It Must be Marching Season

[NAG1]

What's the end game here for the OO because it's not going to be a march down Garvaghy road. It doesn't matter what legal fight they win.  That's not happening. It's been established that in essence the police are not going to evict a single protestor from that road.  Surely they can't be that thick at this point to not know that.  So this is about them making a point, creating disturbance, creating ill feeling and rancour.  They're happy to wreck  relations in the Portadown area, and by the sounds of it in other areas where they think they should get to march where they want with no restrictions.

Playing to their base as always, try and get a kick in the vote at the next election and see where it leaves them.

Their only play is come up with an electoral pact between all 3 of them and hope that is enough.

[marty34]

What's the end game here for the OO because it's not going to be a march down Garvaghy road. It doesn't matter what legal fight they win.  That's not happening. It's been established that in essence the police are not going to evict a single protestor from that road.  Surely they can't be that thick at this point to not know that.  So this is about them making a point, creating disturbance, creating ill feeling and rancour.  They're happy to wreck  relations in the Portadown area, and by the sounds of it in other areas where they think they should get to march where they want with no restrictions.

That's what they want.


Bring down Stormont and blame nationalists. They weren't happy with the GFA.


They want to bring the old days of the 60's and 70's back again.


I'm not sure they understand demographics of the north and it's clearly only going one way now.


It's ironic that they say nationalists don't want ni (meh word) to work while at the same time they're bringing as much instability to it as they can. Just proves to me it's ungovernable. 

[Armamike]

Bryant and the politicians in London must be bewildered by them.

[gallsman]

Bryant and the politicians in London must be bewildered by them.

They always have been. Stiff upper lip Tories back in the day like Heath had no love for or interest in stiff upper lip unionists like O'Neill. Almost every British government since partition would have bitten your hand off to be rid of the north.

[trueblue1234]

Can the residents not apply for a parade/ protest on their patch for the dates that the OO want to march. Get it in early and then agree that the only reasonable solution is to ban both parades. Problem solved.
I'm starting to think that the nationalists need a useful idiot like Bryson. As a whole we aren't hearing enough of a challenge from SF against the PC and PSNI. And I understand why, they don't want to lower themselves to the level of Carla, Jim etc. There needs to be a demand for a final solution to the parades issue.

[brokencrossbar1]

The end game here is bringing down Stormont,  blame the 'unreasonable' nationalists,  work on getting the GFA changed as they see the demographics changing so quickly and the very strong possibility of a border poll in the next 5-10 years. 50% + 1 is very attainable and they can see that.

Or am I giving them too much credence?

[Armagh18]

Can the residents not apply for a parade/ protest on their patch for the dates that the OO want to march. Get it in early and then agree that the only reasonable solution is to ban both parades. Problem solved.
I'm starting to think that the nationalists need a useful idiot like Bryson. As a whole we aren't hearing enough of a challenge from SF against the PC and PSNI. And I understand why, they don't want to lower themselves to the level of Carla, Jim etc. There needs to be a demand for a final solution to the parades issue.

Bit extreme but long overdue for that breed

[gallsman]

Or am I giving them too much credence?

Yes and no.

In a lot of cases, I genuinely believe that it simply comes down to the fact that a lot of them hate fenians.

[Armagh18]

The end game here is bringing down Stormont,  blame the 'unreasonable' nationalists,  work on getting the GFA changed as they see the demographics changing so quickly and the very strong possibility of a border poll in the next 5-10 years. 50% + 1 is very attainable and they can see that.

Or am I giving them too much credence?

I think you are. That would imply forward thinking and brain power which is clearly in short supply there. They'll just continue to say no and bury their heads in the sand on the unity issue

[RadioGAAGAA]

What I mean is serial applications being declined need moved onto a "red list" to refuse all future applications.

This and the bonfire BS have not been addressed and wouldnt be put up anywhere else in UK or Ireland

You'd think that would be the obvious move. To take an example.

"For the next decade there shall be no marches down Lower Ormeau, all applications will be rejected unless all stakeholders are in unanamous agreement. We will re-examine that determination in 10 years time and issue an update at that time."

[Rossfan]

Meanwhile back in the real world -


Bryant also criticised the performance of Stormont ministers.

"There is very little financial accountability or responsibility across the whole of the executive," the NI Secretary said.

"That's abnormal. There's no local council anywhere in the UK that doesn't have to bring in a balanced budget. That's what the executive is going to have to do."

He added: "You cannot keep overspending willy-nilly and not expect consequences from that. It's just irresponsible."

Bryant can ultimately impose a budget on the executive by legislating through Westminster.

He suggested the absolute deadline for that is the end of January when executive departments would run out of money under the emergency budget rules on which they are currently operating.

[trueblue1234]

The end game here is bringing down Stormont,  blame the 'unreasonable' nationalists,  work on getting the GFA changed as they see the demographics changing so quickly and the very strong possibility of a border poll in the next 5-10 years. 50% + 1 is very attainable and they can see that.

Or am I giving them too much credence?

But have they not missed the boat on getting the GFA changed in their favour. Current demographics are worse for PUL now than when the GFA was done. They could end up with a nasty surprise as they ain't going to get it any better than they have it currently.

[tiempo]

The Brits will want the constitutional referendum completed as a one and done, will therefore wait til its closer to a 60:40 in favour of reunification, they'll preside over a managed decline until then as they don't have a washer to spend on the place and running it into the ground will tip the argument of small u Unionists and undecided to the unification camp

Economics will be the big deciding factor, to that end the US and EU will likely be asked to put in some dough to soften the blow to the free staters

It'll be a symbolic end of Britains (long gone) days of pillage plunder and empire, England will be a vassal state of the US carved up by the elites to extort every possible farthing from every single pleb

[AustinPowers]

The end game here is bringing down Stormont,  blame the 'unreasonable' nationalists,  work on getting the GFA changed as they see the demographics changing so quickly and the very strong possibility of a border poll in the next 5-10 years. 50% + 1 is very attainable and they can see that.

Or am I giving them too much credence?

I  think , as demographics are changing (and unionism knows it) , you'll see more extreme behaviour from now  on from unionism .  They have to keep stirring the pot , being as divisive as  possible.  We're seeing it now, months before an election . One bad election, and that possibility of a border poll becomes more  real.  A decent election for unionism kicks that  referendum can down the road a bit. Rinse and repeat.

I honestly think some of them would welcome a return of the troubles , if it meant  preserving their precious union

[brokencrossbar1]

The end game here is bringing down Stormont,  blame the 'unreasonable' nationalists,  work on getting the GFA changed as they see the demographics changing so quickly and the very strong possibility of a border poll in the next 5-10 years. 50% + 1 is very attainable and they can see that.

Or am I giving them too much credence?

I  think , as demographics are changing (and unionism knows it) , you'll see more extreme behaviour from now  on from unionism .  They have to keep stirring the pot , being as divisive as  possible.  We're seeing it now, months before an election . One bad election, and that possibility of a border poll becomes more  real.  A decent election for unionism kicks that  referendum can down the road a bit. Rinse and repeat.

I honestly think some of them would welcome a return of the troubles , if it meant  preserving their precious union

And your last point is actually the most valid here. The likes of Bryson wants to be seen as a hard line hero and would willingly see death if it fed his ego. He has lost the run of himself and has become somewhat dangerous but ultimately I think he is a useful patsy for people who make the real calls. He will be cut loose soon enough