*seat*

David, where to begin with your comment?
“Our country”? Whose country? Northern Ireland? How are people born and raised in Northern Ireland “guests”? It’s not “our country” – you believe it’s “my country” and you better do as I want.
No one is coming into your house tonight and switching Big Bang Theory over to Eastenders!
Compromise, understanding and respect goes both ways. You seem to be saying “There’s only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures and the Unionists”

BTW is your screen name deliberately after David Irving the English writer and Holocaust denier? #justasking

Never heard if him Bernard.
And this is Ireland isn’t it?

OK, was just asking if it was a deliberately chosen pen name.

You mean Ireland as in the Republic? The country (not the football team)?
Or the island of Ireland? Because that’s got Ireland and Northern Ireland on it.

Does the UUP have a delegation travelling to Ireland as guests of the Irish State?

No I mean the island of Ireland which in my opinion is one state.
I’ve no problem with unionists they are welcome to live in a untied Ireland as part of a true republic.

I’m no guest in your country mate, Northern Ireland is my country.

How did it become your country James through tyranny and murder like the rest of the British empire.

Dont try and make out im a guest in this country, I was born here and have lived here for all of my 32 years.

So we now know where Bernard is coming from. It explains alot.

Actually David, you’ll find the British Empire was acquired mostly through trade and colonial rule mostly done through consent. It’s testimony that it mostly peacefully transitioned into the Commonwealth of 53 nations, of which 32 are republics.
Funny the Gaels occupied parts of western Scotland (Dalriada) then Bruce invaded Ireland and back and forth, and so on and so on.

Can’t you all just get along?

They live here too.

What Unionism needs to do is start to respect others and accept that their days of supremacy and domination are over.

The Irish identity is as valid and legal now as they are, this means everything they are entitled to, the green is entitled to. Shared future means shared future.

I cannot see how Unionism can exist in a society where the Green is equal to the Orange, impossible to be a Unionist and accept that.

Thanks Bernard for the National Front School of History update.

I knew I could smell James on here. You come out with the same old crap as always. Go blow your whistle somewhere else. 32 you say, explains a lot!!!

Bernard are you a Catholic living in N.Ireland? If not how would you feel about 3000 sectarian marches all year round? Where drunken sectarian louts sing songs like the famine is over go home and up to our waist in Catholic blood, smashing residents windows and pissing on Catholic churches.

I think that’s a simple question without any whataboutery could you give me a simple answer?

I knew I could smell James on here. Same old bull from you as usual. Go blow your whistle somewhere else. 32 you say, explains a lot.

Cillian, National Front? It’s true. Look it up. Everything doesn’t have to be viewed through the “Britain is bad” glasses. How can you say you want a “united Ireland” but then ridicule history? Irish/British it’s all the same to anyone from outside these islands anyway… When Scotland votes “no” to breaking away and the UK leaves the EU then a united Ireland, as part of the UK again, will be a tempting possibility. Vive la difference! Unity is strength!
Peace and goodnight to you all:)

No such country as Northern Ireland.

They are not guests in our Republic of Ireland, they are in there own country Northern Ireland.

Cillian i’m a Unionist and I have no problem with people being equal, your claim that its impossible to be unionist and embrace equality is a complete farce.

Born in Ireland, your Irish. End of. Some people have a British Passport just like some people from India or Pakistan living in England.

Bernard your trolling here and efforts at re-writing history are weak and pathetic. Is this your last stand?

There’s no such country as “Northern Ireland”….

David you too are a guest in this country, Scotts Normans Vikings Celts all invaders . Just because you got here first doesn’t make the island yours

David there was one big difference all them groups you mention integrated into the Irish people of today what integration did the Ulster Scots/ Scots Irish do? Anywhere in the world where there was a large population of Irish the orange order has set up a opposition leading to riots and churches being burnt and that’s going back a hundred years in America for example. But America eventually banned marches same as Australia and Canada.

Sorry I meant Chris

You are right about that, this David Irving is very silly, Ireland is not one state. Perhaps some day in the future when we learn to love and respect each other we could get together but for as long as people make claims like unionists are guests it can never happen.

