lol wind your neck in you fud.
You absolutely blamed brexit claiming it was brexit money that was paying for the bonfires.
Oh and patronising is for dicks.
No, I inferred that money allocated to unionist political parties has been used to fund these “celebrations”, that money comes from where exactly?
Co Kerry and Cork, fills up wth with nationalists during mid July. Talking to them they simply didn't want to be in the North during the marching season.
all that Brexit money given to the unionists to keep them on side is ironically going up in smoke
Meh.
Whatever makes you feel superior.
So, has someone done any fact checking on this story?
(I'm not suggesting it isn't true, but curious whether this happened in previous years but this one's got a little bit bigger than previous bonfires so is now "newsworthy"...)
fact checking bonfires in the 06? 😆 yes, they are a fact, every year. 😆
You get republican bonfires too, no just unionist ones. though the unionists do like the ridiculous big yins more than most it seems. 😆
Yup they are (sadly) a fact.
Well, my ask was have they been as big (or a similar size) as the one in the photo in the OP?
the one in the photo is humongous. 😆
My mother was Irish - Eire, the Republic, the South...whatever.
She knew this for what it was - and still is.
The wife of one of my Eirann cousins is from Belfast; she and her husband both refuse to discuss any aspect of Irish politics; they successfully crossed the religious and sectarian divides, as have many others - but not enough.
I'm 100% with somafunk on this - as would be anyone with any connection to or having any real awareness of Irish politics.
There are no winners in this conflict.
Since partition, the real reasons for conflict have become increasingly obscured; that hasn't changed - conflict and perceived insults/injustices/sleights passed down generation to generation.
Johnson and frost not recognising the rumbling discontent; if/when the NIA/NIP blows up it will be far worse than anything we saw in the 80's.
There are many looking for a reason (excuse) to kick off.
STW writ large - pontificate about a subject of which you have no knowledge or direct experience.
God help us if the provos or any successor group gets wound up.
frankconway
it will be far worse than anything we saw in the 80’s.
doubt that tbh.
Yeah sounds a bit dramatic to me also.
Most people in NI are getting on with getting on with one another.
There's a minority of bellends that claim to speak for the 'community' and prey on vulnerable, impressionable and deprived children to do their bidding.
Unionism is eating itself right now.
Some of the bonfires might be a touch bigger this year as they were largely called off last year.
More time to collect pallets, tyres, tricolors etc
The Northern Ireland peace process / protocol has been sacrificed on the bonfire of Brexit.
I'll get me coat.....
We all have our views; time will tell but I am deeply pessimistic.
.
Most striking is the utter delusion of the person who installed solar panels whilst living in Northern Ireland
The burning resentments and unpalatable logistics of identity politics.
The burning resentments and unpalatable logistics of identity politics.
Good, but not as funny as the giant hedgehog reply 😉
I wonder what all these unionists are compensating for? 😁
I'm amazed people aren't killed by these
(also Isn't this year the postponed orange order centenary?)
There's no doubt Brexit has left many unionists feeling left out of the UK and they are pissed (brads your in denial if you think this isn't happening)
https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/loyalists-write-to-pm-withdrawing-support-for-good-friday-agreement-40156858.html
Johnson has signed us up to a deal that pushes NI further out of UK and into EU jurisdiction, now they'll have to demonstrate even harder how British they are, so bigger bonfire, bigger celebration of Protestantism beating Catholicism
EU wisely granted UK another extension on checks over the summer bonfire & matching season for this reason.
I'm not sure what will have when hardcore Loyalists realises NIP is here to stay
Found whilst reading Kimbers link
Thanks MCTD, I missed that, very good. I was talking to a builder out there during the troubles (double security front door/porch etc) and he explained although he was having to pay tributes to both sides, it was tax deductible!
It has a safety fence around the bottom so pretty sure it’ll be fine.
That's a shame. "Bellend Bigots on a bloody big Brexity BBQ" would have been a great documentary
There are no winners in this conflict.
I expect organised crime does pretty well...
Johnson and frost with their attitude to the NI protocol are literally pouring fuel onto the fire – and appear to be too dim to recognise it.
The DUP architects of the re-unification of the island, just too dim to take in that the electorate voted to remain and have backed the wrong horse.
Common sense has prevailed
I bet it would have been spectacular to watch it go up, but if it fell over on your house, not so amazing
If you read the article, the bonfire in the pictures is not the one that has been dismantled.
