Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“We are not entirely sure what the time scale is..”
The President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has echoed Taoiseach Bertie Ahern by linking a visit by the Queen there to the devolution of policing and justice powers here. From the BBC report
Indeed. Adds From another report“We know that it is dependent on the completion of devolution, which hopefully will not be too far away. We had hoped that would be May.” Mrs McAleese said: “We are not entirely sure what the time scale is. We hope it will keep closely to the timetable.”
Mrs McAleese said she thought it unlikely a visit would take place this year. “I would be hopeful, though, that it would happen sooner rather than later,” she said.
Pete Baker @ 05:01 PM
here we have the president of the country welcoming a foreign visitor to ireland, whilst that visitor retains over 5000 troops on irish soil.
only when those soldiers are removed would it be an appropiate time for the english monarch to visit.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:11 PMAll the slaves of Ireland will be out with their backs bent and their forelocks tipped, mimicking their perceived superiors and lacking self-worth. Slaves All.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:16 PMMrs.Windsor should be welcome to this island of ours when she gets on her knees and grovels for forgiveness for all the murder her country has perpetrated in this fair land of ours. But I’m sure that arrogance will prevent this.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:19 PMCan someone please tell me how these two issues are dependant on one another.
Devolution of P&J;will happen when the unionist people in NI want it. After all it requires cross community support and it is clear at the moment not enough confidence building measures have been given to Unionists.
The visit by the Queen will take place when an invitation is sent by the Irish Government and accepted by the Queen.
Two entirely different matters.
Life is complicated enough without making it unnecessarily so.
The present line of argument might as well suggest devolution will happen if Ireland wins the Grand Slam and that will be a long time going on past performance-----60 years ago!!!!!Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:21 PMHarry
actually it was HM who was welcoming a foreign visitor…
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:27 PMBonarLaw “actually it was HM who was welcoming a foreign visitor… “
but Mary was born and raised in Belfast so that leaves Betty from London as the visitor
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:31 PMAside from the nature of the precondition being introduced, and I don’t remember this precondition being there before, doesn’t it seem undiplomatic for the Irish President to publicly issue fresh preconditions for a Royal visit to the Republic during this meeting with the Queen in NI?
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:35 PMAh, the English Queen will be more than welcome to the Republic of Ireland. I wonder will she pay a visit to Kilmainham Gaol.
When Pope John Paul II visted Ireland in 1979, the steady demise of the Catholic Church happened. The red carpet is enthusiastically being rolled out for Liz down south.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:40 PMslug - “doesn’t it seem undiplomatic for the Irish [Republic’s] President to publicly issue fresh preconditions for a Royal visit to the Republic during this meeting with the Queen in NI?”
Very much so. But remember the sectarian comments from Mary McAleese about Protestants.
Regardless of where she was born, McAleese is in this part of the UK as a representative of a foreign power. You might think she would have some manners.
And given the amount of visits McAleese makes to Northern Ireland in her capacity as head of a foreign government, I don’t see any reason to delay the Queen’s visit to Eire.
After this latest outburst from McAleese, Unionist politicians should be telling her that she should stay away from Northern Ireland until after the Queen visits Eire.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:51 PM“doesn’t it seem undiplomatic for the Irish President.....” it comes across as tacky and ill-mannered, maybe Mary is worried about being up staged on her home turf?
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:54 PMGo on Mary give that one a kick up the arse and send her back to Britain, that english woman shouldn’t be allowed in Belfast.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:01 PM“Go on Mary give that one a kick up the arse and send her back to Britain, that english woman shouldn’t be allowed in Belfast.”
Posted by Belfastman on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:01 PM
Mary is the visiting head of state, that’s what 90% of her people signed up to, from some of the bloggs it would seem the penny hasn’t dropped!
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:05 PMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2M_hpoPwk
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:09 PMAnd englands screaming
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:11 PM“All the slaves of Ireland will be out with their backs bent and their forelocks tipped, mimicking their perceived superiors and lacking self-worth. Slaves All.”
...."when she gets on her knees and grovels for forgiveness for all the murder her country has perpetrated in this fair land of ours”....
Don’t tell me it’s time for the misty eyed lyricists to pluck up their instruments once more...Will check back when a resonable debate is taking place I think.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:22 PMWhilst Her Majesties’ subjects in Northern Ireland are delighted by the gracious visit of our good Queen, one must ask for what reason does Her respective head of state in the Republic of Ireland feel that the privilege of a Royal visit to a foreign country should have any impact on the feelings of Her Majesties said subjects in Northern Ireland on the devolvement of P&J;powers to an assembly which contains elements still strongly associated with a terrorist group with the most appalling record in civic irresponsibility and human rights violations in the western world ?
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:31 PMPeace and Justice,
You can take the girl out of Ardyone.........
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:36 PMAre the Sex Pistols misty eye lyricists too. When they sang about her they sang about the queen of their country and they were pretty pissed off with her.
The message in their song had a certain appeal, although being banned from most radio stations and top of the pops of course, millions of copies of this single were sold in britain and it become a national anthem of the disillusioned youth.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:38 PMwith a name like that you think he would appreciate the difference between adolescent fashion and pop culture and the actual substantive position of the broader adult population......
did someone say Dave Allen ?
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:42 PMThank goodness the mad chip on the shoulder brigade haven’t found this thread or it would get totally ridiculous!
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:46 PM‘But remember the sectarian comments from Mary McAleese about Protestants.’
i don’t recall any sectarian remarks from Mrs McAleese about protestants. She did refer to the discrimination catholics suffered. Which is factually and historically accurate. And she did not put it on a par with the Holocaust, as certain people would like to pretend. I am aware however of sectarian, anti-catholic legislation which Mrs Windsor is shrouded in.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:46 PMCan you not accept that not every one is falling headover hells about the royal family.
Mohamed Al Fayed is hardly an adolescent punk rocker but a sucessful business man who has created and contiues to create a lot of employment in britain.
He’s not exactly in love with her or her family either.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:50 PMI can understand players in the process using a carrot and stick approach to try and keep to the May target. However, I still can’t understand raising something that is neither (and for a second time).
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:51 PMAh! I forgot to mention the small matter of the death of his son Dodi and his girlfriend Diana
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:52 PMI am unclear what exactly Ms. McAleese was trying to achieve here. This will put no pressure at all on the DUP to agree to devolution of P+J as Nigel Dodds has just pointed out on Radio Ulster.
There are some echoes of that episode when an Irish politician suggested an historical interpretation centre at the Boyne in exchange for concessions from unionists.
I guess at least this episode is unlikely to increase suspicion and distrust of McAleese amongst unionists as it is already extremely high. It does, however, demonstrate that whatever she may think of herself and whatever some nationalists may think of her she is not and will never be some great cross community champion. Even if she wanted to be one; this episode shows that she has absolutely no concept of how unionists think. She is and will remain a tribal nationalist politician. Not that that is inherently wrong but it may not be how she wishes to see herself.
This episode and the fact that she met the Queen at the university from which she was instrumental in removing the national anthem from graduation demonstrates that she has not changed much and unionists perceptions of her are most unlikely to change.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 07:05 PM
