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To Vote or Not to Vote

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Monday, 30 Oct 2023, 13:39

The votes are in and counted and what changes can we look forward to, probably none. With Sinn Fein taking the most seats here, the Unionists will now refuse to go back into Stormont. Of course Sinn Fein are now all about getting back to work but were happy to sit at home for three+ years after they walked out over the RHI scandal. Do they really think Unionism will accommodate them now? The thing is no one even noticed when they were all off and things just rattled along as always. Party politics has really outlived its usefulness, we don’t just need to get rid of the politicians, we need a whole new system.

The press are making a big deal out of Sinn Fein winning most seats but the reality is they haven’t won any more than they did last time around, the only difference this time is that the TUV took a couple off the DUP. The SDLP lost out most and I’m happy to report that one of their losers was Nichola Mallon. Truly well-deserved after her actions of the last two years and there will be many who will not be sorry to see her go. She was the most outspoken supporter of lockdowns, vax passes and compulsory vaccines, a real fascist at heart. I’m only disappointed Colm Eastwood isn’t joining her because he was as bad.

There were over 11,000 spoiled votes and with a turnout of 63% there were still a lot of people, more than a third actually, who didn’t vote. I will be joining their ranks next time around if the choices remain the same.

I was always a strong advocate of voting but have lost all faith in the system, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government, or rather ‘shadow government’, always gets in. It has also been made compulsory to register to vote, this is probably so that your data can be sold on and they can keep tabs on you, so I won’t even bother to register again either.

The malaise is worse in England with only 35% turnout and as low as 13% in some areas. I don’t know how anyone can claim to speak for us on those figures. Boris Johnston could turn those Conservative losses into a big win if he finally got the UK out of the EU, dumped the protocol, stopped bowing to the woke crowd, grew up and actually showed something like leadership.

I was never a fan of Margaret Thatcher but I have to say, she wouldn’t have put up with an ounce of this garbage for five minutes, and I am sick of government policy being decided by media hysteria. Of course, the next outbreak has started already, abortion this time and, off they go, hysterically ramping up the screaming woke mob again. Gawd, give me strength!


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All the Worlds a...fraud??

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Monday, 25 Apr 2022, 13:20

The world is full of fakery, we have fake wars, fake pandemics, fake presidents and leaders, fake news, fake science, fake food, fake men and women, fake histories, fake religions and fake concern; all concocted to control you, keep you distracted and in a continual state of terror so that you don’t see that the real war is being waged against you.

Humanity has been the victim in a silent war of terror for decades and didn’t even know it. Governments and corporations have worked hand in glove to make you sick, terrify you, keep you poor and divided, and all while telling you that they were working in your interests. Unfortunately, there is something faulty in the wiring of humans, that we judge people not on what they do but what they say. It reminds me of the scene in Mars Attacks where the aliens are chasing after the humans and shouting ‘We love you’ while blowing them away.

The question is, how do we counteract it? I don’t really know, well, actually I do, but the scale of it is beyond me and I don’t have the means to take it on. However, they say, be the change you want to see in the world so, to that end, as one human being, I have switched off the fake media. From here on, I will completely ignore all the politicians and concern myself with the wellbeing of my family, friends and community only.

We have an election coming up next week and as part of my ‘new agenda for change’ I will not be voting for anyone, I do not want to encourage these people any more. I will use my vote and spoil it and write on it ‘None of the Above’ - spoiled votes are still counted. There was a petition on Change.org a few years ago to have it added to ballot papers. Sadly, nothing came of it and minority governments will still be able to make laws and implement policies that none of us ever voted for. But if I haven’t voted for them, then I don’t see why I should obey them.

There is no doubt the system needs to change but no one is offering any real change, at least not here in NI, they are all strings of the same bow, parroting out the propaganda and box ticking for effect, with nothing new to offer except the same old self-righteous indignation and arrogance. They cannot see outside of the present models for government or the ‘crisis’ issues being manufactured around them. They have neither the intellect nor imagination to look any further than the end of their own upturned noses, and it’s hard to believe that they are concerned about us now when most of them either gleefully joined in, or stood silently by, in the last two years as our freedoms were stripped away and the entire population was subjected to a campaign of media and medical terrorism.

The SDLP’s posters state ‘People First’, this is the same party that a few short months ago was calling for the unvaccinated to be excluded from society. Now, it’s ‘People First’, do they really think we have forgotten. They must think our memories are as short lived as their election promises.

And Sinn Pfizer’s are ‘Time for a Change’. That I certainly agree with but not the change these fascists have in mind, judging by their actions in the last 2, or rather 30+, years. The party that, along with the Ulster Unionists, banned people from graveyards, beaches and forests. Beaches and forests are two of the best places for your mental and physical health, and the importance of graveyards as a comfort to the recently bereaved is immeasurable. When it comes to self-righteous grandstanding it is hard to beat Sinn Fein’s absolute hypocrisy.

Then we have the newbies, People Before Profit but I didn’t hear a word from them when the profits of the pharmaceutical industry were rocketing at the expense of the health and well-being of the people. Profits before People more like - maybe that should be Pfizer’s new corporate by-line, after all, that is what they have been doing for years anyway!

The Socialist Party are touting ‘We cannot afford this system/Capitalism’. But they only have to look back to the old Soviet Union and Mao’s China to see what the price of ‘socialism’ was, an estimated 65 million dead. A better slogan would be, Flogging the Dead Horse! Good luck with that one!

But in the midst of this manufactured economic crisis, (I know, another one!) what can we ‘afford’? The lie of Theresa May’s ‘there is no magic money tree’, has now been laid bare for all to see and not just in the last 2 years. The government has been happily printing money to pay for the ‘covid’ crisis. There was no shortage of capital for the government and their cronies when their snouts were buried in the ‘covid’ trough. But for years we were told that the 2008 banking crisis was the reason the health service and other public services were being starved of funding. Now, of course, we know the story of that ‘crisis’, caused and manufactured by the banking industry and they still got to walk away with all the money and all the property and we were left to pay for it all, as usual.

The rise of crypto currency shows that the entire monetary system is fake as well. There is now and never was any need for austerity or poverty, it would be quite easy to equalise the opportunities in society and life in general but we will never get it from a political party, at least not from any of the present incumbents touting for a soft seat and a deep pocket in Stormont. The move from money in your pocket to numbers on a screen lays bare the falsehood of monetary economics, just add in a few more numbers. I’m not sure what the biggest scam in history is, banking, Christianity, or 20th/21st century ‘health’ care. Hmmm…

Anyway, in next week’s fake democratic election, in my area, the Sinn Pfizer sheep and the SDLP supporting, middle classes will in all likely turn out and put them back in power so don’t expect to see anything changing around here soon, except the value of the fake pound in your pocket, at least, until it is taken away and replaced with the score on your social credit card and your biometric ID.

And in case all this fakery is too much for you, then Mark Zuckerberg can offer you a fake life to go with all the other fake stuff. You can forget all your troubles and plug into the Metaverse and live a fake life with a fake avatar, obviously a much slimmer, smarter and better-looking version of yourself, until such times as you lose all consciousness of reality and become the first human battery in the AI takeover. The Matrix awaits…


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Sinn Pfizer Macht Frei

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 It’s all been a bit of a ‘good news/bad news time recently but then life is probably like that all the time. On the good news front, Number 1 grandson arrived a few weeks ago and all is well.

On the bad news front, up until this point I avoided writing about the ‘vaccines’ as I wanted to observe for myself what was going on and not just believe everything posted online. There were several sudden and unexpected deaths in our local town, but I am only aware of one family who blamed it on the jab which, of course, the ‘health professionals’ denied. I am not privy to the medical information of the others so I cannot comment.

Most of my family got ‘vaccinated’ and until recently no one seemed to be suffering from any adverse effects. However, my mother got the Pfizer booster back in October along with the flu jab. She previously had the Astrazeneca and I tried to persuade her to reconsider as she did not know how they would react with each other, as none of these jabs have been through proper human trials (this is the human trial). So, a few days after, she took ill with pericarditis and has now been in hospital for 8 weeks with no foreseeable date for release. Complicated further, as she had a minor stroke at the weekend and is in decline, not just physically but spiritually. 9 weeks in hospital would make anyone lose the will to live.

Prior to the jab, my mother had no trouble with her heart, she is diabetic and was having a few issues with her kidneys, but she was being seen regularly by the hospital and things were ticking along ok. She was mobile, fully cognisant and living independently, although she couldn’t manage the heavier aspects of housework which I took care of. Sadly, her mobility is now reduced and she will not be able to live alone again, if she ever does get out of hospital.

Then I learned yesterday that an elderly cousin of hers had a physical collapse after receiving the booster and was in hospital for two weeks; the medical professionals could not find anything clinically wrong. She got home yesterday and was like a zombie, I was shocked when I saw her, from the woman that she was not so long ago. This lady is in her early nineties and walked into town twice a week to get her own shopping and walked home again, albeit she doesn’t live far from the town centre, and lived independently in her own home. Now she will need carers and cannot be left alone.

My son in law also believes the jab killed his grandfather, he took ill within hours of having it and then passed away from a heart attack. He was fit and walked every day and was a keen gardener. And a neighbour of mine who is only in her early sixties also had a stroke within days of having it.