@james sorry called away
Now I’m sure you’re a lovely chap and all that but can you please answer my question without going off on a rant.
How is this your country?
Yes you might have been born here but at some stage somebody in your family left the uk and came to this island to claim it in the name of the British empire?

Am I kissing a point here David, I was born here, my parents were born here, my grandparents were born here, I lived here for 32 years. How can this not be my country and in your opinion what is my country?

Not going to go off on any rants here, why would I. Just trying to understand the nationalist/republican mindset and how they view us.

*Missing (Obviously) lol

Ireland is your country James. The tricolour it’s flag. Your parents and grandparents are Irish if they were born in Ireland.

You can kiss my point anyday baby:)
Now being serious so you are saying you come from an Irish born family who decided for no reason to believe that a small portion of this island belongs to the uk?

James. That is just his point of view and I have never heard it expressed too often.

The older strategy was reunification first, then reconciliation but now it is reconciliation first, then reunification.

This reconciliation will not though be at the price of laying back down but on a shared and equal future. I don’t think you fully appreciate how revolutionary that is going to be for the North.

Remembrance Squares having a monument to 1916 alongside the cenotaph etc. Roads and parks named after Irish hero’s and patriots. All signs in Irish and English. Not replacing, but beside the old Orange ones and so on.

Shared future and all equal, it’s the law now, suck it up or take up the rifle, Unionism’s choice.

My parents were born in NI. NI is their country as it is mine. NI does belong to the UK, its a fact. Surely you are aware of it?

What roads etc would you want renamed Cillian and what should they replace? Where should these 1916 rising memorials be?

Ok James you win you can have the six counties so.

Just stating widely known fact David.

Ok James I agree with you I’ve already said you are correct.
You argument is convincing I think the republic should rejoin the commonwealth.
Where can I buy a Union Jack?

david irving i love your comments youa re the man !!! i meant to say to you yesterday when i read your post,have you ever read a any books by a man called paul rassinier ????

You are being ignorant. As it stands Northern Ireland is part of the United kingdom which is what the majority of people there want. We have two countries on this lovely little island, why can’t we all just get along and be good neighbours to each other.

@ john,that is the most stupid statement ive ever had the misfortune to hear !! the majority of people on this island do NOT want the north as a part of the UK and id wager the majority of the UK dont give a sh*t about the north of a country they dont very much like,im sure they’d much rather all the money thats wasted up there to be spent on their own children etc,but thats irrelevant because they have no say in the matter

Read what I said! The majority of people in NORTHERN IRELAND WANT TO BE BRITISH YOU APE!!! I’m irish I live in Ireland and I am from Ireland, myself and yourself I presume are not British. I know exactly how the rest of the uk feel about Northern Ireland thank you very much, I lived there for 5 years, but at this moment in time the people in Northern Ireland want to stay where they are and while that is the case it is pretty ignorant for people in Ireland to go around saying there is no such country as Northern Ireland or it’s illegally occupied etc. if your going to use that argument then everyone has invaded Ireland because the human race holds its origins in Africa. Now why we can’t just get along and be good neighbours to each other.

now now john dont be shouting at me because you just made a massive c*nt of yourself on the interent for everyone to see,i am gona try to break it down into manageable pieces for you, 1 there is absolutely no proof that the majority of people in the north want to remain part of the UK,did i miss the referendum ??? 2, your argument about afica is just plain ridiculous,first off no one within living memory remembers that event,its just not in the collective memory of the people but the invasion and supression of our race an culture is and its on going,there is no such country as the north because its a segment of the whole,if the people of kerry decide in the morning they want to become a seperate state will the goverment allow it ?? no because they are part of the country as a WHOLE,you cnat just ask the people of the north what they want because they arent a seperate entity from us,proof of that ?? they never claimed to be seperate when they held sway over the whole island,we get control then suddenly the north is a country in itself,also two counties that had a majority of catholics/gaelic people awere given to north purel;y to bulk it up,same goes for the city of derry,where is your majority now ?? and lastly you and i are not from the same ireland,im a proud irishman not a watery west brit who spent too long in england

