IFA begging Ireland players to play for them

[Main Street]

"The research I've done points to a conclusion I had foreseen all along " 

Gerry doesn't do learning curves, instead he embarked on a 2 week discovery of hitherto unknown powers of prophecy.

[dillinger]

It's beyond me why any nationalist would want to represent a bastardised statelet that treated their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents like third class citizens.  People like Uncle Tom Armstrong, who makes a good living out of being the IFA's little lapdog, is a total clown who hasn't the balls to discuss the real reasons why Catholic players born in the north opt for the Republic - his bosses at Windsor Avenue would soon have him out on his ear for not toeing the party line

Says a lot about you as a bigot that little rant.

Well, you'd be the expert on the subject of bigotry. Throwing in the old 'I have Catholic relatives' line was a masterstroke in irrelevance... What's that got to do with anything? A complete red herring in the ongoing situation of almost all associated with the IFA ignoring that big grey wrinkly thing with tusks and a trunk sitting in the corner up there at Windsor Avenue

Elephant or not the I.F.A. and the fans are trying to deal with it. Little they can do about people who have a hatred of anything connected to  to Northern Ireland/ British.

[Applesisapples]

It's not a hatred, its just that we are Irish, not British.

[red hander]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

[Applesisapples]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

About where its at.

[michaelg]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Typifies what I have thought / known for a long time i.e. The nationalist community's belief that only protestants / unionists can be bigoted.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is a 2 way street.

[Olaf]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Who exactly are the "Are we a Country brigade"?

[Hardy]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Typifies what I have thought / known for a long time i.e. The nationalist community's belief that only protestants / unionists can be bigoted.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is a 2 way street.

Isn't it the very definition of bigotry to harbour a conviction that an entire community has a particular trait, characteristic or belief that you consider unacceptable?

[red hander]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Typifies what I have thought / known for a long time i.e. The nationalist community's belief that only protestants / unionists can be bigoted.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is a 2 way street.

Uncharacteristically magnanimous for a unionist

[red hander]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Who exactly are the "Are we a Country brigade"?

Hazard a wild guess

[michaelg]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Typifies what I have thought / known for a long time i.e. The nationalist community's belief that only protestants / unionists can be bigoted.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is a 2 way street.

Isn't it the very definition of bigotry to harbour a conviction that an entire community has a particular trait, characteristic or belief that you consider unacceptable?

Not sure where I stated that the entire nationalist community were bigoted

[Hardy]

[Edit]

You didn't. You said you know they believe only protestants/unionists could be bigoted. That's ascribing a belief to an entire community.

[Applesisapples]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Typifies what I have thought / known for a long time i.e. The nationalist community's belief that only protestants / unionists can be bigoted.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is a 2 way street.

You are definitely right bigotry and sectarianism is a two way street, but there is no shame in having no allegience to what you see and believe to be an artificially contrived state. That said nationalists were on the recieving end in the 6 counties for an awful long time which has coditioned some to see it as coming only from one side.

[Olaf]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Who exactly are the "Are we a Country brigade"?

Hazard a wild guess

OK....... all NI football fans?

[michaelg]

[Edit]

You didn't. You said you know they believe only protestants/unionists could be bigoted. That's ascribing a belief to an entire community.

What is this?  Pedants' corner.  I think you got the general gist of the point I was making.