Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FORMER DUP LEADER Arlene Foster has called on Bertie Ahern to apologise for referring to parts of Belfast as “ghettos” in comments he made about loyalists and the Northern Ireland Protocol yesterday.
Speaking on RTÉ earlier today, the former Taoiseach defended his use of the phrase, and said people shouldn’t “get themselves in a knot” over it.
“If you want to take an issue about ghettos, you can say that you shouldn’t use the word ‘ghetto’, we’re talking about deprived areas,” he said.
Ahern said loyalists who are opposed to the protocol “haven’t got a clue” about how it works while speaking at an event hosted by Dublin City University’s Brexit Institute yesterday.
“I spend a lot of my life still in the North. The reality is in East Belfast and in the ghettos and in the areas where you’re likely to get trouble, is that people haven’t got a clue about the protocol, not a clue,” Ahern said.
“They see it as identity… They see it as a road to the Dublin Government taking over again and this is a pathway to that,” he added.
The remarks drew a swift response from unionist politicians and Foster added her voice to the rebukes today.
“He needs to reflect on his words and apologise. Calling areas in Belfast ‘ghettos’ is not a good look,” she wrote on Twitter today.
The Northern Ireland Protocol is one of the key elements in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement that legally enabled the UK to leave the European Union.
It means Northern Ireland effectively remains part of the EU’s single market for goods. It allows goods to flow freely between Ireland and Northern Ireland and removes the threat of a hard border.
The European Union and the UK remain deadlocked in negotiations over how the protocol is implemented.
Discussing loyalist opposition to the protocol, Ahern said the idea that it is about trade “just passes them by.”
“It’s seen as a trick by the south to move the border from across the island, and to put it down the Irish Sea, as a trap for government.
Even those who you might consider to be a bit more intelligent and articulate. That is the difficulty.
“(DUP leader) Jeffrey Donaldson well understands how we might get over the detail, and the reason he keeps on about the other issue is because he’s trying to – which I don’t blame him for – he’s trying to serve the loyalist community as well,” he added.
Foster joins DUP MP for East Belfast Gavin Robinson in calling on Ahern to apologise for his remarks.
“To associate East Belfast with a ghetto and suggest loyalists are not able to understand the protocol is demeaning and degrading,” he said.
“People in my constituency who can’t get their Amazon parcels from another part of the United Kingdom well understand the impact of the protocol.”
I’d have moved somewhere bigger if it wasn’t for the great neighbours I have here. Having bad ones can make your life a misery, good ones make you gurr cake.
Same here, I wouldn’t dream of moving and I’d be gutted if they moved. They are worth more than local amenities!
Would not dream of moving absolutely – have had to put up with so much BS that am not going to be the one to move. Having said that would have moved years ago only for the government stamp duty charges that we could not reconcile, stamp duty was much worse in the past. At this point I just blank the ..ers.
Mine called me a gurrier once for blasting music late at night, have been avoiding them solidly for four years ever since
Before I judge them – what was the music?
Answer carefully Stephen. Much of your remaining credibility is riding on the answer
I must confess it was terrible 80s, not even good 80s. It was some awful cheap compilation cd, I was mortified, had no idea it was so loud
I hope the theme tune to neighbours wasn’t on it and left on repeat while you were sozzled in the corner. That would be ironic.
Don’t worry Stephen, I’m sure it was that evil red wine that made you do it.
Evil red red wine.
It was Rick Astley ilk, it must never happen again, I always have my headphones in nowadays when I feel my Astley fix coming on
You Rick-rolled your neighbours? You got off lightly with ‘gurrier’.
No wonder he called you a gurrier ffs. I would have beaten the shit out of you for that. Stop digging man.
You’re never gonna give it up, never gonna let it down.
It often goes to ones head
I love my Rick, feck the begrudgers
Are you Art Vandelay, Uncle Monty? I always wondered
Do you think he’d tell you after this admission, Stephen? Sorry kid. You’re on your own now.
Stevie-no-mates.
Still master of my domain, Stephen.
Rick is the only mate I need, he never lets me down
what ever happened to Art?
*cough*
Art and I used to have long conversations and clog up the boards talking about weed, Cork, Henry’s and one or two other things. Usually on the drug seizures articles. I think he may have finally found that spliff at the end of the rainbow and is now in a perpetual stoner paradise somewhere.
I know I am.
No-one ever asked what happened to me though
*cough*, and another ‘hoping not to look too needy’ *cough* for effect tinged with a little sadness, loneliness, and a far wallop of desperation and rejection.
Hint fcuking hint Stevo. You getting this?!?
I feel like Hansel and fcuking Gretel here dropping crumbs for you man. Fcuk you and your Rick Astley discography.
Ah it’s you!
I see now, said the blind man. You had a rather unfortunate incident with some cannabutter? Pleased to meet you. Again.
Yes Monty. And another unfortunate incident with about 3 accounts since.
I’m having an affair with them
All of them?
The husband, wife or child?
Judging by your pic, Sean – are they Clingons?
Jasus, Ger. Was that you trying to be funny? I feel embarrassed for you.