Were the jabs to blame? No one in the medical profession is going to say yes and who cares about a few old people to bother investigating any further? The conspiracy of silence from the medical and ‘health’ professionals sickens me.

Sportsmen and women have been dropping dead of heart attacks at an alarming rate and Sergio Aguero has had to retire with heart trouble but still the media and political puppets push on with the experimental jab without morals, without conscience, without a care for anyone except their own self-serving agendas.  Pfizer Macht Frei or, as we say here in N Ireland, Sinn Pfizer Macht Frei!

The full story of this fraud will not be known for many years, if ever, as they control the media and try to control the narrative. Who knows what the long term effects of these experiments will be and by the time it is known, the protagonists will be long gone.

Pfizer have asked for their papers on the jab to be kept under lock and key for 55 years. Nothing to see there, I’m sure! And their profits for the last year are up 124%. The complicit will be well paid, it only cost them their humanity. God knows what it is going to cost us, our children and grandchildren. 

And within all this concern for our ‘health’, there hasn’t been a word about sunshine, fresh air, a good diet of real food or keeping active, or anything that will naturally boost your immunity. They closed the gyms and banned people from the beach, and the forests and woodlands but kept the off-licenses open because they really care.

For humanities sake, please stop complying, hold the line and hold your nerve, it can be done, I’ve still never worn a mask or taken any of their jabs and what a miracle, I’m still alive and well. If you’re getting calls offering you one and feeling the pressure, tell them you’ll take it from the doctor over a phone or zoom call. They won’t see patients so play them at their own game.

And from the Ghandi book of small acts of civil disobedience, make appointments for jabs and then don’t show up. I know a few people who are doing that. Please try, it is going to get worse before it gets better, we are sleepwalking into tyranny and no one can stop it but us. 

A bit of good news to finish on, for me at least. I bought an electric piano with a view to teaching number 1 granddaughter, as I played violin many years ago and piano too, for a while. The great thing about the electric piano is that you can plug in the headphones and play away without worrying about hitting bum notes, or annoying the neighbours! I still remember the staves, notes and most of the theory, and started playing again too, a bit rusty but making good progress. It helps to keep me sane as the world slides into totalitarianism; I’ve already learned Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and am working on Moonlight Sonata, something uplifting amongst the insanity.

 

 

 

 


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Illuminat, Evil and Enlightenment

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Friday, 25 Aug 2023, 09:10

You can’t go online and research anything without coming across the ‘illuminati’.  Apparently, these are the elite who really run the world (and you can see just what a great job they’re doing!), they rope in all the top celebrities and are soooo evil because they believe in and worship the devil!!!  Wooooh! Scary stuff!

They’re supposed to be interconnected with the Freemasons and a load of other secret societies who, allegedly, possess old ‘knowledge’ or ‘magic’. They share symbols (pentagons, all seeing eyes etc) and you go through a ceremony or initiation when you join. Miley Cyrus is supposed to be one, and that would be enough to ensure it’s a club that I, and I’m sure many others, would never want to join!

I have actively avoided mentioning any of this up until now because I think it is all just another load of old crap, designed to distract and divide us, while the mega-rich continue to plunder the world’s resources for themselves.

Now if you want to run around with your trousers up over your knees, give secret handshakes (like a bunch of schoolboys), cover one of your eyes in photos and make hand gestures to signify your loyalty to Satan, then you really need to take a long hard look at yourself and grow up. Just writing that shows how absurd and rather pathetic it all is, ‘Oh, look at us! We’re Satanists, how evil are we?!’

If you look at it logically, if you believe in the devil, then you have to believe in God, I mean, you cannot have the ultimate evil without the ultimate good, it goes against the laws of physics. And I know whose side I would want to be on.

In the Navajo tradition, they believe that man is bad and has to learn to be good, a bit like the old Catholic teaching on original sin but not as fascist. I don’t think the Navajo would have excluded a child from the family burial plot because someone hadn’t poured water on its head and said some ‘magic’ words. The more you break this stuff down, the more ridiculous it all appears.  How could competent and intelligent people have been persuaded to believe this?! Then again, look around!

There was a time when I believed that man was inherently good but the events of this last year have made me reassess that belief. When you look at it logically, again, we have to learn to be, not only good, but to be human/humane. As M. Scott Peak pointed out in The Road Less Travelled series, it is natural to defecate in your pants, but you learn to control it, just as you can learn how to behave and control your emotions and actions.

There are several well known cases of children brought up with animals who adopted the behaviour of the animals. Psychology will also tell you that if language and a host of other ‘human’ behaviours have not been acquired by the age of 7, then the chances of acquiring them after that become slim. It would appear therefore, that there are no inherent instincts or behaviours that make us human and our ‘humanity’ is something that has to be learned. We are animals, whether we like to believe it or not; I was going to say animals with manners, but I don’t think our manners are as good as many other animal species (eg: elephants).  In the face of that, I think we need to show a lot more humility, and a lot less arrogance, about who we think we are and what we know.

M Scott Peck in People of the Lie pointed to laziness as the source of underlying evil in humanity. Being good requires effort, being evil requires no effort at all. Consciousness is that effort and begins early in humans, anyone who has children will remember the three year old who asked why, why, why? We also learn what we are allowed to question and what we are not. If you live in a society where you are forbidden from challenging or asking questions about that society and/or the belief systems you live under, you never develop beyond the psychological boundaries of childhood and mature into full adult consciousness. You remain passive and obedient, mindlessly accepting and believing everything you’ve been told or, at least, pretending to.

Ireland has had one of the hardest lockdowns in the world over the ‘pandemic’ and has been one of the least vocal in speaking out against it and the restrictions. The consciousness of the majority of the population remains undeveloped and immature. Centuries of British rule and the autocracy of the Catholic Church have created a passive and cowardly population. Here in the north, there is an additional factor to that submissiveness.  On the nationalist side, many people still fear Sinn Fein and what they, or their cohorts, might do if they go up against them. The silence against lockdown has been deafening on the nationalist side, a side many would have thought would have been the first to object to having their freedom taken away. But it’s amazing what the Council for Foreign Relations (aka CIA) can buy for €4.6m (Political principles, Ms McDonald?  That’ll do nicely, Mr Haass.) See link below.

There have been several voices of dissent on the Unionist/Protestant side (Sammy Wilson, Van Morrison) which, when you look at history, comes as no surprise. The first ‘Irish rebels’ were Presbyterians, going back to Wolfe Tone in 1798 and, in the Easter Rising, there were many from the Presbyterian tradition initially involved in the fight for freedom and equality. It was only afterwards, on the issue of Home Rule, that the divide opened up across religious grounds, leading to the political division of a mainly Protestant North and a Catholic South. These were the same tactics the British used to divide India from Pakistan and set Muslim against Hindu, and vice versa.

The false humility promoted by ‘Christianity’, along with nationalism/republicanism, has created a culture of victimhood and martyrdom. The nodding assent on display is the result of a population who are not used to thinking for themselves, or questioning authority, or rather the authorities who are supposed to be on their side. Religious, political and community leaders continue to exploit this victimhood mentality to maintain power and control over the masses. (A strategy not confined to Ireland and now being used by the manipulators behind the BLM movement). This is not to say that the Irish haven’t endured some horrific abuses over the centuries and there is a kind courage in bearing suffering that is beyond your control. But none at all, when it is fully within your control as a grown adult.

When it comes to being good or evil, I don’t care if you worship God or Satan.  I do however, believe that both those entities are the excuse many use for a lot of self-righteous hypocrisy and some extremely questionable behaviour. I believe the choice between good and evil is ours and our alone, but it does require consciousness, and that can only be fully achieved with the right support and advice growing up, and begins with observing, thinking and asking questions. People may be able to control your actions at times, and we may not always be allowed to openly question what we are being told, but the majority of us still have the capacity to think, even if we can’t always express those thoughts.

Some believe that we need religion to provide the moral framework for the development of a conscience and that, without religion, people would not be good at all and evil would flourish. I disagree; there are some religions/belief systems that are fairly benign, eg: Buddhism, but the evils committed under Christianity would do Hitler proud and are no guarantee that a person will act morally or from a place of consciousness.  Religion may tell us what to believe but consciousness makes us think.

When we think about evil, we think about the great evils of Stalin or Hitler who as I pointed out in previous posts, never actually killed anyone. As Scott Peck pointed out, there is another low level of evil, within all of us that we need to be aware of and recognise. We would consider breaking a child’s bones an evil act, but would we feel the same about a resentful and jealous parent breaking a child’s spirit? Or what about the overly involved parent, who gives their child everything, as a way of emotionally manipulating the child and sabotaging their autonomy?

Then there are the diabolical horrors committed by humans against each other when in a state of war, or in defence of an ideology. I’m only a couple of chapters into the Gulag Archipelago and I’m appalled to think about the minds that dreamt up the tortures detailed in it. It’s easy to think the perpetrators were psychotic, and I’m sure there were a few psychos among them, but they couldn’t all have been, or maybe the devil made them do it.

As Solzhenitsyn points out in Chapter 4, ‘If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil, cuts through the heart of every human being’.

He acknowledges the potential within himself to do what his tormentors are doing. He wonders how he would behave if his life had taken a different direction, and questions what makes decent men complicit within these types of situations. He concludes that it is because they believe they are doing good and, as the old saying goes, ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’.

