Michael D Higgins insists he is President of Ireland, refuses to commemorate partition

Northern Irish is factually Irish. You cant be Northern Irish without also being Irish too. By trying to convince yourself they are mutually exclusive implies that you are sectarian yourself, in that you need there to be difference between people. People are identifying as Northern Irish as a middle ground. great, but you cant infer this means they don't have a preference regarding a UI or that they want an independent NI.

If we had Irexit from the EU that would just restore our previous relationship with Britain albeit without the umbrella of the EU. I've no great love of the Brits but the reality is that if folks want a UI, we have to find a way to bring together the disparate strands on our island. To undo partition that resulted from the War of Independence. To reunite and then move forward as one. As things stand, we are moving further apart. What's your solution?

How do you are arrive at the conclusion we are moving further apart? The latest polling shows that NI is growing apart from the Union. 87% of those surveyed do not trust the British government and the direction of travel with them, while only 45% distrust the Irish government and where it wants to go.

So you fancy repudiating the wishes of a 2:1 majority. How do you think that is gonna work out?

2/10

Honestly Francie, come on... do better.

No, that is not what I am saying, besides your best efforts. Your brain is all jumbled up in between arguments.

Maybe you should have a go at your good mate Blazz who thinks at the moment there is a Catholic majority in NI (with no evidence mind) and proclaims on this basis alone, a border poll should be called. Will you call them out? Will you ****!!

That is the company you keep.

But you have to ignore that and it is right to ignore that because Unionists might be unhappy being democrats. Get with the programme!

Here we are again, white Catholic privilege telling others what their identity is. Telling Northern Irish people who identify as neither Irish nor British, and have no religion that they have an Irish Catholic patron saint is so 1950s DeValera's Ireland that I can only conclude this is a parody account.

The Irish and British identities are 'sectarian' identities? 😁 Some statement that.

This is just partitionist nonsense designed to 'other' perfectly acceptable identities.

Carry on ignoring the research that shows the NI identity is actually two identities grouped together for effect by people like yourself. There is a Northern Irish identity that is overarchingly a British one and one that is overarchingly Irish.

People will vote on what they perceive is the best future for them be they Irish, British or Northern Irish.

Think we have seen it all, poster defends white Catholic privilege by claiming as it is only white Christian privilege, it is ok.

Leave it there.

The irony of you coming into the thread and waxing lyrical about others interpretations of how the people of NI identify isn't lost on me, Blanch. You're one of the prime instigators of it.

Your gross simplification ignores the fact that most who identify as Northern Irish identify as, 'Northern Irish AND ______'. How the bejaysus can it be a rejection of the two other identities when most still hold one or both of those identities? Some have it as a primary identity, some as a supplementary identity, for some it is just a descriptor.

That is without even touching your suggestion that the other two identities are sectarian. Is being Irish sectarian anywhere else on the island? Or being British anywhere else across the Irish Sea?

The absolute nonsense you'll pull to try and create a fake sense of support for your favoured NI Independence solution is truly outstanding. This one is up there with your claim that Alliance supported NI Independence (you ran away from addressing that any further when I provided you with direct reference material from the party).

Maybe a few on both sides could do with spending a bit less time telling us lot how we think as if we all fit into neat little boxes? Those trying to peg us into three narrowly defined boxes are hardly as far ahead on the enlightenment curve as they think versus those who just try and peg us into just two narrowly defined boxes.

The post relating to St Patrick was showing that he is the patron Saint of the Irish which makes him patron saint of the North and South and why both have the 17th of March as their national holiday. As pointed out which I am sure you knew already that he represents all Irish Christians.

You might not like the fact that even if people in the North are not religious they are still living within a form of theocracy. The crown having all of God's powers vested init. But at least these non religious now have an option to join a republic thanks to the GFA.

People from Scotland England and Wales are factually British as are from a place called Britain. They're also factually European as Britain is an island part of Europe.

Northern Ireland is part of Ireland and therfore everone can be referred to as Irish. Ireland is also an island part of Europe so we can be referred to as European. These are just geographical facts. Irish does not mean you come from Ireland and support SF. People in the North might choose to identify as British or Northern Irish but they can't deny the geographical fact that they are from a place called Ireland that has a demonym Irish. If a person tries to deny this it is a clear sign They're sectarian or have formed this wrong opinion because of the sectarian culture they were brought up in.