can say. You just need to compare and contrast the reaction of the Garda funeral down south to the Storey funeral up north.







Versus







Hypocrisy is alive and well.

2 wrongs and all that. It was wrong. That's a simple fact. Was a classic case of do as I say not as I do. I know SF members who disagreed with it. I'm a sf voter. It was just wrong. Nolan didn't help with his constant going on about it. Think that made a lot of folk think frig it who cares. But it was wrong and cannot be justified IMHO.

[Angelo]

I know from my own experience over the past 12 months. I've attended probably about 7-8 funerals at various stages in the past year. Some locally and some further afield. At the burials I would say the common gatherings have been probably around the hundred mark anyway. People will want to pay their respects.

The hypocrisy here of some trying to turn this into political point scoring is pretty shameless as far as I can say. You just need to compare and contrast the reaction of the Garda funeral down south to the Storey funeral up north.







Versus







Hypocrisy is alive and well.

2 wrongs and all that. It was wrong. That's a simple fact. Was a classic case of do as I say not as I do. I know SF members who disagreed with it. I'm a sf voter. It was just wrong. Nolan didn't help with his constant going on about it. Think that made a lot of folk think frig it who cares. But it was wrong and cannot be justified IMHO.

I have absolutely no issue with people criticising it at all. It was a spectacular own goal certainly but there is a huge political element to the criticism to it at the same time.

The Garda's funeral down south took place somewhere in and around that time too, where similar restrictions were in place. Both funerals breached those regulations, both funerals had political representatives and high ranking public servants breaching those regulations. Both funerals could be accused of being hijacked by a political party/state body. And criticism is certainly justified of that in both cases.

However only controversy surrounded one of the funerals.

I don't have an issue with people condemning it but I would say with funerals people are going to want to come out and pay their respects and give people the send off they deserve. It was certainly poor leadership from SF relative to the circumstances.

But it was also extremely poor leadership from FG and the Gardai down south in relation to the funeral in Mayo.

Only one drew widespread condemnation and criticism though. Only one had an investigation opened up into it.

[Rich Ricci]

I've no love Sinn Fein whatsoever but the reaction of this has baffled me slightly. The DUP were outraged at the time of the funeral and were refusing to do joint press conferences and the likes but they caved and started working in a fairly co-operative executive again. Now that SF have been given the all clear by PPS they kick up a stink. Were they expecting to be able to get rid of Michelle O'Neill and the rest through prosecution and now that plan has failed they've been left with egg on their faces?

To me they've lost credibility, they should have stuck to their guns instead of hoping the PPS do the job for them.

Seen Eastwood piping up with his usual dose of sh*t but once I saw the ridiculous grey patch it's hard to take anything he says seriously.

[imtommygunn]

Arlene Foster says the police chief's position is untenable. Her position has been untenable for a very long time but it hasn't stopped her

The dup are really scrambling for me. They don't know how to correct the sea border thing which is pretty much all on them.

[tiempo]

No chance the DUP pull the assembly down in centenary year, and not a few short months before orangefest where they'll expect to go uber staunch mixing 1690 and 1921,but let them swivel, the direction of travel is set, the Brits are done with them, UI is on the horizon

[David McKeown]

Setting aside the moral issues regarding the funeral on which I feel there are strong arguments on both sides I have to say I agree with the PPS on a purely legal basis. I haven't kept up to date on every single amendment to the regulations but I have had occasion to the consult them a number of times. Every time I did I found them to be poorly drafted, not particularly well thought out and potentially disproportionate. I think for that the Assembly deserve considerable criticism for that and the hatchet job done today on the PPS and the PSNI has been excellent deflecting from the fact that the approach to the regulation drafting has been haphazard and poorly implemented.

All that said the decision creates no form of precedence and each case will have to be judged on its own facts so I'm interested to see the approach adopted moving forward.

[red hander]

No chance the DUP pull the assembly down in centenary year, and not a few short months before orangefest where they'll expect to go uber staunch mixing 1690 and 1921,but let them swivel, the direction of travel is set, the Brits are done with them, UI is on the horizon

Whatever way DUP turns, whatever it does, it is fucked. Scrambling about to get out of shit pile of its own making. Delicious to watch the loyalist meltdown. I'd love DUP to bring Stormont down, cos that would finally be its end.

