Messages

Sinn Féin blocked the Tory welfare bill so it's absolutely false that they have toed the Conservative line at every point.

Wrong, SF and DUP worked against all others in Assembly to vote that welfare should be handed back to Tories in UK parliament to implement reforms. 

[At what stage did SF decide to put country or even its people before party?]

At what stage did SF decide to put country or even its people before party? The issue for SDLP is to decide who it represents and what they want that gives the party a distinctive characteristic which sets it apart from others. Good article in Saturday's Irish News by Patrick Murphy in which he describes 3 options for SDLP. They can slowly die, rebrand or merge and in two these they disappear. However, in these two they leave a significant number of the electorate, both voting and non-voting supporters, without representation.

Sinn Féin are extremely strong on an equality and respect agenda. Look at how strongly they've fought for gay marriage. They campaigned against the obscene gay blood issue and removed it. They have supported traveller rights. They have a very strong anti-racism agenda and are at the forefront against direct provision. They've also made brave decisions which could have alienated a part of their electorate by meeting royalty and attending various British Army remembrance events.

They are certainly strong on calling for an equality and respect agenda but the actions are thin on the ground.  Only Martin McGuinness was brave enough to take a stand on meeting royalty, no sign of his successor making much inroads in this area. The first statement from the new SF leader of Derry & Strabane council was that he wouldn't attend such occasions.

Are the round 4B qualifiers in Croke Park?

No reason to assume so unless Dublin are in the draw and even then they could be sent to Breffini Park to enjoy its unique traffic chaos. The 4A games are in Gaelic Grounds, Limerick and Markievicz Park, Sligo which are neutral and geographically acceptable.

Qualifiers Round 4   
In the fourth round of the qualifiers, the four winning teams from round 3 play the four beaten provincial finalists. Round 4 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The matches are normally held in neutral venues. The four winners of these matches play the provincial champions in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Round 4B draw takes place Monday July 17th.

If Down in this round, they have played both Armagh and Monaghan so a draw will be necessary. Venues to be decided by CCCC.

So you want a guy sent off for a tug of the jersey? There's too much physicality taken out of the game already, lads getting sent off of a jersey pull would make the bloody thing entirely non-contact.

What Ciaran did was not a run of the mill jersey pull

I would have been disappointed if it had been.

At what stage did SF decide to put country or even its people before party? The issue for SDLP is to decide who it represents and what they want that gives the party a distinctive characteristic which sets it apart from others. Good article in Saturday's Irish News by Patrick Murphy in which he describes 3 options for SDLP. They can slowly die, rebrand or merge and in two these they disappear. However, in these two they leave a significant number of the electorate, both voting and non-voting supporters, without representation.

[The biggest barrier to that happening is that apparently some in the SDLP have more antagonism towards Sinn Fein, than towards extreme unionism !]

What we certainly need is less politicians like that emma pengelly whatever you call her. Vile individual.

Think Sinn Fein can take the blame for that lovely person getting in, between this and the flags in estates, she already showed what she all about

With all due respect it serves no-one well distracting from the core issue. Emma Pengelly secured her seat , apparently on the back of her fully mobilising the loyalist vote(for obvious reasons) . The implication that Mairtín Ó'Muilleoir should have stepped aside to give Alastair McDonald a free-run, is an unfair assessment in that it would be viewed as a pan-nationalist front and would have mobilised a pan-unionist front. I think the future will involve those parties that favour equality and respect being brave enough to form an alliance. The biggest barrier to that happening is that apparently some in the SDLP have more antagonism towards Sinn Fein, than towards extreme unionism !

That is a mutual antagonism.  SF want to remove SDLP as a political entity and SDLP wants to survive.

[Round 4 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided]

Qualifiers Round 4
In the fourth round of the qualifiers, the four winning teams from round 3 play the four beaten provincial finalists. Round 4 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The matches are normally held in neutral venues.

Armagh
Monaghan
Down/Tyrone
Kildare/Dublin

Does this rule mean that should Down lose on Sunday that they cannot play Armagh or Monaghan?

Yet another poor performance from the Roscommon referee and you can be sure he will be back for more championship games.

Doesn't have the capacity to deal with a multi incident game, trying to balance one bad decision with another.

Best team won
Not sure why Tipp crowd are annoyed
One point from play in second half

In the last 10 minutes when Tipp ran at armagh there was only 3 things happened, and none in Tipp's favour:

1. Cynical direct fouls were met with yellow instead of black.
2. Cynical off the ball fouls were ignored.
3. When no foul was made, the ref invented one in case an overlap formed.

Fair play to armagh for creating the lead. But the referee is the reason they protected it.

Who should have got a black card?

Co-commentator actually said there was a pull on the jersey and couldn't understand why it wasn't a black card. Is it that hard to read a couple of lines?

Pulling a jersey isn't a black card offence.

It's been a few years now since the black card have been introduced! a pull down is a black card! pulling the jersey is not! whether its cynical play are not does not matter! only decisions the ref got wrong were regarding the advantage rule! and that was for both teams! best team won!

Not really surprising that as soon as McKeever pulled the jersey the crap commentating team immediately shouted black card.

50 mins gone Tipperary 1-10 Armagh 0-12 some bad wides in this half but its a game that is still all to play for.

Has Hawkeye been recalibrated for the big ball?

Commentary from Sky quite one sided.

One legged man beats the defence - very poor.  Have Armagh learned nothing?

Pete McGrath to spill the beans on his resignation on Monday.  Promising to give the full details.

Skill of the day, Jamie Clarke flicking up the ball while running at full pelt and then delivering the ball into McParland for what should have been a goal.

Clarke really showing his talent today as the play maker.