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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU - England couldn’t care less about Northern Ireland

579 replies

ThisThatTheOther · 09/04/2021 08:19

Northern Ireland has seen a return to violence , petrol bombs etc every night for a week now. It’s dominated the headlines here in Ireland. People are worried as peace up north is so fragile. Listening to the radio yesterday an old advisor of Tony Blair was on to discuss. The radio host read out the top 8 listed stories on all main English sites and the violence of Northern Ireland didn’t even feature. It’s the top headline again in all major Irish publications this morning but not in English publications.

OP posts:
Marmite27 · 09/04/2021 08:21

I didn’t know about it until a poster mentioned it on another thread and I googled.

It’s disgusting (both the incidents and the reporting).

Mamimawr · 09/04/2021 08:21

If the English media gave it the attention it deserves then they would have to admit that Brexit was a huge mistake and they don't want to do that.

Lockheart · 09/04/2021 08:21

It's the second story on both the BBC and The Guardian this morning behind Covid related news.

WhenSheWasBad · 09/04/2021 08:24

@Mamimawr

If the English media gave it the attention it deserves then they would have to admit that Brexit was a huge mistake and they don't want to do that.
This.

I’m sure it’s not 100% Brexit but I’m also sure that a lot of it is Brexit related.

People warned this would happen, over and over again. A lot of English people just don’t give a shit.

Totallydefeated · 09/04/2021 08:24

It’s the media who decide what gets reported, not the people.

I’m English and care very deeply about this. The potential for violence was a big part of my worries over Brexit. I don’t want anybody to have to live with violence.

noblegiraffe · 09/04/2021 08:25

The lack of news coverage has been really shocking. I became aware of what was going on through twitter a few days ago and when I went to the BBC news site to read about it, the only story I could find was hidden in the Northern Ireland section like it was a niche local interest issue. Not even in the politics section!

It seems to be more in the news now, but given the coverage of Kill the Bill protests as a comparison, it’s nowhere near good enough.

Biscuitsanddoombar · 09/04/2021 08:26

Most People I speak to in my generation (40s/50s) are appalled at what’s going on because we grew up with the constant coverage in the 70s/80s

It was pointed out many times that by pursuing the version of brexit that he did, BJ was destabilising the good Friday agreement but he handwaved it away with all the usual “jam tomorrow” comments

The government were warned repeatedly, they ignored it, and now they have no answers

I feel as if I’m getting to relive the 70s all over again....

Biscuitsanddoombar · 09/04/2021 08:27

And yes the lack of coverage and linking it to a consequence of brexit is appalling!

MildredPuppy · 09/04/2021 08:29

I think we are kept deliberatley in the dark to be honest. I had an excellent state education and i didnt learn anything about NI. Once there were no bombs it was never mentioned again on the news. The brexit campaign literally didnt mention it at all and i think the current events are not being discussed on purpose. The bbc is scared the governmdnt will take its funding away for a start.

Chimboo · 09/04/2021 08:32

I care and so does everyone I know. It’s terrible and we were worried about the potential for this when Brexit first became a “thing”. The media here won’t report on it properly because (1) it’s got nothing to do with the only thing that matters ever - Covid and whatever fear-mongering is due that day, and (2) it doesn’t fit the Brexit narrative. If you want to know what’s happening in the world these days you really have to search for it. Our mainstream media is worse than useless.

Thewiseoneincognito · 09/04/2021 08:33

Forgive my ignorance but why is this happening in 2021?

Why has Irish society not been able to move on and why on Earth are young people getting caught up in this? Anyone under the age of 30 is clearly continuing the hate perpetuated by their parents.

How does this stop?

skirk64 · 09/04/2021 08:33

YABU, simply because I'm English, in England, and am well aware of the violence that is going on. It's on the BBC news, it's not being hidden away or ignored.

If it's getting less attention than people in NI think it should, maybe it's because we English have realised that people in the devolved nations mostly despise us, we are in a position where if we comment and get involved we are wrong but if we don't that's also wrong, so frankly, why bother?

The border in the Irish Sea or hard border between Ireland and NI were not an inevitable consequence of Brexit, they were a political decision by the EU and Irish and UK governments. Borders are avoidable - the EU insisted upon one. From what I've read though the current protests in NI mainly aren't about this, they are about the fact that police took no action against a mass turnout for an IRA funeral during lockdown, and because the police are targeting loyalist groups carrying out organised crime.

