Reading this article the word that came to mind is "blinkered". Then I realised that the one of the authors is Patrick Roche, once described to me as evidence that very smart people can be bigoted, and to be it started to make sense.
I agree with most of the criticisms of 1/
Nationalists and Republicans but the complete lack of criticism of the Stormont regime is staggering. My Granny told me a story about her father who had come to Belfast from across the water & voted for the NI Labour Party all his life here.
One of the reasons was 2/
a march to protest against unemployment in the Great Depression was organised from the Lower Newtownards Road to Stormont. It never left the Lower Newtownards Road as the protestors were beaten off it by the RUC acting on the orders of their UUP masters.
The old Stormont 3/
regime was a con on the protestant working class.
The bogeyman of the evil priest-ridden South was used to keep them in line.
The pill was sweetened by preferential treatment in housing and jobs.
I really would like to see a breakdown of the figures in housing given.
The treatment of the marchers in the 1920s echoed btw the treatment of the strikers in 1907 which included a calvary charge on the Shankill Road.
When it comes to history in this place we all need to carefully check the plank in our own eye is included in our discussions.
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Unionists are complaining that they are not being listened to.
1921 - 1974 Old Stormont Regime - Complaints made about Unionist govt by Nationalists, Liberals & NI Labour.
Unionist response - "We're the majority. You Taigs & Lundys have to (cont'd 1) bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…
"dry your eyes, stop whinging and suck it up!"
1974 - 1997
Attempts to make a fair settlement in NI based on Consent of the whole community.
Unionist response -
"We're the majority you Taigs & Lundys should dry your eyes, suck it up and accept the solution we want" (cont'd 2)
1997 - 2006
UUP position - "OK, we accept the GFA and Consent but we're still the majority & in any disputes the Nationalists and Alliance have to accept what we want, dry their eyes, stop whinging & suck it up."
DUP - "The GFA is a betrayal! We're the majority so the (cont'd 3)
Another poll has support for independence at over 50% & the SNP on course for an overall majority.
I have thought about how deal or no-deal affects this & I think that the SNP are in a win-win situation. A no-deal makes the tearing apart of the Union 1/ scotsman.com/news/politics/…
even more harmful and we have seen some of the Indy supporters spout the same nonsense about a British border being seamless as the DUP & ERG said about the Irish Border. However, the anger at Scotland being forced out of the EU without a deal "against its will", may be 2/
enough to carry a "Yes" to independence through to victory. Thus a win for the SNP.
In a deal situation the economic effect of a British Border is much less and even with less anger against Westminster, it becomes easier for the SNP to argue for independence.
Again a win. 3/