Moochin’s away. But the spray can hasn’t been absent from the gable walls on Belfast’s Donegal Road. Last night a whole string of graffiti appeared on countless walls in support of the BNP and its East Belfast candidate Ann Cooper.
Colin Neill’s first novel Turas peeks into a world in which many Ulster Protestants feel uncomfortable. It’s 2020 and the Irish unification that unionists and loyalists confidently predicted would never happen has become a reality. President Adams is ensconced in Phoenix Park. The newsreader reported that … a short ceremony at Stormont had confirmed the [...] read our review »
If you want to get a flavour of the proceedings at the Political Studies Association conference on its opening day, then the Storify collation below will bring you some of the images, tweets and sounds of the day. Particular highlights included: the Opening Plenary with David Blunkett, Peter Riddell and Matthew Flinders; and the late [...] read our review »
Do aerosols count as an election expense?
How dare that graffiti artist, come out in support of a legitimate political party and their candidate.
I bet that sort of thing would not nor did not happened in nationalist /republican west Belfast for the pious ones party????
You bad graffiti artists of east Belfast, supporting a pro Union party!!!
Drumlins, there’s no imprint either.
Have to laugh at the moral outrage,concerning the bnp !! I mean to say……………….;-)
Who’s moral outrage are you referring to…………………………..? That straw man that follows you around was it?
There are of course worse examples of sectarian graffiti.
And as Ranger 1640 points out, it was the norm in the 1970s and 1980s.
The point about the BNP supporting graffiti (to be fair to the racist morons IN the BNP…..its unlikely that a member actually did it) is that its very bad graffiti.
Luckily there are community “artists” in Belfast who for a considerable Arts Council grant can turn that kinda graffiti into street art. (sic).
I am in two minds.
Graffiti is Graffiti is Graffiti.
Simple aerosol graffiti or fancy artistic murals..its graffiti.
We have come a long way in the past twenty years.
We have pious political parties who pride themselves on being better than the BNP. And to be fair everybody is better than the BNP. Blogs and tweets routinely condemn the BNP. Likewise every commentator in the Media.
It is a sign of our post-1998 sophistication.
For some……the place where we are today…..is not much different from how it was in the 1970s. Sinn Féin and/or the DUP or TUV for example are (to these people) are part of the same “hate” mindset.
For others….including myself……1998 is a line in the sand. What happened before that date is another country. And what I did, said or thought before or after 1998 is a different thing (of course its a case of evolving rather than dramatic change).
People could get a bit irritated by the fact that ALL our significant parties are roundly condemning the BNP. But with due regard to the historical record…….it is a sign of progress.
Lets be frank….if the BNP turned up at a Hustings (the Platform for Change event in Armagh last night was cancelled as all the politicians turned up but there was only four(?) people in the audience)………but if the BNP were at a Hustings we would all go……..to walk out……and show that we are sophisticated.
Perhaps the BNP will “evolve” but personally I cant see it.
‘You bad graffiti artists of east Belfast, supporting a pro Union party!!!’
Geography, unlike whataboutery, is clearly not your strongpoint.
I really don’t see too much of an issue with grafitti supporting ignorant, racist driving instructors as it seems to provide a more creative outlet for the political elite of the Donegal Road, whose usual modus operendi is to burn a house down rather than spraying pish all over the gable end.
Maybe they’ll come back with a stencil to spray in the imprint!
Damn i miss out on all the fun!!!
Dec,
Dec, as you like to split hairs, I should have put south Belfast.
However I see your spelling is just as bad as my geography, you should remember that the Donegall road in Belfast is spelt with two L’s.
While we are on about you splitting hairs, was your post not more about playing the man than playing the ball???
It’s a fairly poor attempt at “street art” and is probably the work of 2 or 3 people.
Am I right in saying, though, that we cannot even unite against the racist BNP? (judging by this thread anyway)
Same as usuall from the knuckle draggers of the village area, the mad month of july is coming so we can expect the annual intimidation of chinese, romanian, polish, indian, pakistani and suspected catholics and if there’s maybe a few votes in it they will be led by the local dup councillor.
how uplifting
at least the BNP does not practice aesthetic cleansing
The BNP is a right bunch of aerosols.
The BNP is an extreme nationalist party. In the north? how shocking. I am a bit disappointed in Ms Cooper, I thought she was better than this, mind I think most people are better than this.
Graffiti yes, but Banksy? Nah.
I wonder is there any convicted mass murders in the BNP here
Oh thats right i’m getting them mixed up with some of the other parties established here !!
Hang about!
This Ann Cooper?
http://www.anncoopertuv.co.uk/
TUV/BNP, nice ring to it.
Thats right JJ the hyprocrisy is breathtaking. I have to say though, I did not have anything to do with the grafitti, but obvioulsy there is more support for the BNP in Northern Ireland than the media would have us believe. Thouands are fed up with being put behind the new arrivals who make their way here and get shoved to the front of the queue, for housing and all other services. The Northern Irish working classes are suffering unbearable hardships, yet not one of our elected representatives will stand up and speak for them. Why is that? What are they afraid of? Charity begins at home and as far as im concerned, Northern Irish people must come first in their own country. Simple as that, and if that makes me a racist then so be it.
