Northern Ireland Border checks halted
Discussion
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&a...
Interesting to see how EU and British Government react.
Interesting to see how EU and British Government react.
The DUP are an utter pantomime act.
They pushed for Brexit, didn't see how it could impact NI, but accepted the NI Protocol.
Then they start complaining about how the NI Protocol must be scrapped.
In order to bring this about they're prepared to
1. break the law by (at short-notice) unilaterally scrapping customs regulations and
2. threaten to collapse Northern Ireland government.
The halt on border checks was announced by Edwin Poots, a man who a few months ago schemed to oust former First Minister, Arlene Foster. 3 weeks into taking over that role, he quit. Last week he was hunting (and failing to find) a new constituency for himself. His border check announcement smells of attention-seeking. What sort of man reverses government policy with less than 24 hours notice and expects his department and customs agents to be able to react to that? Try that in a business environment and see how that goes. An entitled idiot who seems to have no notion of how the real world works.
He could be written off as a single desperate politician trying to find his next payday, but even today the DUP are threatening to collapse Stormont by resignation of their current First Minister.
This shower of clowns don't realise they were elected to serve and better the lives of the people of Northern Ireland. Instead they'd rather play stupid stunts and disrupt the lives of the public to make a point. And yet they remain in their highly paid jobs where their skill sets would see them fail in a proper business.
Full disclosure : I identify as a member of the Unionist community.
They pushed for Brexit, didn't see how it could impact NI, but accepted the NI Protocol.
Then they start complaining about how the NI Protocol must be scrapped.
In order to bring this about they're prepared to
1. break the law by (at short-notice) unilaterally scrapping customs regulations and
2. threaten to collapse Northern Ireland government.
The halt on border checks was announced by Edwin Poots, a man who a few months ago schemed to oust former First Minister, Arlene Foster. 3 weeks into taking over that role, he quit. Last week he was hunting (and failing to find) a new constituency for himself. His border check announcement smells of attention-seeking. What sort of man reverses government policy with less than 24 hours notice and expects his department and customs agents to be able to react to that? Try that in a business environment and see how that goes. An entitled idiot who seems to have no notion of how the real world works.
He could be written off as a single desperate politician trying to find his next payday, but even today the DUP are threatening to collapse Stormont by resignation of their current First Minister.
This shower of clowns don't realise they were elected to serve and better the lives of the people of Northern Ireland. Instead they'd rather play stupid stunts and disrupt the lives of the public to make a point. And yet they remain in their highly paid jobs where their skill sets would see them fail in a proper business.
Full disclosure : I identify as a member of the Unionist community.
Edited by DWDarkWheels on Thursday 3rd February 19:22
Edited by DWDarkWheels on Thursday 3rd February 19:47
I have a big bucket of popcorn but don’t feel the need to stock up on beans and bullets. Make of that what you will.
It’s carefully managed outrage by the DUP, it’s dummy spitting even. Election year. My biased but generally apolitical wife just asked me what they’re on about. My answer was pretty much that the DUP are f
ked in the polls and need a fight, all else is secondary.
Article 16 wouldn’t make the blindest bit of difference Ivan. It has no chance of living up to its hype anyway but I suspect both the uk and ni parties don’t want the public to find out how weak a threat it is.
It’s carefully managed outrage by the DUP, it’s dummy spitting even. Election year. My biased but generally apolitical wife just asked me what they’re on about. My answer was pretty much that the DUP are f
ked in the polls and need a fight, all else is secondary.Article 16 wouldn’t make the blindest bit of difference Ivan. It has no chance of living up to its hype anyway but I suspect both the uk and ni parties don’t want the public to find out how weak a threat it is.
This is the DUP in pure election mode.. They were getting a hammering in all the polls because they where seen to be "soft" in opposition to the protocol yet helping implement it..
Now that Poots has called for the border checks to stop( they haven't BTW.. It was business as usual this morning at NI ports) and wee Jeffery has pulled Paul Girvan out of the FM role and as consequence Michelle O'Neill as DFM, they can go the public saying look at the hard-line we took..
We told Westminster and them'uns in EU that we're in charge.. Look at us aren't we great.. Please vote for us again as if you don't them'uns in SF will be in, and you don't want that.. Next thing Dublin will be running things.. Remember Them'uns could get in..
Repeat and repeat until the sheep vote DUP yet again..
