To be utterly depressed at this article and comments it generated in the Daily Mail

[Dulra]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5972845/Irish-PM-mocked-saying-ban-British-planes-airspace.html

I apologise in advance because I am linking a daily mail article and I know a lot of mumsnetters hate the daily mail and all it represents but this article and its hateful comments has really upset me. The article is referring to comments made yesterday by the Irish Taoiseach in relation to Brexit. He said “You cannot have your cake and eat it. You can’t take back your waters and then expect to use other people’s sky”. It was an ill-advised comment and he shouldn’t have said it. But it is no secret that the Irish government are getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on Brexit and the lack of a clear plan from the British government to negotiate with. His comment was in response to comments made in Britain that Irish fishermen could be banned from fishing in UK waters next to the Irish coast. The Daily Mail reported on it yesterday and continue to do today. What they said he said was that leo Varadkar had threatened to ban British flights over Irish airspace. Read quote above that is not what he said!
You can imagine the comments this generated mainly slagging off the Irish loads of potato famine references, leprechaun references, stupid irish, stupid Taoiseach, he’s not even Irish, where would Ireland be without Britain, the south should just join with the north and become a part of Britain again, Ireland is the begger state of the EU, Ireland would be better represented by a potato. I could go on and on and on.
I am just so sad that people think this and think it is ok to say these things. Fine Britain want to leave the EU but why the sudden hate against the Irish. Why is every other country that disagrees with brexit and is fed up with it suddenly a target for this hate. What hope has the Good Friday agreement got in this climate?


www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5972845/Irish-PM-mocked-saying-ban-British-planes-airspace.html

[VickyEadie]

I agree with you, but that's the entire Daily Mail raison d'etre, isn't it? Wind up the small-of-brain folk.

[Racecardriver]

YABU to let comments on DM articles get to you.

[Vitalogy]

I suggest you stop reading that newspaper.

[PositiveVibez]

But the daily mail is written for misogynistic, bigoted, xenophobic idiots.

Did you really expect reasoned debate in the comments section?

[PaddyF0dder]

Its nt exactly need to say that the right wingers have a history of Ireland bashing. Heck, in my experience as an Irish person in Britain, the average punter doesn’t “get” ireland, doesn’t know a thing about the history of the relationship of our countries, and doesn’t really understand that we’re not part of Britain.

Still, don’t buy the mail and don’t click on their articles. You’re just funding hate.

[WarPigeon]

Complaining about idiotic comments on DM articles is the same as complaining about racism on Liveleak comments, futile. Don’t read them, don’t engage and the problem is solved.

[Dandeliontea123]

he's not even Irish

[InspectorIkmen]

Exactly what PositiveVibez said.

DM comments is for the hard of thinking, bigots, racists, ASBO holders and the barely literate. And Russian trolls.
Don't go there, ever, and your life will be better.

[switswoo81]

I agree that the daily mail targets a certain type of person but I don’t think it is a good idea to dismiss the readers completely. The amount of likes these hateful comments get indicate that there is a following for these views. The vitriol towards the Taoiseach is astonishing. Maybe the comments weren’t well advised but to be honest the dismissive attitude of many English politicians towards the Irish is shocking.

[sheepsheep]

I agree with switswoo81

These people may be ignorant and uneducated but they are large in number, and it would be dangerous to dismiss that many people.

DM comments, like facebook comments, are a cesspit of bigotry, racism and xenophobia. While they are hard to read, they do show up the negative side of the country and the questionable (and often abhorrent) views that people hold.

I don't know what the answer is, but dismissing it and hoping it goes away isn't going to work.

[MillyTheKid]

Comments don't surprise me in the least. Brexit has empowered lots of nasty people to bring their unpleasant views out from under their stones. As for any Brits feeling hard done by, the attitude seems to be along the lines up 'Right, we're cancelling our gym membership but still expect to pop in to use the sauna, swimming pool and badminton courts'.

[NewYearNewMe18]

Behind the NYT the DM is the most widely read English speaking newspaper globally.

You'd be equally a bigot to dismiss every reader as illiterate, racist, a Russian Troll etc. Very narrow minded actually.

[Vitalogy]

Funny, the amount of people on MN that hate the DM seem to read it all the time.

