NI Dec 22 Assembly Election

Very interesting. Even the Irish News is wakening up. I never thought I would be agreeing with the most republican daily in ni. Augers well for the journey

I’d like to see Leo and the eu take the same interest in the identity concerns of all people in ni and not just the nationalists.

would that be an unreasonable request?

maybe Leo would take a few photos of the Dublin Monaghan bombs over to the next eu dinner and hold them up and suggest that they need to help find a way to allow ni to stay fully within the Uk as per gfa - (I don’t seriously want that but if he was being even handed then that’s what he would do)

You are focused on who created the mess (I agree it’s a mess). It takes two to tango (and in this case it was a set dance with many more than two).

there will always be a number of perspectives to who is to blame. There is shared responsibility and of course some may hold more responsibility than others.

its more complex than this, but eu we’re trying to make life complicated for the Uk, Ireland were only interested in protecting the interests of the Irish on the island and done zero advocating for the British living here (and that’s a kind interpretation). The Uk gov was trying to act neutrally on ni issue and the dup were asleep at the wheel. Sf we’re trying to move further towards a Ui and alliance were doing what they do.

so you really must let go of this blame game. We are where we are and we need solutions.

would you do this in your workplace if there was a crisis? Would you put all your energy into continually blaming who you thought was responsible or would you get your finger out and try and be part of the solution?

You haven’t given me the list yet of ways people in ni are suffering due to no assembly sitting?

You also seem to be agreeing with Patrick Murray in the Irish News yesterday saying

“For the EU, humiliating Britain appears more important than restoring Stormont.“

As you say they won’t help re establish the assembly without gaining more concessions from the Uk.

you also say “Leo Varadkar isn’t in the UK government nor was he part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU,” Are you really suggesting that Leo did not lobby the eu on the concerns of republicans? Do you think he should do the same on behalf of loyalists?

Any news item about the collapse of Stormint mentions ways in which it is affecting people, I have seen a few programmes on BBC highlighting funds that remain to be distributed to the public, things such as light and heat grants etc that would benefit people, but without a functioning local government, the funds will not be drawn down.

Also, pointing out the obvious here, power-sharing allows both communities and the neutrals to get on with things and settle down. You can’t ignore the effect the DUP is having on peace in NI.

The fact you keep dragging Leo Varadkar into the discussion is absurd, Leo has absolutely no mandate to interfere with UK and EU negotiations on behalf of the DUP.

Good questions.

the ‘emotional stuff’ is by far the biggest issues. Obviously it is not life or death to have your lunch taken off you travelling from one part of Uk to the other because it contains ham.

you could equally say it should have been no problem for the residents of the garvaghy road who didn’t like their neighbours being members of the orange order and walking down their road for 20 mins per year.

but when these things become expressions of identity or discrimination then they become much more important than the simple act. So don’t underestimate the ‘emotional’ stuff. That’s the stuff that has kept people killing each other on this island for hundreds of years.

as for impact of the protocol, I could list them but we are in a phase where Uk and eu have taken turns unilaterally extending grace periods so the issues would become much greater if it was fully implemented

The above is mainly true but unionism is a victim. Too many trusted the dup and got shafted.

the Ira were the main cause of violence in ni. That certainly does not mean that catholics were not victims. They were hoodwinked by the ra in the same way unionists were hoodwinked by the dup

Health services deteriorating without Assembly, just one example, wouldn’t you say that matters?

Also read a report from almost a year ago that there were funds of around £300,000,000 that couldn’t be accessed without an executive. Presumably that’s still the case.

€400 in 2022, €400 in 2023 at least in energy credits. Wouldn't have taken you long to look this up rather than writing a post assuming there was nothing. There have also been significant payments to anyone on welfare.

And as for your post where you decline to list problematic impacts of the protocol - we've done this before. You don't have any to list other than "I don't like it", or possibly "I've been told to not like it"

What data are you basing this on?

I don’t refuse to list them. The list is very long but as soon as I name a few, other posters will poo poo the significance, but we are all affected differently.

here are a few real examples for you. I have an (expensive) hobby breeding pedigree cattle. When I have a really good one I head (like all no breeders) to Stirling or Carlisle bull sales. I have one this year but I can’t go because of nonsensical protocol rules. If I don’t get a good enough price for my bull I can’t bring it home again without putting it into quarantine at £1,000s. The nonsense is that I can buy and English bull and bring it home without issue. I can explain further if you doubt it.

my daughter was returning home to NI from rabies-free Scotland. She had to spend £200 getting useless unnecessary vaccinations for her dog to protect the dogs in the eu from a disease that has not existed in Uk for over 100 years

…and yes if I am travelling home from Glasgow, I can’t put moypark NI chicken in my sandwich unless I am going to eat it before I get on the boat to Larne

I could go on and on But at least you can’t say I haven’t given you a few

Were you in favour of the DUP requesting NI to be considered Ireland for cattle movements during one of the various crises in GB?

All these things are the fault of the party you now vote for. 100%, undeniably, entirely their fault. And yet you are going to vote for them!

I tried to answer above but I then thought I would ask ChatGPT. If you are not using it yet it is basically a genius PA who will sort out any questions you have.

here is what ChatGPT says (it seems to understand us better than the eu - maybe it could be the next eu president)

“The Irish protocol has caused a number of problems, including:

1. Trade disruptions: There have been reports of delays and additional bureaucracy for traders moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
2. Sovereignity issues: Unionists believe that the Irish protocol undermines the sovereignty of the UK by requiring Northern Ireland to follow some EU rules and regulations.
3. Identity issues: Some unionists feel that the Irish protocol creates a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and have raised concerns about their identity as British citizens.
4. Practical issues: The implementation of the Irish protocol has been accompanied by a number of practical issues, including confusion about the rules and a lack of infrastructure to support the new arrangements.

Overall, the Irish protocol has been a source of controversy and has contributed to tensions between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland.”

They are not the only party refusing to facilitate a devolved government.

I will vote for whichever party I think will gain most leverage in removing the protocol, whether or not it is a party I support. I’ll vote sf if the promise to work for changes to the protocol

So you need an AI to regurgitate mild, baseless moans now?

"reports", "feel" and "believe". No actual content. Just some slightly hurt feelings, and very little to show for actual problems. And those problems are all the fault of the DUP who refused the proper backstop.