North South divide ....

Robinson is not about to become an avid GAA fan, and yes, it would be nice if someday he could stand for the anthem, but it is all about small steps. Look at how far we have come in 20 years, compared to the previous few centuries.

You dismiss his attendance as some sort of token or symbolic gesture, but isn't that what so much of this whole thing is about? What is an anthem is not a symbol? Or a flag? Or even the Irish language? It was a symbolic gesture, and should be accepted in good faith.

Give and take NSG. Making unionists drop to their knees and beg forgiveness for centuries of wrongs is not going to solve anything. Accept and embrace the change without always looking for more straight away - there will be more movement in the future.

What was the difference in the DUP man not standing for the Irish Anthem at a GAA match and the shinner not standing for the British anthem at a Norn Iron soccerball match?

Tiny steps folks, we have a lot of mistrust on both sides that has to be gained back and personally i was delighted that the DUP man decided to attend the game at all!

Thomas Clarke wrote:Robinson is not about to become an avid GAA fan, and yes, it would be nice if someday he could stand for the anthem, but it is all about small steps. Look at how far we have come in 20 years, compared to the previous few centuries.

You dismiss his attendance as some sort of token or symbolic gesture, but isn't that what so much of this whole thing is about? What is an anthem is not a symbol? Or a flag? Or even the Irish language? It was a symbolic gesture, and should be accepted in good faith.

Give and take NSG. Making unionists drop to their knees and beg forgiveness for centuries of wrongs is not going to solve anything. Accept and embrace the change without always looking for more straight away - there will be more movement in the future.

Your totally missing the point TC, what is the point to this gesture when he is today actively blocking an irish language act?

His attendence at best can be seen as a gesture, to me it was electioneering which worked in cases such as yourself and many others.

An anthem is a symbol of national pride, to me he disrespects my anthem by his refusal to stand to it, they expect us to stand to GSTQ.

I dont want apologies either i want justice, Gerry Mc Geough is in jail for attempted murder in 1983, the soldiers who murdered in derry, west belfast, tyrone etc etc etc are being allowed to apologise and give the "lets move on speech", this gesture if you will in light of what ive highlighted here is diverting from the real problems that face stormont, such as how to deal with the past, PROPERLY accepting one anothers culture and the list doesnt stop there but i dont have all day either.

bald eagle wrote:What was the difference in the DUP man not standing for the Irish Anthem at a GAA match and the shinner not standing for the British anthem at a Norn Iron soccerball match?

Tiny steps folks, we have a lot of mistrust on both sides that has to be gained back and personally i was delighted that the DUP man decided to attend the game at all!

BE as stated earlier Edwin Poots attended last year and while it was a step in the right direction, he too blocks an irish language act with the unionist veto, so in the mean time of these small steps do we just say brilliant lets all be friends, when do you talk about the elephant in the room that is the sticky issues which stormont keep out of the press such as an irish language act, such as mi5 building a massive building outside belfast, such as the GFA never being fully implemented which people voted for?

I agree small steps, but let us see how these issues are going to be sorted first other wise these gestures will be just that symbolically meaningless.

This thread has gone way of line now! But does underline that there seems to be more 'luv' between Northern nationalists and Unionists than Northern and 'Southern' Nationalists ....

Parouisa wrote:This thread has gone way of line now! But does underline that there seems to be more 'luv' between Northern nationalists and Unionists than Northern and 'Southern' Nationalists ....

Yeah, might be time to shut up shop on this thread. Can't see Breheny finding anything useful to write about from this morning's posts!

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Parouisa wrote:This thread has gone way of line now! But does underline that there seems to be more 'luv' between Northern nationalists and Unionists than Northern and 'Southern' Nationalists ....

Yeah, might be time to shut up shop on this thread. Can't see Breheny finding anything useful to write about from this morning's posts!

Yes tc totally agree, nothing to see here!

North Side Gael wrote:His attendence at best can be seen as a gesture, to me it was electioneering which worked in cases such as yourself and many others.

There is little that annoys me as much as this type of bullshit.
"Only I am intelligent enough to understand what actually happened"
"If you don't agree with me then obviously you must not be able to understand things the way I do"

FFS.

Back to the thread which has become even more current given Martin McGuinness' comments.

i notice NSG has mentioned the issue of Robinson not standing for the Anthem and yet he has glossed over the fact that the Sinn Fein minister who attended the soccer match at Windsor did the exact same thing and took her seat after the anthem, you cant have your cake and eat it NSG.

bocerty wrote:i notice NSG has mentioned the issue of Robinson not standing for the Anthem and yet he has glossed over the fact that the Sinn Fein minister who attended the soccer match at Windsor did the exact same thing and took her seat after the anthem, you cant have your cake and eat it NSG.

I know an Ireland team who dont even have our National anthem played.

bocerty wrote:i notice NSG has mentioned the issue of Robinson not standing for the Anthem and yet he has glossed over the fact that the Sinn Fein minister who attended the soccer match at Windsor did the exact same thing and took her seat after the anthem, you cant have your cake and eat it NSG.

Are you for real boc?

Quit the bull would ya, in my eyes she shouldnt have even been near the cesspit that is windsor, a ground where songs of killing fenians have been sung until recent years!

Why would i care about caral standing to the english national anthem anyway? Its not even the anthem of either of the irish states is it?

PS if you dont under stand the debate please dont get involved, wasnt the fact that he wouldnt stand was the fact that he bothered going to make a gesture to our culture while mon to fri he blocks an irish language act for pure sectarian reasons.

RMDrive wrote:

North Side Gael wrote:His attendence at best can be seen as a gesture, to me it was electioneering which worked in cases such as yourself and many others.

There is little that annoys me as much as this type of bullshit.
"Only I am intelligent enough to understand what actually happened"
"If you don't agree with me then obviously you must not be able to understand things the way I do"

FFS.

If you neither can understand this type of debate its not **** its true, you cant see that he was there for press purposes?

Look at it this way as ive said a hell of a lot now, read this real slow to get it in now, how can this gesture mean anything to our culture while robinson blocks an irish language act in stormont monday to friday?

North Side Gael wrote:Are you for real boc?

Quit the bull would ya, in my eyes she shouldnt have even been near the cesspit that is windsor, a ground where songs of killing fenians have been sung until recent years!

Ah, the irony...

But no, you are right NSG. She shouldn't have gone to Windsor because of the bad songs that were sung there in the past. And God forbid anyone should take a day trip to Dublin, where the 1916 rebels were slaughtered. Or a drive through the Boyne valley. And maybe best you don't go shopping in Belfast City centre either, the scene of so many loyalist rallies down the years...

Thomas Clarke wrote:

North Side Gael wrote:Are you for real boc?

Quit the bull would ya, in my eyes she shouldnt have even been near the cesspit that is windsor, a ground where songs of killing fenians have been sung until recent years!

Ah, the irony...

But no, you are right NSG. She shouldn't have gone to Windsor because of the bad songs that were sung there in the past. And God forbid anyone should take a day trip to Dublin, where the 1916 rebels were slaughtered. Or a drive through the Boyne valley. And maybe best you don't go shopping in Belfast City centre either, the scene of so many loyalist rallies down the years...

Honestly, now its grand that we have a "northern ireland team"!

Yeah because you tell the singers of them songs as they sit outside the ground still singing them that they are part of the past we must move on. You tell mickybo mcilveen thomas devlin or even gerard lawlor to name but a few that these are the days of the past we must move on, you tell families in the strand or the film crew in the village that this doesnt happen anymore.

While your at it go ask your mates in stormont why theyve created a sectarian document which instead of addressing the divide it is retaining it, then we might not be having this conversation!