TO – the Clingon and journal resident. Most of us feel sorry for you m8.
see pic
I live next to your Mam Ger, sorry you had to find out while trolling! Ask her to pop the kettle on will you? ;)
Well Sean – you know he’s a Ferengi then…
Did you get sugar today? You had none in the press this morning. I’ll let you get back to watching reruns of Star Trek with the volume on high. Be over in a few.
Aww Sean – you know who we all are then.
But your pic gave you away – as a Clingon…
Live long with your problem.
o/
Only met mine this morning when I was returning their trampoline
I know their Wi-Fi password. Does that count?
Yes of course.
“Tall Guy”, “Greasy Head”, “The Maniac Across the Street” etc.
Great bunch of lads.
My neighbour and i have established the unwritten rule of bringing each others wheelie bins into the driveway when the others not home, apart from that we just say hello
I know all my neighbours.
8 are from Thailand. One family from Biafra. 3 families from Irag.
4 from Pakistan. One from Lithuania. There’s only two Sikhs in Waterford and one of them is a neighbour of mine.
Nice guy, drives a taxi. His mate’s from Pakistan, he’s a butcher in a Hilal shop.
10 Irish people. 6 Polish people. Three families from Brazil. They work in the meat plant and have great barbecues. Another Brazilian woman who’s married to an Irish Quaker.
A good looking woman from Slovakia who stopped talking to me because her cat bit me.
A prostitute from Hungary who charges 200 euros an hour ?????????
A student from Saudi who bought the house with cash and has the best lifestyle for a student I’ve ever seen.
Oh yeah. A girl from Portugal who reads tarot, she’s a witch.
Great community.
The Hungarian girl’s phone number?
She’s actually very good looking. The landlord can’t get rid of her as she denies any wrong doing.
The Gardai say the onus of proof is on the landlord, there’s nothing they can do.
She has about 5 clients every day. 7 grand a week, cash. 350 grand a year, hard cash. Nice little earner.
My wife is Hungarian…. hope it’s not her. I’d go mental…. she’s never got me a PS4…. I’ve been dropping hints for months
Jaysus growing up I knew literally everyone on my road . Think there are 32 gaffs on the road I was in 30 of them I think. Everyone knew everyone else but not in a nosey way. It was a new estate in 75 mostly young couples with young kids like. I presume all the men were out working and the woman met on road coming back from shops, cleaning their gardens etc and got to l ow each and through the kids playing together of course. They probably said to their husbands Patricia’s Mick sounds nice you should go for a pint with him. Didn’t know how lucky I was to be growing up on that road but I do now. Will always be my favourite road. Not really any cars stopping us playing on the road either
Same here.
I grew up on a council estate in a small town in Co. Carlow.
We were always in each others houses. The interaction was phenomenal.
The lives of people on that estate were bound up with each other on a daily basis.
The council estate explains the list of neighbours you gave above, Tommy. But who are your neighbours now?
No. The list above is my current neighbours. It’s a private apartment complex in Waterford.
I’m living there 10 years now so get to know everybody.
Yes I communicate with them all the time, albeit through gritted teeth.
No option for some communication but not every time you see them.
Just caught one standing on top of a ten foot wall, climbing into my garden to retrieve a sweeping brush lost trying to correct the satellite signal, don’t know their name , they speak no English. The other I know what name other people call her, she speaks the language of love. A previous neighbour reported me missing to Gardaí as she hadn’t seen me in a few days (I’d just had a baby). Another previous neighbour we knew very well and kids played with. Went from knowing lots of neighbours to losing neighbours who moved on and rented out their houses to a conveyor belt of different characters.
I dont want to. I hear shouting and when you’re neighbours then look to be all friendly, sometimes its enough if one of them is a wagon! Some people you just dont wanna know its cool…
*your
nope don’t really know my neighbors, but they sure no me.
How sad am I? Must have been the first person to vote on this stood yoke. Got full 100%. Only 1 vote cast!!!
It’s fairly sad alright – especially seeing as it gave you so much obvious excitement in the process.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for this pointless shite. Now excuse me while I go and read my horoscope
There are big differences between urban and rural, with small towns mire like rural in terms of interpersonal contact
i have to say i have lovely neighbours….lovely people….on one side….on the other side no thanks not my company so just ignore….he only moved in few months back and was looking to know my business….asking were i be going so early in morning..(work)..asking other people….absolutely none of his business….s(ummy article….
Yip, the cats Dad.
Knoweth thout neighbour.
@ben bit like keep your friends close and your neighbourly enemies even closer
That’s a bit harsh on Cianan. I’ve read much worse articles on here.
The one in 21 is a bully, The owl one in 16 is nosey parker, the on in 15 and 18 are drug dealers, the one in 25 is a 91 year old lady lovely woman. the people in 24 creepy people all kinds of people coming and going, not sure what goes on in there. 26,27,28,29 have been sold no one in there, next door to me grand couple, other side another weirdo I just nod me head at them. Living in a 31 house cul de sac you tend to know everyone.
Don’t know them and don’t want to as some are nasty gossipers.
Seems like alot of ye are living here… https://youtu.be/IE8ER2bobIc
I nod at them and say hello but I dint really know them. But one of them helped me with something years ago so I’m glad he’s a neighbour – unlike the shouty women upstairs.
have your say