Found whilst reading Kimbers link
FYI, that's a different bonfire that's been dismantled - the article is somewhat misleading in that it shows a picture of the bonfire in Larne but is reporting on the dismantling of one in Bloomfield in Belfast. The article does mention at the bottom that the picture is from Larne.
Can anyone explain what would happen if we just told NI to be independent. Then they could re-join the EU or Ireland depending on a referendum (we all know they work well in deciding big issues).
Would that improve things or make them worse ?
Are they destined to be divided by generational old views ?
Can anyone explain what would happen if we just told NI to be independent.
They're getting ready for all those bangers.
You'll be able to toast bangers from the Isle of Man when that thing is lit..
Unionism is eating itself right now.
Democratic elements are. What a minority of people turn to because of that is the worry.
Can anyone explain what would happen if we just told NI to be independent. Then they could re-join the EU or Ireland depending on a referendum (we all know they work well in deciding big issues).
Would that improve things or make them worse ?
Are they destined to be divided by generational old views ?
I suspect this is the sort of thinking that led to the NI protocol in the first place. The UK put soldiers on the streets of NI for decades. We fought to retain NI. A significant proportion of the people in NI believe really strongly in the Union and want to be part of the Union. The UK has spent 100 yrs fanning that sentiment. We came to a settlement that was working fairly well for all involved - then 23 yrs later essentially want to ignore that agreement.
This is not as simple as just saying "off you toddle on your own then". In general, people who do not want to be part of a United Ireland don't want independence they want to be part of the UK, with the Queen as head of state, no role for the catholic church in the machinery of state, etc. many of them have fought for it, some have lost their lives for it etc. They would see themselves being sold down the river, for a situation which is less of what they want and almost certainly closer ties to Dublin (and I think any sensible observer would expect eventual unification).
This is not just a "NI" problem - UK governments have contributed to the division there for decades and a lack of understanding of the issues has lead the UK government, and frankly, voters in the rest of the UK to create the mess that exists in NI with Brexit.
Brexit isn't the cause of this stuff (obviously), but it sure isn't helping.
Incidentally, who lives in a world where there is only one reason behind everything that occurs?
@poly The group you refer too is now a minority (and not too big a one) if my mid-Ulster raised, Protestant in-laws are anything to go by. They are scathing of the DUP and it's political naïveté and they all have Irish passports now. It's effectively a "done deal" for them.
They don’t give a shit about brexit or politics (non religious) , they just hate catholics.
Actually, I reckon you have that mostly back to front!
They might dress it up as a hate for "catholicism" or celebrating the triumphs of "protestants in the past" but there's so little between the ideologies of Catholics and Protestants (especially hardcore NI protestants!) today compared to the differences with the atheists and the other religions than it makes absolutely no sense. This is tribalism, based on deep-seated fueds that have run for hundreds of years. Its very much about the politics of NI, which resemble nothing of the politics of Britain; links to religion in those politics are strong but by and large they are not the fuel for the fire. Brexit exacerbates those politics.
The marching and the sectarian divide spills into lowland Scotland too. I've never met a single catholic or protestant who could explain their dislike for the other on the basis of religion - it has always been about politics, football, terrorism, history (probably mistold), flag-waving nationalism, and a bizarre obsession with a 95-year-old woman who lives in a fancy house in London. The fact it has sweet FA to do with religion maybe even clearer in Scotland as church attendances are so low, but I assure you that for the vast majority it has nothing really to do with "Hating Catholics" (probably just as well for the new king of the union flag wavers is apparently Catholic!) although that might be an easy lazy label to throw at people who support reunification, and when the rest of the UK wakes up to that, and realises that the divide there is about a special type of politics and how people on both sides of that divide are treated not just by the otherside but by their supposed allies elsewhere in the London then they'll maybe be able to get on with working out the mess that the Union is rapidly becoming.
However, I'd be amazed if without some change in UK position, there isn't a growing interest in Unification even amongst traditional "catholic haters"!
UK governments have contributed to the division there for decades
Erm, this shit show has been going on for over 300years. "The Troubles" are a UK media term to describe the chaos since the 60s but it's been a mess for an awful long time.
Northwind Full Member
Ah but just imagine the size of the hedgehog in there
Dinsdale!
Poly - which school did you go to 😉
My solution? deport all the ulster protestants back to west coast scotland and all the west coast catholics back to Ulster.
My solution? deport all the ulster protestants back to west coast scotland and all the west coast catholics back to Ulster.
Send them back to where they came from?
@ElShalimo out by more than a factor of 2! 1170 was when it all kicked off and it went downhill from there.
TJ is right. It worked really well in India