The corruption on display around the world by those in power today could make one think that maybe they are minions of Satan and Old Nick, himself, is running the show. But I’m not convinced.  They say the devil makes work for idle hands but I think it is the weak minded who are most easily led towards corruption.

I don’t know if the Illuminati are a real thing or are just a few deluded celebrities desperately trying to give themselves some ‘street cred’. Illuminati means enlightened and if they really are seeking enlightenment, then they will have difficulty finding it in the vileness that Satan represents. As Jordan Peterson says, ‘truth is the path to true enlightenment’ and truth is the very antithesis of the devil, aka, the Father of Lies. 

The population, at present, are being lied to on a grand scale. The powers behind the lies have been doing this for decades and are well practised in making a lie appear as truth, and the truth, a lie. They use censorship and propaganda to confuse and misdirect us, and people have been manipulated into believing they are doing good by wearing masks, social-distancing and taking ‘vaccines’, without any real scientific truth being presented to validate those claims . Debates rage in families and online regarding the efficacy of these measures and keep us divided and distracted, again.

The only defence against a lie is to consciously seek the truth and be authentic, and that begins with us and us alone. We have within us the power to do good or evil, and recognising and acknowledging our capacity for evil, as well as good, is the first step towards consciousness, and that requires honesty and effort. As we try to navigate our way through the web of lies and deceit that has been created as part of this ‘crisis’, remember the words of Edmund Burke, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing’, so think on.

Apologies forgot to add in the links:

https://theirishsentinel.com/2021/03/20/sinn-feins-deal-with-the-devil-e4-6-million-was-just-the-start/

https://rense.com/general81/miley.htm


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In Defence of 'Vigilante Conspiracy Theorists'

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So, in answer to our local politicians this is the letter I drafted and sent to the paper in response to the article. The paper comes out on Thursday so I won't know until then if they are going to print it but here is the full text of it.

In answer to Stephen Edwards and Daniel McCrossan’s hysterical over-reaction to a bit of paint on a wall, I must first challenge the assertion of ‘conspiracy theory’. Maybe they were looking at a different wall but, for the life of me, all I see is 3 statements opposing the ‘new normal’, the wearing of masks and a hashtag in support of KBF (Keep Britain Free, there is no Keep (N) Ireland Free group yet.)

And where exactly is the ‘fake news’? Now, if it had said something like ‘in February 2019, Bill Gates helped draft legislation to ensure pharmaceutical companies would not be held liable for any injury caused by a corona virus vaccine, or in August 2019, Bill Gates signed a $1billion deal with a democratic Senator for Track and Trace technology, or even in October 2019, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with the World Economic Forum and the John Hopkins Centre ran a simulation, called Event 201, to plan for what would happen if there was a corona-virus pandemic. But, these are all facts not conspiracy theories or fake news.

As a matter of fact, considering the hysteria, one would almost think there was a conspiracy to push the narrative pumped out by the mainstream media, and their obliging political minions, and discredit anyone who would dare to disagree.

There is a long history of graffiti as a means of legitimate political protest, especially when those who disagree are censored and denied a forum through which to voice their discontent and/or disagreements. When the media, national and local, indulge in censorship, other means of protest have to be utilised.

The Republican movement in Strabane have a history of daubing the walls with their slogans, ‘Ireland unfree shall never be at peace’ is one that adorned the walls of the Ballycolman area for many years. Forgotten now it seems…and we certainly won’t talk about the price Strabane has paid for their activities, past and present. For the record, it was done in daylight too not in the dark.

The term ‘conspiracy theorist’ was first coined by the CIA to try and discredit anyone who disagreed with the narrative on the assassination of John F Kennedy. To call anyone a ‘conspiracy theorist’ is to indulge in the laziest form of politics, self-righteously, grandstanding with weak and insipid name-calling, rather than debating with robust intelligent arguments based on fact. But if any of our representatives would like to publicly debate on the merits of the ‘lockdown’, masks or any aspect of the ‘new normal’ or ‘tyranny’, then I would be more than happy to oblige without masks, (anti)social-distancing or censorship. 

As to moral duty, there is an old saying - Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.


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Not Banksy

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Sunday, 11 Oct 2020, 09:58

You see, this is what happens when you don't get your art class, you have to get out and create something and when you have a political conscience as demanding as mine, then what else is a girl to do?? This is across from the local Sinn Fascist office who along with the SDLP took to the local paper to condemn 'vigilante conspiracy theorists' as you can see from the article below. Well, it might not be Banksy but it makes a point.

wall

No description available.

A few of the highlights from the article read: 'Vigilante conspiracy theorists need to catch themselves on after anti-face mask graffiti was daubed on at least two locations in Strabane this week.  The graffiti which appeared at the Bridgend and also on the river wall has also been described as 'mindless vandalism'.

One of the slogans reads, 'No new normal. #nomask tyranny #KBF. It is understood that the term KBF or 'Keep Britain Free' has been used by people protesting against Covid 19 restrictions.

SDLP councillor Steven Edwards condemned the graffiti. 'Not only does this graffiti vandalise public property but it also spreads 'fake news' around the wearing of masks...the vigilante conspiracy theorists need to catch themselves on and realise the damage they are causing to Strabane town.

Party colleague Daniel McCrossan added, 'Whoever did this - wise up. Protest if you like but don't blight our town. Strabane Sinn Fein also condemned the graffiti ' We have asked the council to remove this eyesore from outside our office. We are deeply disappointed that whoever decided to do this in the dark of the night also vandalised our poster thanking NHS and key workers.'

Daniel McCrossan also mentioned their 'moral duty' to protect others. The bottom picture in case you can't see it clearly, says 1939 with a yellow star painted next to it and 2020 with a mask. This was painted on the back of one of those propaganda covid 19 boards telling us to stay apart, wash your hands blah, blah, blah, and I painted a nice big swastika on the front of it so they couldn't put it up again. I was going to to the same to the Sinn Fein board they had put up about clapping for the NHS but my paint ran out and as a key worker myself I find it patronising and puerile as do many of my colleagues.

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#NoMasks #KBF

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Well, I managed to get the whole way to the South of England, and back again, without a mask and without much hassle too, I have to say.  Had a lovely few days enjoying the sunshine and heat with visits to Brighton and Littlehampton, where the beaches were busy with people out and about and enjoying themselves, and barely a mask in sight. 

However, on the journey itself, I was one of the very few flying (or using the trains, or shopping) without a mask, and I never saw the airports as empty as Heathrow and Gatwick were. The travelling was actually quite depressing, normally there is a buzz around the airports and London, but not this time. There was a general air of despondency hanging over everyone which is sad to see as I love London/England. I wonder how long the trains can run like this too. On the way back yesterday, I was the only person in the carriage and the one next to me was empty as well. This was the Gatwick Express going to Victoria and there were barely 15 people on it, a train that is normally full to bursting, especially, at this time of the year. 

As I was travelling, I was thinking about England and the English. England is not a very big country geographically, but in spite of that, and I'm addressing this to the people of England, you started the Industrial Revolution and led the world in manufacturing, science and technology. Just take a walk around Highgate Cemetery to see the names of the many scientists buried there, many of whom escaped persecution in other countries and found a home in England. 

A hundred years ago, you had conquered most of the world with the 'sun not setting on the British Empire' and I'm not going to get into a debate on the historical rights or wrongs of that, at least not today. You fought two world wars and were on the winning side each time, you built your country back up afterwards and created the welfare state and the NHS which lifted millions out of poverty and gave them a higher standard of living. This led to a rise in social mobility that, in turn, created the explosion of talent in music, art and technology that was the 1960's when Britain led the world in manufacturing, fashion, culture and innovation. Political debates raged and London was the centre for all that energy and enthusiasm which promised so much for so many. 

And how many times in your history have you fought back against invaders? Spanish Armada, Battle of Britain, anyone?

So, what happened, where has it gone? Travelling around Southern England I can only shake my head in despair to see the people of England so low, muzzled and depressed by a 'virus' and a government that doesn't give a damn about your health and is nothing more than the puppet of the corporate and banking empires that now rule the world. If they really cared about your health, would there be a mental health/obesity/poverty/social care crisis that has been building up for 40 years?

But it's not just England, look at Scotland, home of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, presided over now by a woman who is becoming more like Stalin with every passing day. Where is the heart of Scottish rebellion now, locked down and masked in tyranny by Nicola Krankie over a bad case of the flu?

And Ireland? I came back to find that the Sinn Fascists have made muzzles mandatory in shops here too. The great Irish rebels, the great freedom fighters of Ireland are now the foil of the Tories, Maggie Thatcher's old party. Excuse me, while I pull the craw of hypocrisy out of my throat! Their compatriots in arms terrorised the country for 30 years, with their masks and guns, and have left behind a legacy of severe social and mental heath problems in their wake. We don't have the highest suicide rate in Europe for nothing! 

