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Trump may not be a conservative Stew, but he is certainly a Republican - in fact, he is the presumptive Republican nominee (I only use presumptive because it is looking like he is going to face a big problem at the convention) and a clear majority of Republican primary voters elected him.

It is getting less and less plausible for you to compare the moral worth of a flawed* but experienced career politician and the gibbering, racist id of a party that has slipped into a chasm of paranoia, denial and ugliness. It stopped being pleasant a long time ago.

(Hillary is flawed IMHO because of her foreign policy and her support for the Iraq war. However it should be emphasized, that no matter how much it is claimed by Republicans, she has never been found guilty of corruption, fraud, treason, murder or whatever the scandal du jour is - despite multiple investigations)

He is not a Republican. He doesn't follow GOP doctrine. He is an outsider who beat the GOP field and he scares the bejaysus out of the GOP leadership who thought Jeb would run.

He is not a mainstream establishment fiscal Republican (on trade at least), but his rhetoric is very much part and parcel of the paranoid, conspiratorial, resentment wing of the party i.e. their talk radio enthusiast primary base.

TBF to the Republican party it has been headed up by the neocons for years and has more or less on the whole persued the neocon political philosophy during that time, which is very clear what it is, wether you like it or not and it looks nothing like Trumpism.

Although they have let certain section of their party beat their own drum and walk their own path to an extent in the full knowledge that being associated with popluist nonsense would deliver them voters and power.

But now it has really come home home to roost for the neocons, all the things that that they allowed to float around for years but never really supported have been bundled up in a nice little crazy package that is Donald Trump, he really is their worst nightmare.

They may have paid these people lip service in actual legislative practice, but they fomented and exploited the unrest for years to get the vote out. Prime example being gay marriage in 2004. Yes, Trump may be anti-free trade, but almost everything else he espouses has been standard, white conservative resentment fodder for a long time.

his buddy Skip isn't too far behind - if not worse

Aren't they going their separate ways?

Let's blow the cobwebs off this one..

Will yesterday's game have influenced either or both? I reckon this game will be as intense, and hopefully not cynical, as yesterday's wasn't overly.

Any other oul craic?

We all know its going to be cynical and dirty and defensive, with a couple of players on either side rising above it.

Whether it is tight or not depends on a couple of things, mostly Donegal weaknesses to date:

If Monaghan exploit our weaknesses on kickouts, they could keep us penned in a bit and score a few points and maybe even a goal off our kickouts. We won't win much in the air in the absence of Neil Gallagher, and McGinley just hasn't had the experience or practise to even come remotely close to what Durcan could do with the short kickouts.

We will miss Neil McGee badly, unless Lacey somehow reverts into a top-class man marker and does a good job on McManus (more likely that Paddy McGrath will get the job).

So basically, you have a Donegal team missing some of its strongest central components (Durcan, McGee, Gallagher) trying to beat a similar Monaghan team to the one they lost to last year, albeit in as tight a fashion as they could have lost a game. But now they're the same, we're a bit weaker.

Monaghan by five or six (obviously I hope I'm wrong), and a grinding run to the quarters via the back door if we avoid Mayo.

Let's blow the cobwebs off this one..

Will yesterday's game have influenced either or both? I reckon this game will be as intense, and hopefully not cynical, as yesterday's wasn't overly.

Any other oul craic?

I'd imagine both sides are thinking that there could be a relatively handy Ulster title to be won if they win this game.

Sure they are...

Take it Cleveland has forgiven him for "The Decision". Prodigal son returns.

Hope they enjoy it . Have taken an interest in the place since reading a book about its sporting woes over the years.

They've forgiven him until he takes off for the Lakers or back to the Heat.

Nah, he has his championship in Cleveland, so that won't be happening again. If they hadn't won though, he'd have had some very tough decisions to make this year. He still does in his GM role I guess.

Stephen A Smith on ESPN reckons LA or Miami is a strong possibility.

No idea how reliable his sources are though. But the rumors have been going for a while now.

Take it Cleveland has forgiven him for "The Decision". Prodigal son returns.

Hope they enjoy it . Have taken an interest in the place since reading a book about its sporting woes over the years.

They've forgiven him until he takes off for the Lakers or back to the Heat.

Trump may not be a conservative Stew, but he is certainly a Republican - in fact, he is the presumptive Republican nominee (I only use presumptive because it is looking like he is going to face a big problem at the convention) and a clear majority of Republican primary voters elected him.

It is getting less and less plausible for you to compare the moral worth of a flawed* but experienced career politician and the gibbering, racist id of a party that has slipped into a chasm of paranoia, denial and ugliness. It stopped being pleasant a long time ago.

(Hillary is flawed IMHO because of her foreign policy and her support for the Iraq war. However it should be emphasized, that no matter how much it is claimed by Republicans, she has never been found guilty of corruption, fraud, treason, murder or whatever the scandal du jour is - despite multiple investigations)

But that only further proves her deviousness and corruption. Of course she gets away with everything! Just like Obama REALLY IS a Kenyan- born communist, fascist, America-hating Muslim! 

