Messages

[I know of at least two Orange Order members who were happy to attend my wedding in a Catholic church and that wasn't yesterday or last week]

The funeral of the murdered Police Officer Stephen Carroll takes place tomorrow Thursday at 12 noon after Requiem Mass in Banbridge. The big question is can the local Westminster MP and other senior unionists go against the grain and their Orange Order diktat,and enter a catholic church to honour this man?

Entirely up to themselves but I know of at least two Orange Order members who were happy to attend my wedding in a Catholic church and that wasn't yesterday or last week.  My view is to let the Carroll family and friends grieve in peace and not make a federal case out of who does or doesn't go to the funeral.

Isnt it true that they have to request permission from the grand master wizard or whatever?

At least Fearon has you for company in the gutter.  Your attitudes are disgusting.

The funeral of the murdered Police Officer Stephen Carroll takes place tomorrow Thursday at 12 noon after Requiem Mass in Banbridge. The big question is can the local Westminster MP and other senior unionists go against the grain and their Orange Order diktat,and enter a catholic church to honour this man?

You've reached a new low - and for you that's saying something.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1017/1224108325305.html


Disappointing that this sort of crap still seems to be happening, but good to see it doesn't look like it's being swept under the carpet so far anyway.  Hopefully we'll hear an outcome and not some sort of Darren Graham-esque white-wash.

Is the Twelfth of July parade through Belfast funded by Belfast City Council?

Is the St Patrick's Day Carnival / Concert in Belfast funded by Belfast City Council?

See the difference?

Do some want to see the St Patrick's Day celebrations as a Nationalist Twelfth, or claim it as theirselves alone?

Of course there isn't, the peoples of these islands are mongrels and cross-breeds to the core.

As for our resident digerydoo Aerlik, and his/her celebratory mood about this, if Kosovo had a right to leave Serbia, largely due to its concentration of Albanians who've been there for hundreds of years, in spite of its importance to Serbs and Serbia, it makes an interesting case for Ulster's historic distictiveness and later separation (as NI) from the rest of the island of Ireland.

After all, one should be consistent, shouldn't one?

Opening this can-of-worms is long-overdue, voting on their own pay, expenses generally, SF-recuited taxi drivers masquerading as ministerial drivers, where does the list end?

The Irish issue is much easier to define as we are an Island and are a different race than the British.

Yeah, of course we are.

Maybe, but it's a bugbear of mine. I much prefer people to talk about political outlooks than religion. I know the vast majority of Nationalist people are Catholics, and Protestants are Unionists, but I would argue that the violence in Northern Ireland is more to do with the political leanings rather than what church they attend. I'm sure there is a certain level of sectarian hatred for religious reasons, by fundamentalist nutters, but I don't think you can assume this was attacked because it is owned by Catholics. Owned by Paddies, probably.

Quite correct AZ, majority is political not religious, then again you have the trash on both sides who don't even know why they are clodding bricks through aul dolls windows, just for the sake of it - sure most of these spides on both sides would'nt know what the inside of a church looked like, they'd know more about the bottom of a glue beg

Anyway - frankly i see it as pure jealousy an attack on this company, because of the massive appeal of everything Irish abroad, people want to come to Ireland to experience our unique culture - not British, if they want that they go to London, Newcastle, Bristol etc... to sample real fish and chips British culture.

No tourist wants to experience the poisonous loyalist version of "British" culture which revolves around hating all things Irish (curiously whilst living in Ireland!) - including the very bus they travel on due to its colour.

More so, few tourists know much or indeed cares about loyalism - and that includes English tourists, they simply don't care, or those that do know anything about it are embarassed

Jealousy and envy are at the very core of this and loyalism in general all through the years.

Time for unionism to get its house in order

Brilliantly basic analysis, well said!

I can certainly see that there's an element of appealling about to the LCD / basic stereotypes in PaddyWagon's promotion, but is this harmful or harmless?

Are jokes about Cork people being thick, told by those from other parts of Ireland, or about Cavan or Ballymena people being mean and mserable, told by others in Ireland, OK then?

Or Polish jokes?  Or Jewish jokes (often told about themselves)?

Where does one draw the line?

"We are born into a church".

Very illuminating that, in 2008, you think in such a way .... and your poor attempts at pedantry don't cut it either.

I don't think the Orange in the national flag is supposed to only be those members of the Protestant population who have been becalmed.

Or is it?

Answer my questions please, and less of the smoke screening, bigot.

I have pointed out the stark inaccuracy of your comments, you take a tantrum and hurl a reckless insult at me - and accuse ME of a smoke-screen.

You're a right one you are!

If the churches and their schools on this island are entitled to grants, tax ememption, contribution to capital costs and nearly 100% running costs in some cases, for 'sectarian' worship and education, then why not the Orange Order (and the like)?

Sorry if it's a difficult or awkward question for you, but there you go.

When is Paddy Power going to open a book on who's next out of the closet?

"We are born into a church".

Very illuminating that, in 2008, you think in such a way .... and your poor attempts at pedantry don't cut it either.

I don't think the Orange in the national flag is supposed to only be those members of the Protestant population who have been becalmed.

Or is it?

Next question?

Insread of sarcastic insults, why not check yor facts?

The Dublin Government treats churches as charities, so they are largely tax-exempt.

"Religious" schools are also very heavily subsidised by the State, many have been built with public money and much of their running costs paid for out of tax.

All of these institutions are sectarian in the true sense of the word.

If they are funded by public money, then there's no reason why the Orange order shouldn't be - plenty of taxpayers to the State are Orangemen and Orangewomen, aren't they reflected in the flag and doesn't this indicate as they are a welcome minority and cherished as children of the Nation?

OK then ....

The painting pink of THAT wall in the Bogside area was all very nice and pretty during Gay Price Week last summer, some communities are very good at PR and symbolism, but hatred and intolerance within still seem to be able to thrive. Not much point trying to show tolerance through window dressing when the goons are stilll engaging in pathetic hate-crimes is there.

Picking (repeatedly) on a couple who are not only gay but also elderly and one of them disabled.  Disgusting.

The wanton destruction of these minibuses is disgraceful, whoever is doing it and whatever the motivation, and its also very damaging to NI's image.  Let's hope there's no more of it and that the culprits are caught and punished properly.

On Evil Genius's post about how bigoted attitudes aren't the exclusive reserve of one NI community or the other, the painting pink of THAT wall in the Bogside area was all very nice and pretty during Gay Price Week last summer, some communities are very good at PR and symbolism, but hatred and intolerance within still seem to be able to thrive. Not much point trying to show tolerance through window dressing when the goons are stilll engaging in pathetic hate-crimes is there.

Picking (repeatedly) on a couple who are not only gay but also elderly and one of them disabled.  Disgusting.