Not to mention, the thousands who left or were driven out by them since the 1960's. If they really cared one iota for the 'health' of the people here, tackling that legacy might be a good place to start and maybe they could begin by removing all the memorials to death and murals, to what was 30 years of hell, instead of constantly raking up the past and playing the victim card when the truth is, they were the biggest terrorisers of the nationalist community. I know because I lived through it and it galls me to see them self-righteously pontificate to the rest of us now. 'There is no one more pious than a reformed whore', as the saying goes. But then Sinn Fein were always fascists dressed up as freedom fighters, and have become everything they railed against Unionism for, before they 'reformed', and it's jobs for the boys and their families and friends. Nepotism/cronyism rules!

And lets not forget Owain Glyndŵr of Wales, another fighter for freedom, he must be spinning in his grave with the rest of them, and all over a flu that has negligible impact on the fit and healthy, that has seen a fascist agenda imposed across the world with every little tinpot dictator having a field day. If only Adolf, Mao and Josef had known that all they had to do to impose a complete totalitarian/authoritarian dictatorship was to yell 'Virus' and then sit back and watch as the people capitulated, and not just capitulated but actively report and police those who would dare to defy the 'authorities'. 

And don't even start with the 'you're going to kill granny' propaganda. Honest to God, you would think that no one ever died before! Did you think we all lived in some airy fairy dreamland, some utopian oasis where we all lived forever and no one ever got sick and died? Like the US before Donald Trump became president, wasn't it such a paradise??!!! 

Good God, what planet are you living on? Where is your fight and your spirit? What did all those millions fight and die in two world wars for, especially those in the First World War, in the mud and dirt of France, conditions you could not even begin to imagine in your worst nightmares - FREEDOM!!! FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY! And you're sitting at home with your mask cringing about a 'flu', shame on you!

It's a sad fact of life, we're all going to die, REALITY!. And as I said before, it is not about dying, it is about how you lived. Now seriously, grow up and deal with it!

THEN, GET OVER YOURSELVES, GET BACK OUT THERE AND TAKE YOU LIFE BACK, FFS!


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Behind the Mask

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Friday, 25 Aug 2023, 09:04

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything, but since there isn't anything other than the slow descent into technological and medical enslavement to talk about, there really wasn't much point. But irony of ironies, we now have Sinn Fascism telling us to wear masks.  4 months after '3 weeks to save the NHS' and NOW you need a mask. We've been given 4 weeks to get used to the idea before they make it mandatory, you couldn't make it up!! Well, actually you could because that is exactly what they are doing, and from the party whose military wing spent years running around with masks and guns, terrorising and traumatising an entire community?? Give me strength!!!

But I don't care who says it, I still won't be wearing one, I don't care if it's mandatory, compulsory or whatever, I'm not wearing one because a) they are completely pointless - a virus is so small you need a microscope to see it, it is one 10,000th of a millimetre and can easily pass through paper and cloth  and b) for health reasons - and as the propaganda says - it's not to protect me, it's to protect you -  because if you try and put a mask on me, you will get severely beaten. 

But I don't care anyway as my holidays are coming up soon and i'll be heading to England for a few days, for a nice change of scenery. I have to fly out of Belfast this time to Heathrow as everything going to Gatwick was sold out, making it a bit of a trek to get down to Sussex. But it'll be worth it, I'm sure.

I also started running recently, something I never thought I would do, but it just sort of evolved with being out walking so much, and I thought I would try the couch to 5k. I'm just starting my 3rd week and going pretty well, I managed to run for a steady 10 minutes on Saturday and could have run for longer but didn't want to push my luck. I won't be doing any marathons but I'll be quite happy if I can manage a 5k.

I've also been cutting back on the social media and the telly and been reading more, in between the crocheting, gardening and decorating. I finished Carl Sagan's The Demon Haunted World and also read Ron Kovic's, Born on the 4th of July. I'm on the last chapter of America:The Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges at the moment. The book is divided into 7 chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of the declining empire. I had to take a 3 week break after reading the chapter on Sadism, it was pretty rough and as Hate was the one straight after, I needed a break before getting into that. I don't agree with all his conclusions, but the final chapter titled 'Freedom' is a real eye opener into the depth of the corruption in the prison system or the industrial prison system. It is the best chapter in the book.  The prison system is the new slavery, there is just no argument on that and the corporations all have their dirty hands in the trough.  Did you know that all the McDonald's uniforms are made in prison by inmates getting paid a dollar an hour, if they are lucky, many aren't even getting a dollar. Think about that the next time you're chowing down on a Big Mac. 

But McDonalds aren't the only ones, all military gear is made by prisoners and here are just some of the other corporations using prison labour to boost their profits, usually done through sub contractors - JC Penney (or Primark to us), AT&T, Bank of America, Walmart ( or Asda), Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Dell, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, Fruit of the Loom, Quaker Oats and many more. It's a business and a very big business at that, and one I'll come back to but whatever you may think of the Black Lives Matter campaign, there are genuine issues of grievance within the black community to be addressed. However, poor whites are suffering just as much and these are the groups who need to unite to fight the injustice and exploitation. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon, we're badly in need of a Malcolm X or 2, (the last honest politician) but with everything that is going on at the moment, something has got to give, as we really can't go on like this. It's a question of where and when that first domino falls...lets hope it's soon.



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It was only the Flu!

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Tuesday, 25 Aug 2020, 19:31

A bit of good news for our Northern Ireland citizens, the law in the Irish Republic does not apply to you so you are free to go to any beach or holiday home in Donegal if you wish, and there is nothing they can do about it. The absolute joke of this is that people in Donegal are not allowed to go to their beaches but we are!  

Other good news, you are now allowed back in the cemeteries too.  Interestingly, this move was opposed by Sinn Fascists - sorry, Sinn Fein and the Alliance Party - remember that at the next election because I certainly will.

It's interesting to see that it is the DUP who are trying to be a bit more liberal about all these issues and Arlene Foster has opposed the 2km limit for people exercising while Sinn Fein have been trying to take a harder line. No surprise there, it has been interesting to watch their arrogance increase in direct proportion to their political power. 

As the self-righteous grandstanding goes on in politics and the media, we are now faced with the problem of everyone trying to find a way out of the over-reaction and save face at the same time. The total number of deaths from 'covid' in Northern Ireland and the UK are 250 and 20,000 respectively, that's a lot less than the predicted 14,000 and 500,000 that was used to terrorise the populace when the media went into panicdemic overdrive. And 20K is about average for the flu anyway, the yearly 'pandemic' that comes and goes every other year without the hype and hysteria, although they did try hard with 'bird' flu and 'swine' flu.

Sadly, it seems people prefer the hype and hysteria, maybe they get off on it or maybe their lives are so boring it gives them something to talk about, but the funny thing is, all my friends and family know I work at the local hospital but not one of them has asked about numbers of patients, or how staff are coping with the 'crisis', or even an estimate of how many people are being treated. Not one!   But just in case anyone is interested, when I asked last week, I was told they have 'wards full of empty beds'.

Treatments have been cancelled, the economy has been crashed, millions have been thrown out of work and the voice of dissent is being censored like never before online, all because of a 'flu' and a media induced hysterical over-reaction.

But well done to the owners of the Federal Reserve, they just made 2 trillion dollars which the American people will have to pay back once this nonsense is all over. Still, it's good to see the bankers doing so well while the ordinary folk are getting shafted..again!

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The Finger of Blame

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Monday, 23 Mar 2020, 19:03

I was listening to a report on Sky News Australia and one of the people on it was blaming China and saying that China 'wilfully inflicted Coronavirus on the world' and should be held to account. Of course, down in the comments, it was the usual brainless trolls spouting anti-Chinese/communist propaganda and demanding boycotts and all sorts and talking about manufacturing and why everything is made in China. So, I couldn't resist and fired off this response.

You're not manufacturing because you are not in charge, your democracy is an illusion, the world is run by corporations and banks and compliant/puppet politicians and propaganda news channels. The west has been happy to look away for years as the working classes got shafted and we all knew that there was a price for cheap goods and that was the cheap labour on offer in places like China. So don't blame China, blame yourselves for your own lazy attitude, for ignoring the political landscape because you were too lazy to think for yourself and because 'politics is boring' and you preferred to shop online at Amazon. And if you still believe in 'climate change' then you are exactly the kind of person I am talking about and now that you are faced with the prospect of your own mortality, you're running shit scared and blaming everybody else and ignoring your part in 'creating this world'.

So, before we rush to judgement on anyone, let's take a minute and breathe, and let's try and keep an open mind at least until we have as many facts as we can gather. Maybe this did start in China but just maybe, someone started it in China, and at this point, we don't know the absolute origin of it other than what the news media is telling us, and we all know how reliable they are. There are a few more questions we need to ask before the self-righteous grandstanding and finger pointing begins. For example, is it a coincidence that outside of China, Iran is the country that is suffering most?  And why is the death rate in these countries so much higher than somewhere like Germany where the death rate is 0.2%. Is it possible that there is a different strain of virus in China and Iran?  No one has died in Russia, what could Russian Intelligence tell us? They were quick to close the border with China, what did they know that we didn't? And why was Europe so slow to close it's borders? Donald Trump was slated by the EU for banning flights, yet Boris Johnson was slated for not being more extreme in his response. 

We could also ask ourselves, what has been going on in the world in recent years while we have all been distracted with 'climate change'?  There is an ongoing scrap in the Middle East and it has been going on for some time, and it wasn't that long ago, the US was trying to start a war with Iran. As a matter of fact, the US has been trying to go to war with Iran for years.  

