Northern Ireland Thread
- Thread starter Gaz.
- Start date
Done.
This is the very reason the Irish language needs protection.
Most polls show NI is very much in favor of marriage equality too and it doesn't stop them blocking it.
Thanks dude.
Thanks Damien
What?
Oh, right; hadn't seen that. The politicians have a big responsibility to behave like grown ups. The darker side of it, with all its layers, rights and wrongs, hurts and scars, is still being managed, not eradicated.
I do think the Irish language should be a choice in schools for all pupils.
But I certainly don't think it should be mandatory.
But I certainly don't think it should be mandatory.
It isnt already? What languages do secondary school kids in the North have as options?
Nolan is at fault for a lot of this the useless fat lump
Its not but sure you knew that
If you want a glimpse into the way the DUP have dealt with those wanting to learn Irish check this article from 2017 which documents the frustration of Martin McGuinness over the destructive and uncooperative strain in the current DUP. Ian Paisley was a dream compared to this lot.
"According to the BBC, an email was sent out on the night before Christmas Eve telling employees “Because of efficiency savings, the department will not be providing the Líofa (Irish Language) bursary scheme in 2017. Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.”
Funding for the expansion of five Irish language schools has been refused by the DUP education minister, saying that ‘demands are being met’ despite some schools seeing an increase in students enrolling."
http://www.thejournal.ie/northern-ireland-irish-language-3179468-Jan2017/Funding for the expansion of five Irish language schools has been refused by the DUP education minister, saying that ‘demands are being met’ despite some schools seeing an increase in students enrolling."
I think it's just the usual. French and Spanish.
But I was saying that Irish should be an option in all schools. Protestant too.
Its hard to believe that is the type of bigotry that is propping up the current British government. They see us as complete scum dont they.
I think generally the catholic schools offer Irish and the protestant ones not. At least by and large it was like that when I was younger. Maybe its changed.
And its really important to distinguish that Orange viewpoint from Protestant mainstream. Ever since the seventies there have been people from both traditions who played music together, worked together. There are the likes of the Paisleys, who changed their extremist views. There is amazing diversity, to be fair. There are unionists who are fluent Irish speakers. I met a man once who described himself as a loyalist socialist. Getting up close with the North is like landing on a planet, you tend to have either the distant 'telescope' view of things all broad generalities, us and them, or else... you get a really hard-to-figure-out close up of one particular bit of the picture.
Arelene Foster walked into a branch of the Bank of Ireland to cash a cheque. As she approached the cashier she said, “Good morning, could you please cash this cheque for me?”
Cashier: “It would be my pleasure Madam . Could you please show me your ID?”
Arlen: “Well I didn’t bring my ID with me as I didn’t think there was any need to. I am Arlene Foster Stormont's First Minister !”
Cashier: “I’m sorry, but with all the regulations, monitoring of the banks because of imposters, fraud and forgers, etc. I must insist on proof of identity.”
Arlene “Just ask anyone here at the bank who I am and they will tell you.
Everybody knows who I am.”
Cashier: “I am sorry Mrs Foster; these are the bank rules and I must follow them.”
Arlene : “I need this cheque cashed.”
Cashier: “Perhaps there’s another way. One day Rory McIllroy came into the bank without ID. To prove he was Rory McIllroy he pulled out his putter and made a beautiful putt across the bank into a cup. With that shot we knew him to be Rory and cashed his cheque.
“Another time, Ronan O'Gara came in without ID. He pulled out a rugby ball and made a fabulous drop kick where the ball landed in my coffee mug. With that spectacular kick we cashed his cheque.
So madam , what can you do to prove that it is you, and only you, the First Minister ?”
Arlene stood there thinking and finally says: “Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing I’m good at.”
Cashier: “Will that be £100 notes or £200 notes, First Minister
Cashier: “It would be my pleasure Madam . Could you please show me your ID?”
Arlen: “Well I didn’t bring my ID with me as I didn’t think there was any need to. I am Arlene Foster Stormont's First Minister !”
Cashier: “I’m sorry, but with all the regulations, monitoring of the banks because of imposters, fraud and forgers, etc. I must insist on proof of identity.”
