Idiots Guide to the DUP

Callimonston

"Having grown up hearing Ian Paisleys voice on the news and associating it with the bombing campaigns I feel ill even remembering him.

We didn't hear the anything coming directly from McGuinness and Adams (also associated with the bombing campaigns if I remember rightly?) because their voices were banned from being broadcast and actors used instead."

I did put that info on my post after the one about associating
Paisley's voice with the bombings because the IRA voices were banned.. and indeed actors were used instead. The actors spoke as reading the lines while Paisley always spoke so loudly and vehemently.
So his voice registered more.

Thank you Monica, a good post which has helped me understand better.

Oops- forget to say it's called Translations.

National Theatre is showing a great play by Brian Friel, for those interested in Irish history. Perhaps local cinemas will broadcast it too.
Worth seeing, entertaining and interesting.

So true maizieD but I suspect some people harbour hatred in their hearts instead of drawing a line under it all.

There will always be those seeking to make mayhem, mischief or money out of the situation in Ireland and it saddens me that we could return to those days.

I might add that I think that historically Ireland, Wales and Scotland have all been appallingly treated by the English...

Can anyone explain how anyone of our age, having lived at the time of 'the Troubles' in NI and known about how horrific it was for all concerned, doesn't understand the implications of introducing any sort of border on the island?

I'm not tired of it at all, just utterly horrified that anyone could contemplate anything that could jeopardise the peace in Ireland.

Good post Monica. The EU border will be nothing like the one we had during the troubles unless paramilitaries make it so. But psychologically some may make the association.

The Famine was a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided or lessened, but no one cared about the people most likely to be affected. Has anything changed I wonder.

And I agree about opportunities or lack of for Catholics. There was so much discrimination in employment and Catholics had little political power.

Because, as I understand it, it will contravene a clause in the Good Friday Agreement and the various dissident IRA groups, which are already active and bombing and killing will use this as a justification for saying that the Good Friday Agreement has failed and an excuse to increase their murderous activity.

I think this will be so because, although the Good Friday Agreement is actually very vague about the border. To quote a BBC source www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-46988529 During the Troubles there were heavily fortified army barracks, police stations and watchtowers along the border. They were frequently attacked by Republican paramilitaries. Part of the peace deal involved the UK government agreeing to a process of removing those installations in what became known as "demilitarisation".

It could be argued that if a hard border was restored it would be manned by the Border Force and I am sure it would not take the dissident IRA groups long to claim that the Border Force are effectively a para military force and the border was again 'mililtarised' and use this as the excuse for increasing their activities

Would the main IRA, led in the past by Martin McGuiness and Gerry Adams, immediately become active again? Probably not immediately although some members may collaborate with the dissident groups. But the IRA still exists, still commands a lot of support and is still committed to the re-unification of Ireland at the barrel of a gun if other means take too long.

All this is not helped however by the continued lack of a viable government in Ireland, for which both Sinn Fein and the DUP are responsible, but each for different reasons.

Can anyone explain why the IRA or other groups would return to violence in the event of a border in Ireland. There are all sorts of reasons for not having a border, but why would violence return if there was a border.

I love Ireland when I visit, but my ancestors were catholics and the Famine drove one family out and my paternal grandfather, an Ulster man, enlisted in the army and worked his way through the ranks to become an officer and be awarded an OBE. A rise in life that a man born poor, catholic and illegitimate, could achieve in England but could never have achieved in Ulster in any profession.

Monica Sometimes I too say anyone with intelligence would leave this country lol.
But I have my reasons for staying. As Callistemon said it's not that simple.

Two of my children live in England. I encouraged them to go when they were young. But it was hard. My other son for personal reasons couldn't leave. And my husbands two children have left.

It's sad because Ireland is a beautiful country both north and south. And in general people are so friendly and helpful.

Common sense then, I was using intelligence in the very loose way most of us do, not IQ scores.

M0nica that statement is rather damning of the intelligence of those who still live in Ireland, both north and south.
The reasons peop,e emigrated are many and complicated, as are the reasons any person leaves the home of their birth to seek a life elsewhere.

Others will stay for equally varied and complex reasons and I don't think that intelligence comes into it.

However, hatred of others for their religious beliefs or for historic wrongs perhaps shows a lack of emotional intelligence.

I am half Irish,edqually distributed both sides of the irish border. My irish grandparents and great-grandparents were part of the great 19th century Irish diaspora.

At times, and this is no reflection on you anep1, I think most of the Irish people with the intelligence to see beyond the petty differences that divide them, got up and left long ago.

Annepl, thanks, & I hope all goes well for your son. All the best.

The not caring about Ireland anymore is like the not caring about brexit anymore which many voters feel.

The people behind this brexit nonsense want them to feel "brexit fatigue"," trying to understand NI border problem fatigue" and ultimately "not wanting to listen to, let alone try to understand anything to do with politics fatigue"

That is how the bad guys could win.

Having grown up hearing Ian Paisleys voice on the news and associating it with the bombing campaigns I feel ill even remembering him.
We didn't hear the anything coming directly from McGuinness and Adams (also associated with the bombing campaigns if I remember rightly?) because their voices were banned from being broadcast and actors used instead.

I would understand people not caring any longer to be honest.

It is not that people in England do not care about Ireland, it is just they despair of its parties ever putting their countries interests ahead of self (personal) interest.

The interesting thing is that we are now suffering from the same problem, but at least our lot are not just shutting down Parliament and refusing to speak to each other. Boris tried that and was not allowed to.

forned formed.

Just looked it up. Almost £15m has been paid in MLAs salaries since Stormont collapsed.

A government can't be forned without the agreement of the two main parties. I feel sorry for the MLAs who want to go back.

Stormont is not sitting because two parties refuse to compromise Both parties are trying to blame the other.
Certainly issues like Irish Language and Same sex marriage need addressed. But the everyday issues like health, education, social welfare need to be attended to in the meantime. I think perhaps DUP could offer something and SF could accept. DUP won't give anything and even if they did SF won't budge without getting all demands met. These are the people with most power in this country. Wonderful!
There are too many voters who are interested in keeping these two parties in power. All they vote on is the border issue.
Why Westminster is holding back on direct rule is beyond me.

They are not sitting because both sides are so bloody minded and full of hate that neither will budge first. Also getting paid to do nothing whilst nhs and schools budgets fail.

Thanks for your post Grannycool52 that's all very reassuring. I didn't know about the pensions. It does all sound better than we are kead to believe, although I imagine private insurance would be too expensive for us to start at our age (68) even with our private pensions We manage here with Benenden Healthcare.
But it's good to know it's not as bad as I thought. Interesting that pensions are better. Our son has just started a new job in Dublin (where he studied) and is very much looking forward to life in the Republic.