And, has anything else interesting happened recently? Well, Netanyahu basically carried out a coup in his own country, just as he was about to be indicted for bribery, fraud and corruption, and he had just lost the election too, along comes coronavirus to save the day!! He suspended Parliament and shut down the Courts and is carrying on, business as usual!  

The municipal elections were also held in France last weekend, has there been a result yet?  France just enacted emergency legislation that states you must phone for permission to leave your house. Will that stop the Gilet Jaunes from protesting? After all, they were out in their thousands the weekend before in Paris, still protesting Macron, week 70. You have got to admire their courage and tenacity, maybe we could learn something from them!

In Ireland too, they recently had an election and Sinn Fein, who are a little bit socialist, got the most first preference votes but now because of the coronavirus, everything has shut down and Leo is still in charge, ohh, what a lot of coincidences!!

At this point, we know nothing and in all likelihood, we will never know the full/true story of its origins but as I remarked in an earlier post, I am reading the Life and Death of Dr David Kelly and if we sit here and think that our governments' hands are clean in the area of biological weaponry, then we are seriously deluded. But keep your eyes on Iran, and your ears and minds open - believe nothing of what they tell you and only half of what you see...

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Good News/ Bad News

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Thursday, 1 Sep 2022, 12:51

It's been a good news/bad news sort of a week. Good news, in that Boris won the election with a sizeable majority so now we can finally get on with Brexit and leaving the EU. I never thought I would be glad to see a Tory Government elected but like many working class, Boris was the only choice to finally settle the debate and I would like to say a huge thank you to the people of England who turned out to vote and make it happen. I feel, for the first time in a very long time, hopeful and optimistic about the future of the country and I think the UK will thrive from here on and that we have a lot to look forward to.

The sheep here turned out to vote for the tribes, as usual. However, there were a few upsets. Sinn Fein lost Foyle to the SDLP and the DUP's, Nigel Dodd’s lost his seat too.  Unfortunately, it was to Sinn Fein so that was a bit of a double-edged sword!  

With the EU out of the way, the buck will now stop in Westminster (at least, it will once we are out) and our politicians will now (hopefully!) be more accountable for their policies and actions.  At least, it will be easier to hold them to account.

Other good news on the election front, was the non-election of Jo Swinson who got a lesson in reality - self-righteous pontificating isn't really much of a policy and a bit of advice for Jo, just because The Guardian say it, doesn't make it true. Now, Jo will have to get a real job and work for a living. Welcome to the real world!

Labour too, got a hard lesson in reality. They deserted the working-classes and now the working-classes have deserted them, at least, temporarily. Although, I was sorry to see Dennis Skinner lose his seat. 

Labour hasn't been a working-class party for years, like the politics of Northern Ireland, their view of the world is out of date and so are most of their policies. What we have also seen, is that reality trumps ideology and we are now moving towards a post-ideological world.  The extremes of right and left ideology no longer work when faced with the practical reality of life. Labour needs to restructure and start living in the real world and not in some 'socialist' Utopian ideal that exists only in the minds of those who have only ever lived comfortable, middle-class lives. Especially, when in recent years, they pontificate and insult their voting heartlands with their self-righteous grand-standing and try to ignore the voice of that majority.

On the bad news front, we lost Dr David Bellamy, the naturalist and critic of the 'climate change' fraud. His opposition to that fraud saw him side-lined by the media and many of the environmental groups he was involved with. I hope the day is coming soon when the lies of the mainstream media are finally exposed on this and with the EU out of the way, that will, I hope, be the end to their funding of the propaganda and distortions of the truth.

And if anyone is still in doubt about 'climate change', answer this one simple question (even Jo Swinson could work this one out!) 

Who is more likely to tell you the truth about the effects of Co2 on the climate of this planet?

A - An American politician, Al Gore?

B - An unqualified and uneducated, 16 year old with a learning disability, Greta Thunberg?

C - A naturalist and environmentalist with a Phd in Botany and over 40 years of campaigning on the environment, Dr David Bellamy?

On the news/news front, since you cannot trust the BBC or any of the mainstream services, I would recommend Sky News Australia.  A completely different beast from Sky News UK which, I would never allow in the door but a great channel with some great commentators. You can find it on Youtube.

So, roll on 2020, and the US election.  This will probably return a massive vote for Trump since the US is also enduring the same self-righteous grandstanding that we have endured from the Neo-Liberal Fascist's in our midst but from the Democratic Party in their propaganda war of lies as they try to cover up Biden's dirty deals in Ukraine.  Watch this space...

 


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The 'Empire' Strikes Back

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Sunday, 22 Sep 2019, 09:51

As we, very slowly and painfully, grind towards the 31st October and Brexit, the hysteria mounts as the Neo Liberal Fascists in their desperation to stop Boris and Brexit, throw democracy out the window, along with their toys, and like Violet Elizabeth will 'scweam and scweam, til they're sick', like the spoiled, overly entitled, over-indulged, self-righteous brats that they are.

It's hard to pick out the most sickening moment in the recent spectacles of the War on Brexit.  Was it Jeremy Corbyn selling out on every working class principle he claimed to have (not that Jeremy was ever working class) and treacherously defying the wishes of the majority of the population?   Not surprising, really, when he so publicly dismissed his own brothers life’s work with his fawning of Greda Thunberg and declaring a ‘climate emergency’. And I thought Tony Blair was going to go down in history as the biggest betrayer of the Labour movement.

Or was it Jo Swinson's cringe-inducing speech where she claimed the (Neo) Liberal Democrat (Fascists) would reverse Brexit without a vote at all, dependent of course, on the NLDF's becoming a majority government in the British Parliament?  Mind you, I don't think there's much to worry about there, a Lib Dem majority government?  Good luck with that one!

But more insidious was Guy Verhoftstadt’s speech at the NLDF’s conference where he said ‘The world order of tomorrow is not a world order based on nation states or countries- it's a world order that is based on Empires’.  This is what the ‘conspiracy theorists’ have been saying for years that behind the scenes in politics, the puppet masters of Bilderburg et al have been working towards a New World Order with national boundaries and national identities wiped out. 

I know John Lennon sang about a world with no countries and no religion, a world of peace, ‘a brotherhood of man’ but I don’t think he envisaged it as a world of empires, ruled and controlled by an unelected and unaccountable elite.  But the most disturbing thing about this speech was the cheers of the NLDF’s in the audience, the brain-washed minions, ready to throw away democracy, and cultural and national identity so as to be seen as forward-thinking and ‘liberal’. Like turkeys cheering for Christmas…I wonder if they’ll be as enthusiastic if Brexit doesn’t happen and their children and grandchildren are conscripted, and marched off into the army of the EU Empire, to fight in a war with Russia or China?  Rather ironic too when one of the accusations levelled at Leavers, was their backward looking desire to turn Britain back to the days of ‘empire’.

As Mr Verhoftstadt brings the 'empire' into the public arena, it shows that they don't really care that we are aware of their agenda because they own the media and through it, opposition, and open and free debate is being closed down.  As they attempt to build their empire by creating a nationless, cultureless and genderless society and most probably vegan too, going by propaganda trends online, we must ask, what is the end game to all this?  And more importantly, who is the Emperor?  

Will the new EU army be marched on to the streets of Paris and other European cities to put down the protests of groups like the Gilets Jaunes or anyone else who doesn't agree with their way of thinking or who doesn't vote the 'right' way? 

I was living and working in Dublin when the Maastricht Treaty was being voted on by the Irish people, and they voted against it, and Sinn Fein were right up there, at that time, in their opposition to it (although they have since sold out too). And the Irish people were basically told that they were going to have another referendum and they would continue to do so until they voted for it, which they duly did in the next referendum.  

We can all dream of a better world, a world of peace, of ‘a brotherhood of man’ but not when the aim is to control and manipulate the people of the world and to use them to create wealth for the few, to the cost of the many.

And I like the differences between us; I want the French to be French, the Chinese to be Chinese and the Germans to be German.  What is wrong with that?  There is nothing more disappointing than going to a foreign country and being surrounded by exactly the same shops and eating the same food that you have at home. I want that when I go to another country, that it is different, otherwise, what is the point of going? But then they don't want us going anywhere, do they?  Isn't that another of the great 'climate change' lies, to not fly, or drive, or eat meat, or use plastic, or yadda, yadda yaa...GIVE ME STRENGTH!!

Will we, won’t we, finally Brexit?  As we get closer to Halloween, expect the hysteria to be ramped up and the attacks on Boris and leave supporters to become more vocal and nastier. Who knows just what ‘dirty’ tricks they may be planning for us, if Britain spoils the EU dream of ‘empire’.  The countdown is on but I fear there may be some dark days ahead.

 

 


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NLF - election time

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Friday, 20 Oct 2023, 09:40

Another week, another election, and another drubbing for the powers that be. Theresa May is finally going, and not before time. Exaunt stage left please, Theresa, and do us all a favour and don’t dance again, at least not in public. My eyes can never unsee it! Dancing Queen? I don’t think so, more arthritic stork. In fairness, I have to say, it takes a special kind of talent to be even more useless than David Cameron. I’m sure she’ll find a use for it somewhere, maybe the European parliament…

Come to think of it, what do MEP’s actually do all day? They can’t bring in legislation, they don’t get to vote on leglislation, the commission allows them to look it over, so what do they actually do? Apart from long trips on the Brussels gravy train or shopping in their private shopping centre?  

