Stormont Assembly Elections 2017

[MoChara]

The ILA is such a misnomer, why would an Irish Speaker need a British institution to give recognition and approval for the very words that come out of their mouths. 

[Applesisapples]

What some on here fail to grasp is that a large proportion of SF voters don't give a fig about Stormont, whether it stays or goes.

[Milltown Row2]

The British government have been repressing the Irish language for hundreds of years, the proposed act seems a modest effort enough response and should have been here years ago.

So in your estimation what would be the initial costs and running costs? What percentage of NI would benefit from this and based on other more important things like health jobs homeless and other (imo) important things ( once there is an UI would that not be covered??)

There are estimates for this and presumably the spending will provide jobs as other spending does. There are many things to be done to improve health that do not require cultural repression. There is a great deal of money wasted in NI public services.

I've been playing Gaelic games and continue to do so for 35 years, club has had Irish classes for as long as I can remember and I've never known it to be repressed I've also never seen it too busy or people clambering for lessons ... Irish is everywhere in Belfast with schools dedicated to Irish language ...

I think the cost of this could run in to tens if not hundreds of millions

Really??  Hundreds of millions of pounds to implement an Irish Language Act??

It's hard to fully cost an ILA since we don't know what the full remit and provisions of an Act would be yet.  However didn't Conradh na Gaeilge put forward their version costed at £8 million one-off infrastructure costs and then £2 mill a year running costs?

Again we dont know the cost.... so me saying 10 million upwards i could be right i could be wrong, i just dont think i need to be paying out more tax money on something that i can do now anyway for free.

most of the streets in nationalist areas are named in Irish (most be a nightmare for postmen) anyways we have a Irish show on BBC 2 every week (could be more if there was more intreset i suppose) and on the radio also, TG4 is a dedicated irish TV programme with all things Irish, wouldnt know the viewing figures on it but i watch it every Sunday when there is a game on.

My Irishness is not under threat and has actually improved since the 70's, club tops are common practice in all colleges now with the games being held at state of the art facilities... I fail to see where we are being repressed  and i fail to see how the growth of Irish is being stopped? You will get that bigots that will try and stem it but its not stopped me from playing volunteering/coaching or officating gaelic games

[gallsman]

The ILA is such a misnomer, why would an Irish Speaker need a British institution to give recognition and approval for the very words that come out of their mouths.

Because, believe it or not, in the North, it'll be that institution (whether Stormont or Westminster) that'll pay for it out of its budget?

[Milltown Row2]

I feel there are other areas to lay the boot into the DUP that wouldnt get the back up of 'normal Prods' and get that vote out for them to improve their standing, a political own goal in my view... But I'm no expert on this

[armaghniac]

most of the streets in nationalist areas are named in Irish (most be a nightmare for postmen) anyways we have a Irish show on BBC 2 every week (could be more if there was more intreset i suppose) and on the radio also, TG4 is a dedicated irish TV programme with all things Irish, wouldnt know the viewing figures on it but i watch it every Sunday when there is a game on.

Why only street in nationalist areas, why not all areas? Why have only pidgin English versions of placenames?

I feel there are other areas to lay the boot into the DUP that wouldnt get the back up of 'normal Prods' and get that vote out for them to improve their standing, a political own goal in my view... But I'm no expert on this

Why does this get the back of  'normal Prods', what is in the least bit objectionable about it?

[NAG1]

SF AFAIK will not want another election because at the moment their vote is close to capacity and the DUP can still recover ground.

I think the most likely outcome is another fudge deal at the last minute to get the institutions back up and running muddling through for another period of time until the next flare up.

The thing is that with UK government going to be so distracted by Brexit for the next 4/5 years at least, chances of them tolerating any crap from this neck of the woods is slim, so I would say there will be a fair few ultimatums fired about in the next couple of weeks to SF & the DUP to get this sorted.

[haranguerer]

I'm all for Irish language, but it won't make me more Irish and if I used it in my day to day job I'd not make it to then end of the week...

Why not?

Why not? what line of work do you do? Irish teacher?

I don't know why you're answering a simple question with a question, and an irrelevant one at that.

I asked because what you said seemed to be so ironic that I wasn't sure if I'd picked you up right. Your whole argument seemed to be that Irish wasn't repressed, but in the very next sentence, unless I've picked you up wrong (which is why I asked for clarity) you seem to be suggesting you'd get sacked for using it in work...

