Times change.. . . .
Has the penny dropped yet? We’re living in a post-Unionist Ireland.
“From Terrorist to Darling of the British Establishment” screams headline in the Wall St Journal, referring to
So what effect has the Visit had on Unionists?
No longer true?
Queries: If Queen and President are willing to engage does it make it more difficult for Unionists to exclude nationalists and Republicans ?
Did Sinn Fein’s interaction with Queen Elizabeth II undermine political unionism?
wrote in the Sunday Times that participation in the visit sent a message in no uncertain terms that SF was represented in both parts of the island whereas Unionism is from only one part.
Comment: And it’s a bitter, sour Orange part
Unionists feel very unsettled having Sinn Fein inside the tent.
They’d rather return to the old days when, according to
“the last chance for resolving the Irish question peaceably and in a unitary fashion was stymied by a terrifying combination of violence and the threat of violence, not from Republicans, but from Ulster Unionists bent on ensuring that Home Rule would not apply to Ulster, or at least to the “plantation counties” – what turned into the six counties of Northern Ireland”.
goes further and eliminates the ‘Ulster is British‘ argument.
“If Scotland declares independence, shouldn’t Northern Ireland go with it? No, let me rephrase that: if Scotland becomes independent, it has a moral obligation to take Northern Ireland with it. Ulster is, after all, far more of a Scottish colony than an English one, demographically speaking.”
Comment: Britain may or may not want Northern Ireland, but is stuck with it, unless it can convince a newly independent Scotland to take it off its hands
The Effect on Unionists was predictable. the first strategy they adopted was the
Before the Visit Peter Robinson discounted the idea of meeting the Pope.
“I am not of that faith, and therefore don’t have the same desire to do so, but I would defend the right of others to meet their spiritual leader,”
Now he’s
“If a papal visit does take place it is largely a matter of what basis he is coming on. If he is coming as a head of state then clearly, as with any other head of state, I could meet the Pope,”
The second was an attempt to
using the line “I love Marty but Mr Adams is a baleful influence”
He claimed he worked well with Martin McGuinness, on issues where Mr Adams’s input was not required.
“If you look at the areas where it doesn’t conflict with Sinn Fein’s agenda in the south, areas such as getting investment into Northern Ireland, we are very good at it”.
His third strategy was a daring double hit
associated with
Until last week any unionist who strayed from the hard-line was routinely slandered, smeared and maligned into irrelevance with the call of LUNDY! That is, of course, if they’re not physically intimidated or actually assaulted.
Now Robinson calls “Stop looking for Lundies and start looking for converts”
Comment: You can’t Twaddell nationalists into supporting the Union.
NB Remember – Unionists need the Union.
“The unionist view of the world… it simply this: to deny the validity and sanctity of the Act of Union is automatically told hold a false, untenable position”.
People with other political ideas pay no attention to this view.
If the unionists know anything other than saying “No”, it must have occurred to them that the tide is suddenly coming in very quickly and they haven’t secured the lifeboats.
How is Mr Robinson or any other Unionist going to appeal to Catholics to vote for them?
What might be the next steps in convincing Catholics to vote Unionist?
Come out and defend Catholic residents right of being free from sectarian harassment when it comes Loyalist marching season?
Condemn loyalist bandsmen who urinate on Catholic churches and who march around in a circle outside Catholic churches playing sectarian tunes as vigorously as his party condemns Orange Halls being attacked?
Stop promoting the most unwelcoming, out-dated and flat-out parody of what it is to be British?
Allow gays to marry and live together?
Allow women to access abortion?
Stop attacking foreigners living in Northern Ireland?
Stop censuring plays they don’t agree with?
Up until now Orange Loyalism , which appears to be running Unionism, has shown it can’t and won’t take criticism. It can’t and won’t learn from its shortcomings and wrongdoings.
How many Nationalists has Unionism “converted”?
How many are they likely to persuade in the future?
Song for the Unionists
http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/republicanism-and-a-new-ireland/#comment-210000
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/irelands-forgotten-revolutionaries-the-irish-presidents-meeting-with-the-queen-was-a-landmark-but-few-acknowledge-why-p
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/if-scotland-goes-it-should-take-northern-ireland-with-it/14922?#.U02Lx1V_tA0
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303663604579501321012256550?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB1000
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/peter-robinson-why-gerry-adams-is-at-the-heart-of-my-problems-with-sinn-fein-30185074.html
http://leargas.blogspot.it/
http://eamonnmallie.com/2014/04/mcguinness-was-the-protagonist-robinson-was-an-appendage-by-brian-spencer/
http://brianjohnspencer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/yelling-lundy-is-hallmark-of.html
http://rachelcoker.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/for-a-pessimist-im-still-fairly-pessimistic/
http://www.commongunsense.com/2013/06/the-times-they-are-changing.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32352/32352-h/32352-h.htm
http://pittsburgh.improv.com/event.cfm?id=201166
http://pearlsofprofundity.wordpress.com/2012/09/page/3/
http://michaelkonik.com/the-golden-rule/hug-your-enemy/
http://www.agentsofguard.com/reviews-arent-opinions/
http://www.lagazzettadiviareggio.it/rubriche/2014/03/il-biglietto-per-il-titanic-non-lo-vuole-fare-nessuno/
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