|
Northern Ireland Elections - A Stepbackwards?
|
View this Thread in Original format
| MrSquirrel |
I read an article in the paper yesterday morning while getting my car fixed (which I can't find on the web now) talkingn about the hard road ahead fro the peace process in N. Ireland.
Here is a BBC story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/...and/3248484.stm
I think this is another sign that cooler heads are not prevailing in political situations around the world, and that the fringes are forcing the moderate voices to the sidelines.
MrS |
|
|
| Yoepus |
| ya damn fringes!:whip: |
|
|
| NYCTrancefan |
| Northern Ireland is an intriguing place to me because there is going to be no give on either side on the major issue, part of Great Britain or part of Ireland. While many in Northern Ireland want to go about their lives, the separation of the two sides is way two strong when you see communities side by side yet separated by high concrete fences, and Catholics cannot go safely into certain areas and vice versa for Protestants. It all of course comes down to political power and control. I often wonder why not make Northern Ireland an independent nation, free from the allegiances to Britain or Eire but the big boys would never welcome this I suppose. Oh well, just a dreamer then. |
|
|
| overdose006 |
will be mighty interesting seeing what happens when the dust settles and they have to figure out where to go from here..
funny how the leader of the DUP(the big man, Ian Paisley) reufuses to even talk to the terrorists(sinn fein in this case) when at one time i believe he had his own standing paramitary army himself, remember reading that somewhere
could prob dig the info somewhere outta my pile of books for an exact date or such
but i remember he had some journalist blindfolded in the middle of the night and taken to a field where there where hundreds of masked men in milary formation..
anyways iam not taking sides at all, but all of those ******s have to realize that they have to start talking to move forward, but thankfully i think(hope) the worst of the violence is past us. |
|
|
| TheMightyCad |
This is now a no-win situation....
Sinn Fein want to re-start the governing process and the DUP being the biggest party don't even want to sit in the same room as them.
Sinn Fein wanting to do this can be viewed differently by both sides..Catholics will say they just want to bring normality back and the Protestants view them with suspicion and think there is a hidden agenda.
I think Mr Paisley's success(he is not a real reverend)in the poles will be a disaster for free thinking un-bigoted Protestants. He even refuses to speak to his own daughter for dating a catholic. The man is a blatant bigot and is racist.
I think the best thing to happen now is for the IRA to finaly give up all their weapons in an open way with for everyone to see. This way the onus will be on the DUP to start building bridges.
Overall the people of Northern Ireland, for the most part, just want to get on with their lives in peace like most of the world. |
|
|
| overdose006 |
problem with IRA disarmament(its a good thing) is that ppl like paisley will never be satisfied, even if the armaments are show in full view. ppl like him will always claim that there is a secret cash of arms somewhere and that the IRA isnt being truthful
change in northern ireland is unevitable, DUP is there to stop that chaange as long as possible.. |
|
|
| Dj O'Callaghan |
On Ian Paisley is a piece of ing the guy talks nothing but trash, and what he says causes trouble he's nothing but a ing bigot! Every Orangemen march you can see Paisley with his DUP cronies like Dodds at the front singing their songs and they wonder why Nationalists (Catholics) are such animals try to shoot them throw bricks at them and cause riots when they march, well when you have history rubbed in your ing face wouldn't you?
The DUP should be banned from all talks people like Paisley & Dodds make me ing sick, these men if they had their own way would turn Northern Ireland back to how it was in the 60's and 70's.
The disarmament itself everyone seems to be stepping on Sinn Feins back to speed up the IRA to disarm, but what about the Loyalist groups? I never see people putting pressure on the Loyalist Groups like the UDA, UVF, The Red Hand Commando's etc?
To be honest I for one thing don't believe the IRA should disarm untill they have proof that the loyalist paramilitaries are disarming themselves, you read and hear they are but the whole disarmament process seem to be focused on the IRA.
All I can say is if the IRA give away their arms, the Loyalist groups will not fear any retaliation in return for the IRA, and will go around shooting Postmen & Taxi Drivers all unarmed men like they have in the past, just because of their ethnicity and religion. |
|
|
| overdose006 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj O'Callaghan The disarmament itself everyone seems to be stepping on Sinn Feins back to speed up the IRA to disarm, but what about the Loyalist groups? I never see people putting pressure on the Loyalist Groups like the UDA, UVF, The Red Hand Commando's etc?
To be honest I for one thing don't believe the IRA should disarm untill they have proof that the loyalist paramilitaries are disarming themselves, you read and hear they are but the whole disarmament process seem to be focused on the IRA.
All I can say is if the IRA give away their arms, the Loyalist groups will not fear any retaliation in return for the IRA, and will go around shooting Postmen & Taxi Drivers all unarmed men like they have in the past, just because of their ethnicity and religion. |
some good points there, but the whole policing board idea is so that they wont need to have a catholic paramilatary group to retaliate, police in theory will be even handed and stop that kinda crap.
i also wonder why i hear nothing about loyalist gangs disarming. Do they even have a political wing that can sort out these matters, ie something like sinn fein. |
|
|
| TheMightyCad |
It's a fact that there have been more Catholics killed than Protestants in the lasty 5 years.
Out of the protestants who have been murdered, about half have been from in-fighting between the UFF, UDA etc. This is now spilling over to Scotland every time one lot get kicked out of Belfast....i.e. Johhny Adair and crew.
I think that the IRA should disarm, if not only to call Paisley's bluff. His whole argument is based on the arms not been given up.
I too think that not enough has been said about the arms carried by the loyalists, I don't ever remember hearing of any guns being given up by them.
We in the west of Scotland have to put up with the bigoted diatribe every summer from the Orange Walks, which according to the local council/Police is not religious....my arse |
|
|
| arctic |
| For someone who only really hears about the killings on the news now and then, yet knows nothing about WHY they occur, is there anyone in NI or possibly even Scotland who could explain why they happen? Why is it that two groups of Christians find it so hard to get along/not shoot each other because of their religious beliefs, I mean, they both follow the same religion for crying out loud :conf: |
|
|
| TheMightyCad |
| quote: | Originally posted by arctic
For someone who only really hears about the killings on the news now and then, yet knows nothing about WHY they occur, is there anyone in NI or possibly even Scotland who could explain why they happen? Why is it that two groups of Christians find it so hard to get along/not shoot each other because of their religious beliefs, I mean, they both follow the same religion for crying out loud :conf: |
Unfortunately there is no easy answer to your question.
To the sane amongst us the whole situation seems absurd, almost laughable (if it wasn't so serious).
Most people involved on either side would be hard pushed to tell you exactly how it all started. It's a bit like the situation in the old Yugoslavia. Distrust creats hatred, which in turn creats distrust. Some of these people refuse to be in the same room as someone from the oposite religion.
Unfortunately religion has a lot to answer for around the world. |
|
|
| arctic |
| quote: | Originally posted by TheMightyCad
Unfortunately there is no easy answer to your question.
To the sane amongst us the whole situation seems absurd, almost laughable (if it wasn't so serious).
Most people involved on either side would be hard pushed to tell you exactly how it all started. It's a bit like the situation in the old Yugoslavia. Distrust creats hatred, which in turn creats distrust. Some of these people refuse to be in the same room as someone from the oposite religion.
Unfortunately religion has a lot to answer for around the world. |
Yeah, it's always seemed rather strange to me, as down here the only real religious tension arouses between totally different faiths (eg. Islam - Christianity/Judaism - Islam and so on).
btw, You wouldn't happen to be the same MightyCad from Mpfreescene now would you? :p |
|
|
|
|
