A United Ireland. Opening up the discussion.

[five points]

It must take some effort on Angelo's behalf to come across as a cretin across such a wide range of threads..

I'll give you the opportunity to withdraw that insult.

Is it an insult if it's a fact?

Are you calling me a cretin now too?

I'm thick skinned enough to take it but if its not alright for me to call a poster who puts me on ignore and refuse to engage with me because he couldn't refute NHS reports a coward, then it's not alright to call me a cretin.

I've been called a psychopath, a cretin, Harold Shipman, accused of wanting to suffocate the elderly with a pillow among other things on this forum in the past week or so and then banned for calling another poster a coward. So if the rules are there then I think they should be applied across the board.

Now as I said, those sort of things are like water off a duck's back to me but clearly there is a very sad poster who is feeling the need to go around and try and grass me up for every post I make then what can I do.

I'll let Boycey remove that comment if he wants but if the rules are going to be applied then they shouldn't be just to a few select posters.

Stop crying. You're well able to dish it out so you should be able to take a bit too. I engaged with you 6 or 7 times yesterday and in almost all your replies to me you couldn't help but throw in at least one inflammatory comment. What goes around comes around.

[trailer]

So some people

Are against
The North
The South
Vaccines
Lockdowns

But for
Sinn Fein

Imagine living in that world for even a few minutes. Brains definitely in short supply.

[Angelo]

It must take some effort on Angelo's behalf to come across as a cretin across such a wide range of threads..

I'll give you the opportunity to withdraw that insult.

Is it an insult if it's a fact?

Are you calling me a cretin now too?

I'm thick skinned enough to take it but if its not alright for me to call a poster who puts me on ignore and refuse to engage with me because he couldn't refute NHS reports a coward, then it's not alright to call me a cretin.

I've been called a psychopath, a cretin, Harold Shipman, accused of wanting to suffocate the elderly with a pillow among other things on this forum in the past week or so and then banned for calling another poster a coward. So if the rules are there then I think they should be applied across the board.

Now as I said, those sort of things are like water off a duck's back to me but clearly there is a very sad poster who is feeling the need to go around and try and grass me up for every post I make then what can I do.

I'll let Boycey remove that comment if he wants but if the rules are going to be applied then they shouldn't be just to a few select posters.

Stop crying. You're well able to dish it out so you should be able to take a bit too. I engaged with you 6 or 7 times yesterday and in almost all your replies to me you couldn't help but throw in at least one inflammatory comment. What goes around comes around.

I commented on the ludicrous content of your post, I didn't make any insults toward you.

And I was banned for calling a poster a coward because he put me on ignore because he could not address the points I made to him. So I'm not crying here, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

[Angelo]

So some people

Are against
The North
The South
Vaccines
Lockdowns

But for
Sinn Fein

Imagine living in that world for even a few minutes. Brains definitely in short supply.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

[five points]

I commented on the ludicrous content of your post, I didn't make any insults toward you.

I made no reference to insults, but to a succession of inflammatory comments, all made in the space of a few hours. And the next morning you're crying because someone else does it to you. 

[Angelo]

I commented on the ludicrous content of your post, I didn't make any insults toward you.

I made no reference to insults, but to a succession of inflammatory comments, all made in the space of a few hours. And the next morning you're crying because someone else does it to you. 

I'm not crying about it but a certain poster, let's call him FossRan, is going around reporting every post I make trying to get me banned off the forum (while claiming to have me on ignore). I had to serve a 2 day ban for it recently for calling a poster a coward.

So I get banned for calling a poster a coward and I'm expected to sit on my hands when I get called a cretin, a psychopath, a resident arsehole, Harold Shipman and have it impugned on me that I want to suffocate elderly people with a pillow?

It seems to me there are a number of posters on here who are trying to goad a response out of me and get me banned by using insults. I've been told my the moderators that I can't respond in kind which is fair enough but I expect the same rules apply to everyone.

[five points]

I expect the same rules apply to everyone.