NichyNoo · 09/04/2021 08:34

I don’t think many people in England are interested in Northern Ireland if I’m honest. I think most people accept that invading another country and colonising it (whether Ireland, India or various African countries) was a bad thing and wouldn’t really care if Northern Ireland was handed back to Ireland.

IVflytrap · 09/04/2021 08:35

The media don't care and are deliberately under-reporting it. Westminster barely care, but plenty of English people do care, me among them.

ZaraW · 09/04/2021 08:35

Sky news have been reporting.

Original poster
ThisThatTheOther · 09/04/2021 08:37

@NichyNoo

I don’t think many people in England are interested in Northern Ireland if I’m honest. I think most people accept that invading another country and colonising it (whether Ireland, India or various African countries) was a bad thing and wouldn’t really care if Northern Ireland was handed back to Ireland.
I think this is very true.
OP posts:
CoolCatTaco · 09/04/2021 08:38

It's not the lack of reporting, it's the way it has been presented, especially on the BBC who tried to dress it up yesterday as sectarianin pitch battles. It absolutely is not.
Basically the DUP got their mates in the UDA/UVF to round up a load of disadvantaged teenagers to riot because they'd made fools of themselves trying to bully Simon Byrne out of his job & of course Brexit, which is an unmitigated disaster for NI. The interface trouble was a very small part of the violence and happened because the loyalist mobs attacked the peace gate & tried to force their way into the Catholic side.

maddening · 09/04/2021 08:43

It was a main news story last night on the BBC news and also discussed at length on newsnight.

Having other news stories also though does not indicate that no one cares.

As far as brexit goes, I don't think that there is any solution that would leave all parties happy, particularly when you include the EU requirements, the EU require a border somewhere, but wherever it is causes issues. Imo the GFA could only exist because we were in EU, I think this is a riddle with no answer that won't fuck up peace. I have certainly not heard of any alternative proposition that would answer it peacefully.

Doughnut100 · 09/04/2021 08:45

2 days ago the BBC headline about it was "PM expresses concern about NI" or something to that effect. It made me so mad. The BBC is a government mouthpiece. The article wasn't actually about Boris at all. Why did they have to frame the issue from his point of view in the headline? It's an important issue in its own right, I don't give a fig how it makes our embarrassment of a PM feel.

CoolCatTaco · 09/04/2021 08:46

The Republican - not IRA - funeral is a bit of a red herring. Sinn Fein behaved really badly over it, but it's relevance is somewhat over stated. It's being used as an excuse to destabilise because the DUP messed up Brexit and can't bully their way out of it. There are plenty of other lockdown breaches...basically everything Sammy Wilson does is breaking Covid rules never mind the Loyalist mobs in Pitt Park, threatening port staff in Larne, illegal Marches etc.

AuntieStella · 09/04/2021 08:47

It was top story on the BBC news yesterday evening, and is the top non-Covid article on the website

But only the FT and The Metro have it anywhere on their front pages

Taken on board the comments above about style of reporting. What's been absent is all the build-up to this, and just generally what's going on in NI politics. Coverage only when there is an exceptional event isn't a great approach by national news organisations.

IME the BBC has dumbed down considerably in recent years, and I watch more by habit than anything else. I sometimes watch SKY, but does anyone have recommendations of any others MSM which cover more current events (and little to no entertainment or sport)?

noblegiraffe · 09/04/2021 08:51

People saying YABU it’s in the news are maybe unaware that it has been going on for days and is only in the news now.

Things were bad days ago and you had to hunt for coverage.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 09/04/2021 08:56

I think a lot of English people dont understand the history and therefore struggle to understand current events and the peace process. Its also been complicated by Brexit.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 09/04/2021 08:57

@noblegiraffe

People saying YABU it’s in the news are maybe unaware that it has been going on for days and is only in the news now.

Things were bad days ago and you had to hunt for coverage.

Good point. Took 4 days to make it into my twitter feed.
MythicalBiologicalFennel · 09/04/2021 08:57

IME the BBC has dumbed down considerably in recent years, and I watch more by habit than anything else.

I agree - also with the pp that said it's the government's mouthpiece.

The Irish Times Brexit coverage has been excellent - I haven't read it recently so I can't comment on their approach to the recent riots.

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