Originally Posted by meriwether

Originally Posted by bobbysands81

Originally Posted by meriwether

Before we are found battered to death in the canal, wetter than a reveller at a Barrymore house party, and deader than the line of original thought within Bobbysands81's head.

Standards really are slipping on this site...

Slipping quicker than a battered wife slips back into a spiral of abuse once she gives her offending husband one more chance?

Given our history why would we even consider rejoining the BRITISH Commonwealth? My analogy is correct, we are always falling over ourselves seeking a little pat on the head from Britain (please see John Bruton's fawning and foaming at the mouth over their sectarian monarchy)

It's time for a mature relationship with a country which is becomming more and more like a friend to Ireland not a subservient one.

Originally Posted by Creggan2005

I'm sure there are plenty of West Brits in Fine Gael and the PDs who can't wait to rejoin.

and who resigned Ireland from the commonwealth?? Fianna Fail or Fine Gael??? my history book said Fine Gael...

meanwhile, the FF 'brit-************************************s' led by O'Cuiv, seem to think this is a great idea...

on a point, joining the commonwealth now would remove a bargaining card we need to entice the unionists into a 32 county state at some point hence. so for that reason it would be a bad idea..

Pity the Sinn-Fein-IRA supporters can't think of a less offensive metaphor to peddle their propaganda.

They couldn't say we don't want to re-join the commonwealth because there is no point in joining another empty talking shop, some of the members are not the sort of country one wants to associate with, there is no real economic benefit in the organisation thanks to the various other trade agreements.

No. Instead in the week after the O'Reilly murder trial they decide to abuse the memory of battered wives. It seems violence is never far from the mind of the Sinn-Fein-IRA member. And they wonder why people didn't vote for them.

Originally Posted by bobbysands81

Given our history why would we even consider rejoining the BRITISH Commonwealth? My analogy is correct, we are always falling over ourselves seeking a little pat on the head from Britain (please see John Bruton's fawning and foaming at the mouth over their sectarian monarchy)

It's time for a mature relationship with a country which is becomming more and more like a friend to Ireland not a subservient one.

It's no longer called the BRITISH Commonwealth though is it? It's the Commonwealth of Nations.

Originally Posted by bobbysands81

Commonwealth is a bit of a misnomer isn't it?

I mean it makes it sound like it's some sort of socialist club that hands out money to ailing State's that nee a few quid. Killing the natives with kindness!!!

Oh how they hark for years of yore.


http://www.independent.ie/national-news ... 43588.html

A sickening and utterly repulsive thought. If it were to happen once again Ireland would be taking up the role of the abused wife always striving for, but never ever attaining, recognition and love from her abusive alcoholic husband.

Yes, the exact reason why Rwanda wants to join the Commonwealth.

Originally Posted by Creggan2005

I'm sure there are plenty of West Brits in Fine Gael and the PDs who can't wait to rejoin.

Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon O Cuiv first floated the possibility of the Republic rejoining the Commonwealth as a conciliatory gesture to unionists in 1994. Last night, he said the issue had not come before the Government and he was giving a personal view. He said he had no difficulty with a United Ireland being in the Commonwealth. Mr O Cuiv, a grandson of Eamon de Valera, said he did not want to pre-empt government thinking but it was a fact that even in the '30s and '40s, the Commonwealth was not a major issue of principle for Fianna Fail. "It was not Fianna Fail which took this country out of the Commonwealth," he said. "It was John A Costello who did that."

Muppet.

Originally Posted by flyer

Pity the Sinn-Fein-IRA supporters can't think of a less offensive metaphor to peddle their propaganda.

They couldn't say we don't want to re-join the commonwealth because there is no point in joining another empty talking shop, some of the members are not the sort of country one wants to associate with, there is no real economic benefit in the organisation thanks to the various other trade agreements.

No. Instead in the week after the O'Reilly murder trial they decide to abuse the memory of battered wives. It seems violence is never far from the mind of the Sinn-Fein-IRA member. And they wonder why people didn't vote for them.

As the only party to raise the issue of spousal abuse in the last Dáil in private members time I think your comments are very unfair a chara.

I would not be in favour of this.

Much better we concentrate on relations between ourselves and Britain and let other countries do their own thing.

The Commwealth is an Imperial Relic that should have been wound up years ago.

It will wither away with time anyway - and good riddance!

Originally Posted by Creggan2005

I'm sure there are plenty of West Brits in Fine Gael and the PDs who can't wait to rejoin.

Moron. Fine Gael's ancestors fought and died for Ireland's freedom. In the 1920s it was Cumann na Gaedheal who guided this state through its most difficult early years, and stabilised its democracy. They also negotiated the Statute of Westminster, who created the legislative framework to undo aspects of the Treaty like the Oath and the Governor General. In 1949 a FG government declared the Republic. In 1973 a FG government negotiated the Sunningdale Agreement, an agreement that took the IRA 3000 deaths to realise was the way forward. And in 1985 a FG government negotiated the Anglo-Irish Agreement, who gave the Irish government a say in the affairs of Northern Ireland for the first time, and led directly to the Good Friday Agreement. So don't you f*cking dare question our Irishness or our patriotism, you brain-dead moron.

Rejoining the commonwealth doesn't have to be the only way to winning over unionist hearts and minds. We need to redefine what the Irish nation is to incorporate the Orange culture. Bertie Ahern made a good start by meeting Ian Paisley on the Boyne. Orange people need to start thinking of themselves as Irish(duh, i hear you say).

Irish Nationalism is synonomis with gaelicism and catholicism. Perhaps we should look at adopting a new flag, a new anthem or amending the constitution. This way, Irishness will be more accessible to those north of the border.

There's too much focus on the Republic swallowing up a piece of Britain or Britain swallowing up the republic(i appreciate that rejoining the commonwealth is not the same as re-entering the UK, but it's symbolically regressive IMO). Therefore we need to think of it as the 6 counties and the 26 counties merging together to make a new, greater more, powerful and independent country that's in each culture's mutual interest. Leave the old Ireland behind and start a new future orientated Ireland.

What common values are there between Gaelic and Orange people? That's what we should be talking about, not about rejoining the commonwealth, which will still leave the country divided in its heart.