Slugger O'Toole

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Latest comments from stephenlmcc (see all)

stephenlmcc has commented 5 times (0 in the last month).

1. Comment on Northern Ireland split over Irish unity
   on 19 March 2010 at 5:07 am

   Mack I can agree with your observations regarding similar histories. My point was that in the grand scheme of things, the current state of NI has a unique history within NI and that makes quite a strong case for our nationhood if not statehood. The province of Ulster is historically quite unique in Ireland and has always defended its position – I personally see it as a pity that religion was used as the deciding factor in 1921 regarding the border as the three have more in common with us.

   I would also agree that the East of NI has had its artificially created history in the Unionist state. If we had more evenly spread development from ’21 onwards there wouldn’t have been the problems that contributed to the troubles in Derry. I firmly believe that the downfall of NI and the want of a UI in the catholic community can be directly blamed on James Craig and the goverments that followed. Lord Londonderry was our education minister and tried to bring in Integrated Education in the 20′s… The catholic church stopped him. Perhaps his state school system would have been biased towards the UK but would the troubles have happened? Would we have the figures above?

   On the above point – The Catholic church continues to raise its ugly head in our education system with their abolition of catholic grammars! Those grammar schools that we needed originally to get jobs and now we are closing them. They should be proud.

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2. Comment on Northern Ireland split over Irish unity
   on 18 March 2010 at 6:28 pm

   I just have a question for Monk:

   As i have said in previous posts I am from the Falls also and in previous generations of my Family we have had men fight for a United Ireland but as the two states moved apart even they saw it as futile and summed up the recent troubles as a “Shower of Shite”.

   West Belfast is definitely one of the most Nationalist parts of Northern Ireland but mostly this is down to the fact that for years and still to this day people there get a raw deal and are not made to feel part of the NI state – we are brought up disenfranchised. In west Belfast you know yourself that the degree of Nationalism depends upon the person and the area and with that we have a varying want of a United Ireland from those who really want and would fight for it to those who say they want it but hate the south?! (perplexing in itself)

   My question is this; If there was the possibility of a fairer Northern Ireland where cultural expression, ambition and possibilities were not held back would those milder nationalists still want a United Ireland?

   Lets face the fact that it is easier to change what you have than to pull it all down and start anew! I am not wanting to hark back to History because it causes so many problems here, but I challenge you to name one place in the Island of Ireland that has a shared history with us in Northern Ireland. Even Monks post eludes to the fact that in a United Ireland he would still favour Federalism – because as a Belfast man it is hard to fathom your city falling into second place behind Dublin… This 1 in 4 figure is perhaps more indicative of the fact that most NI catholics reluctantly agree with their ancestral ambition for a UI but aren’t fussed on losing out over it which would definitely happen.

   Catholics in NI need a few years of a clear head with our thoughts and then ask us about a UI. With the dogma of the church and its stranglehold on our lives (which they are trying to pursue in education to this day), the dogma of our politics and the fact that you were titled a Roman Catholic-Republican-Nationalist and now the fact that we have the politicians who told us we deserved it all and then put on an Armani suit, walked up to Stormont and forgot what they promised – well this has left us a “confused wee bunch of people” who really don’t know where to turn.

   The challenge over the next few years is for Unionism to become much more confident about its position in NI and for Catholics to become more confident about what they want out of the land they stand on, not that they automatically see the nearest Propaganda Mural and suddenly find themselves corralled into a United Ireland. As has been pointed out in so many posts – it’s all about consent, If Sinn Fein let the Catholic people make an informed decision…. well for a start they wouldn’t be elected to begin with.

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3. Comment on Northern Ireland split over Irish unity
   on 17 March 2010 at 7:07 am

   I am a Catholic Unionist. Is it hard to believe that we might have an individual opinion, that we might be pragmatic? This poll only shows a pattern of news stories, polls and speeches which appear to be trying to desensitize us to the idea of a UI. It is up to the UUP for example to suddenly learn what PR is, get some catholics involved in the party and standing, kick off any notion of DUP electoral pacts and bring us back from the brink.

   What I don’t understand is that this is the independent media publishing this and that they will write a story that they think will sell and that they can see a vested interest in. Its the same as Jim Alister constantly being asked for his view. If anybody had sense he would be gagged and committed but the BBC constantly have him on radio and TV as they think he will be big in the future and they are going to make sure of it – “the media Frankenstein” (I reserve the right to referring to Jim Allister as this). When really lets face it he is a cancer in unionism – deadly and growing.

   I agree that there will be no change by 2021 and I back this up with the trend in catholic opinion increasing in favour of the Union from the NILTS in 2006.

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4. Comment on Sinn Fein’s latest line on Unity – more signs of a gradualist approach
   on 10 March 2010 at 10:09 pm

   Munsterview I have always held the opinion that whatever is best for the people of Northern Ireland, the North or the six counties would be best for me also. Currently I believe that a United Ireland would not be wise.

   I also believe that you should be condemned for your woeful opinion that any catholic who is not a republican is a traitor. I am from the Falls Road and I am fully aware that an MP, MLA or Councilor from the Shankill would understand our issues more than a TD from Finglas for example.

   A United Ireland if it is the solution for us is a long way off. How are we in a position to take down a national boundary when the last peace we built was only completed three weeks ago. Our Country regardless of what you may perceive it to be needs decades of attention before we are in any position to consider a constitutional change such as joining the South.

   This is all part of Sinn Feins electoral haze. They have become the largest republican party because they needed to be included more in the government, they also needed more attention which they had gotten used to when blowing the place to pieces and the ‘alternative’ for catholics, the SDLP have just decided to lie down and die quietly. What is the alternative? At the risk of sounding like Jim Alister (depressing)- Where is the Opposition?

   To clarify, I am not a Unionist. I just see the historical differences between the two Irelands and I also do not ignore the elephant in the room that is the 53% protestant population of which 57% claim to be British. Are they just going to go away in a United Ireland? It also betrays a 2007 poll which said that 40% of the population said they were neither Nationalist nor Unionist and another survey in 2008 when 32% of Protestants claimed they were Northern Irish and 25% of Catholics claimed the same.

   A Black and White picture Northern Ireland has never been… why assume this has changed when politics hasn’t.

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5. Comment on Sinn Fein’s latest line on Unity – more signs of a gradualist approach
   on 10 March 2010 at 7:37 pm

   As a Catholic, therefore part of this mystical 40% I can say that I do not want a united Ireland. It strikes me as dangerous that Sinn Fein are allowed to assume the spokesman role for our entire faith and community when there is a substantial amount of catholics who will never admit that they are unionist but do not want to be ruled from Dublin. This is a silent non-voting group apparently and we sit idly by as Sinn Fein take us into a united Ireland. I raise one point… If Pat Doherty can’t convince all of his “own people” how will he ever convince unionists… its laughable. Just admit the fact that there is now after 90 years of partition a substantial difference between Catholics in NI and Catholics in ROI, those here in NI have more in common with Protestants on the other side of the wall than they do with people on the other side of the border and those on the other side are very aware of that too. Pat the folks in the promised land only want us if Britain pays for it… wake up and concentrate on your own country first before you try and join another.

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