NI Dec 22 Assembly Election

Maybe using the mirror above you might be able to reflect on the orgy of triumphalism and hate every year organised by your community. All the statuery and commemoration of the British Empire and army that proliferates around towns and cities, the obsession with the fleg etc.

'Pain and hurt' is not exclusive to Unionist victims. Though to listen to some you would be forgiven for thinkng there was only one protagonist in the history of what happened on this island.

That was the context of what Tiernan said about the singing of a song being 'harmless' in comparison.

Very very few of them. Only the protocol. I can’t think of another policy that I agree with them on.

like everything in life. I am moderate on all but those things I feel very strongly about. I suppose you are moderate on everything?

But we all make choices like that Francie when we go to vote. We weigh things up and vote accordingly. In an ideal world, we'd all decide how to vote on matters of principle only. But it's a muddy old place and sometimes you lend your vote one way or another to prevent something worse.

You lend your 'support'.

A 'vote' = support.

"The same applies too for nationalism, but the extreme strands therein have been quietly and effectively whitewashed away; something the DUP have been curiously incapable of doing."

Hidden a bit, papered over. Every now & then it slips out as in Up The Ra Cullinane or supportive comments in Ardfheis speeches etc.

Much the same in DUP. You have to accept that their current tactics are logical to them and their political manoeuvring.

Except voting for someone to fill a seat for a 5 year term is not the same as wanting Arsenal to beat City on a Saturday afternoon. The analogy doesn't work and nobody is making it out to be complicated as you claim. If you vote for somebody you are directly supporting their views, opinions and goals whether you like it or not as they will use your vote along with many others to push those views, opinions and goals once elected.

Saying you voted for someone but disagree with the majority of what they stand for is cognitive dissonance at its finest, people should own their voting decisions for better or worse trying to pretend your not all in with the DUP when you have consistently voted for them time and again like downcow is admitting to is akin to childish finger pointing by trying to lay the blame of what you've done at someone elses feet.

And I voted for FG and while I dont agree with all their policies or actions I understand that by voting for them I have directly supported all their actions while they are in government. You can say you disagree with what they have done but trying to absolve yourself of responsibility like downcow is trying to do by saying they literally don't support them yet continually vote for them is pathetic.

Now that’s an unbelievable post. Extreme republicanism topped the poll. The party whose northern leader said recently that they was no alternative to the sectarian conflict (you know the detail, I don’t need to lay it out) the party that continues to have connections with terrorists around the world. The party where my local MP has categorically refused to condemn the murder of a civilian Protestant constituent. I could go on but you are displaying exactly what the guy interviewing keilty displayed. It’s either extremely naive or extremely nasty.

Do you honestly believe that all sf voters believe there was no alternative to murdering men, women, children and babies? Seems to be what you are saying. If true, there will never be peace on this island

SF have not advocated a military/armed response for 25 years and so that is irrelevant to anyone voting for them now. You however wish to support the DUP and TUV and their current/future policy.

I believed that some people saw no alternative long before MoN said it and long before I gave SF a vote. The inevitability that partition would go up in flames was forseen by more than I.

The original backstop would have come in and you'd have full alignment with GB.

The DUP prevented that, solely and entirely. The protocol is their fault, but you are intending to reward them with a vote!

Labour will not take into account your views when elected. You support them with a vote = you support everything they do. You might complain about some of their policy, but you enable them. This isn't rocket science.

No.

For instance, I don't agree with all SF policy but I decide to give them my support because I don't think that policy will do as much harm as X party's policy. I don't pretend to myself for a second I am not enabling all of their policy. That would be exceptionalism at it's finest and most absurd.

I support SF by giving them my vote. No if's or but's. If SF don't deliver as FF and FG etc didn't deliver previously for me then I will take away my support/vote for them.

It is not ‘total’ ir is however support for that party and it’s manifesto.