I deplore racism and the BNP! but they’re no worse than Provisional Sinn Fein, at least the BNP never supported anyone’s murder.
Depends separ, on what you call racism, I dont see, asking for local people to be put first in their own country as racism.
“I wonder is there any convicted mass murders in the BNP here
Oh thats right i’m getting them mixed up with some of the other parties established here”
I dont know about that but theres plenty of mass murderers in Westminister only they call it fighting for democracy but -
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/secret-memos-expose-link-between-oil-firms-and-invasion-of-iraq-2269610.html
“Plans to exploit Iraq’s oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world’s largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show”.
In a few years I suppose we will know the truth that this phoney war for democracy in Libya was just about oil as well.
I hear the BNP are one of the few British political parties who demand that the UK withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Can Ann Cooper not afford election posters? I’ve noticed a lot of independant candidates in this election are’nt making much of an effort to get elected.
Isn’t Ann Cooper standing in East Belfast, a lot of good South Belfast support will do her.
Me thinks psychological warfare … hmm no Ann Cooper, maybe they meant Anna Lo, sure I’ll vote for her instead.
Tacapall Don’t pick on the village you’ll find plenty of knuckle-dragging joyriders and no-hopers in West Belfast too.
Sorry Ann I didn’t mean to offend you I know you’re not a racist.
Poor old Anne. Jumps on the TUV ship as it sinks, escapes to join the BNP raft just as it capsizes and everyone laves to join the EDF! The fragmentation of the extreme right and left into smaller and smaller parties is always a joy to behold.
TUV hasn’t sunk and you’re being very hard on Ann Cooper!
Ann Cooper is a respectable woman and people on Slugger should not be too quick to label her. Like David Vance Ann has always made it clear that she was expressing her own views and not TUV’s.
“Like David Vance Ann has always made it clear that she was expressing her own views and not TUV’s.”
Like David Vance it’s best she does, Vance’s ‘Axe the NHS’ posts may have been cheered on by the 7 guys in the appalachians that read his blawg, for the rest of us, it made for engrossing radio to hear the TUV spokesman repeat the “That’s David’s personal opinion” mantra ad naseum, when Nolan cornered him on the radio during a debate about the health service in NI.
Ann, like David, demonstrated that its best to have people who get worked up reading the Daily Hate between driving lessons as voters, not as spokespersons, they’re much easier to disown that way.
How’s the campain to get those sacked R&C workers awarded medals going Ann?
Facebook has a wonderful causes application, you should check it out.
Don’t worry Ann, Schengen is on its way out:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/wl_afp/italytunisiafranceeuimmigrationrefugee
Mac lol
Every country (except here in the south of course) has its extremist parties, no problem with that. If I believe eirigi have the right to symbolically behead an old woman I have to believe the BNP have the right to campaign in the north. The problem with the north is not that they have one but that they have at least four of the buggers and three of them are now trying to convince the electorate that they are not wolves in, er, sheep’s clothing. .
Fick Mealty
Nice touch, with the EU disappearing around its own U bend they can’t have too many undesirables can they…
Pippakin what are you smoking? the Republic has plenty of extreme parties. Eirigi and Republican Sinn Fein are not exactly known for their moderate views.
Turgon is the only one on Slugger who makes sense!
Who’s moral outrage are you referring to…………………………..? That straw man that follows you around was it? Kneel
I was referring to the moral outrage of nat/rep types,who supported pira murder squads,yet take umbrage at the bnp ?? Come sir,you are having a laugh,ain’t ya ??
Straw Man sir ?? If pointing out vile hypocrisy is a Straw Man in your mind,I invite to join me on a stroll passed The City Hall…………….
As I gaze up with adoration,at the Flag of my Country,flying proudly there,you can check for any followers of my good self..( save my 12 companions ).
neal,kneel…….and I will make you a fisher of Flags !!
fitsy………..pre 1998 I was a supporter of cowardly murderers. Post 1998 I am outraged by the racist bnp !!
I’m not sure what planet you live on mate,but that is the biggest load of aul ballix I have had the misfortune to read,in a long,long time !!!!
Nothing viler,than nat/rep hypocrisy !!!
@Ann Cooper
I find it incredibly ironic that someone from a community that celebrates it’s Ulster Planter heritage calls for putting local people first.
And first for what exactly? I thought the TUV was quite a Neo liberal party who wished to place services and homes firmly within the free market.
Its also worth noting that a lot of employers in the north are foreign. Should we get rid of these investing companies as theyre squeezing out local entrepeneurs? And if a businessman wishes to save money by being able to squeeze the foreign workers for a few extra quid, surely it’s against your parties world view to interfer in the self correcting market.
I was referring to the moral outrage of nat/rep types,who supported pira murder squads,yet take umbrage at the bnp ??
And I was drawing attention to the fact that there was no faux moral outrage at the time you made your comment.
The post had been repsonded to 3 times, to include two jokes and one post in support of the BNPs right to express their views.
So at that point, there was no moral outrage on show – and may I add that as a nat/rep type as you say – of course the BNP are a legit party and the people who share their views are perfectly entitled to be represented.
I’m not a Unionist. I don’t respect democracy only when it suits me. I respect it all the time. Whatever the majority of people decide will do for me. I’ll leave the stitch ups to UUP/DUP types who want to make sure they have power not comensurate to their actual mandates.