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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:
PADH · 09/04/2021 20:07

Just seen on local news that translink are cancelling bus services tonight due to the number of protests planned, and numerous supermarkets are cancelling their deliveries tonight as well.

knackeredcat · 09/04/2021 20:11

@yodaforpresident

For anyone interested there is a very good series on BBC download called Pop Goes Northern Ireland which looks at various years in Northern Ireland set to various pieces of music from that year. It’s well worth a watch and the 1998 one is particularly educational for those looking to find out more about NI history.
True, it is excellent but very hard watching at times. My dad's dead body covered up with a sheet was on one of the episodes.

I had been warned by BBC NI that it would be broadcast but nothing prepared me for that visual.

Never again.

Emeraldshamrock · 09/04/2021 20:12

@Huginamugg Unfortunately there are keyboard bigots they're idiots.
There are many church of Ireland attendees and pastors with many other religions all over Ireland.
The comments you read are equivalent to daily mail reader comments stupid comments from stupid people. Smile

CantBeAssed · 09/04/2021 20:15

@knackeredcat...thats so sad...im sorry for your lossFlowers

blubberyboo · 09/04/2021 20:18

It is less to do with religion than people think.. it’s all politics and this push pull between remain in UK versus United ireland

I live in NI. I am an atheist and identify with neither side.

20% in the 2011 census actually identify with no religion. It will be interesting to see how this has grown

But the culture here is to put you in a box which makes the 2 sides appear very dominant. Jobs , schools even the flipping census wants to make a judgement of your background so they they can attempt to put you in either box.

The DuP and Sinn Fein both get votes by fear and scaremongering. Uniting of hearts doesn’t benefit their causes

It means the language they use can easily inflame things and does regularly.

Even today the DUP appealed for the riots to stop but in the same breath still had to get a dig in to the PSNI chief to resign. Arlene didn’t bloody resign after RHI and 3 years of no government. I think we can forgive yer man who has the least enviable job in this country. But no they will keep nagging away because it gets people angry and that’s how they get their angry people votes.
There are in fact many many religiously mixed marriages with “Halfa Jaffa children” and also people living without religion in NI. They are just never discussed in the media.

Emeraldshamrock · 09/04/2021 20:23

For anyone interested there is a very good series on BBC download called Pop Goes Northern Ireland
I'll watch it. I thought the spotlight documentary was brilliant.
When Ian Paisley and crew burned the mannequin of Maggie Thatcher. Shock

randomer · 09/04/2021 20:26

I don't think it is about religion really more separate identities through nationality

Sorry , what does that mean? It is the same nationality surely?

DioneTheDiabolist · 09/04/2021 20:28

I always remembered the British soldier that was posted on our street. He was so young, he was a teenager.

You were 6years old and remember seeing an adult soldier and thinking how young he was @Sarahtrue11? As we say here: Yer hole!

Clydesider · 09/04/2021 20:31

I can't speak for all Brits, but I care very much about Northern Ireland.

My husband served numerous tours there and lost colleagues. Neither of us ever want to see a return to how it used to be.

randomer · 09/04/2021 20:31

“Halfa Jaffa children”
What is this please?

GeronimoHate · 09/04/2021 20:35

I wrote to my Tory MP about the threat of return to violence months ago - in his arrogance he patted me on the head and said it would all be fine - what the fuck did he know - he didn't live through it - I did. Blood on his hands and the rest of those fellow shits of his who allowed this to happen again!

Emeraldshamrock · 09/04/2021 20:35

what does that mean? It is the same nationality surely? Far from it. One side is British the other side is Irish prior to Brexit the Catholice held an Irish passport the protestants held a British passport, now they all have Irish passports to access the EU despite the loyalists voting leave.

blubberyboo · 09/04/2021 20:36

Halfa Jaffa is a slang term here for a child who has one parent a Protestant ( William of orange persuasion hence Jaffa cake) and the other parent a catholic

I am one myself and most people I know are one

FinallyHere · 09/04/2021 20:37

to pick an argument about religion

However complicated it might be, it's really, really not about religion and absolutely all about the concentration of power to control access to resources.

Jobs and housing for which 'we' were given priority in the original allocation and in the maintenance of housing stock while 'they' were denied that access. The religion was simply a way of easily identifying which side anyone was on, according to which school they had attended, which church they belonged to, even their name who be very clear markers.

Religion is just used as a marker.

A really determined effort to change things would start with integrated schools and ideally continue with an entire clear of entrenched interests.

Not just so easy to arrange.

