Mary Lou McDonald's interviews today

Thought she did very well there on RTE with an interviewer determined to stay in the past.

I came in to say the opposite. I thought she said nothing new and just trotted out the same old lines that satisfy the party faithful. No explanation on how to fund anything except by borrowing and with no limits set.

I'm fairly certainly plenty of catholics who were being murdered by the British armed forces felt it was a war too.

"She then got extremely touchy when asked about their refusal to call southern Ireland the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland by its official name, Northern Ireland saying that people should not get heated about some minor side show - if its such a minor sideshow why can't sf state that there are 2 parts to the island - Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland."

This IS a serious issue. Are you sure that this is the case? It would imply that SF TDs elected in our Republic do not recognise the state? Surely not, please elaborate.

She done really well today. Some media outlets and journalists only seem interested in the past and are intent on trying to keep SF out of power.

The same journalists also only see 1 side to the troubles. Granted what the IRA done at times was horrific but what the unionists imposed on the Nationalists was state sponsored. Irish indo and rte wont acknowledge that though.

Shes right. There is no comparison to gangland crime and the struggles up north.

Gangland crime is only in the ha'penny place compared to bombing women and children the way that the IRA did, or disappearing young mothers, killing Gardai, blowing up innocent people, and leaving bombs in pubs, blowing up old men marching etc.

I mean, is there a gangland crime even comparable to what the PIRA did to Jean McConville or blowing up a young boy in a boat?

I have relatives killed by the British army here in Ireland. i narrowly escaped the Dublin bombings, organised by the British army, by less than five minutes. Lots of us have to live with the consequences of the terrorism of the British army in Ireland.

I assume, by your logic, that members of the political parties that supported the British army, i.e. the Conservative and Labour parties, should be banned from office too?

In any event, i thought the whole purpose of the GFA was to allow people to lay down their arms and pursue their aims by political means. Or is it only certain political aims that can be advanced now?

are the Unionists running for elections in this country ?

We'll have to keep an eye and ear on this. Can Francie here elaborate? Surely this can't be true?

I use all the names of the partitioned bit in a kind of rotation. The North, Northern Ireland, NI, the 6 counties etc. But never 'Ulster,' as it isn't Ulster.

Party who reject partition refuse to partition the island in terminology shocker. 🙄

Conveinient.

They were sitting through the first 50 years of the state when the FF FG parties were celebrating them.

Don't start being coy. You'll be telling us next that Nazi's can now begin celebrating their dead because everyone affected is dead.

Fact is, people used killing and 'terrorism' on all sides on this island many times. Selectively picking some of them to celebrate while denying others is hypocrisy and grubby political grandstanding.