[Milltown Row2]

most of the streets in nationalist areas are named in Irish (most be a nightmare for postmen) anyways we have a Irish show on BBC 2 every week (could be more if there was more intreset i suppose) and on the radio also, TG4 is a dedicated irish TV programme with all things Irish, wouldnt know the viewing figures on it but i watch it every Sunday when there is a game on.

Why only street in nationalist areas, why not all areas? Why have only pidgin English versions of placenames?

I feel there are other areas to lay the boot into the DUP that wouldnt get the back up of 'normal Prods' and get that vote out for them to improve their standing, a political own goal in my view... But I'm no expert on this

Why does this get the back of  'normal Prods', what is in the least bit objectionable about it?

I would imagine paying for something that they will neither watch/listen to or be involved in, I'm not interested in paying for it myself as i paying plenty in tax as it is for services i dont even use, which is being mainly used by people that dont pay tax!!

and for the first question, you're not fussed on the english signposts so why do you  think that prods be happy with Irish ones? Whether you like it or not we are using English every day, you are currently posting on an Irish sports fourm in english...

[yellowcard]

I've wondered why Gerry Adams, who is a TD in Louth, appears to be playing such a prominent part in the talks process for SF in the north. If they appointed Michelle O'Neill as leader in the north then at least show some trust in her ability to get on with the job. Otherwise why appoint her. The perception is that Gerry Adams is back running the party and that cannot be a positive for Sinn Fein. All of the goodwill generated from Martin McGuinness is in danger of being squandered by the party. If they didn't trust O'Neill to run the party then someone like Conor Murphy should have been appointed as leader in the north.   

[Milltown Row2]

I'm all for Irish language, but it won't make me more Irish and if I used it in my day to day job I'd not make it to then end of the week...

Why not?

Why not? what line of work do you do? Irish teacher?

I don't know why you're answering a simple question with a question, and an irrelevant one at that.

I asked because what you said seemed to be so ironic that I wasn't sure if I'd picked you up right. Your whole argument seemed to be that Irish wasn't repressed, but in the very next sentence, unless I've picked you up wrong (which is why I asked for clarity) you seem to be suggesting you'd get sacked for using it in work...

I didnt say id get sacked but when you deal in medical sales you are dealing with the public, asking medical questions and prescribing, if i did it in Irish all the time i wouldnt be doing well and only dealing with a small minority that actually speak irish from a nationalist grouping and none at all in a non nationalist grouping.... sorry for not explaining that properly to you

[screenexile]

I'm all for Irish language, but it won't make me more Irish and if I used it in my day to day job I'd not make it to then end of the week...

Why not?

Why not? what line of work do you do? Irish teacher?

I don't know why you're answering a simple question with a question, and an irrelevant one at that.

I asked because what you said seemed to be so ironic that I wasn't sure if I'd picked you up right. Your whole argument seemed to be that Irish wasn't repressed, but in the very next sentence, unless I've picked you up wrong (which is why I asked for clarity) you seem to be suggesting you'd get sacked for using it in work...

I didnt say id get sacked but when you deal in medical sales you are dealing with the public, asking medical questions and prescribing, if i did it in Irish all the time i wouldnt be doing well and only dealing with a small minority that actually speak irish from a nationalist grouping and none at all in a non nationalist grouping.... sorry for not explaining that properly to you

Ní raibh mé a rá id fháil sacked ach nuair a ndéileálann tú i ndíolacháin leighis tú ag déileáil leis an bpobal, ag cur ceisteanna leighis agus ag ordú, má rinne mé é i nGaeilge an t-am i wouldnt a bheith ag éirí go maith agus ní raibh ach ag déileáil le mionlach beag a labhairt iarbhír irish ó grúpáil náisiúnach agus aon cheann ar chor ar bith i grúpáil neamh náisiúnach .... leithscéal as nach ag míniú go cuí a thabhairt duit

Google translate is your friend!! 

[haranguerer]

I'm all for Irish language, but it won't make me more Irish and if I used it in my day to day job I'd not make it to then end of the week...

Why not?

Why not? what line of work do you do? Irish teacher?

I don't know why you're answering a simple question with a question, and an irrelevant one at that.

I asked because what you said seemed to be so ironic that I wasn't sure if I'd picked you up right. Your whole argument seemed to be that Irish wasn't repressed, but in the very next sentence, unless I've picked you up wrong (which is why I asked for clarity) you seem to be suggesting you'd get sacked for using it in work...