I see Martina Anderson, the Sinn Fein MEP had a makeover and a few elocution lessons for the election campaign, they had her well-scrubbed up. You can take the girl out of the bog, but can you take the bog out of the girl? Well, they gave it a go, maybe there’s a beauty salon in the shopping centre? Of course she got elected, the sheep will vote for anything, if you wrap it in the flag of convenience.

On the Euro vote, the Brexit party wiped out the rest in the polls and of course, the arguments are still raging on line between remainers and leavers. Everyone claiming a majority, when the figures show, that the majority didn't even bother to turn out and vote. Turnout averaged 36% which is 15 points short of a majority of voters and a whole 64% short of how many could vote. Maybe it's time to set a threshold of 51% so that if those turnout figures aren't reached, then the vote is invalid. Or maybe, add None of the Above to the ballot paper and make voting compulsory. Then, at least, we would have a truer picture of what the people want.

Why people didn't bother to vote, is anybody's guess.  Maybe like me, they are sick of the sound of 'Brexit' or maybe, like me, they have lost all faith in any government institution to actually put the interests of the people before the interests of the party and their corporate friends...

Brexit isn't the only thing that I am sick of hearing about. I don't know about you but it seems to me that there is a massive pester-power campaign going on in the media. I don't have Sky TV, just Freeview, and there are about 5 or 6 subjects on telly at the present time, World War 2, the Royal family, Brexit, climate change, cooking and home makeovers of one kind or another and then there are the repeats, of repeats, of repeats!!  There is so little worth looking at, that the minute I hear 'climate change' or 'Brexit', I turn over but most nights I find myself turning off and watching YouTube. At least, it has some variety and provides an escape from the endless droning of brexit, climate change, WW2 royals, brexit, climate change, WW2 royals, brexit, climate change, WW2 royals....

What I feel is happening, is that this is part of some grand brain-washing scheme by the media (or the powers behind the politics) to wear us down until we sink into apathy and despair and just give up (if you don’t believe this could happen, watch Century of the Self). For whose benefit, I’m not entirely sure but I just get the feeling that in a boardroom/Bilderburg meeting somewhere, there are a group of, most probably men, (Rothschilds? Soros? Et al?) sitting back and having a great old laugh at the rest of us. 

Laughing at how easily we are manipulated and led around like fools in a merry dance, being played off one another until gradually we become worn down by the constant fighting, bitching and arguing but mostly by the sense of powerlessness that no matter who you vote for, what arguments you make, what evidence you present, the truth remains buried and/or distorted, the rich get richer, the poor stay poor and the government still gets in…

 


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Idealism vs Reality

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Thursday, 12 May 2022, 14:07

We haven't had a working government in Stormont for 2 years now.  It's a political stalemate between the 2 extremes of Irish Republicanism (Sinn Fein) and Unionism (DUP) which are, in all probability, irreconcilable.  Especially, since the DUP hold the balance of power in Westminster and are keeping Theresa May in office and the Conservatives in government.

The same political stalemate is happening in the US with the stand-off between a Republican president threatening to close down the Government again and the Democrat-controlled Senate refusing to fund his wall.

Then, we have the political shambles of Brexit with Theresa May incompetently lurching from one crisis to the next and unable to deliver a 'deal'.  There is political stalemate with Europe refusing to renegotiate and neither the Left nor the Right anywhere able to fully grasp the reality of life outside the Parliamentary bubble for the rest of us and deliver what we want and need and not just on Brexit.

The stagnation of politics in the West at the present time is because we are caught between 2 irreconcilable positions, the Left and the Right, or public vs private and there is no-one of competence, capable of stepping up and delivering a coherent and practical alternative. (Well, apart from me!)

The other problem is that the political structure and the policies of the Left and Right are years out of date and do not serve the world of today.  The Right dominates at the moment because the Left have collapsed and failed to address the reasons for this.  Tony Blair did attempt to move Labour from the old policies of the 70’s that had kept them out of office and towards the middle but unfortunately, he kept going in that direction and ended up more right-wing than some Tories. 

The Right believe in capitalism, especially Free Market Capitalism which has been the doctrine since the 1980’s.  It doesn’t matter that it collapsed in 2008; those on the Right still refuse to acknowledge its failure or to acknowledge that it worked best when it came with a social conscience as it did in the time of people like Cadbury and Rowntree.

The political doctrines of the left and right were drawn up when the parties were formed, either in response to or opposition to, events or social and political conditions as Labour did after the Second World War when the populace demanded change.  The Welfare State was set up to address the demand for better health care, education and housing and to provide a safety net against poverty.  However, the Conservative Party detest the Welfare State and have been doing their best to dismantle it since then.  Their belief in the private over public is best seen in the way they sold off and privatised all the nationalised industries. 

Here in the North, Sinn Fein are becoming strangulated by their ‘ideals’.  Their refusal to sit in Parliament was a policy drawn up a hundred years ago as a protest against British rule in Ireland.  Since they have signed and accepted the Good Friday Agreement, they have accepted British rule in the North so why are they not taking their seats?  They also have a problem with the oath to the Queen but let’s be realistic about it, would anyone think they really meant it? Or they could do what Tony Benn always did and cross their fingers.  If they were in Parliament, they could at least drum up support against the oath from other Parliamentarians and get rid of it altogether.  Ironically, if they had taken the seven seats they won after the last election, they could have made life very difficult for the Government and since they were able to change their position on the EU from anti to pro within a couple of years, I don’t see why they can’t make that change.

The doctrines of the Left and Right, like Sinn Fein and the DUP are based on certain ideals.  Each has their own belief in what the world should be from their perspective and they try and shape it to fit in with those ideals.  That’s not to say that having ideals is necessarily a bad thing but when it translates into policies and dogma that are unchangeable and cause political stagnation then it becomes a problem. 

The politic world is ripe for change, a middle way has to be found between left and right, a balance between public and private because as history has shown us, neither of these options has worked when put into practice. It is time to abandon the doctrines of the past and move towards a new way of working. Brexit has shown that issue-based politics has driven a wedge through the left and the right but it also offers hope of a better way of working in the future.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately?) it would mean the parties within Westminster would have to abandon their dogmatic political position and work to deliver a solution where politicians would work together to resolve the issues instead of trying to impose a party-based solution more concerned with keeping a government in power but which cannot deliver in the long term.

We need a complete restructuring of the political landscape.  We should decide on the issues, healthcare, housing, transport, security, education, what are we willing to support through taxation, what kind of society do we want and what are we willing to do to create it?  In abandoning party politics and moving towards issue-based politics, we would be dealing with the actual problems, free from the dogma and rhetoric of the past and instead, focussed on finding a solution to today’s problems. It would also mean a reduction in government and an end to cronyism and corporate predominance. 

There should also be rules in place so that only people who actually live in a constituency have the right to stand for election in that constituency. This would get rid of the London-centric politics which has split the country and left those outside the London and Parliamentary bubble feeling disconnected and forgotten.   

While many are worried about Brexit, we should see it as an opportunity to redraw the political landscape.  Once Britain is free from Brussels, we have the chance to start over, to wipe the slate clean and rebuild society and the political structure.  Margaret Thatcher once said ‘there is no such thing as society’, this was a very famous quote but it was only part of what she said, she went on to say, ‘There are individual men and women, and there are families.  And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after ourselves and then look after our neighbour.  It is time to look after ourselves. 

Change will come, the disaffection of the people with politicians and the political structure is evident across the world.  We have hit an impasse and Brexit has revealed the failure of the Left and Right to find a way forward or to offer a solution.  If we are to move forward, then we have to address the realities of the world today and create a political structure that serves the needs of the people and the country first.  The day of party politics is coming to an end, change can be frightening but with a little courage and imagination, there is no telling what kind of society we could create.  All it takes is the will to make it happen, we can be idealistic and wish for a better world but at the end of the day, it is up to us to create it.  Idealism does have its place, it can and does inspire us to action, great men like Mahatma Ghandi were idealistic and achieved so much but it was achieved through action and by facing and dealing with the realities of the day.  

Idealism fails when it doesn’t deal with reality as we have seen only too well in the last century. 

Albert Einstein once said, ’Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow’.  I think we should learn from yesterday, act today and tomorrow will take care of itself’.

A few weeks ago, a bomb went off in Derry; a stark reminder of what can happen when the ‘ideals’ of the past, impinge on the present reality.  When vacuums open up in politics and leadership (quite often between their ears!), the worst elements step in and try to fill them. 

 


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Brexit again and finally

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Monday, 15 Jan 2018, 19:28

I sent this letter to the local paper which was printed just after Christmas.  I’ve edited it again for the blog.  I’ve pulled together all my reasons for voting Leave so apologies in advance to those points I’ve already mentioned before and this will probably be my last word on the subject…

 As a Brexiteer, I made my decision to vote Leave, on the basis of careful consideration of what I believe to be, legitimate concerns about the political direction of the EU.   As well as the lack of democratic accountability within the European Commission, I believe the EU is working in the interests of the corporate elite and not the people of Europe, consider also, if you will, the following;

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP 

This trade agreement was drawn up between the EU and the US and was, in effect, handing over the democratic institutions of the countries of Europe to global corporations.  Part of the TTIP agreement was ISDS, which stands for Investor State Dispute Settlement.  This would have allowed corporations to sue governments in secret courts, if they brought in legislation that affected their business profits.  The Philip Morris conglomerate did this in Uruguay and Australia, over anti-smoking legislation.  Ironically, we have Donald Trump to thank for getting rid of it.

