A United Ireland. Opening up the discussion.

[T Fearon]

But that brings us back to the unacceptable British Rule in the North the very thing SF demanded talks to end,in the mid 90s after the ceasefire.

Also it's hardly a votewinner if you run away from tough political decisions

[Owen Brannigan]

The alternative is direct British Rule by a Tory/DUP alliance,hardly to the liking of SF.

And that gives them someone to blame for the cuts. In Government they would have hard choices to make. Much easier to be a populist when you don't have to do something unpopular.

+1

SF is a populist party incapable of being part of any government that needs to take hard decisions for the best reasons and not political gain.  For example, it tore down Assembly so that it did not have to produce a budget that would embarrass it in the Dail, avoiding the hard decisions on health reforms where local hospitals will be closed or downgraded to produce the small number of specialist hospitals Bengoa report demanded, close the plethora of small schools across N.Ireland that are no longer viable and resolve the huge cost of school transport,  etc.

By not being in the N.Ireland assembly SF has provided FF and FG with electioneering focus of SF being a party that has failed to be part of a government and has no place in a Dail coalition.

[armaghniac]

FG and FF would have to admit that they would not gave supported the Ila to d that.

[Applesisapples]

Surely it is SF that is obstructing government here,not Unionists,All for electoral gain in the South,like as if people in Dublin 4 are ever going to vote SF😂😂.

The very real risk here is the Direct Rule will lead to improved governance (wouldn't be hard to achieve) to the extent that people won't want devolution to ever return.I know of one Tory Minister in a previous Direct Rule era who is absolutely revered round the nationalist Newry South Down era,for all he achieved.

Then things settle down,Dublin wipes its forehead with a huge sigh of relief,Gerry retires and the gap between Northern SF and Southern SF widens,and a United Ireland is not even mentioned any more.

The elephant in the room that only Brian Feeney and Alex Kane care to see, is that the majority of nationalists care not a fig should Stormont be closed for good. The DUP will not share power on a rights based footing, they see only one culture and way of life here and that is British. It must dominate and not an inch should be given to Irishness. This is the rock upon which the union will flounder.

This.

have you a point?

Yes, I agree with you!

Ok sorry, just wondered what the this meant.

[Applesisapples]

It is not just SF that are populist. All political parties on this Island given the small size of the voting population are populists by nature. They are also heavily influenced by events at their own parish pump.

[seafoid]

The idea that the 2 big southern parties are sophisticated is false. They know how to vote manage but have very little strategic sense. The FF Götterdämmerung in 2011 was fascinating  .

SF are a political party plus because they are aiming for a UI. It helps that the DUP leadership is pure fuckin usheless.

[Therealdonald]

The idea that the 2 big southern parties are sophisticated is false. They know how to vote manage but have very little strategic sense. The FF Götterdämmerung in 2011 was fascinating  .

SF are a political party plus because they are aiming for a UI. It helps that the DUP leadership is pure fuckin usheless.

Finally someone has something positive to say about Sinn Fein. Someone earlier mentioned what were the benefits of the GFA, we only need to look at the current make-up of the university population in the north to see the benefits. We only need to look at Barra McGrory and his recent case against Unionist represemtatives, none of these changes happened without the GFA, and to a greater extent none of these happened without SF

[dec]

Therealdonald
    Newbie
    *
    Posts: 1

What is your other username?

[Therealdonald]

New user actually. Was a ghost reader for a long time and really enjoyed the banter and to and fro'ing, so plucked up courage yesterday to register. Is that ok? Am I supposed to have two accounts? Do you?

[JPGJOHNNYG]

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/within-a-generation-of-irish-unity-unionists-will-have-found-their-place-1-8227328

Good article in the newsletter!
I nearly choked on my coffee when I started reading that it was a pro UI article in the newsletter. Apart from the excellent reporting on the RHI scandal by Sam McBride this paper is usually full of awfull bias garbage and even ignores uncomfortable news for its readers (eg the recent cantrell close nonsense) and replaces it with more comfortable generic articles such as its all themuns fault.
So fair play to them for once.

[armaghniac]

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/within-a-generation-of-irish-unity-unionists-will-have-found-their-place-1-8227328

Good article in the newsletter!
I nearly choked on my coffee when I started reading that it was a pro UI article in the newsletter. Apart from the excellent reporting on the RHI scandal by Sam McBride this paper is usually full of awfull bias garbage and even ignores uncomfortable news for its readers (eg the recent cantrell close nonsense) and replaces it with more comfortable generic articles such as its all themuns fault.
So fair play to them for once.

Perhaps a candidate for the What the F**k thread! No doubt they'll run 10 articles refuting this guy, but even so some reality is welcome.

[Rossfan]

It would of course help in Nationalist parties had some vision as to what the new All Ireland entity would look like, how it would work and what proposals to accommodate those 6 Cos residents who consider themselves British.

[haranguerer]

This process has very much began, SF in particular.

Surely of at least equal importance is those parties in the south undertaking the same analysis and outreach?

[vallankumous]

It would of course help in Nationalist parties had some vision as to what the new All Ireland entity would look like, how it would work and what proposals to accommodate those 6 Cos residents who consider themselves British.

Take a look around you, that's what it will look like. It's not like uniting with Spain.
What accommodation do you think they would lose in a UI?

[Rossfan]

What am I to look around at?
It's up to firstly the Nationalist parties in the North to spell out their vision.
As the Nationalist numbers increase those Parties will have to pressurise the Blueshirt and Builders/Auctioneers Parties to start focusing in on the future rather than the next stroke .