Now that Poots has called for the border checks to stop( they haven't BTW.. It was business as usual this morning at NI ports) and wee Jeffery has pulled Paul Girvan out of the FM role and as consequence Michelle O'Neill as DFM, they can go the public saying look at the hard-line we took..
We told Westminster and them'uns in EU that we're in charge.. Look at us aren't we great.. Please vote for us again as if you don't them'uns in SF will be in, and you don't want that.. Next thing Dublin will be running things.. Remember Them'uns could get in..
Repeat and repeat until the sheep vote DUP yet again..
[quote=Francy555
Now that Poots has called for the border checks to stop( they haven't BTW.. It was business as usual this morning at NI ports)...
[/quote]
Indeed. Any news outlet worth it's salt would be reporting the supposed upheaval at NI ports. The lack of that suggests customs officials understand their remit despite what cloud-cuckoo-land politicians dictate.
Sorry if I seem het up in this sorry state of affairs. i have to live in this daft corner where 99% of politicians are invested in simple points-scoring.
Now that Poots has called for the border checks to stop( they haven't BTW.. It was business as usual this morning at NI ports)...
[/quote]
Indeed. Any news outlet worth it's salt would be reporting the supposed upheaval at NI ports. The lack of that suggests customs officials understand their remit despite what cloud-cuckoo-land politicians dictate.
Sorry if I seem het up in this sorry state of affairs. i have to live in this daft corner where 99% of politicians are invested in simple points-scoring.
Edited by DWDarkWheels on Thursday 3rd February 19:51
The trouble with the DUP is that they don't know how to behave in normal society..
Northern Ireland was created 100 yrs ago as a religious protestant enclave where Catholics were in a minority and any decisions being made politically or economically were to the clear benefit of the protestant unionist population.
Now that religion plays an ever decreasing part in our society, and people have worked and socialised in each others company, the general population has drifted towards the middle ground in political terms, the DUP realise that they as unionists are in real and present danger of losing control over the very statelet that was created solely for their benefit.
They'd rather have Westminster impose direct rule for the next number of years than face the possibility of Sinn Fein getting the first ministers post and being dictated to by a nationalist majority stormont executive..
It really was throw your dummy and rattle out of the pram day today.. Wee Jeffery didn't get what he wants so he's going to throw a tantrum..
Stormont would only have functioned for the next few weeks as it would have wound up late March in preparation for an election on May 05th..this was a pure attention seeking stunt and nothing more..
Northern Ireland was created 100 yrs ago as a religious protestant enclave where Catholics were in a minority and any decisions being made politically or economically were to the clear benefit of the protestant unionist population.
Now that religion plays an ever decreasing part in our society, and people have worked and socialised in each others company, the general population has drifted towards the middle ground in political terms, the DUP realise that they as unionists are in real and present danger of losing control over the very statelet that was created solely for their benefit.
They'd rather have Westminster impose direct rule for the next number of years than face the possibility of Sinn Fein getting the first ministers post and being dictated to by a nationalist majority stormont executive..
It really was throw your dummy and rattle out of the pram day today.. Wee Jeffery didn't get what he wants so he's going to throw a tantrum..
Stormont would only have functioned for the next few weeks as it would have wound up late March in preparation for an election on May 05th..this was a pure attention seeking stunt and nothing more..
Edited by Francy555 on Thursday 3rd February 21:10
ArmaghMan said:
Border poll within 5 years......
It will happen but not within 5 years..Two reasons: Bexit and Economic Unionism
We've all saw the fall out of a majority voting for something they didn't really understand the consequences off.. Voting for a United Ireland would need to be different.
It would need to be a multi step vote..
Do you want an united Ireland? Yes or No
If yes, which of the following plans do you wish to be used to unite the country?
Plan A, Plan B or Plan C etc
Where each of the plans would need to be clearly defined, debated and consequences off outlined to the general population well ahead of any vote date.
Economic Unionism
Alot of the NI middle and working class population believe they would be worse off financially if subject to the republics taxation, legal and health and social care regimes. It would need to be proven to Mr and Mrs average that they would be in a similar position if the country was united before they would concider to participate in any vote.
Personally I believe it will be within the next 10-15years.
ArmaghMan said:
Not saying its right to have a border poll but can't help but think SF will use this to push for a poll.
