Irish Current Affairs.

AlexWilliamsGloves said:
I completely agree that the South is much more progressive...or you have certainly progressed more as a society...but thats not to say there isnt potential in the North!

Well im 43, so not quite a youth myself, however i have a 22 year old and a 15 year old who are both interested and vocal in what they believe and think. My eldest is politically aware, shes the first generation of adults who have only ever experienced "peace" in the North...she was a baby when the GFA was signed and there was(is) such hope that they would never experience what we and our parents had to. She has grown up in a country with great potential and like most young adults is keen and motivated....but feels with Brexit and the possibility of a return to violence that many of her options are being taken away (rightly or wrongly)...but thats how they feel. Through no fault of their own, opportunities are being stripped....and that builds resentment.

When she was 15/16 she was involved in a local youth theatre/film academy and they had to arrange an event/festival. To give them guidance and advice a number of professionals were brought in to give them ideas on workshops they could arrange...photography, film-making, radio etc...and she was really excited to do it.
When i picked her up after i asked how it went and she just shrugged and said it was a bit boring and irrelevant to them...

...she said that all of the "professionals" advice focused on cross community work, dealing with the troubles etc. And then said the most profound thing...she/her friends actually didnt care about the troubles, nor about cross community working....not through bigotry or ignorance, but because it no longer mattered. They see the troubles as the past and something that has been eradicated...why would they be interested in that.
So now we have a generation of young adults who have only known peace...the threat of a return to the bad old days is just unthinkable.

IMO there is no longer the view that the South is run by the Church...in fact, personally the South is an attractive option...i wouldnt rule out a move in a few years, once the kids are both up and away.

Has opinion on a united Ireland changed or softened? Hard to say. Having grown up in a Unionist area, from a Unionist background the thought is no longer "scary". Personally i like the idea....some arent as opposed as they used to be whilst im sure those hardened loyalists are probably more entrenched and opposed to the idea.
I would think they thought of Nationalists and Republicans is still the same, but a deciding factor could be those Soft Nationalists....middle class, successful Catholics to whom being British or remaining with the UK suited them.

I cant call the result of a border poll in the North now....it would be close, but i still think the majority would be to remain with the UK (but this isnt taking Brexit into account). Depending on who Brexit pans out, things could change. There wont (shouldnt) be a poll until we Brexit and we see the repercussions of what happens in Scotland.
I agree that a dual citizenship/devolved government in the North would be the ideal scenario.

The DUP are a real quandary for me...perhaps im in an echo-chamber or bubble, but i dont know a single person who supports or votes for them, so i get frustrated to see how they win so many elections. Perhaps we just need a load of auld farts to die and stop voting....or lower the voting age to 16!!
As we have no government i really hope people are just getting more pissed off with the DUP and Sinn Fein and instead vote Green and Alliance (which is what happened recently)

If there is a general election, we will need to know which parties ours will align themselves with....as our vote is largely pointless in a GE :-/


I think ive gone off track, trying to type all this in work
Click to expand...

That's a really good post. You feel change is coming in some shape or form, just as long as its not with the Shinners or their DUP sisters leading the charge! An 'agreed Island' within the EU, with some sort links to Britain ( possibly just Eng & Wales in the future), an updated constitution, new flag, anthem etc will happen eventually.
Plenty of well educated northern Unionsts working in Dublin in Finance and tech, none of them would ant any sort of hard border I'd imagine, not the ones know anyhow....
 
The was a punk/political band from there and Derry a few years back...released an album called "Muff against Bush" :-/
 
blue_paul said:
That's a really good post. You feel change is coming in some shape or form, just as long as its not with the Shinners or their DUP sisters leading the charge! An 'agreed Island' within the EU, with some sort links to Britain ( possibly just Eng & Wales in the future), an updated constitution, new flag, anthem etc will happen eventually.
Plenty of well educated northern Unionsts working in Dublin in Finance and tech, none of them would ant any sort of hard border I'd imagine, not the ones know anyhow....
Click to expand...
Hey, what’s wrong with the Scots?
 
AlexWilliamsGloves said:
I completely agree that the South is much more progressive...or you have certainly progressed more as a society...but thats not to say there isnt potential in the North!

Well im 43, so not quite a youth myself, however i have a 22 year old and a 15 year old who are both interested and vocal in what they believe and think. My eldest is politically aware, shes the first generation of adults who have only ever experienced "peace" in the North...she was a baby when the GFA was signed and there was(is) such hope that they would never experience what we and our parents had to. She has grown up in a country with great potential and like most young adults is keen and motivated....but feels with Brexit and the possibility of a return to violence that many of her options are being taken away (rightly or wrongly)...but thats how they feel. Through no fault of their own, opportunities are being stripped....and that builds resentment.

When she was 15/16 she was involved in a local youth theatre/film academy and they had to arrange an event/festival. To give them guidance and advice a number of professionals were brought in to give them ideas on workshops they could arrange...photography, film-making, radio etc...and she was really excited to do it.
When i picked her up after i asked how it went and she just shrugged and said it was a bit boring and irrelevant to them...

...she said that all of the "professionals" advice focused on cross community work, dealing with the troubles etc. And then said the most profound thing...she/her friends actually didnt care about the troubles, nor about cross community working....not through bigotry or ignorance, but because it no longer mattered. They see the troubles as the past and something that has been eradicated...why would they be interested in that.
So now we have a generation of young adults who have only known peace...the threat of a return to the bad old days is just unthinkable.

IMO there is no longer the view that the South is run by the Church...in fact, personally the South is an attractive option...i wouldnt rule out a move in a few years, once the kids are both up and away.

Has opinion on a united Ireland changed or softened? Hard to say. Having grown up in a Unionist area, from a Unionist background the thought is no longer "scary". Personally i like the idea....some arent as opposed as they used to be whilst im sure those hardened loyalists are probably more entrenched and opposed to the idea.
I would think they thought of Nationalists and Republicans is still the same, but a deciding factor could be those Soft Nationalists....middle class, successful Catholics to whom being British or remaining with the UK suited them.

I cant call the result of a border poll in the North now....it would be close, but i still think the majority would be to remain with the UK (but this isnt taking Brexit into account). Depending on who Brexit pans out, things could change. There wont (shouldnt) be a poll until we Brexit and we see the repercussions of what happens in Scotland.
I agree that a dual citizenship/devolved government in the North would be the ideal scenario.

The DUP are a real quandary for me...perhaps im in an echo-chamber or bubble, but i dont know a single person who supports or votes for them, so i get frustrated to see how they win so many elections. Perhaps we just need a load of auld farts to die and stop voting....or lower the voting age to 16!!
As we have no government i really hope people are just getting more pissed off with the DUP and Sinn Fein and instead vote Green and Alliance (which is what happened recently)

If there is a general election, we will need to know which parties ours will align themselves with....as our vote is largely pointless in a GE :-/


I think ive gone off track, trying to type all this in work
Click to expand...
Good post. Heartening too to hear the views of youth. Something that puzzled me when I was over last month, on the road out of Belfast, heading South, I must have counted maybe a dozen Union Jacks. At the road side, in Gardens. More than you would expect to see in England. Is that usual?
 
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