Sinn Féin set to be largest party in NI - poll

[orangeman]

It's not politics. It's just a padded play area to take sectarianism off the streets. But it's better than murder and mayhem.

Good post.

[winsamsoon]

WE SHALL OVERCOME LOL

[ziggysego]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT_xpVzrmfo

[Zapatista]

It's not politics. It's just a padded play area to take sectarianism off the streets. But it's better than murder and mayhem.

That's needlessly dismissive. Murder and mayhem as as political as backhanders and blow jobs. It's a process and it must be allowed to proceed without some contantly trying to be flippant rather than admit it's importance.

[Hardy]

I have no idea how to make sense of your second sentence. As regards your last sentence, who said it shouldn't proceed? And how is my flippancy going to prevent it from proceeding? And didn't I admit its importance as a substitute for murder and mayhem?

[Zapatista]

I have no idea how to make sense of your second sentence. As regards your last sentence, who said it shouldn't proceed? And how is my flippancy going to prevent it from proceeding? And didn't I admit its importance as a substitute for murder and mayhem?

Second sentence is to say that all matters of the assembley are real politic, even if the assembly itself is a 'substitute' for another form of politics, it's still real politics. Substitute is a flippant way to discribe it. Alternative is the way it should be discribed. If you're right and it's not politics then it shouldn't continue, but again I think you're being flippant.

[Hardy]

I am, of course, being flippant. But flippancy only works when there's an element of truth involved and I thought that single sentence was a better way to summarise what passes in the North as politics, with gerrymandered equality of representation (and I'm all for it), than rambling on for two pages about how Northern politics differs from that which pertains in normal societies, in long rambling sentences like this.

[MW]

Simple solution change the job title to reflect the role - 'Joint First Minister'.

I agree with you Donagh

I read somewhere recently the Speaker in the Assembly ruled that McGuinness isn't actually 'Deputy First Minister' but deputy 'First Minister'.

It's been the practice of NI government to to refer to the dFM since the restoration of devolution in 2007 - I don't think it's emanated from the Speaker or the Assembly. I think it was the initiative of officials in OFMDFM (OFMdFM?) who noted that the Northern Ireland Act 1998 refers to the "deputy First Minister" (though the Belfast Agreement actually refers to the "Deputy First Minister").

[magickingdom]

anyone got a link to this poll, cant find it

[ardmhachaabu]

From what I heard earlier from someone I would trust 100%, Darkie's book is due out in March and is going to cause major ripples

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I am, of course, being flippant. But flippancy only works when there's an element of truth involved and I thought that single sentence was a better way to summarise what passes in the North as politics, with gerrymandered equality of representation (and I'm all for it), than rambling on for two pages about how Northern politics differs from that which pertains in normal societies, in long rambling sentences like this.

That is a very interesting point, where you were ruminating over sentences with interesting points, but then proceeded to labour over those same very interesting points, to the point where those very interesting points lost some of their admittedly very interesting characteristics, and subsequently became rather long-windedly uninteresting, and all within a sentence of such great "interest" potential, that had through a very interesting turn of phrase, had managed to totally turn about itself, and contrived to make a very interesting sentence into a sentence, although potentially very interesting, not very interesting at all.

[Zapatista]

That is a very interesting point, where you were ruminating over sentences with interesting points, but then proceeded to labour over those same very interesting points, to the point where those very interesting points lost some of their admittedly very interesting characteristics, and subsequently became rather long-windedly uninteresting, and all within a sentence of such great "interest" potential, that had through a very interesting turn of phrase, had managed to totally turn about itself, and contrived to make a very interesting sentence into a sentence, although potentially very interesting, not very interesting at all.

[Hardy]

I am, of course, being flippant. But flippancy only works when there's an element of truth involved and I thought that single sentence was a better way to summarise what passes in the North as politics, with gerrymandered equality of representation (and I'm all for it), than rambling on for two pages about how Northern politics differs from that which pertains in normal societies, in long rambling sentences like this.

That is a very interesting point, where you were ruminating over sentences with interesting points, but then proceeded to labour over those same very interesting points, to the point where those very interesting points lost some of their admittedly very interesting characteristics, and subsequently became rather long-windedly uninteresting, and all within a sentence of such great "interest" potential, that had through a very interesting turn of phrase, had managed to totally turn about itself, and contrived to make a very interesting sentence into a sentence, although potentially very interesting, not very interesting at all.

Good stuff, Fear.

(This post is certified flippancy-free).