Yes you define your irishness on how much you dislike the British……. Hmmm you know nothing about me. Britain has been good to this country in very recent years especially with out youth who have gone there in search of work that they couldn’t get in their own country. I love Ireland it’s my home and it’s where I grew up it’s where I live now and will live for the rest of my life. I used to think exactly like you did but then I grew up! You defined your standards when you brought the c word into this. I have nothing to prove to the likes of you. Think what you want. Your small minded and you will never change. I feel sorry for you.

listen john dont you dare tell me how i define my irishness,it has nothing to do with hating britain id prefer to have absolutely nothing to do with them,id prefer they never gave me a reason in the first place to dislike them,id prefer i didnt speak english but such is life,you can claim whatever morale high ground you want,its a sad attempt and very childish,i cursed so what ???? does it make my points wrong ?? NO it doesnt,you brought insults into it i responded simple as that,you have spent too mcuh time over there,they were good to us how ?? leaving us build there country and then treating us like sh*t ?? check out the many articles about the irish in the uk during the 60′s who build their cities and then were forgotten about and live on the streets now,you act like the UK has done us some sort of special favour they have people form somalia to pakistan living there and its their colonial legacy,i hope it bankrupts them,as for me being small minded thats just a tired cliche,because i have an educated dislike of a nation doesnt mean im narrow minded,i can guarantee you i am more wordly and well traveled than you,you make the classic mistake of thinking because you’ve across the irish sea that you’ve seen the world !!

I know I’m a pure child sure that’s me all out!

Marc you are nearly right. You should have said Irish because born in Northern Ireland. Irish embraces Northern and Southern Irish but they are all Irish. As regards passports ; there is no such thing as a British passport. Britain is not a passport issuing country. People in Britain get passports from the UK which is actually called The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. UK passports are given to the British who live in Britain and to the Irish who live in Northern Ireland.

cillian you are the man !!!!!

Only when the majority vote for a United Ireland. Both should fly over city hall today. Keep you all happy.

Yes, it should fly on Stormont as well but it would have to fly along side the UJ as well.

That is what was agreed and we both have to go along with that. It is both flags and symbols or neither.

Over 95% of symbols and emblems in the corridors of power are from the Unionist tradition and often very militant or divisive ones.

Shared futures means that the Fleg is only the start of it.

Both sides have equal cake or no one does.

Did any Unionist read the Good Friday Agreement

So if there is ever a united Ireland Cillian I take it you’ll happily see the union flag flying on government buildings all over Ireland, yes?

Though if it flies on your house James I’d be willing to let it slide on City Hall.

Marc,, When the majority vote for a united Ireland, The only flag that should fly over Belfast should be the flag of our country, The Tri colour

You are a moron

I’m not the flag flying type Cillian, it seems to bother you more than me and im interested to get into your head and understand the mindset.

As I said earlier I wasnt even aware the flag flew everyday from city hall.

Whens this happening Henry?

There Will be a united Ireland in the near future, That’s a Certainty .
The tri Colour will fly over the City hall in Belfast, That’s a Certainty.
And a greyhound will win next years greyhound derby, That’s a Certainty.

Fair enough Henry. You’d have more credibility if you backed up your points with facts though.

No, the UJ will never fly over all Ireland again.

If as part of a settlement in a United Ireland, which will be federal for the North, then maybe the UJ would still fly up on City hall with the Triclour, to reflect the Unionist heritage.

What the peace process is doing is preparing for an North that is highly devolved but in a federal Irish structure and with Britain giving it alimony for a few decades and thanking God that it is finally free of the mess it made in Ireland and has no interest in now.

So you will happily see the tri colour fly now over city hall which is in a part of the UK but will never accept the union flag flying from your buildings in a united Ireland, is that accurate?

Your stance seems to be a selfish one.

