I’m puzzled why Belfast City Council deemed it necessary to call a vote on whether or not the Union flag should still be flown above its building. The structure was erected in 1906 and the Union flag had been flown on it every day until recently. Which idealist dimwit thought that would be a sensible move, given the decades old delicate situation between protestant and catholic communities?

I would imagine that the council could even be had up for insighting racial and religious hatred, but hang on a minute, these people are the local authority, so that’ll never happen..

Personally, I think religion is totally counterproductive to peace and and harmony in the world and it’s a fact that humans don’t need to follow a doctrine in order to develop any kind of moral compass.

I also think that big local government is an unnecessary financial burden on communities. To think that the residents of Belfast were paying for a bunch of officials to sit around discussing whether or not they should hoist a flag on their own building! Just shows how little these council officials have on their plates.

The result of this insensitive action is regular rioting on the streets, which is destroying the good work that so many people have done to try and settle the violence that dogged this region (and elsewhere) for so long. The misery over so many years, that affected the lives of thousands of innocent people, the deaths of hundreds and all those who were maimed. Loopy councillors SHOULD be on a charge!!

Oh dear.

Ontario plates

Canadians do make nice tableware.

It does seem completely daft. You’re part of the UK, so fly the union flag.

Mind you, this was just an excuse really. The straw that broke the camels back.

I think, in the end, there are a lot of psycho’s who are just getting a bit misty-eyed for their old lifestyle – Lobbing petrol bombs at armoured land rovers, shooting taxi drivers through the head, and colluding with special branch to kill lawyers.

Lets be honest. Who wouldn’t?

While over hear in england we have the church of england , having a toys out of pram moment about, gay marrige, and gay preists, while our so called elected leader, cameroon is stoking the fire and saying gay marrige is the way forward.

So lets just appease everyone, fly the gay tricoloured rainbow flag in belfast, with camerooon holding the rope.

Just perhaps allthese highly paid elected people should perhaps look at , unemployment, recession, fuel costs, and losts more important thiongs to the majority of people in uk plc, than a bloody flag.

oh and where are they getting all the money for petrol bombs at pertrol at 1.40 a litre on the mainland.

Just shows how little these council officials have Ontario plates. Loopy!

What, like, on their cars? Or from the Franklin Mint?

Mind you, this was just an excuse really. The straw that broke the camels back.

Exactly! A highly inflammatory action for which the council are entirely to blame!

Have you considered the possibility that the presence of the Union flag is inflammatory if you are not of the Unionist persuasion? Just because people aren’t rioting and shooting police officers in order to have it taken down doesn’t mean they agree with it being there. Isn’t a democratically-arrived-at decision to have it flying some of the time and not all of the time a compromise that most reasonable people could be expected to buy in to?

I currently live about 1.5 miles from the trouble, and the whole thing just does not surprise me. Once again it’s the minority, and I can see that most of the people rioting would struggle to tell me what colours are on the union flag. It’s an embarrassment.

Could they not fly a flag with a print of some fwuffy kittens or something? To calm everyone down.

When do one lot celebrate the success of the orange harvest? It normally goes off a bit then too, doesn’t it? I can understand them getting a bit frisky though. Not many people would think you could effectively grow citrus fruit in that kind of climate. Why is it the other mob won’t give them any credit for it? Do they prefer lemons? Or cranberries?

Isn’t a democratically-arrived-at decision to have it flying some of the time and not all of the time a compromise that most reasonable people could be expected to buy in to?

To be honest, I think most reasonable people have. The one’s rioting are the unreasonable minority.

I would imagine that the council could even be had up for insighting racial and religious hatred, but hang on a minute, these people are the local authority, so that’ll never happen..

You probably would imagine this as you have a fertile imagination and a right wing knee jerk reaction to many things.

On Monday 3 December, Belfast City Council voted to fly the union flag at city hall only on designated days.

Nationalists at Belfast City Council had wanted the union flag taken down altogether, but in the end voted on a compromise from the Alliance Party that it would fly on designated days.

Unionists said they consider the changes to be an attack on their cultural identity.

A loyalist protest outside the building erupted into violence minutes after the motion was passed. Disorder also broke out in east Belfast.

Fifteen police officers were injured, as well as a press photographer and two security guards.

Police were criticised by Sinn Fein for not anticipating the violence.

Council staff removed the flag at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday. It will now only be flown on 20 designated days.

It is seen by some within the community as a triumphant flying of the oppressors flag – I think this is down to us invading them, ignoring the free Ireland vote and partitioning the country with force – Imagine not liking seeing the flag of the country who did this.

Thankfully the children of the 400 year old Ulster plantation remain as fiercely committed to blighty as the day we placed the protestants there to do this job so they are rioting.

Hearts and minds need to change to bring about peace and getting as upset as the most reactionary elements of either community is not likely to bring us lasting peace.

See what you’ve started Junkyard 😉

an attack on their cultural identity.

Was it wrong to laugh at that statement?

Exactly, the people of Northern Ireland have no identity!

What would Jesus do ? Rubber bullets or petrol bombs ?

Would it be OK to offer the unionists their flag back as long as they embrace gay bishops?

Every little helps

Apart from UKIP, I expect they’re the only people in Britain who are actually bothered about the Union Flag. Its quite quaint really. In a retarded sort of way

this explains it all rather well

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc34JKvCQ3Q[/video]

is there an ulster xc league this year ?

The result of this insensitive action is regular rioting on the streets

Have you been there? Looked at the history? There is rioting if there are 7 days in the week!

If you want to fly a flag , buy your own, apply for planning permission for a flag pole, and do it yourself.

Runs off and googles how to make and erect a flag pole, as a new buisneess enterprise. 🙂