To not get the hysteria over the DUP?

[dingit]

Cropping up on Facebook statuses today, photos with rainbows to stand against them.
I admit until last week I knew nothing about them. A quick look at their website does not show them to be homophobic, racist etc. And surely Teresa May has bigger worries than LGBT rights? They have 10 seats!
I'm not posting to be goady, I genuinely don't get it?

There has been a massive brain drain in NI, Silently. Our amazing and educated young people always left due to prior lack of investment and the Troubles. Now however, we hope to see a change.

We have an excellent education system but what we don't have is excellent professional development. I've been in the workplace for over twenty years and for the very first time I have secured a job with a company who undertake staff training, professional development, and support staff in undertaking professional study. I've never so much as been allowed to attend a one day course on excel or anything in the previous 20 years, and I've worked for some big companies. They prefer to moan that no one in N Ireland can meet their needs and bring staff across from their other offices in the rest of the UK instead of offering development to those that they have here.

And also, when economic development organisations were working hard at bringing these international companies here, they were sworn to secrecy until quite a late stage, so they weren't able to go to the schools and colleges and say 'in three years time we envisage needing X number of people who are qualified in Y'. That has changed now and economic development is working hand in hand with education.

It's honestly not about dislike. It's about my belief that problems can't be solved until they're acknowledged.

Treaclesoda my DH is going into schools to encourage young people to go into cyber security as NI is predicted to be one of the major global forces in the future in this area.

Most people in NI are all too aware of our problems. BUT... some people here are so entrenched in their beliefs and loyalty to their heritage - understandably - that they do not want things to be different.

Also, we hear all the time people from other places telling us how we are doing things wrong...just look at this thread!! When really most of us are just trying to live our lives as peacefully as we can and bring up our children and enjoy the little things. No different from anyone else.

My family have been here over 200 years, should we just bugger off back to blighty? While Ian Paisley was delivering his hate speeches, the ira where activity trying to murder my father, uncle and many other members of my family who had the ordacity to be in the forces, or farmers in border areas.

This is what colonists in other countries had to do... Similar time spans, too.

I went off and read a few Wikipedia articles (I know, not comprehensive, but will at least give a basic understanding) on things like the Holy Cross dispute, Drumcree, Ulster Protestants, Lambeg drums, the word Fenian and the Red Hand Defenders.

I came away with a much worse opinion of unionists, for the most part, especially the Holy Cross pictures. Small girls having abuse and balloons of urine thrown at them? Animals.

I came away with a much worse opinion of unionists, for the most part, especially the Holy Cross pictures. Small girls having abuse and balloons of urine thrown at them? Animals.

Most unionists are just people who want to maintain a union with the UK. You can't tar everyone with the same brush, there are very very few people who considered what went on at Holy Cross to be anything other than sickening.

@StrangeLookingParasite You've read quite a biased selection of articles there! Hardcore unionists and hardcore nationalists are both as bad as each other. There are also completely reasonable people on both sides.

Can you imagine how quickly a post would be deleted if someone said they'd read a few Wikipedia articles on...well pretty much any country, and then labelled people from one particular background as animals?

It would be deleted quicker than you could blink.

But anything related to Ireland is fair game. You can call either side whatever you want and that's just fine.

Slow handclap for reading a few wiki articles Strange and tarring us all with the same brush. This is really pissing me off on social media the last few days. I'm from a unionist background with a good friend who has children at Holy Cross and think it's fucking disgusting. We aren't all bigots.

Ps.. bit of a generalisation but we tend to call the more extremes loyalist and republican (not unionist and nationalist). Maybe do some more reading eh?

Here strange and others making sweeping generalisations read this:

www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/jim-cusack-ira-engaged-in-ethnic-cleansing-of-protestants-along-border-29150363.html

this is the reality my family as a protestant farming family living near the border grew up in fear of.

Curtains were kept constantly closed, no machinery or car was allowed to be started or gone near til it was checked for bombs, my mum was shot at once but they missed....

I can point out for you , at least 4 farming families in the vicinity who lost innocent family members to these circumstances

... now come back and give your view on the choices people in NI make.

Read the article I shared above in another post about the terror timeline, note the 3 teenagers shot in an punishment shootings alone in February this year.

All of us on this thread have repeatably stated we are not happy with the situation, but we grew up in it, we understand the complexity of it, we understand the deep rooted fears., we have seen the impact and continuing impact on peoples lives and the sweeping generalisations being stated are unfair and insulting to us.

And a slow handclap right back at you all for criticising me calling those particular unionists animals. You think those unionists were just reasonable people?

And it's not "anything related to Ireland", but you go on acting dramatic about it.

Has it occurred to you that some people here aren't from the UK and don't live there?
I was actually point out that it's possible to educate yourself, but you're all so fucking chippy about every little tiny thing, I think it's just impossible to even discuss anything, frankly.

After this little serve, I think I'll just leave you to it. I'd rather educate myself about something else.

I did not make sweeping generalisations.

Fuck me, it really is unresolvable, isn't it?

I can't read the article, it's behind yet another signup, which I am not prepared to do again.

Just posting back on here to apologsise for starting the thread and my subsequent inappropriate posts. ( if anyone is still reading).
I hold up my hands to my ignorance and have learned a lot from other posters.

Glad you've learned a lot.

Dingit....don't use hysteria as a word!!! Ok? I hope that is the first and foremost thing you have learned!!😃👍

Secondly, don't get involved in NI...you will just end up more confused than when you started! I have lived here for 44 years and I STILL don't get it!!!👍

The DUP are great if you hate gays, disagree with abortion and deny climate change..

Or if you just want Tory pricks to be in charge!!

It is very complicated lastgirl, I have to say.
I saw 'hysterical'on another thread last night about the fire, but sat on my hands