You expect the tri colour which is a foreign flag to fly in the UK but you’d reject the union flag (which will also be a foreign flag) flying in a united Ireland.

Legally the Tri-colour can fly over City hall and Stormont right now if it is pushed for in Court, this is what was agreed in internationally recognized treaties.

I didn’t say that I oppose the UJ flying in the North in a re-united Ireland. Like now, it would probably be deemed to have same right as the Tricolour unless new agreement said otherwise and I can’t see anyone doing that.

Why would it fly in Kerry or Galway when it is not a desire of even a small minority there or called for by anyone.

Legally

The tri colour cant be flown legally in NI, it flies in republican ghettos but thats the only place it’ll be, it has no legal or official standing. If such a move could be pursued in court then believe me SF and the SDLP would be trying it years ago.

I dont want the union flag to fly in Galway or Kerry, i’m just using your logic about foreign flags flying in certain jurisdictions. Kerry and Galway or Dublin for that matter will never be a part of the UK so the UK flag will never fly in it, the same way Belfast will never be part of a united Ireland so the tri colour will never fly in it. Simple logic Cillian.

Goodnight people.

see james you forget one little thing in all your endless rambles and rants…..you are in IRELAND and one day it will be united,it has already begun,unification by degrees !!!

James.

Under the Good Friday Agreement and St. Andrews it does have the same rights and if a Law in Westminister says otherwise, which it does then it is contravening that agreement and has no standing.

It’s all softly, softly James and no frightening court battles to spook Unionism. That would really rattle the cages.

Sleep well and dream of fluffy green clouds. ;)

The tri colour has no legal standing in NI, the GFA does not mention anything about it either.

Your bluff has just been called Cillian.

PS Slept well enough, no green clouds though, just blue skies AKA reality.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Most people in NI wish it remains so. The flag of the UK is the Union Flag. By rights it should be flown proudly 365 days a year. Concessions were made so as not to offend those Irish/British citizens living in NI who wish to live in the Irish Republic.
With a “united Ireland” further away than ever, maybe it’s time for both communities to respect their different cultures, but get behind a united Northern Ireland, proudly Irish, proudly part of the UK.

bernard that is just pure scutter,how on earth do you know what the majority of people want on this island ?? was there a referendum i missed ??? see you miss the simple yet hugely important fact that its our island,so everyone on the island has a say,not just the good people of the north (which it has never been put to vote in any case )

James there were riots over the flag being taken down.

If Unionism does not have supremacy and control, then what is it but a collection of people that the English call Paddies, walking around a field playing Irish tunes on button accordions.

Unionists are as happy to argue and fight with Britain as they are with their Irish neighbours, when Britain does things that affect their supremacy and control over the “natives”.

Remove the rubbing of taigs faces in the mud, then what is their left?

Nothing!

@ John

The ordinary nationalists on the street didnt give a damn about a flag flying over city hall, SF and the SDLP made it into a big deal. It hasnt furthered the lives of either community, people are crying out for jobs, theres shops closing left right and centre, factories closing their doors and yet this is the best SF and the SDLP can come up with to help society!! We all know this was just an attempt by them parties to drive the boot into unionists, it worked.

I wasnt even aware the union flag flew every day on city hall, I thought it was akin to Stormont in all honesty. I said on here from day one that if they took it down altogether I wouldnt give two fcuks. If say in 20 years there is a united Ireland then i’ve no doubt that your side will fly the tri colour from all public buildings regardless what my community thinks, you know rightly you would do it.

And no i’m not a troll, i’m just a unionist with a run of the mill unionist opinion. You likely dont like that but thats what I am.

@ Ryan

I’m aware there were riots over the flag. Would there have been riots if the flag had been left alone? SF and the SDLP made this flag into a big issue. If it was still flying there daily now it wouldnt cause the nationalist community to melt and im sure they wouldnt give a toss anyway, its not as if there were mass protests from Belfast nationalists to have it removed. Theres bigger issues to worry about.

Belfast’s electorate voted for parties that agreed that shared spaces should not have exclusive symbols of one side or other, could have both, in line with legally binding agreements that are now law.