I would expect that too, but (and notwithstanding my comments earlier, I'm not directing this at you) there is often an unpleasant atmosphere around here and I get the feeling that Covid has us all a bit rattled. Let's hope it improves.

[johnnycool]

Won't vote for a UI unless someone "guarantees that my healthcare and financial future is secure".

I've heard it all now

Who was it called ye "spongers" years ago??

Sponger my hole, I have worked and paid Tax and National Insurance for 42 years, never claimed the dole or sick pay once.

Apples,
      Pre Covid the NHS in Northern Ireland was on its uppers anyway. Getting a consultation on most things deemed to be non urgent, 1 plus years, GP's visit one to two weeks minimum.
I'm not that fussed if I lose that type of NHS tomorrow if I'm honest and I don't currently have a private healthcare insurance for me or my family. I'd pay for my prescriptions, I'd pay the €40 to see a GP if I could see them that day or the day after, no bother.

As for your financial future, don't know if you're in the public or private sector but you can see that block grant that comes over from Whitehall (that unionists seem to be so proud of) being cut in a dramatic way in the next year or two, so economic hardship is on its way for the wee six as part of the UK.

Angelo like a lot of died in the wool shinners does the cause he's espousing more harm than good, Sinn Fein need to get their heads round that and wise to f**k up as with Biden in the WH and ballbag Boris in Downing street there could never be a better time to constructively work for a UI, an imperfect one but one all the same to get behind and hope that the good will factor brings in decent foreign investment and the likes.

The Utopian 32 county socialist republic needs put on the back-burner till the 32 county republic is achieved.

Good analysis as usual JC. I think most of us would agree with many of Angelo's concerns if not his/her approach. Many of my opinions are socialist but it would be a high risk unrealistic strategy to try to achieve a socialist republic in the short term. A 32 county Ireland can be achieved constitutionally however by winning the economic argument. Such an arrangement has to respect and incorporate Britishness , learning the lesson from the way  Irishness was marginalised in the North. ROI isn't perfect but apart from the health service it blows NI out of the water on most parameters. This is controversial JC , but the NHS though far from perfect isn't as bad as it is portrayed in the Steven Nolan led media. I'm not a conspiracy theorists but it suits the Tory agenda to undermine and ridicule the NHS but that's a different argument entirely,

I don't base my opinions of the NHS on the Stephen Nolan show FFS, give me a bit of credit....

I base it on my own experiences of having my mother sitting in an A&E corridor for over 24 hours after she's bled out and dispatched her home with no care plan in place much to the shock of her GP. I base it on speaking to a friend who can barely walk and needs two knees and won't get them for at least 2 years. I base it on a mother in law who's cancer treatment was delayed so long that when they finally did get round to doing it, ended up deciding there was no point... This was all pre covid.

Yes, back before the Tories decimated the NHS in 2010 the NHS was very good, but not now..

I've relations living in the South so I know it's not perfect either but it's not as bad as the likes of Jim Allister would have you believe.

[five points]

I don't base my opinions of the NHS on the Stephen Nolan show FFS, give me a bit of credit....

I base it on my own experiences of having my mother sitting in an A&E corridor for over 24 hours after she's bled out and dispatched her home with no care plan in place much to the shock of her GP. I base it on speaking to a friend who can barely walk and needs two knees and won't get them for at least 2 years. I base it on a mother in law who's cancer treatment was delayed so long that when they finally did get round to doing it, ended up deciding there was no point... This was all pre covid.

Yes, back before the Tories decimated the NHS in 2010 the NHS was very good, but not now..

I've relations living in the South so I know it's not perfect either but it's not as bad as the likes of Jim Allister would have you believe.

It's worse. There's a very good reason why any of us down here who can afford it spend thousands every year on private health insurance. We all know people who went to their graves early because they didn't.

[balladmaker]

I see the unscrupulous Tories are at it again trying to butter up the benefits of the Union.  We can expect that to go into overdrive for the foreseeable.  I just hope Scotland remembers the so called 'Pledge' made by Cameron and Brown etc the last time round ... once bitten and all of that.

