NI Dec 22 Assembly Election

Here francie et al. I’ll save yous the search. She must have forgot to take her sash to Scotland. You’d think someone would have leant her one.

again and again republican loes are posted on her about unionists. This is just the latest

The General election of 2005 in NI

DUP 33.7% (up from 22.5% in previous GE)

UUP 17.7% (down from biggest Unionist party in previous election 26%)

2005 Westminster Elections (ark.ac.uk)

OO end association with UUP in March 2005, DUP become largest party in May 2005 while the UUP collapse, You don't have to be Sherlock here.

P.S. I don't know if Arlene is a member or not and care less. Her wicki says she is.

Her support of the OO is the important thing as far as I am concerned

I said the same thing the first time we discussed this. She is a vociferous supporter of the OO.

She has control of the Wiki page, she hasn’t changed something you are very upset about.

Send her an email.

(I told you to do that before too)

I honestly find it incredible at times on here. The willingness of some posters on here to support the actions of a big powerful republican council on a tiny unionist village. If it was the other way around I would speak out. If a big powerful unionist council is guilty of tagging the entry to small nationalist villages as British I will completely condemn it and stand with the nationalists.

what the council is doing here is a sectarian hate crime.

in my own village the SF council recently placed an Irish sign on the wall of the little orange hall, with zero consultation. Lodge members turned up at a meeting to find the Irish sign on their wall. Can you imagine the outcry (and rightly so) if a dup council placed a British symbol on the wall of a GAA club without even consultation.

ordinary nationalists who support these actions need to take a long hard look at themselves.

republicans are still working hard at driving us out. Just using their political power now as opposed to bombs and bullets - I guess we should be thankful for small mercies

Well good for your son and his friends. And hopefully out in the real world, they'll be able to meet each other and others to share the cupla focal. And they will honestly be able to answer on the census that they have proficiency in Irish. They may however need to emigrate to find housing they can afford and a life. On the other hand, the fact that they have facility in Irish gives them a much better chance of state employment here. The other side of that is of course, is that only about 3% of Irish second level students attend gaelcholáistí. So the 97% who don't are therefore discriminated against by this state policy in this regard. But that's how it is, the tail wagging the dog. And I suppose if you're the tail, then happy days!

8% and rising Furze,

You have a better chance at many jobs if you take particular educational routes, that's how it is in the real world. I agree though that contrary to the mess they have made of some aspects of the education/employment system, Irish governments need to get the balance right.

You are correct there downcow. I agree we have a rugby team that is supposed to represent two countries and yet, as seen recently, fly the flag and play the anthem of only one. Apart from the flags and anthem thing, something else that I think is offensive to the minority members during games is the singing of the Fields of Athenry. It is an anti-English rebel song and known as such. It is sung at Glasgow Celtic matches and listed on the wiki list of "Irish rebel songs", not that that means much except that it is generally recognised as a rebel song. I think if I were a rugby player or supporter from N.I, I not think of it as being very friendly or nice.

I agree with you most on here do not even understand how the Irish rugby team discriminates. And that is rugby, not even gaa football or hurling.  Even when the Irish ladies soccer team was chantng Uh Ah Up the Ra, it is amazing how some Irish defended it, and claimed they could not see how that was offensive or sectarian. As you say, " It is so so clear what would happen in a Ui. ". That is so true.

So is this a general thing?

Are we to rid sports of all offensive anthems and songs?

It would be a long list so I suppose it would be easier and lazier just to target the songs and anthems of one country.

When the potentially offensive English anthem GSTK is sung at rugby matches here is there respect given to it or are there people shouting about being offended/discriminated against?

Exceptionalism is high in that post in fairness. Irish rugby is an example of inclusiveness, working together and respect across the world. That is the reason moderate Unionism has no issue with it and flock to support and take part in it. A small rump hate that because it irks their insecurity complex.

Just looked that up. Hadn't realised those signs existed - that's brilliant.

The Union flag is the flag of another country.

The rugby team is called 'Ireland' and is thus registered with international bodies and the intention was NOT to represent two states but the whole island. Nobody was forced to participate in this arrangement it was entirely voluntary. Therefore the Union flag is not appropriate. Fact.

And again, the vast majority of citizens (dual citizens) of the NI state are happy with this representation by vitue of their participation in ALL Ireland leagues, provincial administration, playing and going to games.

if they aren't you need to show that.

Not the point. You said the Union Jack was the flag of Britain. I pointed out to you it is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. As I said, it is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the U.K.).

Did you not know that? Imagine hating something you do not even know what it represents. You have written many tens of thousands of posts about the politics of these islands (did someone once think you were a professional writer / social media commentator for SF?) and you do not know what the flag of our neighbouring jurisdiction represents? Astonishing.

Correction accepted. No problem. Wasn't aware until now of my typo.

I respect the Union flag and anthem at every event I attend. I am not aware of a single national flag that 'I hate'.

I hate flags being used to taunt or enflame and never use my national flag in that way nor condone it being used that way.

P.S. None of the British Six nations teams use the Union flag as their flag, they use the official flags of the separate nations. NI has no official flag in this context.

You were caught out Francie. Arlene Foster is not a member of the Orange Order. Anyone can edit anything on a wiki page and there are hundreds of edits on her wiki page. I would say she is fed up correcting false information from bigoted Republicans. You know , the type of person who would shout "UP the RA" ( or words to that effect) to her face at a public function when looking for a selfie, knowing that as a girl she was subjected to various IRA attacks, the first in which her father was seriously injured and the second a few years later in which her school bus was attacked by the IRA and a girl sitting beside her seriously injured. She is not in the OO but is a supporter and has often been seen having a picnic with friends along parade routes.

It is obvious you were taught to hate it but in Fermanagh the OO is harmless enough. It is no more sectarian than Catholic organisations like the Opus Dei or Knights. Many of those in Fermanagh have been victims of IRA violence and sectarianism, how do you expect them to react. Across Co Fermanagh, 112 people were killed as a result of terrorism in the troubles, the vast vast majority of them Protestants.

Anyone can write anything on her Wiki page. I scanned down it today and could not see it, but it may be there buried in the pages somewhere. I would say she has been called an awful lot worse than a member of the OO and does not mind at all, and cannot correct all of the things all of the time. If she was a member of it do you not think she would have paraded with it on July 12 at least sometimes? There is not even a photo of her anywhere with a colarette or whatever they are called. Instead of diverting and going off on a tangent, why not just admit you were wrong again?

I thought you omitting Saint Patrick's Saltire (the flag representing N. Ireland, the red x on a white background ) from the Union Jack was a factual mistake rather than a type, but anyway, correction accepted.  The Ulster Banner was used by the Northern Irish government from 1953 until the government and parliament were abolished in 1973, and is still used to represent N.I at the Commonwealth games etc.  Saint Patrick's Saltire is just used to represent Northern Ireland during some royal events etc.

I do not think the Tricolour is very inclusive of representing northern Protestants, when Republicans used the flag to drape coffins of bombers whose aim was to kill northern Protestants. Certainly if I was a northern Protestant, paying my UK taxes, I would not think the Tricolour was inclusive or represented me.