The Euro 

The introduction and subsequent collapse of the Euro has wrecked the economies of Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Ireland, and has allowed the corporate elite through the EU, the IMF and the World Bank to come in and asset strip the public sector and privatise public utilities.  The people of Ireland will know this through the attempted imposition of water charges that they fought so successfully against last year. The people of Greece too, know this as their public utilities have been sold off and they have been saddled with debt, in the form of loans from the IMF and World Bank, which their grandchildren will be paying for.

EU Army  

When did the EU change from a ‘common market’ to a United States of Europe with its own army?  Why does the EU need an army and more importantly, who will control it?  Why are they continuing to expand eastwards and why did they try and provoke a conflict with Russia over Ukraine, 2 years ago?  If the governments of Europe are really interested in peace then why do they not support Russian membership of NATO?  In whose interest is it to continue to paint Russia as an enemy of the West?

 The EU and the Bilderburg Group 

The Bilderburg Group are an elite group of 120 -150 bankers and corporate CEO’s who hold secret meetings every year to decide political policy in the EU and the US. They were formed after the Second World War and were instrumental in setting up the EU.  These are the people who control the government which is why for the last 37 years; policy has remained the same, regardless of who was Prime Minister. 

Costs and waste

The EU moves every month from Brussels to Strasbourg and back again at a cost of millions.  It costs £250,000 just to move the files.  It also has its own shopping centre and pays for private schools for the children of their staff.  This is only a small sample of how it wastes resources but if you research online you will find plenty more.

 Free Movement

There is no free movement of goods and services.  All the talk about hard borders and customs is propaganda dressed up in media hype and fear-mongering.  Anyone who trades within the EU will know that customs papers still have, and always had to be filled out and anyone who imports or exports within the EU will know about Intrastat reports where every item has to be coded, accounted for and submitted to the tax authorities every month.  The customs have never gone away, the only thing that happened is the actual barriers on the road were taken down and if you still believe in free movement, ask anyone from Ireland if they can buy a car anywhere in Europe and bring it back without having to pay import duty. 

 The people of Ireland seem to have forgotten that they rejected the Lisbon Treaty but were bullied into another referendum with the threat that they will continue until the powers that be get the result they wanted.  Sinn Fein at the time, were also opposed, a fact that seems to have been forgotten lately. 

 Trade Deal

China is one of the biggest and fastest growing economies in the world at present.  China does not have a trade agreement with the EU, yet most of what we buy seems to be made in China. 

 Immigration

The narrative created and promoted by the media that anyone who voted Leave is an ignorant racist and shouldn't be allowed to breed, let alone vote, is to distract from genuine concerns in relation to the lives of the working-classes and while I believe we in Ireland, North and South, have benefitted from immigration, I do recognize the reality of life in working-class areas of Britain where immigrants have been placed disproportionally in working-class, as opposed to middle-class, areas. 

 On top of this demographic reality, jobs that used to be done by the working-classes have been allowed by successive governments and the EU to walk offshore.  The work that used to be done in factories here and in Britain are now in China, South Korea, India and a number of other 2nd and 3rd world, exploitable economies.  The jobs that are left are insecure with no guarantee of hours or permanency, union rights or protection. 

 The last 37 years have also seen the decimation of Britain’s coal, steel and car manufacturing industry and a fisheries policy that has led to the seas around Britain and Ireland being fished dry.

So, when working-class people in Britain complain about immigration and job losses, this is the reality of what has happened in working-class areas over many years.  This isn't necessarily racist although it suits many in the national press to twist this into a narrative that appears racist and an idea for others to exploit.  That's not to say, there aren't some people who are racist.  Of course, there are, that's reality.  However, to be anti-EU is not necessarily to be anti-Europe or anti-European.

John Pilger, in his article ‘Why the British said no to Europe’ called the Brexit vote, ‘an act of raw democracy’ where millions of ordinary people refused to be bullied and intimidated by business leaders, bankers,  media commentators and political ‘representatives’.  I would encourage everyone to read it.

 Tony Benn in his book, Letters to my Grandchildren, states that the ‘first basic right in a democracy must be the right of people to elect those who make their laws and the right to remove them’ and rejected the ‘European Empire’ and the unelected and unaccountable, bureaucratic elite who run it. 

 In the midst of all the negative rhetoric and fear-mongering that took place prior to the vote, we were bombarded with propaganda, threats, and all manner of doomsday scenarios were trotted out by economists.  These were the same economists who said that business in Britain would be destroyed by not joining the Euro, and yet completely failed to warn us of the great economic crash that came in 2008.  A further blow to the working classes, who have disproportionally paid for the recklessness of the bankers who caused it, through the Conservative’s ‘austerity’ policies.

 The DUP and Sinn Fein are, as usual, on opposite sides of this debate but are both political cowards.  Sinn Fein fought against tugging the forelock to Britain but go down on their knees to the EU with a begging bowl.  The DUP are like scared children, afraid to let go of Britannia’s apron strings and running away from fighting their corner in a united Ireland that makes practical and economic sense. 

 Have neither of them the imagination to envisage an economic union first and foremost within the UK?  Instead of worrying about a divorce bill from the EU, it would suit Britain and Ireland better to redraw the terms and conditions of the UK with 4 independent nations - Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales - united and working together for the benefit of all the people here and not just the elite. 

 

                                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 One other point I didn’t mention but may have mentioned elsewhere on the blog was that this was the first time in many, many years that I had the chance to stick one to the governing elite and in spite of all the rhetoric and arguments since, if I had to vote again tomorrow, I’d still vote Leave.

 

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La, la land

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Wednesday, 30 Aug 2017, 23:26

I really feel, I should send out a warm and hearty congratulations, to our local politicians for a job well done.  I caught the news headlines tonight, floods in Houston, missiles over Japan and WW3 looming large on the horizon but meanwhile over here in the political imaginarium of la,la land, there has been a coming together of parties (all say, awwwh!) to (wait for it!!) press for an Irish language Act (now don’t it just warm the cockles of your ‘eart) and according to Sinn Fein et al, there will be no assembly until they get it.  (Ya boo sucks to you!  So, there!)

I live in a socially (among other things) deprived area where we have always had higher unemployment rates than the rest of the UK, and back in the 70's, I think we even held the No 1 position for unemployment black-spot for the whole of Europe!  Not forgetting, the most bombed town outside of Belfast!!  Ta da!  Beat that Damascus!

Unemployment is only one of the issues needing addressing around here and I was sitting a few months ago counting how many people I knew who had died either by suicide or from alcoholism, and the total came to almost 40.  This was one of the reasons why I deferred my final OU year to get involved with the Waving Not Drowning show.  When the show played in our local theatre, not one, and I will repeat that -

NOT ONE, POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE FROM ANY PARTY,

NOT ONE, PERSON FROM ANY OF OUR COMMUNITY GROUPS,

NOT ONE DOCTOR OR NURSE, FROM ANY OF THE HEALTH CENTRES IN THE ENTIRE STRABANE DISTRICT, SHOWED UP TO WATCH IT!

And up in Stormont, they're demanding an Irish Language Act before any political movement on anything because that really is where the priorities are around here.  In the midst of the fire of unemployment, alcoholism, suicide and let’s not forget that other old remnant from the ‘trouble’s’ PTSD; our politicians fiddle around with an Irish Language Act because it so necessary to the well-being of the population and demonstrates just how concerned they are about us. They really do have our best interests at heart and those fingers are right on the pulse of the nation.  Not to mention how necessary it is to show how welcoming, culturally diverse and accepting we all are.

So stand up, all you NI politicians and take a bow!  Take a large bow for being so completely up yourself, not to mention, deluded, with your big overblown ego and totally distorted sense of proportion.  Take a bow for all those languishing on the dole, for all those who are drinking themselves into an early grave or those who have sunk so low into the pit of despair that they feel their only option is to hang, overdose, shoot or drown themselves. 

And take a really big bow for those who are crippled with anxiety and depression!  The nervous wrecks left behind from having to grow up in a war zone and who have to, day and daily, face the murals and monuments to death and destruction.  Those constant reminders of just how totally fecking miserable it was here, throughout that whole rotten period.   

Yes!  Take a great big bow!  For God knows, how hard you must be working to take home that 50 grand a year plus expenses, not forgetting the other 60 grand for Parliament (and this is especially to Sinn Fein who don't even have to bother taking their seats!)  Well done to you all!!  Congratulate yourselves on your blind arrogance and self-righteous grand-standing!

Because, at the end of the day, just think how important it is to be able to demonstrate your patriotic credentials by writing your suicide note in Irish...slan abhaile!

