The Political Thread

[Beaky Smoochies]

Speaking as someone living in a small town where many things are farmed out to companies by our council, this would explain why our roads are better than ever and no-one ever complains.

I rest my case...

Thankfully, TB, our wonderfully sectarian Assembly would sooner eat glass than adopt any policies of the South, which makes me more or less certain that they'll just find some kind of system which is even more stupid, unfair, and rewards the private sector with public cash and adopt that instead.  Strange but true: six counties full of alcoholics, boy racers and wife beaters don't need any A&E departments, but it does need a 10 percent salary hike for Assembly members.  Yay government.

Yeah, from one northerner to another, Professah dude ('bout ye), you tell 'em, so ya will, we have a wonderful Assembly that pretty much disposes of every fundamental rule of democracy, replacing it instead with a system that locks sectarian division in stone rather than moving away from Unionist/Nationalist designations, which I fear will continue until both sides grow up and realise that not only are our best interests not served in a united Ireland (ninety years on and they still are genetically incapable of running themselves), but neither are they served in a United Kingdom that treats us like dirt and imposes a political arrangement on us that not only would they would NEVER accept themselves, they wouldn't even dare suggest such a thing to the Scots or the Welsh, we would be better off leaving the Union and become a completely autonomous Crown territory (whether a Dependency, Overseas, or a Dominion) with national status, a democratically elected bicameral Parliament, a proper and normalised left/right-driven parliamentary democracy, and a written Constitution, alas though, I think there's probably more chance of Ian Paisley joining Sinn Fein than what I suggested actually ever happening...

[JayzusB.Christ]

 

(ninety years on and they still are genetically incapable of running themselves)

I'd like to argue but I don't have a leg to stand on 

[JOE SOAP]

(ninety years on and they still are genetically incapable of running themselves)

I'd like to argue but I don't have a leg to stand on 

Those damn different genetics of ours a few miles over the West Wall of the six-counties left us without decent bipedal -or bicameral- support.

Hopefully the Great Nothern Assembly will build town-ships for us one day.

[Emperor]

Via Richmond & the Clements on facebook:


Kony 2012 Co-founder Arrested for Drunkenly Masturbating in Public

http://jezebel.com/5894048/invisible-children-co+founder-arrested-for-drunkenly-masturbating-in-public

As a correction to this(they do also have updates on the blog there too):

The director of the viral video about brutal African warlord Joseph Kony has been diagnosed with what's called brief reactive psychosis and is expected to stay in hospital for weeks, his wife said on Wednesday. Jason Russell, 33, was hospitalised in San Diego, California, after witnesses saw him running through streets, in his underwear, screaming incoherently and banging his fists on the pavement.

...

"The preliminary diagnosis he received is called brief reactive psychosis, an acute state brought on by extreme exhaustion, stress and dehydration," Danica Russell said. "Though new to us, the doctors say this is a common experience given the great mental, emotional and physical shock his body has gone through in these last two weeks. Even for us, it's hard to understand the sudden transition from relative anonymity to worldwide attention – both raves and ridicules, in a matter of days."

The condition is triggered by extreme stress. Symptoms include hallucinations and strange speech and behavior. Antipsychotic drugs and talk therapy can alleviate symptoms, and people typically get better within a month.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/21/kony-2012-director-diagnosed-psychosis

And the sad Catch 22 of this must be that he is going to be even more stressed when he recovers enough to realise what has happened to him

[Beaky Smoochies]

I'd like to argue but I don't have a leg to stand on 

Those damn different genetics of ours a few miles over the West Wall of the six-counties left us without decent bipedal -or bicameral- support.
Hopefully the Great Nothern Assembly will build town-ships for us one day.

Just stirring the pot a bit guys, a little humour on my part, no insult intended, apologies if taken that way...

And I've been openly critical of us northern Protestants on this forum before, we've certainly behaved in a less than Christian way in the past, no argument there, but it was the politicisation of the Gaelic culture and a narrow-minded anti-Britishness (whilst understandable) that drove many Protestants away from self-rule and closer to Westminster, considering it was Anglo-Irish Protestants who basically founded the Irish republican movement. 