In all seriousness though, Hillary IS very flawed and entitled. The whole email thing is completely self-inflicted and could still derail her campaign or even be a big distraction for her presidency. It's maddening as f**k.

But... In no way is she as a candidate in any way comparable to the freak show that is Trump. One can be comfortable, whether you are for or against her, in that you know you will get a mainstream, pragmatic, liberal-leaning presidency. Nothing groundbreaking or seismic shifting or whatever other cliche you want to throw at it. Trump...??

It could be that the Repubs have hit their post-Thatcher moment. That's them out for a generation. Just when you think they can't sink any lower, Trump opens his mouth again and proves you wrong. And with the gun nuts picking a powerful enemy in the LGBT community, I'd say a repeal of the Second Amendment would not be out of the question in the foreseeable future.

Trump is NOT a republican for facks sake!

You have no room talking about low when the scum of the earth is running for those shitheads you want to see in power.

He's just the GOP nominee for POTUS.

But NOT a Republican.

None of the xenophobia, the racial/ religious profiling, the birther stuff, the misogyny, the anti- intellectualism, the anti- scientific views, the conspiracy theorism...

... none of that is characteristic of the Republican Party! In no way is he the logical conclusion to the road they've been on for years!

Hard to beat the big 2 in Connacht meeting up. Looking forward to it big time.

Indeed PW and memories of some great tussles.  Unfortunate  that the games are no longer of much significance and for us are a box ticking exercise on the way to 6 in a row and the serious stuff in Croker. Hope PW ye give us a decent game as it is the only possible challenge this year in Connacht. A good start for Galway and maybe a few early goals is exactly the challenge we need but even if that was the case would still expect a 7+ pts margin for us. Connacht is now like Leinster with the Dubs and ourselves way ahead of everybody else.

Hope the Galway supporters will still travel in numbers and create a bit of atmosphere for what is in effect the Connacht final.

Well, a good start would be Hillary winning the election and getting a fifth moderate/liberal justice on the Supreme Court in place of Scalia.

Although that doesn't guarantee much in itself. The Democrats need to turn out strongly in 2020 as well to win back some states in anticipation of redistricting. Only then will they be in a position to take back the House.

And even then, they have to have the balls to make the case in the face of the NRA onslaught. It all depends on whether the Democrats feel its a fight worth having in the face of other priorities.

[This is hardly me arguing against Gun Control.....]

I agree no more assault rifles going forward - but cut them off at the manufacturer and seller level.... tighter restrictions on ownership, tests, proof of safe storage, proof of land to hunt (like in Ireland) and perhaps courses every 3 years or 5 years?

This is hardly me arguing against Gun Control.....

the reason I brought up banning the GAA is to describe the emotion attached  - not to compare the end result - I'm sure you can see the difference....

this problem won't be solved like it was in other countries.  It's part of the country's DNA whether you agree or not...

I'm certainly no advocate for Guns or the NRA.  I have a handgun for home defense and I'm trained in how to use it. I have a rifle for hunting and I'm trained in how to use it. I could have both in Ireland if I wanted with permits.

Most Americans are crazy.  People who live in big cities and coastal areas are remarkably different from the rest.  They won't hand in their guns and how do you take them? Honestly let's be real here how do you take someone's guns? Get in a gunfight? Kill them if they don't hand them over - that's what will really happen I believe....I know people who believe in their rights to bear arms over the government's right to take them..... then you have the people who think/fear that if they return their guns then they leave themselves vulnerable to the criminals or crazies who kept theirs.....it's a messed up situation muppet

This is what I meant by you arguing against gun control. It is as if people are afraid to tackle the problem and are willing to just give up as the massacres keep on happening. This is a question of education and re-joining the rest of the civilised world. There is no option but to tackle this issue and win. What will it take for the gun-toting lunatics to get there? A massacre at their nearest school/cinema?

I am beginning to wonder if Oscar Wilde was right.

But they've had the massacres as schools and cinemas multiple times. When Sandy Hook couldn't move them, nothing ever will.

In fact, they just get more entrenched. Obama is coming for their guns, and if only a good guy with a gun had been present...

Iceman is correct. including with his comparison to the GAA.

Were you not finding common cause with the DUP on here a while back?

Yes, the wife could be in serious bother if she really knew in advance and did nothing to raise the alarm.

Manus Boyle 1992. Was a sub in the semi and turned the game. Hit 0-9 in the final, including 0-5 from play. Should have scored a goal when he hit the crossbar, but later wisely opted to take his point near the end when through one on one on O'Leary. Took Mick Deegan to the cleaners. But then Manus was always a man for the big occasion, going back to AI U-21 and Vocational schools titles.