If you believe in the democratic will of the people...

[HappyHugs]

...how do you square the UK wide Brexit referendum result which said one thing with the Ireland wide Good Friday referendum which diametrically conflicts. Why does/should the Brexit one take precedence (esp in NI)?
Genuinely interested in how ‘democrats’ balance the two.

It won't have anything like the capacity of the short crossings via the land bridge though. It's good news but it's not a panacea.

because the Brexit vote was nationwide, whereas GFA was only local - therefore, Brexit has more power and value

Has anyone else’s irony meter exploded?

because the Brexit vote was nationwide, whereas GFA was only local - therefore, Brexit has more power and value

Utterly pathetic - an international treaty is less important than a national opinion poll.

Then some Leavers whine about being bullied when they are called out for posting rubbish.

Happy Hugs - seeing as the 2016 ref concerned the UK only, then of course it's more important for our (the UK's) interests than an all-Irleand one.

That's basically how nation states work, ie. they look after their own interests, just as Rep of Ireland is attempting to do now.

Peregrina: meh, that's drivel - international treaties are skewed almost on a daily basis , eg:

'here’s a long list just for the past 15 years – the bombing of Serbia, the separation of Kosovo from Serbia, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq without UN Security Council mandates, the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime through aerial bombardment, the aiding of a still-raging bloody insurrection in Syria'

etc, etc...

because the Brexit vote was nationwide, whereas GFA was only local - therefore, Brexit has more power and value

Brexit: non-binding national opinion poll (note: you can believe it to be non-binding but still believe it should be respected)

GFA: binding international treaty

Threetrees - one area where I agree with you about bombing Iraq, Syria etc. and look at the appalling death, sickness and destruction that has caused to all those places,

The person who wants to risk that starting again in their own country needs their head examining.
Are you just a paid shill for Donald Trump, because that's the sort of stuff his followers would say?

Although it is not reported in the rest of the UK, punishment beatings and kneecapping is still a 'feature' of some parts of NI. Granted nothing like the level of 20+ years ago so maybe Threetrees would like to go over and discuss with those involved and get it stopped?

Sorry threetrees but RoI was not the sole player in the GFA. The British government represented the NI position. Surely the continuation of peace in NI is in the interests of the UK.

The UK made a binding international peace agreement which it subsequently (without much thought it would seem to me) jeopardised it with a contradictory position. And we in NI, especially the border areas, whom you clearly care little about, are the collateral damage of that decision.
Do you really have no sense of responsibility for that?!

Threetrees is a GF who just wants to get a rise out of people with genuine concerns.

Instead of letting him annoy you, think of his ignorant and thoughtless posts as an opportunity to inform lurkers who might actually be interested in educating themselves

Thanks prettybird, if I thought these points were informing people about issues they knew little about, that itself would be encouraging

@happyhugs
On the basis you are in NI it would be helpful to the general discussion if you could present 'views from NI' to the thread. Obviously being careful about identifying yourself or location.
So many are unaware of the practicalities and tensions present in NI simply because it is not reported or discussed.

The biggest problem in NI is that there is no voice for the majority opinion. The DUP position on brexit represents a minority. Teresa May has refused to meet the other parties all of which wished to remain in the EU and, at this stage, support a backstop as the best alternative. The DUP position can best be viewed as ideology over economic reality.
Every single constituency that shares a border with RoI voted to remain.
SF do not take their seats at Westminster (refuse an oath of allegiance) and there are no SDLP or Alliance seats there is not a single nationalist voice in WM and the only remainer from NI is the formidable independent unionist Lady Hermon.
The democratic deficit is massive

In the UK, 17 million adults struggle with arithmetic and it’s costing us billions, writes Bobby Seagull in today's "i" newspaper

www.pressreader.com/uk/i-newspaper/20181029/282213716818079

That figure of 17 million seems familiar. Could these be the same 17 million who voted for brexit?- after all any numerate adult can see that it just does not add up.

The National Crime Agency is investigating Arron Banks and his Leave.EU campaign for alleged offences committed at the 2016 EU referendum.

Mr Banks and another senior campaign figure, Liz Bilney, were referred to the agency by the Electoral Commission.

The watchdog said it suspected money given to the campaign came "from impermissible sources".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46056337

Surely this should have happened two years ago before the government and businesses, here and in other EU countries, wasted all that time and money on following up the result of that crooked referendum? Brexit should be cancelled now.