[BaronessBlonde]

I won't dignify that 'paper' by clicking on your link.
I don't need to - I'm already sufficiently familiar with the mindset, from personal experience living in the south of England.
It's grim.

Britain is causing mayhem to it's neighbours.

It's akin to your neighbouring semi-detached homeowners deciding that they want to have a detached house.
They decide to get the builders in and split your two homes apart.

But they want you to pay for the repairs to the party wall; and they want you to take responsibility for the impact on your home insurance and your security.
All the time insisting that they are within their "rights" because it's all happening within their boundaries.

It may be legally correct but it's morally wrong.

I like England and the English...but right now, as a country, it's making it very difficult to be friends with them.

[mumsastudent]

daily mail has never let exact and full truth get in the way of a story, trouble is how many people believe its gospel, as they do with anything on the internet - research read and check your sources is always the best way to go - misquoting & out of context is often used by these kinds of articles from this kind of news (ahem) paper.

[Arum51]

You're surprised by the attitude of many British people towards Ireland/the Irish? I'm not. The level of ignorance among the general population about the history of our two countries is breathtaking. All the old bigotry about 'Taigs' etc still lingers, it hasn't really gone anywhere.

It's one of the things that irritates the shit out of me whenever a debate about Catholic schools comes up. The comments under that article are exactly why they were set up in the first place, and a great illustration of why we still need them.

[IveGotBillsTheyreMultiplying]

I deleted the app from my iPad recently. They'll have to stop printing it if we stop clicking on it.

[Murpher]

OP - I agree with many of the other posts, don’t read DM, however I’m a firm believer in being aware of public opinion and the DM has a massive readership, shocking, but true unfortunately. Keep it in context, the DM readers are by definition, bigots, racists xenophobic blah, blah blah and they and DM are co-dependant. Read it with your sensible hat on and thank the Lord you have a broad mind. I’m currently applying for my Irish passport and thanking my lord for my Irish descendants.

[Murpher]

BaronessBlonde - best description ever of Brexit. Now I get it!

[BaronessBlonde]

Really Murpher?
I'm glad it helps...but it's surprising to me that English (and I think? Welsh) people are really not aware of how/what they voted for.

Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to remain (? yes?).

I admire Leo Varadker for keeping his cool- which has done to date. And to be lambasted due to having made one comment in the face of such provocation, smacks of trying to justify "splitting the house in two".

[BaronessBlonde]

From The Sun...

"Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said: 'His words are those of an airhead'."

In an editorial inside the paper and published online, a headline read: "The Irish PM is a fool, but this latest tantrum exposes Brussels’ intentions to keep us in its grip.""

[Dulra]

I absolutely agree i need to stop clicking on dm articles but unfortunately as others have said the comments are in their thousands and the likes in their tens of thousands. It also doesn't help that politicians such as rees mogg and johnson spout very anti irish stuff as well often peddling the old colonial attitude. It shows there is still a belief among many that Ireland should shut up and know their place and stop interfering in the big boys game. They fail to grasp that we are a sovereign state and have as much right as any other nation to have a say in the brexit negotiations

I lived in london for a long time and I married to an English man so holiday there frequently and attitudes have changed

[Murpher]

BB - yes, I’m Scottish and we overwhelmingly voted to remain so it’s a little galling to be dragged along on this ride. I also admire Leo Varadkar.

[placemats]

The Daily Mail has the highest hit rate of any online newspaper in the world

Obviously YANBU. Plus the comments below cannot be ignored. It's the zeitgeist innit.

Disgraceful article and will do Brexit plans no favours whatsoever.

[zsazsajuju]

Unfortunately there are loads of racist fools who voted remain and have this view that because everything hasn’t just magically worked out to their advantage (even though there was no realistic possibility it would) it’s all because Johnny Foreigners are campaigning against us and they should remember who won the war/etc. I don’t think unfortunately the comments re other European leaders/people in the daily mail are any less racist.

Unfortunately there are lots of racist people who think they are superior to other nationalities (and if they were to be honest with us to non-white brits). It was mainly why they voted leave in the first place. The daily Mail encourages them and feeds them what they want to hear but can’t be held wholly responsible.