The Old Derry / Londonderry name problem

[deiseach]

This proposed  renaming of towns/cities mularky could really catch on. It's not as if their are enough divisive issues in Northern Ireland. 

What are you saying? That the issue shouldn't be discussed? The habitual defence of those who want to maintain the status quo.

[Olaf]

This proposed  renaming of towns/cities mularky could really catch on. It's not as if their are enough divisive issues in Northern Ireland. 

What are you saying? That the issue shouldn't be discussed? The habitual defence of those who want to maintain the status quo.

People call it Derry. People call it Londonderry . Don't know what I last referred to it as. The status quo is not particularly fixed and  is fairly fluid.

[deiseach]

People call it Derry. People call it Londonderry . Don't know what I last referred to it as. The status quo is not particularly fixed and  is fairly fluid.

Well then. You won't mind if the citizenry choose a particular official name, will you?

[ziggysego]

What I don't understand is that Unionist say there has to be a vote for a United Ireland as the majority would not vote that way and it cannot be imposed on them.

...........a principle also approved by the majority of the Nationalist population. It's not just the Unionists that "say" this.

This proposed  renaming of towns/cities mularky could really catch on. It's not as if their are enough divisive issues in Northern Ireland. 

Never claimed it wasn't, claimed people that for a group of people banging on about democracy, it's being ignored for this issue. People like Gregory Campbell before you ask

[Olaf]

People call it Derry. People call it Londonderry . Don't know what I last referred to it as. The status quo is not particularly fixed and  is fairly fluid.

Well then. You won't mind if the citizenry choose a particular official name, will you?

Choose to change   an official name you mean.

You then have to ask why they would choose to do so.

[deiseach]

Choose to change   an official name you mean.

You then have to ask why they would choose to do so.

I do mean. They wish to change the status quo to reflect the reality on the ground. Again, we have this underlying notion that changing the status quo is extremist while wanting to maintain the status quo is moderate.

[longrunsthefox]

Choose to change   an official name you mean.

You then have to ask why they would choose to do so.

I do mean. They wish to change the status quo to reflect the reality on the ground. Again, we have this underlying notion that changing the status quo is extremist while wanting to maintain the status quo is moderate.

...Whatever you want
Whatever you like
Whatever you say
You pay your money
You take your choice
Whatever you need
Whatever you use
Whatever you win
Whatever you loose

Youre showing off
Youre showing out
You look for trouble
Turn around, give me a shout
I take it all
You squeeze me dry
And now today
You couldnt even say goodbye

I could take you home
On the midnight train again
I could make an offer you cant refuse.... 

[Tyrones own]

12 gold bars...

[deiseach]

Ugh. The MIL is a huge fan of the Quo. I think I'm gonna puke

[ardal]

given that we require the consent of these same unionists before a united Ireland becomes a reality. 

We need only 10 - 15% of them to vote through a re unification.
"Londonderry" was a name imposed on the city by a shower of violent people who murdered etc and stole land from the natives.
Surely in these peaceful times we have to be opposed to any remaining manifestations to that sort of murderous past.

Nearly 100% sure about this, but will let Flann  decide (or anyone else). I vaguely remember that a wee bit back (1600´s or so), the city of Doire was sold to a financial concern known as "the city of london", I think this was done in order to finance James the 1st. As the "city of london" had now purchased the city of Doire, they called it LondonsDerry. Please note possessive "S". Londonsderry works, and is basic finacne not politics, I think, but hey I'm not sober Right NOW.

[Donagh]

Looks like Mr Funston has a lot to answer for... 

Anger over Lisneal name change letter

Published Date: 18 September 2009
Some parents of Catholic children at Lisneal College in Derry's Waterside say they are "furious" that their kids were asked to sign a letter opposing moves to change the official name of the city from Londonderry to Derry.
Parents of children at the school - which has both Catholics and Protestants - received a letter from school principal David Funston in which he explained that he had been asked to distribute a letter which could be signed by pupils and sent to Derry

Copies of both letters have been passed anonymously to the 'Journal'.
Mr Funston last night defended the move and insisted that he had received "no negative feedback" from parents or pupils about the letter.
However, a parent of a Catholic pupil at Lisneal College said the letter had left Catholic pupils feeling "isolated."

"It's absolutely outrageous that children should be dragged into this debate. You would have thought that schools would adopt a neutral stance on such issues. And, yet, here was my child being very publicly asked to sign up to an issue that is overtly political and, dare I say it, sectarian. I'm furious that my child should have been put in such an unenviable position. They were left to feel very, very isolated.

"Schoolchildren and politics - particularly such a sensitive subject as the name change - simply do not mix. I'm shocked that the school was allowed to do this. Did they get the go-ahead from the Board of Governors? As a result of this, my child is very self-conscious when at school."

Mr Funston rejected claims that distributing the letter among students in the mixed school could create problems for the schools Catholic pupils. He also claimed it is not a sectarian issue, despite the letter containing a reference to "Protestant identity."

"I don't see this as a Catholic/Protestant issue. I attached a covering letter and my covering letter explained that it was entirely voluntary. It is not a school letter. The Board of Governors were aware of it," he said.

Despite this, Mr Funston's covering letter said signed copies of the letter were to be returned to the school office.
He also said he had been asked to distribute the letter by a member of the public.

"A number of bodies would ask us to make parents aware of various things and those bodies would include political parties and come from right across the political divide," he said.

Pupils punished for harassment


Pupils at a state secondary school have been disciplined over the alleged harassment of visiting Catholic girls.

It happened when girls from St Cecilia's College were attending Lisneal College as part of a cross-community education programme.

In a joint statement the schools said they would not allow "small pockets of misguided young people" to disrupt the programme.

Fifteen pupils from St Cecilia's attend classes at Lisneal.

In the statement the colleges also promised to try to reduce tensions and fears following recent incidents.

"Our first priority is always the safety and protection of our young people and we can assure all students and their parents that this is being monitored on a daily basis," the statement continued.

Niall McAteer, a governor at St Cecilia's College, said there could be elements of sectarianism involved.

"You face that problem you don't ignore it and you try to tackle it.

"There is no point in blanket condemnation but we need to face this head on."

[nifan]

Funston has a case to answer for the letter Donagh, but its a bit of a stretch implying that this letter is the cause of this.

There would certainly have been sectarianism about school kids in derry before this letter. Lisneal (which I have to say i was surprised had catholic students in the first place) has students who would be at this craic from long before that.

[Donagh]

Funston has a case to answer for the letter Donagh, but its a bit of a stretch implying that this letter is the cause of this.

There would certainly have been sectarianism about school kids in derry before this letter. Lisneal (which I have to say i was surprised had catholic students in the first place) has students who would be at this craic from long before that.

No, no, I'm not implying the letter has caused this but that something is seriously wrong in that school under his watch. He has obviously engendered an environment in the school where it is deemed acceptable to take partisan political positions (the letter) and now he has shown that his pupils aren't capable of even showing basic courtesies to visitors.

[Lazer]

Looks like the BBC have yet another name for the  city

"Pupils at a state secondary school in Lonmdonderry have been disciplined over the alleged harassment of visiting Catholic girls."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/8268325.stm

[nifan]

and now he has shown that his pupils aren't capable of even showing basic courtesies to visitors.

its hardly surprising, it has been a problem in most high schools in derry, including lisneal and its forerunners Faughan Valley and Clondermott for a long time.