Brexit.

[armaghniac]

I agree with Foster and I dislike the woman, get the wall built, why keep a connection with a country who doesn't and never will want us? It's foolery of the highest order.

It is true that the country does not want you and Arlene Foster.

[ONeill]

Serious confusion in Muff.

[T Fearon]

It never ceases to amaze me how Northern Unionism always prevails.It's a concept I dislike as well.The Northern statelet itself (you know the one that the Brits intended to be a temporary arrangement) will soon be one hundred years old.They don't care who likes or dislikes them,and more importantly they stick rigidly to principles,even in the face of ridicule,criticism,insult etc.


In a perverse way their resilience and determination is almost admirable.

[Farrandeelin]

I agree with Foster and I dislike the woman, get the wall built, why keep a connection with a country who doesn't and never will want us? It's foolery of the highest order. You just have to look at every last discussion of a unified Ireland to see the real view of the average southerner, we are a foreign people to them.

I think there is some truth in it too, even with trivial things like celebrities, if I see Liam Neeson on tv I think "there's one of our own", I was watching a Saoirse Ronan interview the other day and couldn't relate to her at all.

I'm an Irish nationalist but when the southerners don't want a unified Ireland why keep pushing for it? It's them who are traitors not me.

Wrt your first paragraph I can't say I know anyone who thinks the people in NI as foreigners. Maybe I'm not an average southerner in your eyes because I'm married to a Fermanagh woman.

Your second paragraph is your own opinion, but if you saw 2 people, one from Belcoo, the other from Blacklion talking would you immediately align yourself to the Belcoo person?

Who exactly are you referring to in your last paragraph? All people in the 26 or what?

[seafoid]

It never ceases to amaze me how Northern Unionism always prevails.It's a concept I dislike as well.The Northern statelet itself (you know the one that the Brits intended to be a temporary arrangement) will soon be one hundred years old.They don't care who likes or dislikes them,and more importantly they stick rigidly to principles,even in the face of ridicule,criticism,insult etc.


In a perverse way their resilience and determination is almost admirable.

They used to be pragmatic. That was changed to dogmatic

[sid waddell]

Breaking up really is hard to do...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQD3At3E7TA

[Rossfan]

Can ye all ignore that floot?

[yellowcard]

It never ceases to amaze me how Northern Unionism always prevails.It's a concept I dislike as well.The Northern statelet itself (you know the one that the Brits intended to be a temporary arrangement) will soon be one hundred years old.They don't care who likes or dislikes them,and more importantly they stick rigidly to principles,even in the face of ridicule,criticism,insult etc.


In a perverse way their resilience and determination is almost admirable.

Of all the adjectives I can think of to describe hardline unionism, 'admirable' would not be amongst them.

The deal on offer has the potential to be a game changer for the northern economy yet is being obstructed by the DUP who are going against the wishes of the majority of its own citizens.

[seafoid]

I wonder what will happen now. The DUP can't hold the trade negotiations up. Will May dump them and try to get a different coalition partner? Would les shinners drop the absenteeism for the sake of a UI minus ?

[imtommygunn]

It never ceases to amaze me how Northern Unionism always prevails.It's a concept I dislike as well.The Northern statelet itself (you know the one that the Brits intended to be a temporary arrangement) will soon be one hundred years old.They don't care who likes or dislikes them,and more importantly they stick rigidly to principles,even in the face of ridicule,criticism,insult etc.


In a perverse way their resilience and determination is almost admirable.

Agree with first sentence but definitely not your last.

They are still due egg on their face here i think though.

They really are ludicrous. A united ireland is still a pipe dream but they are so insecure they can't see they're doing "the union" more harm than good. The economic consequences went from possibly beneficial to absolutely crap in one phonecall.

They are irony personified too talking about the irish government not respecting the gfa. I wonder do they have a wee meeting and a laugh as they decide what patronising shite to come out with next.

[Therealdonald]

The absenteeism shall never be dropped unless the oath is. I see some of Trent's points, the south's attitude towards the north at times is disappointing, but I'm sure it's the same with Londoners and Manc's or Boston people towards California people, just par for the course. Arlene is slowly becoming to SF what Paisley was for the IRA up until 2007. She's a walking PR disaster.

[yellowcard]

I wonder what will happen now. The DUP can't hold the trade negotiations up. Will May dump them and try to get a different coalition partner? Would les shinners drop the absenteeism for the sake of a UI minus ?

Most likely the DUP might get a promise of 'a few more quid' then will be told to wind their necks in and not to be holding up Brexit talks. A deal to be struck by the end of the week with the false pretence of a slight change in text to appease them.  The British government to survive and stumble onwards to phase 2.

[seafoid]

 

Guardian

Foster swiftly put out a statement insisting that she would not accept any special status for Northern Ireland as the UK left the EU in March 2019.

Speaking at Stormont, she noted the speculation emerging from ­negotiations. "We have been very clear," she said. "Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the United Kingdom. We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom. The economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom will not be compromised in any way," she said.

Charge of the Light brigade 2.0

[sid waddell]

I wonder what will happen now. The DUP can't hold the trade negotiations up. Will May dump them and try to get a different coalition partner? Would les shinners drop the absenteeism for the sake of a UI minus ?

Usually these sorts of talks end in a fudge with the can kicked down the road. There's much less scope for that this time.

The DUP have backed themselves into a corner. Remember, this is a party that has pulled out of Stormont for nearly a year over an Irish Language Act.

Why would they move when they think this is the stepping stone to a united Ireland?

The Irish government, quite rightly, will not move a centimetre.

May has no room to move. She's trapped between the DUP on one side and the insane hard Brexiteers on the other. Even if NI got special status, the Scots, the Welsh and London will want the same.

She doesn't have the balls to take on the Tory Brexit nuts, and none of them have the balls to move against her because they don't want to be left with the shitshow.

The DUP don't want to move against May because they don't want Corbyn.

The whole thing is darkly hilarious.

Utter humiliation is ultimately the only thing that will save Britain.

They're certainly going the right way about bringing that about.

[T Fearon]

I cannot think of any situation when Unionist obstinacy or threat etc actually was detrimental to their cause.They don't care who likes or dislikes or ridicules them,all settlements are invariably on their terms (during the GFA negotiations a United Ireland wasn't even on the table for discussion) and they have preserved the statelet on their terms for almost 100 years.

May cannot even push this through with their consent,even if it was forthcoming.To do so sets a precedent for Scotland and the City of London etc,which in effect would mean no Brexit.

I would bet money that there will be timber back on the border and after the usual huffing,puffing,moaning and baying at the moon from the various strains of Irish nationalism,they will settle down,meekly accept the border and more than likely persuade their electorate to endorse it in a referendum as well.