Arlene “Just ask anyone here at the bank who I am and they will tell you.
Everybody knows who I am.”
Cashier: “I am sorry Mrs Foster; these are the bank rules and I must follow them.”
Arlene : “I need this cheque cashed.”
Cashier: “Perhaps there’s another way. One day Rory McIllroy came into the bank without ID. To prove he was Rory McIllroy he pulled out his putter and made a beautiful putt across the bank into a cup. With that shot we knew him to be Rory and cashed his cheque.
“Another time, Ronan O'Gara came in without ID. He pulled out a rugby ball and made a fabulous drop kick where the ball landed in my coffee mug. With that spectacular kick we cashed his cheque.
So madam , what can you do to prove that it is you, and only you, the First Minister ?”
Arlene stood there thinking and finally says: “Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing I’m good at.”
Cashier: “Will that be £100 notes or £200 notes, First Minister
looks like the tories are gearing up to throw the GFA under the bus
I have only just realised this thread exists. Hello to my fellow Ulstermen and Ulsterwomen. I trust we all are delighted with the wonderful jobs our politicians are doing.
That Owen Paterson tweet is one of the most ill-informed and outrageous tweets I've had the misfortune to read from a Conservative MP and there are a LOT of tweets to choose from.
she gets £1.60 back for every £1 she puts in.
I think some of us are delighted that the DUP are pushing us closer to a UI
Them tweets are pretty depressing.
That is true - Arlene has done a great job at cutting her nose off to spite her (delightful) face.
I think it is fair to suggest it should be an OPTION however it is a cultural issue rather than a practical language one such as in the cases of French, German and Spanish and that is what complicates the issue.
As far as I'm aware the GFA is a binding international agreement so I'm not sure what the UK government could actually do even if they were set on undermining it?
Still, even the notion of NI seeing the GFA (which they overwhelmingly voted in favour of) sacrificed for the sake of Brexit (which they voted against) is quite something. From a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, no less. Yikes.
Especially since most of the people of NI voted AGAINST BREXIT. It's almost like they don't care! (said sarcastically)
It'd be a weird way to gear up for brexit. Unilaterally break a bunch of international agreements just before they start trying to negotiate a bunch of international trade agreements.
The trade agreements being shopped around for appeal to a particularly sociopathic kind of capitalism where Britain abandons all regulatory standards and becomes an oversized tax havens. The GFA being burned to the ground will only signal that Britain is ready to explicitly service the worlds upper classes and damn the lower classes to a lifetime of servitude.
Another likely result of the probable chaos that BREXIT will bring is a change in mindset by many Unionists (I predict) who will see the shit show over the water and decide that 1: UK doesn't care about us at all and 2: If we remain part of UK the entire country/province will get flushed down the shitter with the rest of the UK. The border is one thing - this shift in mindset is what will actually facilitate a united ireland.
Never going to happen.
Looks like the Tories are willing to sacrifice the GFA at the altar of brexit.
Never going to happen.
I think it will - it won't change the views of Loyalists but it probably will for many Unionists.
You genuinely think Unionists will change their mind on a lifelong stance because of a few potentially dodgy trade agreements and other collateral of Brexit, that's utter fantasy. It would take something cataclysmic for your average DUP or even moderate Unionist voter to come to that conclusion. There's plenty of self aware, reasonable Unionists who know Westminster don't care about Northern Ireland yet they're no closer to changing their mind on a united Ireland.
Some will yes - but some is all it would take to tip the balance. I'm talking as a guy who grew up in a Unionist town with a Unionist background. I am assuming that BREXIT will be such an epic disaster that it will be so bad it will have this impact.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-43133533
Draft agreement has been leaked. It would seem to back up what Sinn Fein had said was in there.
How the DUP retain any shred of credibility after this is beyond me. No doubt they will spin it now and say it was just a draft and wasn' signed off. Their voters will lap it up as well
Draft agreement has been leaked. It would seem to back up what Sinn Fein had said was in there.
How the DUP retain any shred of credibility after this is beyond me. No doubt they will spin it now and say it was just a draft and wasn' signed off. Their voters will lap it up as well
They don't need any credibility because its really not a democracy.