[balladmaker]

No chance the DUP pull the assembly down in centenary year, and not a few short months before orangefest where they'll expect to go uber staunch mixing 1690 and 1921,but let them swivel, the direction of travel is set, the Brits are done with them, UI is on the horizon

Whatever way DUP turns, whatever it does, it is fucked. Scrambling about to get out of shit pile of its own making. Delicious to watch the loyalist meltdown. I'd love DUP to bring Stormont down, cos that would finally be its end.

And the DUP know that will be the case.  Stormont collapses again, I think it would bring a border poll even closer and sway alot of the middle ground undecideds to take the leap of faith in a new Ireland. 

On the otherhand, the DUP being as short sighted as they are, they need to play the orange vs green card at the next election at some attempt of survival, and the most effective way to do that is not to be part of a Stormont executive with SF.  Either way, the DUP is screwed, only one unavoidable end for them in all of this ... I assume Barroness Foster elect would need to commence her house hunting in leafy Somerset or Kent should she wish to move!

[imtommygunn]

If they collapse stormont they can do nothing about sea border / abortion laws / gay marriage etc. They are really scrambling here and I don't think collapsing it is in their interests.

[trailer]

Special extended Nolan show this morning. I won't be listening.

[gallsman]

Missed the name of the Gold Commander from the day but he's making a bit of a twat of Nolan here. Nolan demanding to know about why/how SF members could act as stewards and direct traffic. Gets told that that's standard practice in NI and the rest of the UK at, for example, parades. Talking about proportionality of response, Nolan demands to know if it's ok to break the law of you only break it a bit. "Nobody expects to get prosecuted for driving at 31 in a 30 zone". Silence from Nolan.

[Applesisapples]

SF were incredibly stupid to mark the Storey funeral as they did. They may well have been within the rules but certainly not within the spirit. having said that there are a lot of glass house with broken windows today. The reality has been the funerals have been a long running source of restriction breaking, whether it be wakes or congregating outside churches or in grave yards. Every single funeral in my area both Protestant and Catholic has had more mourners than allowed and no social distancing. let's not forget a government minister was at the Garda funeral down south. Funerals are a touchstone for Irish people of all dominations and it is extremely difficult to not attend to show sympathy.

I know of plenty of funerals with half a dozen people at them due to the restrictions & your point about them being "within the rules" is incorrect

There were 30 of them socially distanced behind the hearse, so with in the rules. The spirit was broken by proceeding with hundreds along the route. Mind you was the same at Humes funeral as I recall.

That was only one element. There were breachs at the Graveside oration and also at Roselawn Cemetery.
In addition pointing out that lots Funerals may have been in breach of the regs is not a defence. SF are one of the parties of government in the North. They should be seen to be beyond reproach. Clearly they are not. No one in SF will be sanctioned but certainly the Chief Constable should be clearing his desk.

I am not defending SF. In my opinion they got this whole wrong and O'Neill, Ml etc... should not have been there it looked wrong and sent the wrong message. I do however have an issue with those who said nothing at the crowds at Humes funeral or that of the Garda or celebrated Rangers league win jumping up and down like it is only SF at fault here. The reaction from Foster saying that it basically gives the green light to others is indefensible. Even though I and many others have seen theses breaches we continue to do what is right because it is the right thing to do. I have 3 members of my immediate family on the front line and don't want to make things worse for them. SF need to don the sackcloth and ashes here. But the cynical what about the shinners mantra from Eastwood and others is barf inducing.

[Applesisapples]

Any unionist who believes that nationalists care about Stormont collapsing is delusional.

[johnnycool]

Shinners were wrong on the Storey Funeral, no doubts about that and they should have held their hands up irrespective if the PPS felt there was no charges to bring due to inconsistencies in the laws as set out at that time.

But as we well know hypocrisy is alive and well here by those who either turn a blind eye to the Garda funerals in Mayo or the Rangers celebrations on the Shankill Road.

[armaghniac]

Shinners were wrong on the Storey Funeral, no doubts about that and they should have held their hands up irrespective if the PPS felt there was no charges to bring due to inconsistencies in the laws as set out at that time.

But as we well know hypocrisy is alive and well here by those who either turn a blind eye to the Garda funerals in Mayo or the Rangers celebrations on the Shankill Road.

It is a question of leadership. The top brass of SF made sure they were seen at the Storey funeral, the leaders of FF and FG did not go to the Garda funeral and the Shankhill road was a crowd of yobs.