A good case in point is how many Irish Protestants considered themselves 'Irish' in nationality at the beginning of the 20th Century compared to those same people a decade or so later who had then switched to the 'British' nationality option in the national census, what happened in between was the explosion of the Home Rule movement, the UVF/Volunteers gun-running escapades, the Ulster Covenant, the 1916 Rising, the so-called War of Independence, and ultimately partition.  The Irish separatist leaders were right to be angry at the exclusion of the north-eastern counties from the newly-independent state as that was where the main industries of the island were concentrated, and made it harder to balance their economy next to the U.K. -  but President Cosgrave and co did all right until Dev and Fianna Fail came along and wrecked the place... a tradition ably followed by Bertie and Biffo in recent years! - but at the same time, there was no advantage nor incentive for Protestants to join the State in 1921, maybe if some Protestant leader(s) had a forward-looking view and negotiated a better deal for the north in a unitary Irish state (independence for the northern legislature from the national one in Dublin, caps on income and business tax rates, guaranteed continued free trade with the British Empire, etc), things could have been different, and I'm certainly not ideologically against such a thing ever happening in the future, but we look across the border and see the mess you lot have made of your country - and it didn't have to be that way, Ireland could have been the Switzerland of the north Atlantic - and thank the good Lord we didn't throw our lot in with it, it's not personal, it's the economy (stupid), not to mention a few other things as well...   

[TordelBack]

EDIT: Retracted.

[JOE SOAP]

The unbridled truth is neither Britain nor the Republic really wants fiscal or full responsibility for the North, hence the reluctance of any southern Irish government to whole-heartedly push for re-unification and Britain only holds on for the obvious complications of letting go and it's responsible place, historically, as the major player.

Ideologically some minor sections of the Irish body-politic may now and again tout visions of a nation once again but as is the way of these things, it appeals to a certain notion of political destiny for a minority of entrenched nationalists at voting time but that doesn't pay the bills for the rest of us.

[the 'artist' formerly known as Slips]

EDIT: Retracted.

Shouldnt this be redacted? 

[TordelBack]

EDIT: Retracted.

Shouldnt this be redacted? 

Posted an, errr, robust comment, thought better of it.  I'm conscious that firing off one aggressive response and then leaving a discussion is a shitty thing to do, and I didn't want to spend my day in pointless argument.  It's sunny out, and I have concrete to mix.  That's enough stirring for anyone.

[Roger Godpleton]

No it's not. I expect you to stir the cocktails that I am paying you £5 to mix for me, you servile colonial.


I believe I shall have an "Irish Car Bomb" to start.

[TordelBack]

I believe I shall have an "Irish Car Bomb" to start.

Coming right up!  I'll whip up in a Rusty Nail or two while I'm at it.

[JOE SOAP]

It's sunny out, and I have concrete to mix.  That's enough stirring for anyone.

Hey, Fred West is back!

[Beaky Smoochies]

The unbridled truth is neither Britain nor the Republic really wants fiscal or full responsibility for the North, hence the reluctance of any southern Irish government to whole-heartedly push for re-unification and Britain only holds on for the obvious complications of letting go and it's responsible place, historically, as the major player.
Ideologically some minor sections of the Irish body-politic may now and again tout visions of a nation once again but as is the way of these things, it appeals to a certain notion of political destiny for a minority of entrenched nationalists at voting time but that doesn't pay the bills for the rest of us.

Agreed Joe, darn good points... unfortunately (for the decent majority across this wonderful little island)!

Posted an, errr, robust comment, thought better of it.  I'm conscious that firing off one aggressive response and then leaving a discussion is a shitty thing to do, and I didn't want to spend my day in pointless argument.  It's sunny out, and I have concrete to mix.  That's enough stirring for anyone.

Don't hold back on my account, Tordelback dude, go nuts, if you think I'm wrong/deluded/insane/whatever, then people fought and died for your right to get stuck in, have one on me...

[JayzusB.Christ]

I believe I shall have an "Irish Car Bomb" to start.

Be careful what you wish for 

Anyway here's an expert view on the subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhGPrgVZj0

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Jesus do I hate living in this shitty, backwards, insular wee province.

Gene-pools are the opposite of swimming pools in that they are more dangerous when they're shallow.

You may quote me