Clown Job Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 3 hours ago, Duries Air Freshener said: The Irish Language Act was more about long-term constitutional strategy IMO. 'Giving in' to things like that has consequences in the long run. Arlene Foster on the ILA Are you serious?" the DUP leader flashed back. "You think the DUP should implement an Irish Language Act as some sort of magnanimous step for Sinn Féin? We will never accede to an Irish Language Act." And then she was off into the bit about how there was greater need for a Polish language act as more people in Northern Ireland spoke that language than Irish. And then the coup de gras: "If you feed a crocodile, it will keep coming back for more." 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 26 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Only if the UUP get more seats than the DUP. I'm beginning to think they should go back to 2006 when the leader and deputy were elected by the Assembly rather than appointed by the top parties from either side. SF and DUP have tried to stitch up the system that way so they will always be in power together. Going from 6 to 5 MLAs per constituency also favours the largest parties. For example, the higher quota that creates helped ensure TUV got no gains and under STV that meant most of their votes transferred straight back to the DUP helping a disproportionate number of DUP MLAs get reelected despite the loss of about a quarter of their first preference votes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 53 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: SF and DUP have tried to stitch up the system that way so they will always be in power together. Going from 6 to 5 MLAs per constituency also favours the largest parties. For example, the higher quota that creates helped ensure TUV got no gains and under STV that meant most of their votes transferred straight back to the DUP helping a disproportionate number of DUP MLAs get reelected despite the loss of about a quarter of their first preference votes. Nail on head. It's incredibly messed up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Albus Bulbasaur said: Glad to see someone's dragged himself away from his cartoons and had a rare productive day outside... Antlion's trolling has reached a new low, if that's even possible. The discussion was going well 'til he popped on with a random, misogynist post about a female being fingered? Bizarre. What I don't understand is what his problem is with Quavers Salt & Vinegar?! Edited May 10, 2022 by Duries Air Freshener 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTG_03 Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 9 hours ago, Duries Air Freshener said: Antlion's trolling has reached a new low, if that's even possible. The discussion was going well 'til he popped on with a random, misogynist post about a female being fingered? Bizarre. What I don't understand is what his problem is with Quavers Salt & Vinegar?! Aye there's nothing strange about Dougie. He's a fearless leader doing a grand job. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 13 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Wise words from Sir Jeffrey. One last chance for the EU to get their act together and save the GFA before Johnson takes action. They need to let the MLAs get to work.. the sooner the better for everyone. Recent rhetoric from Lord Frost gives me hope and confidence. When this is all over, I’ll be writing to him on behalf of my organisation to offer our thanks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 4 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: Wise words from Sir Jeffrey. One last chance for the EU to get their act together and save the GFA before Johnson takes action. They need to let the MLAs get to work.. the sooner the better for everyone. Recent rhetoric from Lord Frost gives me hope and confidence. When this is all over, I’ll be writing to him on behalf of my organisation to offer our thanks. This is confusing. You admire Frost for selling your other hero Donaldson down the river? Is your organisation Sinn Fein? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 11 minutes ago, welshbairn said: This is confusing. You admire Frost for selling your other hero Donaldson down the river? Is your organisation Sinn Fein? I’ll choose to ignore those bizarre, loaded questions. Happy to debate sensibly if you’re up for it though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thane of Cawdor Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 12 minutes ago, welshbairn said: In fairness, Westminster is where this constitutional issue will be addressed and, possibly, resolved. Quite rational for the big guns to be firing from London rather than Belfast. I don't get the supposed equivalence between shutting down Stormont as a result of Unionist hostility to an Irish Language Act, and shutting down Stormont in protest against the inevitable sea border resulting from the contradictions between the Good Friday Agreement and a hard Brexit policy. Resolution of the former issue was in the gift of the Northern Ireland Assembly; resolution of the latter issue seems to be beyond the wisdom of Solomon. Speaking of big guns, and on an utterly trivial note, I previously thought of Jeffrey Donaldson as a fairly tall man, but he now appears to be of a similar height to Robin Swann. Is he being physically ground down by the pressures of his job(s)? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 3 minutes ago, Thane of Cawdor said: In fairness, Westminster is where this constitutional issue will be addressed and, possibly, resolved. Quite rational for the big guns to be firing from London rather than Belfast. I don't get the supposed equivalence between shutting down Stormont as a result of Unionist hostility to an Irish Language Act, and shutting down Stormont in protest against the inevitable sea border resulting from the contradictions between the Good Friday Agreement and a hard Brexit policy. Resolution of the former issue was in the gift of the Northern Ireland Assembly; resolution of the latter issue seems to be beyond the wisdom of Solomon. Speaking of big guns, and on an utterly trivial note, I previously thought of Jeffrey Donaldson as a fairly tall man, but he now appears to be of a similar height to Robin Swann. Is he being physically ground down by the pressures of his job(s)? I think he’s whacked on a bit of beef around the waistline too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eez-eh Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 21 hours ago, Donathan said: Were the Conservative Party not officially neutral on Brexit? Cameron campaigned for remain but allowed his MPs to campaign for either side. How does this refute the point @sparky88 was making? Presumably Alliance would be officially neutral on any border poll. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky88 Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) On 11/05/2022 at 12:45, Duries Air Freshener said: Wise words from Sir Jeffrey. One last chance for the EU to get their act together and save the GFA before Johnson takes action. They need to let the MLAs get to work.. the sooner the better for everyone. Recent rhetoric from Lord Frost gives me hope and confidence. When this is all over, I’ll be writing to him on behalf of my organisation to offer our thanks. If the GFA requires participation from DUP and Sinn Fein, the latter might decline participation at Stormont if the changes to the protocol aren't to their liking. In fact, they'd be unwise not to do this. Why would they trust that the UKG wouldn't go off in a huff about the solution they'd negotiated again, in that situation. Whatever happens the trilemma remains so the solution will be unsatisfactory to the UKG. Edited May 12, 2022 by sparky88 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) 5 minutes ago, sparky88 said: If the GFA requires participation from DUP and Sinn Fein, the latter might decline participation at Stormont if the changes to the protocol aren't to their liking. In fact, they'd be unwise not to do this. Why would they trust that the UKG wouldn't go off in a huff about the solution they'd negotiated again, in that situation. Whatever happens the trilemma remains so the solution will be unsatisfactory to the UKG. That’d be funny. ’We’re not going back to Stormont until the trade barriers within the country are back!’ Edited May 12, 2022 by Duries Air Freshener 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky88 Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 13 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: That’d be funny. ’We’re not going back to Stormont until the trade barriers within the country are back!’ Any change to the protocol would almost certainly involve the UK committing to some form of regulatory alignment with the EU. Which hampers any future trade negotiation the UK would have with another country. When that happens the moaning about the protocol from the Tories and DUP will happen again and we will be back to square one until a technological unicorn shows up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) 3 minutes ago, sparky88 said: Any change to the protocol would almost certainly involve the UK committing to some form of regulatory alignment with the EU. Which hampers any future trade negotiation the UK would have with another country. When that happens the moaning about the protocol from the Tories and DUP will happen again and we will be back to square one until a technological unicorn shows up. I don’t think that’s the case at all. There’d be no need for regulatory alignment with the EU. Edited May 12, 2022 by Duries Air Freshener 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: I don’t think that’s the case at all. There’d be no need for regulatory alignment. No need for regulatory alignment between the North and South of Ireland? Bang goes the GFA and any trade deal with America. Edited May 12, 2022 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 4 minutes ago, welshbairn said: No need for regulatory alignment between the North and South of Ireland? Bang goes the GFA and any trade deal with America. You’re crystal ball is broken, mate. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: You’re crystal ball is broken, mate. Your. You keep demanding intelligent debate, explain how there can be frictionless trade within the island of Ireland and also between the UK and NI without regulatory alignment. Edited May 12, 2022 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichtgilphead Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 56 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: That’d be funny. ’We’re not going back to Stormont until the trade barriers within the country are back!’ Somehow, I don't think that Irish republicans consider the UK to be "the country". I'm pretty sure that they would consider "the country" to be a united Irish republic, with no land border. There's no trade border at the moment. Is this a Brexit dividend for Sinn Fein? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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