The Irish protocol.

I see no evidence of that but we do see strongly traditional views on "moral issues" in Donegal referendum results.

Do you think Aontu might step in in the next local elections?

My God i couldnt listen to Sammy on NT there, the lies just keep on coming, i do think they honestly believe their own lies they have told them so often and for so long now.

For what it's worth, as someone who regularly disagrees with downcow, I don't read this as a suggestion that there should be checks between Dundalk and Newry. I read it, rather, as a recognition of the political and practical reality of the fact that there can't be checks between Dundalk and Newry and that, if the IRL/NI border is to be hardened, it will have to be by other measures.

While myself and Downcow regularly disagree, in this instance I was genuinely asking for clarification as to whether (s)he was stating (s)he can't see checks now (implying there should be some, which is a line (s)he has taken in the past), or can't see them in the future (suggesting it is an impractical solution.

Donegal isn't that different from anywhere else (compliance with the Road Traffic Acts aside!)

Would have voted to repeal the 8th if the towns in the south of the county hadn't been hived off into another constituency - only narrowly voted against as it was.

I did find the "people of faith" whinge hilarious, however. Everybody is free to practise a religion, or not, as they choose, and as it should be. What religious people can no longer do is use the law to impose their idea of "morality" on everyone else.

"When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression"

Careful, if they see the supermarket shelves here full of sausages it might turn their heads.

I am quite happy to be on Right side of history

Except for the whole anti-Catholic thing the unionists have

Dominic Cummings has said that the NI Protocol, as agreed, was a fudge designed to defer some difficult questions to a future negotiation.

"The prime minister's former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg that the protocol had been a "fudge".

Both sides had wanted to "sign up to something that was not what either side really wanted and which punted difficult questions into the future to figure out later", he added."

The UK government has been doing this for 3 and a half years at this point, regarding NI. Agree on a solution, and then come back later on and go, 'Actually, yeah, that doesn't work for us...'. Furthermore, his claim that the deal was mutually undesirable doesn't hold much weight, because no-one on the EU side has ever actually come out and said they wanted to renegotiate the deal. At this stage, what's the point on agreeing anything with the UK on the matter if they're just going to turn around a week later and say they don't want to stick to the deal?

Imagine doing that in your own business. You sign a contract, or you spit on the hands and shake (not so much these days with Covid but you know what I mean). If the other side of the deal is constantly coming back to you saying they want to alter the deal, at what point do you tell them (in business language) to kindly f**k off?

The UK's plan is pretty transparent. Just chip away at the NI Protocol while keeping the main trade deal. That's really been the strategy all along.