The designated days was a compromise

If the Union Jack returns then legally it will have to be flying beside the Tri-Colour.

I have yet to see a political commentator who does not agree that Sinn Féin and the SDLP will substantially increase their representation in Belfast this year.

So the public in Belfast are backing this.

Take the union flag down altogether if it pleases you Cillian, I have bigger things to worry about.

Do you think the tri colour should fly on city hall?

Get yourself a job for starters James. How you live on £73 a week they get on the dole is crazy. Keep yourself busy, you wont have time to be online saying nasty comments about the Irish. Hate is a horrible thing to carry round.

Do you know what an apostrophe is? Brutal grammar.

To be honest James you are right, I truly couldn’t have given a balls about the Union Jack over city hall but after all the carry on by loyalists last year I’d have a hardened view on it now. With regard to flying tricolours all over the 6 counties in a United Ireland, it wouldn’t happen, we’re not going to rub anyone’s nose in it, look where it leads, nationalists have experienced the shitty end of the stick but I think we have the wit to know when enough is enough.

Good point Paul.

There is no desire to replicate the abuse that was done to Nationalists for so long.

As for flags, look at most nationalist areas they have very few flags where as profoundly insecure Loyalist areas have every kerb painted and 4-5 flags on every pole.

What makes full independence as certainty in time is that institutions desire more power, even Unionists will not turn down more control of the North and control. Which also means a further breaking of the link. Interests will diverge.

This also applies to Catalonia and Scotland.

James there was a vote to remove it.

You also said “they decided to bring down a flag that most of Belfast probably didn’t give a damn about anyway”. If they didn’t give a “damn”, then the unionists wouldn’t have rioted when it was taken down.

@ James. Might I suggest a new flag for all when Ireland is unified by consent in the next 20-30 years. I’d go with the flag of St Patrick, white background and red X. It’s the Ireland bit in the Union Jack already so unionist shouldn’t be repulsed. The nationalist identify with St Patrick as a potent Irish symbol. Everyone’s a winner.

I would agree with that, I just dont believe a united Ireland will ever happen. I would agree on a new flag now for NI.

Ryan it only became an issue when it was removed

Paul there will never be a united Ireland but if you boys had the chance there would be a tri colour and only a tri colour flying from every public building in Ireland, just show a bit of honesty there.

Whelo, your attitude is what helped start a lot of the “Troubles” .The south just did not care about what was happening to the Nationalist people in the north for decades, second class citizens they really were. You say ” I’m not political ” but you sound like a lot I could mention with this attitude in our own south Government, ” I’m all right Jack…bugger you “

I’m commenting on “sick of hearing about the place that is NI and all its hatred and negativity”, nothing more.

You free staters cut the north loose many years ago and watched as a large proportion of the population were angle ground. Now your proposing having another go…shameful!

Nobody seems to want the six counties, the South or the UK. Britain can’t afford to keep subsidising them for you much longer surely?

Wait until all those Catholics outbreed the unionists and will then become the majority. No more fixing constituencies. Jesus, what will the Unionists do then? Isn’t it a bitch that Rhodesia is gone. Ian Smith would have accepted you with open arms

Great strategy there Billy

Why dont you just let yourself go adrift into the Atlantic where hopefully thirst or hunger will finish you off

How’s the majority going?

” it appears to be reasonable to murder people by the thousand if 1) you do it in the past ”

Paddy too busy spitting his orange bile to cop onto the stupidity of that comment.

Unless he’s contesting that the IRA nicked a load of Deloreans from the factory in Dunmurray and fitted them with flux capacitors….

Patrick Lyons is troll who has a few accounts. I was once told by a well educated man ” Never give an idiot an audience , it’s unfair on them “

What if you murder them in the future and don’t say sorry?!

Tool….

He went to a pub and he told the barman “jasus i’d murder a Guinness right now! ha

And go to confession and say sorry to God too!

Names please…. have you passed this information to the authorities?

i love that quote,its going straight into my book of quotes