It Must be Marching Season

[trileacman]

Surely it can only be a political win for DUP in terms of potentially reclaiming UUP and TUV votes.

Can't see it encouraging anyone not already of that political persuasion or any moderate small u unionists back from Alliance

Without any doubt it has inflamed attitudes and divided NI once again into us-uns and them-uns. Whatever way you look at it it encourages division and will ultimately drive moderates away from alliance, SDLP and the UUP.

[David McKeown]

Is there any significance in MoN asking people to stay till Midnight?

Is there a time limit on the parade?

There's a theory going round that it would require a new application for a different day. That's not my reading of the legislation or the relevant case law. That may or may not be why MON was asking people to stay to midnight.

[From the Bunker]

MON should have stayed away and left it to locals to represent themselves. We all know whose side she is on - but she has lost credibility selling herself as a First Minister for all.
As said here earlier the DUP have got their siege mentality vote back from this and it's a perfect distraction from the Robinson disgrace.

Meanwhile the rest of the world (we just probably Ireland and the UK) looks and shrugs its shoulders at the stupidity of the situation.

[trileacman]

How badly have Unionism shot themselves in the foot over this?

If you can read the future then I'd like to know who wins next years AI. Impossible to say where the dust settles after all this. Politically it's a big win for the DUP who can now move on from the Robinson scandal having taken it out of the headlines and replaced it with this. It also returns them to the front and centre of the culture war 12 months out from an election where they were under big pressure from the TUV and UUP. It's a political godsend for them.

Not to mention it's an excellent way of scaring a few more pound out of the British exchequer who have so far resisted calls by Stormont to cover the gaping hole in the provinces finances. I do suspect Byrant will be a lot more tactile the next time the budget discussion come in to Hillsborough.

I think if they don't get down the road the DUP will have to collapse the Executive. There won't be anymore budget talks. We'll hardly notice the difference as well.

I don't agree it's politically a win for the DUP. Time will tell.

They can collapse the executive but it's a big, big gamble. They're not politically dominant on the Unionist side in the way they used to be. They'd be handing the administration of NI over to a left wing Labour government who are desperate to rebuild bridges with EU allies. There's a risk that if they collapse it the UK could look for Dublin to play a much bigger political role in NI. Likewise they no longer hold the majority of MP seats. Without PR elections, nationalists would hold the political majority in NI.

Also they no longer get paid if they're not in Stormont and unlike the last time, London does not have the money to bribe them back in to office.

The bean counters at the exchequer in No.11 will be ecstatic if stormont falls and they get a free hand to push through all the budgets cuts they are looking for. 

I don't think any NI party will collapse stormont whilst the current economic conditions prevail.

[gallsman]

Portadown Deputy District Master Alastair Power:

I have a question for leadership of nationalism tonight - are they for the rule of law? Because if they are, why can we not parade down our road?

Our road?! Saying the quiet part loud.

[AustinPowers]

MON should have stayed away and left it to locals to represent themselves. We all know whose side she is on - but she has lost credibility selling herself as a First Minister for all.
As said here earlier the DUP have got their siege mentality vote back from this and it's a perfect distraction from the Robinson disgrace.

Meanwhile the rest of the world (we just probably Ireland and the UK) looks and shrugs its shoulders at the stupidity of the situation.

If MON said she went to  a GAA match , unionists would say  similar . You'll never win against that  bigoted lot

The nationalist leaders HAD  to be there. Yes , it'll probably help them in the polls , but  it wouldn't be as easy  for the RUC to baton the  heads off elected politicians  than it would for nameless Garvaghy residents

Thinking it over now , this was a unionist plan to  win back votes , not only to win Stormont seats , but to fend off  a border poll. They know it's coming even if they keep  saying it's not. FFS sure they  mention it more than SF/SDLP do

[nrico2006]

What Robinson disgrace are posters here referring to?

[thebuzz]

Accidentally used instead of Donaldson I would presume.

[AustinPowers]

Portadown Deputy District Master Alastair Power:

I have a question for leadership of nationalism tonight - are they for the rule of law? Because if they are, why can we not parade down our road?

Our road?! Saying the quiet part loud.

He at least   called  it the GARVAGHY road, not the usual unionist pronunciation GARVACKY road.

On that, surely that has to be a deliberately conscious   thing from unionists?  Or with their planter genes , are they actually incapable of  pronouncing it correctly?

[armaghniac]

Portadown Deputy District Master Alastair Power:

I have a question for leadership of nationalism tonight - are they for the rule of law? Because if they are, why can we not parade down our road?

Our road?! Saying the quiet part loud.

He at least   called  it the GARVAGHY road, not the usual unionist pronunciation GARVACKY road.

On that, surely that has to be a deliberately conscious   thing from unionists?  Or with their planter genes , are they actually incapable of  pronouncing it correctly?

is Garvaghy not a pidgin version of Garbhachadh? I'd say the unionists are right

[Rossfan]

Má labhrann tú Gaeilge na Mùmhan...

[Orior]

Portadown Deputy District Master Alastair Power:

I have a question for leadership of nationalism tonight - are they for the rule of law? Because if they are, why can we not parade down our road?

Our road?! Saying the quiet part loud.

He at least   called  it the GARVAGHY road, not the usual unionist pronunciation GARVACKY road.

On that, surely that has to be a deliberately conscious   thing from unionists?  Or with their planter genes , are they actually incapable of  pronouncing it correctly?

Fun fact: in east Belfast, Monaghan is pronounced Munackin, which I reckon is closer to the Irish name than the English.

[whitey]

As an outsider looking in Sinn Fein come out of this looking like complete idiots

They've gotten completely fixated on things that have are completely irrelevant to the task at hand, seem to expend enormous amounts of energy placating the woke mob on the fringes of their base

Meanwhile Bryson and Co just quietly went about their business with one, and only one, constituency in mind

[Wildweasel74]

Trump comments few weeks bck and his timing very strange, when u look at the police saying there be no issue here. Stormont i say gone, there be no police doing traffic control at GAA games. Things look like they been put bck 15+ yrs. May lads start looking down south again fball wise.

[Substandard]

I could be reading this all wrong, was following bits and pieces today around matches, but what felt like a crushing defeat this morning is now is closer to a draw match- did Bryson (and Carla) over-play their hand?
They would have claim of the moral high ground if they had backed away, and could still argue that they had followed the law, and leverage that argument to their advantage?
And if there was violence to erupt, are they assuming British army backing?  Sky news is all about the military base, and I'd imagine it would have to hurt unionists that their plight wouldn't be front and centre before the PM, Westminster and the King?