to think you can't smear corbyn for supposed sympathy to the IRA and supposed willingness to do deals with the SNP and THEN do a deal yourself with the DUP?

[deeedeee]

How the hell do the tories think that they will get away with this?

so they still own the media right ?

I have been outspoken about Corbyn's connections and his poor judgment and don't feel he should ever be PM

I strongly disagree with what May is doing

So there is your answer

And Thatcher/Major/Blair having talks with the IRA was about national security why this keeps being compared to Corbyn talking (or apparently not) with the IRA is stupid I don't believe posters are that stupid to not know the difference

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed

Corbyn talked to the IRA 30 odd years ago. It is not relevant imo. What the Tories are doing is fatalistic. The DUP are dangerous for women.

No his judgement which I have also mentioned is relevant now (and that is recent issues)

Have I said I agree with what May is doing ? Read my post

Great posts from FreeButtonBee, Sunnymorningwithbacon and EnthusiasmIsDisturbed

Corbyn being linked with IRA terrorists is not a smear, it is fact; as are his more recent links with ME terrorists and anti-semites, who are dangerous for everyone. Yes, there is clear hypocrisy in the Tories' stance now but that does not nullify Corbyn's unpleasant past. Both are inexcusable.

The thing is, Mo Mowlam spent the Blair years securing peace in NI. It's her legacy. She had to be in regular contact with all parties and this is going back 20 odd years irrc. People were moving on, healing the wounds of the civil war (the troubles as the BBC always insisted on calling it for some unknown reason) Since then, Sinn Fein have become a progressive force in NI and the DUP have remained stuck in a nasty, reactionary time warp. Why is it socially acceptable to form a coalition with the latter, but you're a pariah if you so much as hint that maybe Sinn Fein aren't total monsters decades on? I guess it's the right wing bias that never gets old.

Apologies EnthusiasmIsDisturbed

I just thought that after calling an election no-one wanted and making a mess of it, surely by the time you realise you have to go into coalition with the actual DUP your government must not be fit for purpose?

DUP and UDA have very close links. Too many people have been murdered recently due to the UDA. This is apart from the out of date, right of Westboro Baptist Church beliefs the DUP have.

Surely there has to be something better for the people of the UK? Who could possibly want it?

Thebit that gets me isthat now the whole of this place is up in arms. There are tons of threads going holy fuck who are these guys.

And yet if I'd posted what they were like 6 months ago no one on here would have believed me.

And that does piss me off. No fucker cared when it was just us Paddy's over the water. But now you care.

Do you care about our dead yet? Do you care about our rights?

If this achieved nothing else at least people on the mainland are being educated.

I hear you.

Yes Sunny, that exactly. It's like everyone just remembered we exist and Team GB have to crowbar the "& NI" back into their branding.

*Yesterday 16:30 MrsTerryPratchett

I used to be able to do a passable Ian Paisley impression. Maybe I should dust it off*

Was it "no surrender"? It must be?

As a female catholic in NI I must say it's an unbelievable situation, most people in Northern Ireland accept the DUP have terrorist links. Although I do agree that this spotlight might do something to help drag those dinosaurs into the reality of modern life. It does seem as though people in England didn't care about NI politics until now, I'm actually glad they will be scrutinised.

But some forget that those girls going to school were protected every day, regardless of the political affiliations of their parents

Only someone from Northern Ireland could say that.

The DUPs ideologies are appalling.

And honestly, does anyone actually sympathise with terrorists? The phrase really grates on me.

The Tories have had a horrendous campaign and this move smacks of just how desperate they have become. Not a move that I stills confidence .

YANBU - she's an absolute hypocrite. Don't do as I do, do as I say. I'm just wondering what on earth is going on behind the scenes because it looks as though she's willing to do anything to keep power.

I'm sorry that you feel me saying that at the time they were protecting those girls the security forces in Northern Ireland were risking their lives by doing so.

I condemn All Terrorsim by whoever does it. And those security forces were at risk of being blown to bits because they did their job.

I am no apologist. Some of the security forces in Northern Ireland during the troubles carried out terrible atrocities but very many did not and just did their job.

Sunnymorningwithbacon, I get how fucked off you must be feeling. I'm raging on your behalf. Nobody gave a fuck about the DUP before and now they are worthy of consideration. Fuck, so many people had never even heard of the DUP.

I adore NI. Go shopping there regularly, love the drive into Newry, all hills and mist and that beautiful church on the way in from Co. Louth. Did The Gobbins recently, it was stunning. I love Belfast. Belfast City Hall at Christmas makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and festive.

I hate the way Ireland doesn't seem to matter to some people in England. My sister is back and forth between Ireland and England for work, and was utterly gobsmacked by how many of the people that she worked with assumed that Ireland was part of the UK, assumed that Ireland was desperate to be part of the UK, and/or just knew nothing about Ireland. It must sting even more when you're part of the UK and so many people haven't a clue about your country.

onemorerose

I once saw Mark Thomas do an impression, he said anything Paisley said would be frightening and illustrated it by reading a shopping list. In my house 'Pop tarts' in a (very bad) NI accent is still said frequently around these parts.

I'm old but not that old.

(Going to out where I lived now)

DUP area to the core.

The swings were chained on a Sunday.

In 2012 - that is 2012 people not 1912 - a major sponsor of the local football team withdrew his support because the team played a match on a Sunday.

What is craziest is people saying that the DUP are not as bad as Sinn Fein because what the IRA were doing was worse.

I dare you to go to a Catholic area of NI and say that.

Read up on the shit the loyalist groups did during the Troubles before you start mouthing off about who was worse.

Exactly Seoul. Both sides were as bad as each other. And continue so to be.

Although I did have a laugh at the hack of Peter Robinson and his perma tan.

sunnymorningwithbacon yeah, it's fucking annoying when people have no idea what's going on outside their little bubble. There's another thread with people defending their ignorance, it's irritating.

Like when everything started about the Scottish referendum: I had English people saying 'aren't you lot independent already?' and then wondering why I can't be arsed discussing politics with them.

That was to your earlier comment.

I'm not claiming I know everything about NI (I'm Scottish), but I was amazed that my social media was full of 'who the fuck are the DUP?' today.

Seriously? Did you miss Ian Paisley, somehow?

This made me giggle.

theulsterfry.com/featured/exclusive-the-dup-wishlist-in-full/

Not all of us are ignorant. But that may be because as a young Catholic on the mainland in the 80s I was absolutely petrified of the angry shouty man who thought I was evil.
I think it links a little to the London centric media. There was never as much coverage of what the 'other side' were up to. They had no need to attack the mainland of GB. I thought we had moved on.
The Good Friday Agreement was one of the high points of twentieth century politics. I have been worried about it's future since the Brexit vote (where again people on the mainland forgot about NI's existence). I am hugely concerned about its future now.

Today's News:

Tory/DUP debt grows.