Where are ye from Armagh man? Don’t answer that I’m joking.I’ve a metric (obviously not imperial units) f
k load of Armagh unfortunates in the family (I’m pure Derry) and as much as I enjoy the wind up the whole expectation of a border poll any time soon is not one I expect to happen. I think Francy has it right on that one. I think ArmaghMan is on the right track there.
I would have thought closer to 10years, but these things sometimes move a lot faster than you think.
DUP in total disarray.
Sinn Fein relentlessly increasing in strength both north and south of the border.
Demographics in NI now favouring nationalist community.
Conservative party also in disarray, and not picking up the phone when Poots calls.
Brexit in disarray. Advantages of EU/ Cross Border Trade now clear, if you were a floating Loyalist.
Clearly, it needs to be a negotiated hand-over, but I think the writing is well and truly on the wall.
I would have thought closer to 10years, but these things sometimes move a lot faster than you think.
DUP in total disarray.
Sinn Fein relentlessly increasing in strength both north and south of the border.
Demographics in NI now favouring nationalist community.
Conservative party also in disarray, and not picking up the phone when Poots calls.
Brexit in disarray. Advantages of EU/ Cross Border Trade now clear, if you were a floating Loyalist.
Clearly, it needs to be a negotiated hand-over, but I think the writing is well and truly on the wall.
Leins said:
Folks, I struggle from down here to gauge the anti-protocol sentiment in the Unionist community, and presume there’s none from the Nationalist side. Is it only the DUP who are pushing this, as per the soundbites from the news?
Yes its only really the DUP pushing hard on this. Nationalists and their constituents who live in N.I are no doubt affected to a similar degree but it wouldn't suit their stance to push for the removal of the irish sea border.BOR said:
I think ArmaghMan is on the right track there.
I would have thought closer to 10years, but these things sometimes move a lot faster than you think.
DUP in total disarray.
Sinn Fein relentlessly increasing in strength both north and south of the border.
Demographics in NI now favouring nationalist community.
Conservative party also in disarray, and not picking up the phone when Poots calls.
Brexit in disarray. Advantages of EU/ Cross Border Trade now clear, if you were a floating Loyalist.
Clearly, it needs to be a negotiated hand-over, but I think the writing is well and truly on the wall.
I don't like the whole demographics argument it suggests the Nationalist sentiment has more legitimacy than the unionist just because their might be more nationalists. I would have thought closer to 10years, but these things sometimes move a lot faster than you think.
DUP in total disarray.
Sinn Fein relentlessly increasing in strength both north and south of the border.
Demographics in NI now favouring nationalist community.
Conservative party also in disarray, and not picking up the phone when Poots calls.
Brexit in disarray. Advantages of EU/ Cross Border Trade now clear, if you were a floating Loyalist.
Clearly, it needs to be a negotiated hand-over, but I think the writing is well and truly on the wall.
Even if the DUP get a pasting, which they deserve, Unionism will still be a major component of politics in N.I, they will still be able to delay a border poll for ever if they need to. A referendum would still need cross party support, a lot of people forget this, how can you force participation in a referendum onto people who don't want it? Aliance/SDLP aren't strong enough to trouble Unionism for 2nd place for a start.
Edited by 46and2 on Friday 4th February 10:06
Leins said:
Folks, I struggle from down here to gauge the anti-protocol sentiment in the Unionist community, and presume there’s none from the Nationalist side. Is it only the DUP who are pushing this, as per the soundbites from the news?
Its mainly the unionist parties yes that are anti protocol, simply as it provides an additional layer of checks on some goods coming between the UK mainland and NI. They see it as a disruption to free trade between the two geographical bodies.They promoted brexit and its supposed benefits to all and sunder but didn't seem to realize there would be unavoidable practical steps that needed to be taken if the UK left the EU
Wee Jeffery was on Radio Ulster this morning with Chris Buckler and more or less said the protocol has to go as it was forcing supply chains to diverse from their UK suppliers to EU ( aka Irish) suppliers and in his eyes that is not free trade...
The loyalist paramilitaries were up in arms at the start of the protocol implementation as it was also disrupting the supply chain of high value chemical goods but that noise has since died down as they also have managed to realign their supply chains to Dublin based suppliers.
The nationalist parties are simply standing back and watching the unionists tear themselves apart over an situation which they helped put in place.
Edited by Francy555 on Friday 4th February 10:36
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