Michelle O’Neil

Nice to see democracy work and the historic moment of equality happen. I looked after the Belfast,Dublin, Cork sites for my company for a few years. I handed them over on onset of treatment. Great people and enjoyed 4 days a month at Belfast and Dublin a day in Cork using car hire. My famiy both sides are irish Catholic immigrants as well protest English and Scots. The people I met BIG Catholics wise were happy in NI and now wanted to remain so, they like us visited all over the world on holiday and want all the trappings. ie) Ordinary people wanting to be happy not all the canage. Ulster protestants were spot on too, we went for a pint together on a night, both lots. All this perceived hatred isnt the full story by any means. its place with lots of talent and the people arent stupid.
 
Jedi boro said:
But what do you call it on though this “democratic” referendum do you just ask the north or do you ask the whole of Ireland ( which she’ll push for) because then that’s a completely different situation.
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In answer to this:

She doesn't get any say in the border poll.

It is all laid out in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The poll would be in Northern Ireland, not all of Ireland, and it's organisation is in the gift of the UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

O'Neill being the First Minister is part of power sharing. It is the fault of Unionism that this has happened. They remain the majority and should have the largest party, but it's political representatives have abandoned all sensible politics. Its vote has split and more moderate voters have left completely for Alliance.
 
Jedi boro said:
But what do you call it on though this “democratic” referendum do you just ask the north or do you ask the whole of Ireland ( which she’ll push for) because then that’s a completely different situation.
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The Good Friday Agreement states that consent for a united Ireland must be “freely and concurrently given” in both the North and the South of the island of Ireland. This is widely interpreted to mean that future border polls must be held in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at the same time.

.... a bit more complicated ...

A more direct reference for NI, less clear for the Republic.

...... hadn't seen LPB, which explained it first ....
 
Ziggy said:
Back from another 2 year lay off…fully paid. Some academic on the radio this morning said that there hasn’t been a consistent, coherent government in place in reality for about 6 years.
It’s a place where people seem to have longer memories than most. For obvious reasons.
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They weren’t fully paid. Any of them.
 
How about she thinks about what those in the Republic want? I’ve worked with a few brilliant Irish people and none were interested in a united Ireland.
 
Nero said:
How about she thinks about what those in the Republic want? I’ve worked with a few brilliant Irish people and none were interested in a united Ireland.
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They would obviously have their own referendum, as you have to have one in Ireland to change the constitution.

It's a complicated picture, but support for Unity is strong in Ireland.

Also, all three major parties support it and would campaign in favour.

www.irishtimes.com

Irish Times/ARINS poll: Support for United Ireland is strong, but debate on costs and compromises to come first

Some 64% of voters in the South would vote for a united Ireland if a referendum were held now, with just 16% opposed to unification
www.irishtimes.com www.irishtimes.com
 
Good luck to Michelle, we might have a functioning Government at Stormont for once.
 
LaPennaBianca said:
They would obviously have their own referendum, as you have to have one in Ireland to change the constitution.

It's a complicated picture, but support for Unity is strong in Ireland.

Also, all three major parties support it and would campaign in favour.

www.irishtimes.com

Irish Times/ARINS poll: Support for United Ireland is strong, but debate on costs and compromises to come first

Some 64% of voters in the South would vote for a united Ireland if a referendum were held now, with just 16% opposed to unification
www.irishtimes.com www.irishtimes.com
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Complicated as you say.
 
Decent_Left said:
They weren’t fully paid. Any of them.
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Edit.
My mistake.

In both cases all MLAs, among them moderates caught between the polarized opposites of Sinn Féin and the DUP, will absorb the same hit to their wallets. The cuts confirmed by Heaton-Harris will slash MLAs’ gross salary from £51,500 to £37,337, which, once income tax and health insurance deductions are taken into account, will lower monthly pay by about £800 net.
 
NI was stolen from the Irish like Sri Lanka and India etc.
If it's the will of the majority to Unify that is what should happen.
There's a generation of voters of both religions that want it.
 
I do think the cultural type differences, especially in the working class communities of Northern Ireland are still pretty deep. In 1922 there would have been a very bitter civil war in the Northern Counties a bit like the Balkans if Ireland was not split. Many Unionist said they would rather die than be part of an independent Eire.

There was no effective power sharing from 1922 to around 1999 (NI was generally run for the benefit of the Unionists, now there seems to be a form of power sharing which has to be the right way).

It is interesting to see Sein Fein in ruling power, many of who supported the Provisional IRA say 30 years ago. Remember when we always got the line from the UK Government, we will never talk to terrorists.
 
Redwurzel said:
I do think the cultural type differences, especially in the working class communities of Northern Ireland are still pretty deep. In 1922 there would have been a very bitter civil war in the Northern Counties a bit like the Balkans if Ireland was not split. Many Unionist said they would rather die than be part of an independent Eire.

There was no effective power sharing from 1922 to around 1999 (NI was generally run for the benefit of the Unionists, now there seems to be a form of power sharing which has to be the right way).

It is interesting to see Sein Fein in ruling power, many of who supported the Provisional IRA say 30 years ago. Remember when we always got the line from the UK Government, we will never talk to terrorists.
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But they did talk to terrorists, hence why we got the B(GF)A.

And the DUP weren't signatories of the Agreement and campaigned against it's adoption and Nationalists were happy to live with them as First Minister.
 
LaPennaBianca said:
But they did talk to terrorists, hence why we got the B(GF)A.

And the DUP weren't signatories of the Agreement and campaigned against it's adoption and Nationalists were happy to live with them as First Minister.
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Agreed - but I bet the UK Government ministers say under Margaret Thatcher were not expecting Sein Fein to be the main party in power in NI in 2024. I find it interesting how the former terrorists have become the leaders. Gerry Adams was interned in the 1970s and in the early 1990s he was legally gagged in the UK media.
 
Michelle O’Neill showed real leadership attending the Queens funeral and reaching out with Alex Maskie to Britain and the monarchy. The unionists with the odd exception remain stuck in the past not wanting real change. Their time is up. Dinosaurs of another era. The sooner Ireland is unified the better for everyone. I’ve lived in NI and understand very well the issues there. The wrongs of the past on both sides cannot be erased, but at least we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
 
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