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Unread 18-04-2012, 09:33   #29
Thomas J Stamp
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The Home of Hurling
Posts: 2,708
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urgh, got brain fade half way through the slugger o toole comments section.

here is an example of myself being accused of being partitioist by various SF people (same sort as commentators on that blog) on twitter.

I asked why RTE were leading the radio news with a story that several hundred jobs were being created in Belfast. It would be the same, I suggested, as saying several hundred jobs had been created in Liverpool (actually I think i used birmingham, but Liverpool is closer again). None of those jobs benifet our ecomony (and yes I got taken to task for not including the wee catholics of Belfast as not being "ours"), none of the taxes arising from them come here, they will not reduce our unemployment rate nor raise our employment rate.

This led to a predictable amount of "partitionist" accusations from, as i said, the likes of that on the Slugger O'Toole site. I find this "stick your fingers in your ears and hum loudly" stuff - post GFA and post Referendum on Arts 2&3 and the Governement of Ireland Act - to be annoying. There may or may not be a physical boarder, but there is a politicial and soverign one. Belfast, and Northern Ireland, is still a constituant part of the United Kiingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

No amount of SF/Stickies agenda within the RTE newsroom and at whetever level of RTE deems it important to treat news that happens in a part of the UK as if it was happening in the State of Ireland (interesting legal note - we dont live in the Republic of Ireland, it doesnt actually exist, we live ina State called, in Irish Eire, in English, Ireland) will change this fact, nor being taken to task by them for daring to point out the obvious realiity that exists. Ironic that a SF polititian can, when it suits him, recognise the existance of this state, when most of the time they dont by constantly referring to where I am a citizen of as "the 26 counties" or "the free state", so before picking holes lads, you should start by recognising the legitimacy of the state down here.

Same goes for yonder boarder blogger and "offended of Derry" in relation to this harmless promotion. One thing I have noticed from anything on the net, though, is that once one Shinnerbot comments on an article, within 12 hours dozens more of them will be on-site to back him/her up, not matter how trivial and harmless the original percieved offence was.

Still, beats blowing things up I guess. A favourite historical past-time of the Replican movement in relation to Irish Rail services in northern ireland, and one for which an "RoI" address was not a condition of participation.

Good to have got that rant off me chest.
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