The DUP are absolute wankers.

[EmeraldShamrock]

I am not in the UK. I do sympathise with the Brexit disaster unfolding, I know people in the UK have much bigger concerns for their economy, than the NI border and GFA.

I am horrified the DUP were invited in. They are nasty poison bastards and I fear they will not agree to anything because it makes things different in NI. They do not care about cross border business, or fighting, as long as there the same as the UK. It is all a nightmare.
I watched a few clips on YouTube of Pop goes Northern Ireland of different stages during the troubles. It is very good, for anyone unaware of the fighting in NI.
Not an aibu. Just a rant.

I'm flabbergasted they believed the daylight from Theresa May. The woman lied to the Queen for Heaven's sake!

I didn't call NI the 6 counties. I said those in the 6 counties.

The use of the phrase the 6 counties is offensive.

As is the use of the term province.

mutual respect is the way forward and it behoves us not to use language that offends the other.

Please reconsider your use of that language.

@juells that was snarkiest than I intended- blaming a sick toddler on frayed nerves. I suppose I mean when it was first suggested to put a border up in Ireland between the north and the then free state there was fierce debate and frustration particularly in Ireland who saw the island as being a single entity.

Whereas now the unionists are finding that the very people they eat a union with don’t seem massively bothered that there is going to be a border of sorts put between them.

I find it strange that the Irish went nuts when it was originally suggested but the UK’s standpoint seems to be, well they’re very expensive so lash a border up.

Province is offensive?

@Maursh People vote DUP because they want to see NI remain part of the U.K. That doesn't mean they agree with their policies. It means the Union is more important to them than anything else.

Yes Province is offensive because the Province refers to Ulster, not Northern Ireland.

IDontGiveA Sorry i didn't mean to offend.

The use of the phrase the 6 counties is offensive.

As is the use of the term province.

Yes Province is offensive because the Province refers to Ulster, not Northern Ireland.

Ulster is a province. NI consists of six of the nine counties. Unionists refer to Ulster. The UUP has it in the name of the party.

To claim that describing NI as the six counties, or referring to NI as Ulster, is offensive is taking offense to a new level.

They're part of the Uk why wouldn't they want to remain so in every way.

@IDontGiveAFuckWhatArleneWears - Why? Why wouldn't someone call Northern Ireland "The 6 Counties"? There are more counties in Ulster but only 6 of those make up the area called Northern Ireland. I thought open to correction and a clearer understanding they were interchangeable when discussing the area on the island of Ireland that are governed by those who sit in Stormont.

I'm from NI and agree that the DUP are horrible. Sinn Fein are, too - but people keep voting for them both, so we're kinda stuck with them.

I think the thing that's really hit home for me during this whole Brexit fiasco is that people, including politicians, in the rest of the UK (particularly England) have absolutely no idea about Northern Ireland. Not the politics, not the people, not the landscape. I heard a Tory on the Nolan show refer to the DUP as Irish, and that said it all.
The other thing I've realised is that they really don't care about us. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, when our own politicians don't care about us enough to even sit down and do the job they're paid to do. But it is hugely disappointing.

Yes, the DUP did negotiate a deal with Theresa May which meant we'd get an extra £1 billion in funding - but we only actually get that when the executive is up and running. And the DUP, with Teflon Tessie, at their helm have refused to entertain that.

I quite like the DUP and I don't think not endorsing same sex marriage and abortion makes them bigots. Vast swathes of the population feel similarly.

@Aquilla you're right. That's not what makes them bigots. It's their treatment of, and attitude to, Roman Catholics and minorities that have earned them the title of bigot.

I honestly thought that Theresa May was being foolhardy because it’s not like they hide who and what they are (bigots and odious). Having read what the people of NI are saying I have to agree. The politicians just didn’t have a clue who they were dealing with.
The whole thing is a cluster fuck but dealing with the DUP is own special cluster of fuck.

When someone says “the six counties”, what they often mean is “the occupied six counties”.

That might not have been what the original poster meant, but I don’t like that term in the same way I don't like when people emphasise the London part of Londonderry.

You can be as offended as you like, won't stop Northern Ireland being in the province of Ulster

I get a sneaking suspicion that TM would be happy to accept the deterioration of conditions in NI in the hopes some semblance of a deal sneaks in under the radar.
If there Is civil unrest in NI, easier to deal with than losing her job.
And fucking BorusS talk yesterday about Rule from Dublin being imposed on NI did not help. Tue utter twat.

Beat me to it @Firstbornunicorn .
Quite liking the DUP is something to be ashamed of.

I think the reason the DUP do so well in elections is due to proportional representation. A lot of people seem to be under the illusion that they have to allocate all of the candidates a vote so this means that parties pick up extra seats on 4th or 5th preference. They also run their campaign on a vote for us or you will get them basis as do Sinn Fein. This means they garner votes in a general election from people who do not like them or their policies. They are politically and morally corrupt and use their pseudo conservatism to attract votes amongst the evangelical population.

The scariest thing about the state of NI politics is that a GE could be called tomorrow and nothing would change.

The DUP have so successfully made much of the unionist community so scared of “the nationalist agenda” that WC and MC unionists will bite their tongue in order to avoid their local seat going to Sinn Fein.

The recall vote for Paisley Jr is was dashed my last hopes of change anytime soon.

I think the reason the DUP do so well in elections is due to proportional representation

YY- 28% of voters voted for the DUP at the last GE. Not great, but far off the 55% figure that someone upthread quoted.

Just wish the UUP would pull their finger out and provide a realistic alternative for small-u-unionists who want to join the 21st century.

Should I not say "the mainland"?

I mean this:

a large continuous extent of land that includes the greater part of a country or territory, as opposed to offshore islands and detached territories.

ie, the parts of the UK that are physically joined to each other but not joined to NI.

Is this a controversial word? Genuine question and happy to be corrected.

There is nobody to vote for in NI if you are liberal, atheist, want women to have bodily autonomy and want equal marriage. Nobody I know who lives in Belfast votes, and these are educated people who are interested in politics. That’s why the DUP get in.

Is this a controversial word? Genuine question and happy to be corrected.

Only Unionists would refer to Britain as 'the mainland'. Wouldn't occur to most Irish people that there is a mainland. Only inhabitants of a small island off a coast would refer to a mainland, surely?

It's a minefield I tells ya