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

Sorry racist fools who voted leave that should be!

When there is no plan, the best plan is to rubbish all other plans and then play the victim game and throw in a smattering of racist bigotry and vitriol for good measure.

I really want to read that article now but my brain won’t allow my finger to hit the button. WILL NOT SUPPORT DM! Can I read it somewhere other than the newspaper shop without hiking their readership?

Placemats - that’s too depressing re. Clickrate. Oh dear.....

Murpher you may be able to get the jist of what was reported from other publications i know a few irish papers ran with what was said today but you won't see the comments section which is the most appalling part

There is a website that gives the main stories of the DM without having to click on the website. I can't remember what it is and I haven't been successful with google - quell surprise.

Perhaps other posters might be helpful.

Dulra - many thanks, not sure I really want to see the comments section tbh.

What I find a bit shocking about that article is: the Daily Mail usually spins things and puts a strong bias on it. But in this case, they've outright lied.

The article suggests Leo Varadker has suggested ireland will ban British planes from Irish airspace. What he was actually saying was that the British government can't just assume the Open Skies agreement will apply to them after Brexit- that applies to the whole EU, and has been talked about really openly.

Nobody writing at the daily mail is stupid enough not to understand what he meant. This actually feels like crossing a line from their usual reporting.

Also, with varadker, the combination of the usual anti-Irish slurs and some bonus racism is particularly galling, as is the fact that he is basically a Tory himself, so the irony that if it wasn't for brexit they'd find they had a lot in common is almost funny. He's hot behaving any differently than a U.K. gov would in Irelands position, if anything he's being a lot more restrained.

Thanks placemats, I’ll hover around the newspaper stand at supermarket in heavy disguise.

The few times I’ve been down that rabbit hole, it’s clear few of those commenting have even read the article

The DMs comment section has always been a cess pitt. Don’t even go over there nothing to be gained from reading their ridiculous “journalism” or comments from dickheads.

Murpher the visual of you doing that has given me a much needed chuckle thanks

reddressblueshoes absolutely agree but the sun ran with this lie too that seems to be the main one the irish media are reporting on

Here's that bastion of the truf The Belfast Telegraph on the matter. Note Sammy Wilson he of the quisling party DUP is quoted and the balance in the piece is NI Secretary Karen Bradley .

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/taoiseach-varadkar-slammed-for-silly-border-in-the-sky-comments-dup-say-hes-taken-leave-of-his-senses-37137638.html

Since the ref, racists have had a field day.

It’s grim. Ignore op.

Dulra - you’re welcome. Need a chuckle myself today, was thinking Inspector Clouseau plus big shades and a hip flask of scotch for the impending doom post read.

Leo was clearly making an off the cuff remark about lack off progress.

In défense of some British people bbc reporting on the Troubles back in the 80s and 90s was really appalling. It was only when I starting working in Ireland and speaking to Irish people there that I realised how misinformed I was......
The whole mess was always reported by the bbc pitted catholics vs Protestants and totally ignored much of the previous history as to why this happened.

Biologifemini - my exh is NI and I had no idea how twisted and Ill informed the BBC reporting was until I met him. Also, the LACK of reporting. We on the mainland got a very slim view from the BEEB of what was really happening back then

The sad thing is that the British establishment care even less and know even less about Northern Ireland than they do the Republic.

We on the mainland

The mainland?

I don’t know why you’re surprised, tbh.

The xenophobia about Ireland on MN alone is rampant. As is the ignorance. People are genuinely stupid when it comes to Ireland and our history.

What can you do? You try to educate, people try to argue with you about cold, hard facts.

And then the shock and indignation when English people find that as a nation they’re widely disliked! Hilarious!

You just have to ignore and thank whichever deity you subscribe to that your brain isn’t that small.

Oh Christ I read the comments last night . It's as well my husband was working nights, I internally ranted for an hour. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Leo - (wildly conservative) but personally I think he's doing alright re Brexit. I think what some Daily Mail commentators will never grasp is that he doesn't care what they think and neither should he. He's not going to suddenly slap himself on the forehead and go "oh fuck you're right, must remember my place".

Im not suprised tbh, most people don’t have much of an idea about the troubles & see it as a religious war etc.

We on the mainland

This always makes me laugh. You live on an Island!

Mainland by definiton means a continent or the main part of a continent.

Wish people would remember the large numbers of English folk who voted remain and feel sick at the prospect of this utter balls up.

It sucks. The daily mail sucks.

@Murpher

“We on the mainland”

Um, fuck right off with that please?

You’re not the “mainland” to Ireland’s inferior little island. You’re just another island that happens to be beside us.

It’s that in-grained imperialistic view that is behind so much of the crap between Ireland and the UK.