Assembly votes in favour of Policing & Justice proposals

[TimBuckII]

The Irish Repbulic no longer holds any territorial claim over Northern Ireland.

The GFA and therefore the principle of consent has been agreed and accepted by large majorities on the island of Ireland north and south.

SF is now power sharing with Unionists in Stormont in probably the most representative executive in europe, they accept and shortly will be overseeing British security forces in Northern Ireland.

My point was we are a million miles from 1916 as the recent actions of SF demonstrate very clearly, the only thing that is the same is the dusty old rhetoric of dissident republicans refusing to face reality.

The Irish republic didn't exist in 1916 to hold a claim over anything so your fist point is meaningless.

I'm no expert but -

Was there not consent in 1916?

Did Irish politicians sit in West Minster and rule Ireland from London in 1916?

Did the Irish security forces not fall under British rule in in 1916?
Did they not fight for Britian in the war?

Are you trying to tell me that your proof that there is no longer an occupation is due to the actions of SF? You give them too much credit.

[SevenStars]

I am glad you are positive about mutley, I thought she seemed a nice person.

Why wouldnt I be?

[Cabbage/Turnip]

Its not about boring them into it, every poll shows a sizeable number of Catholics would stick with the Union in a referendum, all im saying is peace and prosperity may well increase this amount. It could go the other way I suppose. I can see why the dissidents are panicking though.

Your second point, the geographical and historical links between Ulster particularly north eastern counties and west of Scotland is extremely strong, alot stronger more than say east Antrim and Cork so I don't get your point there at all. People have emigrated and settled between Ulster and Scotland for centuries.

As for robbed land are you for handing America back to the native Americans and Australia back to the aboriginies aswell then?

Yes Scotland is closer to antrim than cork but by your logic you are conceding that Calais and london have more in common that newcastle and london which is obviosuly ridiculous. So you comment is pretty much null and void. My point was it is clear that antrim is in ireland and therefore irish always was and always will be. Lets not forget that the protestant majority in the north was created due to specific borders being picked to limit the number of catholics that in its self makes it a false state.

As for giving back aborigines and native americans yes i would be up for but practically it would be impossible as they do not have even a minor percentage of the population (because again due to mass invasion and murder). But what could be done is to give these indigenous people a far stronger role in government even if this means bigger than what proportional to the population. Because ultimately it is governments unrelated to them that have destroyed their land. If you think about it the UK compare its criminals to aborigines.. The uk sent its criminals there to avoid trouble in there own land to only cause wreck on another peoples land.

[mutley]

very funny

FT.com / Columnists / Robert Shrimsley's Notebook - Northern Ireland: the beat goes on

The scene: A BBC bulletin in a living room near you.

“Now, a fresh crisis has hit the new Northern Ireland police board. We go over to our reporter on the ground. Mark, tell us what’s happening.

“Well, Huw, talks are continuing late into the night over who goes out to the robbery at the corner of the Donegal Road. The parties have been deadlocked for three days now, part of a wider dispute over the way the Police Service of Northern Ireland is run.”


“How did this row start, Mark?”

“Huw, it began as so often is the case here in Northern Ireland as a small local dispute over the route taken by Protestant officers to the canteen on the fourth floor of a station in South Tyrone. A number of the Catholic officers protested that the Protestant coppers were walking through areas of high nationalist concentration and parading cups of tea and bacon sandwiches in a deliberately provocative manner on their return. The Protestant officers accept that this is now a Catholic zone but point out that in 1894 it was overwhelmingly loyalist and that there can be no no-go areas en route to the canteen.

“From there things soon spiralled out of control with neither side refusing to budge on who would take the early shift next Monday.”

“Where are we on this robbery?”

“Here are the facts as we know them. The raid on the jewellers took place three nights ago. Officers were ordered to the scene but neither side could agree on who would go.

“It sounds pretty hopeless.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Huw. There has been real progress on this investigation. The two officers have been chosen and a dispute over who would drive has been brokered by the personal intervention of the Northern Ireland secretary, Shaun Woodward, who – in what will become known as the Hillsborough Accord – suggested that one drive there and one back.”

“What’s the stumbling block now?”

“Well, we still have no agreement over who takes the wheel first. The nationalist community feels that who is driving when the officers arrive counts for more than who drives back. The Unionists point out that as the party with the highest number of votes they are constitutionally entitled to first crack at driving. And here we have been stuck for the last 36 hours.”

“And where is the robber now?”

“Well, he’s long gone but in a sense I think that’s a side issue for most people here. Until we can get a police service that fully respects the aspirations of all its officers, there is little point in them trying to go out after criminals.”

[mutley]

I don't know mutley very well but I don't get that impression at all.

Also, and I don't know "who started it" etc., but I think on the whole negative personal comments like that are out of line here.

Dave Cochrane runs a great site here but personal comments do not help in terms of maintaining standards.

Never thought I would say this but consider that a thanked post.

In reality Mutley has managed to get on with both "militant" Republicans and Unionists. The people who dont get on with her tend to be those given to abusive comments.

I hope you reported that post factual.

I didn't think to report it, but since you suggested it, I now did.

I am glad you are positive about mutley, I thought she seemed a nice person.

Thanks