English nationalism will see to the end of the union, the sooner the better for all concerned.  Any pragmatic unionists in the north should be taking stock, and understanding how they can ensure their representation in any new Ireland that emerges.  Scotland will pull the rug from under the union irrespective if Boris grants a IndyRef2 or not, we know he is never going to grant one anyway.  The fact that the Scots are dependent on an English PM 'granting' them a referendum says it all really.

For Unionists, the end of the union will be the end of all they have based their political ideology on for the past 100 years, how does such a high number of people cope with losing the foundation of all they actually believed in.  Another generation of mayhem on this island is the last thing anyone needs.  But that threat in itself cannot be allowed to prevent democracy having its say.  Time for some strong and pragmatic leadership from our Protestant countrymen ... wherever that will come from, who knows.

[Main Street]

I don't base my opinions of the NHS on the Stephen Nolan show FFS, give me a bit of credit....

I base it on my own experiences of having my mother sitting in an A&E corridor for over 24 hours after she's bled out and dispatched her home with no care plan in place much to the shock of her GP. I base it on speaking to a friend who can barely walk and needs two knees and won't get them for at least 2 years. I base it on a mother in law who's cancer treatment was delayed so long that when they finally did get round to doing it, ended up deciding there was no point... This was all pre covid.

Yes, back before the Tories decimated the NHS in 2010 the NHS was very good, but not now..

I've relations living in the South so I know it's not perfect either but it's not as bad as the likes of Jim Allister would have you believe.

It's worse. There's a very good reason why any of us down here who can afford it spend thousands every year on private health insurance. We all know people who went to their graves early because they didn't.

Nordies can continue to access their British subvented NHS service, guaranteed  until that time  that medical card status be made available to at least 90% of the citizens.
The Brit exchequer can pay a % and  the EU can pay a % of extra costs.
Those are details for negotiation before a border poll.
More serious issues beckon, whatabout the DUP and their ilk (racist bigots beyond repair), going into coalition with Fine Gael? what a nightmare? Never! Never! Never!

[Rossfan]

The "Protestant" record to date hasn't been great.
Every "moderate" Unionist Party lasted no length while the current UUP leader seems to only come to life occasionally to out do DUPUDA or Allister in extremism.
Once Scotland goes then there won't be a Britain or Great Britain so where will that leave the Unionists' Britishness?

[five points]

Nordies can continue to access their British subvented NHS service, guaranteed  until that time  that medical card status be made available to at least 90% of the citizens.
The Brit exchequer can pay a % and  the EU can pay a % of extra costs.
Those are details for negotiation before a border poll.
More serious issues beckon, whatabout the DUP and their ilk (racist bigots beyond repair), going into coalition with Fine Gael? what a nightmare? Never! Never! Never!

You really think we in Cavan will keep paying GP & health insurance bills while our neighbours 20 miles north get it all for free? 

[Rossfan]

Governments and voters chose tax cuts over public health in the 26 and the "UK" over the last 20+ years.
If the population of the 32 Counties want Scandinavian standard Health and other public services they'll have to pay for them.
Seeing as Townies here wouldn't pay €3 a week towards their public water and sewerage and the United Ireland Party want to abolish the minimalist Local Property Tax......

[Angelo]

Governments and voters chose tax cuts over public health in the 26 and the "UK" over the last 20+ years.
If the population of the 32 Counties want Scandinavian standard Health and other public services they'll have to pay for them.
Seeing as Townies here wouldn't pay €3 a week towards their public water and sewerage and the United Ireland Party want to abolish the minimalist Local Property Tax......

You see the issue with FFG is they want the working class to pay the taxes.

When a MNC won't pay a €13bn tax bill to the Irish Gov, the FS Gov fight tooth and nail with the EU so the MNC doesn't pay.

When a €64bn bank bailout is needed to save billionaire bondholders, the FS decide to burden the tax payer with the bill.

There's different ways of tax but I find your sneering attitude to the working class utterly pathetic.