I didnt say id get sacked but when you deal in medical sales you are dealing with the public, asking medical questions and prescribing, if i did it in Irish all the time i wouldnt be doing well and only dealing with a small minority that actually speak irish from a nationalist grouping and none at all in a non nationalist grouping.... sorry for not explaining that properly to you

Thanks for explaining it properly. So you meant if you spoke Irish to everyone, regardless of whether they speak it or not, you wouldn't do well at work. I get it now, and that's true. An iLA wouldn't force you to speak Irish though, so I still don't get why you'd do that?

[Avondhu star]

The British government have been repressing the Irish language for hundreds of years, the proposed act seems a modest effort enough response and should have been here years ago.

So in your estimation what would be the initial costs and running costs? What percentage of NI would benefit from this and based on other more important things like health jobs homeless and other (imo) important things ( once there is an UI would that not be covered??)

There are estimates for this and presumably the spending will provide jobs as other spending does. There are many things to be done to improve health that do not require cultural repression. There is a great deal of money wasted in NI public services.

I've been playing Gaelic games and continue to do so for 35 years, club has had Irish classes for as long as I can remember and I've never known it to be repressed I've also never seen it too busy or people clambering for lessons ... Irish is everywhere in Belfast with schools dedicated to Irish language ...

I think the cost of this could run in to tens if not hundreds of millions

Really??  Hundreds of millions of pounds to implement an Irish Language Act??

It's hard to fully cost an ILA since we don't know what the full remit and provisions of an Act would be yet.  However didn't Conradh na Gaeilge put forward their version costed at £8 million one-off infrastructure costs and then £2 mill a year running costs?

Again we dont know the cost.... so me saying 10 million upwards i could be right i could be wrong, i just dont think i need to be paying out more tax money on something that i can do now anyway for free.

most of the streets in nationalist areas are named in Irish (most be a nightmare for postmen) anyways we have a Irish show on BBC 2 every week (could be more if there was more intreset i suppose) and on the radio also, TG4 is a dedicated irish TV programme with all things Irish, wouldnt know the viewing figures on it but i watch it every Sunday when there is a game on.

My Irishness is not under threat and has actually improved since the 70's, club tops are common practice in all colleges now with the games being held at state of the art facilities... I fail to see where we are being repressed  and i fail to see how the growth of Irish is being stopped? You will get that bigots that will try and stem it but its not stopped me from playing volunteering/coaching or officating gaelic games

I think we may be in agreement here MR2 just arguing over the detail!  Although I'm 100% in favour of the preservation and development of the Irish language, personally I'm not convinced on the need for an ILA as a mechanism for doing that.  Using CnaG figures, they estimated that part of the £2mill a year running costs of the ILA would be a Language Commissioner's Office, staffed at at a cost of £300k - £400k per year.  I'd much rather that money was spent on Liofa grants etc or funding for communities like Slaughtneil/Carntogher to make themselves Gaeltacht area (if the demand is there).  There we have an area where approx 200 families are bi-lingual and presumably a number of them will continue that into the next generation.  Legislating to make BBCNI produce more Irish language offerings is not really the way forward.

However I fully understand when people's backs are got up by Foster saying things like "if people want to learn Irish they should be allowed to" as if that's something in the gift of Unionists.  Also when she was the minister responsible for NITB she blocked bi-lingual signs at some tourist attractions, refused to bring "The Gathering" to the North (OK that turned out to be  a load of keek but that's not why she blocked it!) and also was against the extension of the Wild Atlantic Way in the North.

I did hear from someone involved very much in the Tourism industry that in talks between the South and North tourists groups that the North reps did not want the Wild Atlantic Way to include the beautiful North Derry and Antrim coastline. They wanted it isolated to be the Northern Way wth signs predominantly in blue red and white. The goodwill is not there as long as Westmister is givings subsidies

[Avondhu star]

most of the streets in nationalist areas are named in Irish (most be a nightmare for postmen) anyways we have a Irish show on BBC 2 every week (could be more if there was more intreset i suppose) and on the radio also, TG4 is a dedicated irish TV programme with all things Irish, wouldnt know the viewing figures on it but i watch it every Sunday when there is a game on.

Why only street in nationalist areas, why not all areas? Why have only pidgin English versions of placenames?

I feel there are other areas to lay the boot into the DUP that wouldnt get the back up of 'normal Prods' and get that vote out for them to improve their standing, a political own goal in my view... But I'm no expert on this

Why does this get the back of  'normal Prods', what is in the least bit objectionable about it?

Irish is a language thousands of years old and is not pidgin English.
Until the days comes that the man in the street can walk into a shop and have the confidence to order a packet of cigarettes through the medium of Irish the language will flounder. 
If one group persists in using it as a cultural weapon it will never be revived