Loyalists in Belfast missing a trick.?

[Stoneinwelly]

Watching the news on the rioting in N.I. Aibu in thinking the loyalists could turn the whole flag raising and lowering business to their advantage?

Nobody really notices a flag up everyday iykwim but one hoisted for special occasions would get more attention. They could get the bugle out ,like Ypres,
and have a cake and pictures for really special days like Earl of Essex' B.D.

My dh and had a phone convo about it this evening (he's on-call).

His thinking - (remember he grew up in Belfast, went to grammar school in the city centre etc, he knows it, which is why he chose to leave half his life ago!).

Until this is over, we don't visit. His mum lives in a naice bit of Belfast but has been held up en route home (like just down the road) by burning tyre barricades etc. We had thought about going at Easter, were planning a definite visit in June. But I will NOT, and neither will he, expose our children to the experience of sitting tying to get past burning barricades in the street. It's not normal. I don't care who builds them, I'm not going to put myself in a position to put up with them. Over a flag that no one else in Btpritain sees flown any more often than is being planned.

His comment - "I left the bloody place because of that, I'm not ever going back to it". Personally, I think NI is the poorer for the people, like him, who left because of the troubles. But most of them aren't returning.

Bratinghampalace - please do not think for one moment that I was or am defending Bureni's comments. I took exception to my home being referred to as "that bloody place". Whist I fully appreciate that we must have had differing experiences of living here I think it's unfair to lambast an entire country for the actions of a minority.

I live in Northern Ireland and I am proud to do so. That will not change because of the current protests.

Yes, agree, northern Ireland osa wonderful place to live. There has been no trouble that I've seen for the last two night, and since Christmas it's been confined to one small area. Interestingly, before Christmas when the trouble was much more widespread, there was far less news coverage than there is now.

Northern Ireland can be a great place to live and bring up children, we are actually hoping to move back because of the great education system, HOWEVER, when we went back for christmas I did notice how parochial it is, lots of middle class snobs, lots of middle class church goers who are always harping on about sending their grammar school educated young people to Africa but do nothing to help the socially deprived three miles up the road from their lovely houses in South Belfast.

Weegie, no harm like, but any time there's a NI thread you post about how your DP is from here and how it's awful and how you'll never live here....you're entitled to your opinion, but you're massively overstating what's going on at the moment.

The trouble is pretty much confined to small areas in one part of Belfast. I'm in the north of the city and there has been literally no trouble (or even protests) since before Christmas. A few more weeks and it'll have blown over, unless something else happens to fan the flames.

Yes, some people here are morons. But it's the same everywhere, and unfortunately NI has a troubled past that isn't going to be helped by our best and brightest leaving and then putting us down to everyone who'll listen. Stop being so bloody defeatist, everyone!

NI is a great place to live if you are comfortably off and can live well away from the trouble spots, really wouldn't fancy being in one of the deprived areas for numerous reasons.

Scarlett, that is avoidable and you get that wherever you go. Belfast is so diverse now, and so cosmapolitan that its easily avoided.
You would get that anywhere, i found that in England, (no offence to anyone) its only Human Nature. Where i live, i can assure you that that doesn't happen, and my son goes to a grammar school and that doesn't happen in his school either! xx

I have lots of friends at home who are well educated, non bigots and open minded, however, equally the religious right do seem to be very much alive and kicking and so much more so than in Scotland.

Scarlett, i'm a single mother with a mortgage, a job, and a car. I also live away from the "trouble spots"
Just like everyone else really x
Can i also add, my home has 3 bedrooms, front and a lovely back garden with my own drive and a garage.

Yes I know people don't want to hear that my dh (born and bred NI) and I don't want to live there.

It's parochial, every time we go I'm having to explain flags, kerbstones, attitudes in church etc to my kids.

I'll keep it that way thanks. Glasgow might be bigoted but we're not worried about our safety.

And bigheartedwoman if you think NI is better without my dh, well then you're happy to deprive where you are of a dedicated, talented doctor who is prepared to work in any community, however deprived, and does so, just without the sectarianism. Your loss. Not ours. I'm wondering just how threatened you feel by people who have travelled, lived elsewhere and see that the world, even he UK is a lot bigger than NI.

Well I'm glad you think he can stay where e is cos he left in 1988 with the intention of never returning. Can see why now.

Yes, I was wondering if anyone would point out the irony of leaving NI because it's bigoted and then moving to....Glasgow. Hmm.

Weegie- you are coming across as the less well educated now. That's great you married a doctor. What do you do?

Good for you and your family
I wish you well.

Bet he went to methody.........

Yes come live in Glasgow and tell me it's more/as bigoted. Have you lived here? He's lived in Belfat, Edinburgh, NW Scotland and Glasgow. He'd choose 3 out of the 4 again. Clue: it's not in Scotland.

This is getting pretty close to the chat rules on personal attacks I think. Let's see how it goes?

Scarlett -close but no cigar. He's always said the methody girls had nice legs though!

(he went to Inst)

Clearly the northern Irish humour hasn't rubbed off.

Oh my believe me there's plenty of bigotry in Glasgow.

As I posted earlier, there were 300, yes THREE HUNDRED orange walks in the City in 2011. It's a fecking disgrace.

The vast majority of people don't want them. They really don't. Just as, I have no doubt, the majority of people in NI don't want to go back to The Troubles.

It's 2012 and we all need to strive for peace.

Scarlett, my dh is pretty impressed he married a teacher who works with illiterate young mums from nasty housing estates and their children - and doesn't escape to the posh suburbs after either.

I don't care what he does. I care that he gives a shit about the people he works with.

Now you can keep slagging him off about his opinions on where he came from, but don't insult his professionalism or my reasons for marrying him. I'm not a snob, he's not a bigot. But I can't expect to explain that here.