Emeraldshamrock · 09/04/2021 20:40

It is like a secret I remember my midwife telling me her son played GAA like it was a secret. She'd never mention that in front of the others in the cross community care.

IsurviveonCoffeeandWinein2021 · 09/04/2021 20:42

By the sounds of things these politicians don't actually want people to move on. The division suits their cause and that's the worst part in all of this.

UhtredRagnarson · 09/04/2021 20:42

Sorry , what does that mean? It is the same nationality surely?

Which nationality is that?

Roodicus21 · 09/04/2021 20:43

It's not about religion anymore, otherwise why are my affluent Protestant/ catholic neighbours not out rioting? It's about deprivation, lack of education, lack of opportunities, jobs, lack of leadership from the grass roots etc etc.

I'm so sad that these riots have happened. Bobby storey funeral has been used as an excuse though- one kid was interviewed why he was rioting and he said 'Bobby storey needs to stand down'. Shows what misinformation people are feeding these young kids.

I drive through loyalist areas most days, for 2 months the amount of banners saying 'loyalist (x area) will not accept the protocol/ border in the Irish sea' has been growing week by week. Then we had rangers winning the league so up went all the rangers flags. Then we had the rangers celebrations. Thousands of people out on the streets, drinking, hugging etc. All breaking Covid rules. Probably unreported in the News. Double standards if obeying Covid rules were so important to them I would've thought?

Anyway I returned from London with my English dh and my young family last year. I still feel 100% safer here than I ever did there. It is still a fantastic place to live- great people, jobs, affordable housing, beautiful scenery, great schools. This tiny minority of misinformed thugs won't take that away from the 99% of people who want peace, going about their normal business- work, families etc. I have been unaffected by this in a day to day sense, but I feel extremely lucky to be in this position. I feel sorry for the kids (yes kids) thinking that they're contributing to some great cause.

Thankfully I've seen the posts on social media tonight asking loyalists to stand down as a mark of respect due to the death of Prince Phillip- as they pledge strong allegiance to the monarchy I would hope they do . Hopefully a night of no trouble will start something positive and put an end to this.

UhtredRagnarson · 09/04/2021 20:44

@IsurviveonCoffeeandWinein2021

By the sounds of things these politicians don't actually want people to move on. The division suits their cause and that's the worst part in all of this.
Of course they don’t want long term peace- they’ll all be out of jobs.
IsurviveonCoffeeandWinein2021 · 09/04/2021 20:47

@UhtredRagnarson I just think that's vile. I do not condone violence or riots but I understand why people are angry and feel like they need to do something. I'm just rewatching the spotlight documentary and it is utterly horrifying.

PADH · 09/04/2021 20:49

@randomer

I don't think it is about religion really more separate identities through nationality

Sorry , what does that mean? It is the same nationality surely?

Identifying as British or Irish, as opposed to Protestant or Catholic.
LookItsMeAgain · 09/04/2021 20:50

@LakieLady

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

Yep, it was dismissed as "Project Fear" and generally treated as a load of scaremongering.

When I pointed out that Brexit's incompatibility with the GFA would endanger the fragile peace in the island of Ireland to my MIL, she responded that Ireland should all go back to being one country... and part of the UK.

I've only read as far at this post and I do hope that you told your MiL to fuck off with that kind of comment being made. I'm sure that she may have gone on to suggest that Ireland should apply to rejoin the Commonwealth too, right?

The Republic of Ireland is very happy NOT being part of the soon to be dis-United Kingdom. We have our own shit-shows to deal with and we don't want or need to be part of anything that the UK might have to offer on that score.

Kendodd · 09/04/2021 20:57

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

I think that just about sums it up. There's not much else to say.

The most I ever got when I raised NI and Brexit with people was a disinterested shrug.

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 09/04/2021 21:01

[quote CantBeAssed]@knackeredcat...thats so sad...im sorry for your lossFlowers[/quote]
I'm sorry too @knackeredcat.

DioneTheDiabolist · 09/04/2021 21:04

No - my point is that Brexit is always characterised (as on this thread) as English Brexit voters not giving a shit about peace in Ireland. But the uncomfortable truth is that a good many people (of those could be arsed to vote) in NI voted for Brexit. Not a majority, but a significant minority. What about them? Were they also ignorant of NI? Did they also not give a shit about peace?

Well god and the DUP told them it was the right thing to do. All the nationalists I know who voted Yes to Brexit (not many) were aging terrorists who hoped it would hurry along unification and be a PITA of successive UK governments.