 

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1690 VS 1916

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022, 13:23

Well Jimmy, can you believe it?  The fight we have all been waiting for is finally on!  The 2 big hitters of the Northern Ireland political scene, Sinn Fein and the DUP are finally set to slug it our in a clash that has been dubbed 1690 vs 1916!

These two have been dancing around one another for years and there have been many skirmishes along the way but there was never a decisive victory that one could claim over the other.  But here we are now and who could even begin to try and predict the outcome of this?  The line has been drawn between them for the first time in over 40 years and the last election has ironically, strengthened bother their hands. Red hands at that! (That's just a little 'in' joke for the Ulster folk)

They have laid waste to the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists, those former giants of the political arena whose glory days now seem, sadly, behind them.  How this will turn out, is anybody's guess!

In the green corner, we have Sinn Fein or the Shinners as they are affectionately known, thought not by the DUP!!  Sinn Fein are the political wing of the now retired IRA. (they haven't gone away, ye know!)  They were on the 'Catholic' side during the Troubles.  They fought for many years in the 'armed struggle'...sorry, I have to apologise, it seems I got that wrong!  They didn't fight but they 'supported' the armed struggle or as they called it 'the fight to free Ireland from the yoke of British Imperialism'.  Although the DUP would have a lot more to say about that and still consider them a 'bunch of bloody terrorists!'.  Okay, what a pair!  This is hotting up to be the fight of the century, although I'm not entirely sure what century we're talking about, but the trash talk had been going on for years!

Anyway, they have now laid claim to the nationalist mandate in the North and have grown in political strength and confidence since the end of the Troubles.  However, the big question remains - will they ever really have the confidence to get over the past or themselves and take the fight to the Wembley Stadium of politics (or should that be Croke Park!) the British Parliament???

The only all-Ireland party, they're also a growing political force across the border in the Irish Republic or their 'true' home and where last year, they fought the good fight against the introduction of water charges.  A big pro-EU party, which is ironic considering their name and their history.  Sinn Fein translates as 'ourselves alone' and they have fought for years against British rule in Ireland! 

Their big date in the calendar is Easter when they have rallies and marches to commemorate the Easter Rising and last year was the biggie as it was the 100th anniversary.  This was when Ireland started the fight that led to the founding of  the Irish Free State.  Strange that the Shinners seem quite happy to hand over the sovereignty of the country to the EU, the IMF and the World Bank after all that, but there you go...although, I think if truth be told, I think the Irish government have already done that!!

We don't really know how determined they are in their support for the EU, after all, it was that very same EU that imposed the water charges they fought so hard against recently!!  There are a few theories on this, some say that since they are newcomers to the international political scene, they want to enjoy the ride on the old gravy train to Brussels for a while longer and don't want to give up the perks and benefits of the EU especially since they have only just got their snouts in the trough!  Others think it's just the same old; whatever the DUP are for, they're against!

Anyway, whatever the reason, they have now moved up into the political heavy-weight class and there seems to be no one who can slow them down or stop them!!  And that, ladies and gentlemen, are Sinnnn Feeeiiiinnnn!!

Over in the red corner, we have the DUP or the Dupers, as some like to call them and not affectionately at that!  But don't mistake the 'red' in their corner for the colour of their politics because they are as far away from 'red' as you'll ever get!! 

Stalwarts of the political scene in Northern Ireland, they have been around forever, going right back to the early days of the troubles.  There are those who say there might not have been any troubles if that 'big mouth Paisley had shut up'.  Not my words, Jimmy, just the word on the street...

Anyway, if any party ever gave credence to the saying, 'politics is showbiz for ugly people', then it's the DUP.  Anti-EU, pro Brexit, they don't really need the trough of Brussels as they've just been given free rein to the British public purse.  (Seems there was a magic money tree after all!!!)  They were always able to depend on government support throughout the years of the Troubles, a reward for their staunch loyalty to all things British, even threatening the government when it seemed they weren't being British enough.  We'll never forget the 3rd Force or the Anglo - Irish Agreement protests, will we, Jimmy?

The DUP were on the 'Protestant' side during the Troubles, albeit a very conservative right-wing version of Protestantism.  They once refused to allow ELO to play in Ballymena as it was deemed to be too decadent!  Kidding???  I wish I was!

Like Sinn Fein, there's a big day out in the calendar for the DUP too, the 12th of July!  This is the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne when King William of Orange (Protestant) beat King James (Catholic) in a battle for the throne of England back in, yes, you've guessed it, 1690!  And they've been celebrating ever since which is ironic as the DUP aren't exactly renowned for being party people!  Another ironic fact about this is that King William (or Billy as he's also known) was, as one historian described, an 'avaricious homosexual'.  The DUP are well know for their anti-homosexual stance and had no qualms about getting rid of former DUP rising star, Paul Berry when he was reported to have indulged in some 'compromising' behaviour in a hotel somewhere in Belfast, a few years back.  Last seen, wandering in the political wasteland with a couple of unseated Ulster Unionists.  Awwww, shame...

Anyway, theie success in the recent Parliamentary election has added to their strength and power and they have teamed up with their natural allies...The KKK?  No, not at all, the Tories!  So, Arlene, has climbed into bed with Theresa (metaphorically, of course!) in the biggest act of political prostitution ever and the DUP are laughing all the way to the bank!  Oh what a party!

Money is what the DUP are all about, (Protestant work ethic and all that) and they do love to spend it, especially when it isn't theirs!  Always in the top rankings for MP's expenses, in 2015 the DUP took the top 2 places in the list with Jim Shannon claiming £205,798.23 and Ian Paisley Jnr, £195,247.59. 

They're also involved in a bit of trouble back in Norn Iron at the moment, in the Cash for Ash scandal where they paid businesses £1.60 for every £1 spent in a heating renewal scheme that is set to cost the taxpayer £490m over 20 years!  We won't even mention the Invest NI building, the most expensive rental property in Belfast at £25 a square foot which is going to cost the taxpayer another £120m also over 20 years!  This property was built as part of a PFI scheme and here's the real joke, after 20 years, the property developer is still going to own the building!  Oh, this is too much!!  You couldn't make it up!!

So, we are now poised to watch the 2 heavy-weights of Northern Irish politics fight it out to the bitter end (cos no one does bitter like they do here!!)  What do you think Jimmy, are the Shinners punching above their weight or will the brash newcomers take out the old dinosaurs!!

It's a tough one to call, Saint, Unionism isn't exactly known for standing their ground when it comes to a real fight,  They ran away from an Irish Republic back in the day, too afraid to let go of the old apron strings of Britannia and still don't seem to have the bottle to take on a United Ireland and fight their corner.

Sinn Fein, I have to say, seem hungrier for success.  For years, they liked to play the victim card blaming the British and the Unionists for repressing them but, changed times, Saint, and you can see their confidence growing with every election.  Who, 20 years ago, would ever have thought the 'bad boys' of Irish Republicanism would ever sit in Stormont with the DUP?  Or rather, the DUP would sit with them!  It seems 'Never! Never! Never!' was only until big Ian got the top job and the big pay packet.

Still, it's a close one to call, Saint, but if I had to pick a winner, I would have to put my money on the Dupers.  They've been doing the politics thing a lot longer and that experience has stood them in good stead in the past.  And big Arlene, I'd think twice about tackling her myself, a tough old cookie or as they say in Ulster Scots, 'a grand big cuddy!'.

The Shinners might be younger and hungrier but they don't have the experience of the old dinosaurs and you have to ask yourself if they are capable of delivering that knock-out punch when needed.

Ok, Jimmy, thank-you for that and I have to agree and go with the DUP too.  At the end of the day, they have the government on their side and as long as Theresa can hang on to power, they'll have the upper hand.  Mind you, you know the old saying, 'a week is a long time in politics', and we've seen some storms in the past year with Brexit, Trump and Corbyn all defying the pollsters!

And as if things weren't hot enough, the 12th is just around the corner and we all know what that means!  The old sectarian divisions will be ripped wide open again!  Bonfires!  Riots!  And you won't believe this Jimmy, on top of all that, Linfield (Norn Iron's version of Rangers) are set to play Celtic on July 11th in Belfast!!  What is going on in the world???

Hold on, Jimmy, I'm getting some news...just announced...apparently the Stormont Assembly is on hold, Sinn Fein are stalling over a promised Irish Language Act from Tony Bliar, sorry, Blair!  But you know Norn Iron, you can't have one side getting something without the other getting something too, so the DUP are demanding equality of footing for Ulster Scots!  See you, Jimmy!  Ah hah, what a game!

There are rumours that the Shinners are really holding our so Arlene won't get to spend the big bribe...sorry, pay off...sorry, what is it then??  What?  'The price of strong and stable government'... Really?  Is she still using that old line?  Well, I never...

Hold on, more breaking news...it's...it's...it's all off!!  Summer recess, they've all gone off on holiday to September.

So, what do we do now, Saint?

I'm f*cked if I know, Jimmy!

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Brexit

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The arguments over Brexit are still rumbling on and even if you were a remainer, the best result of it so far has been getting rid of Dave the Rave and pipsqueak George.  As a leave voter, I was both surprised and delighted by the result.  I didn't stay up to watch the result on the night as the media were sure 'remain' were going to win so I went on to bed.  But in the continuing narrative surrounding Brexit, is the assumption that 'remain' were right and 'leave' were wrong. No one can say for sure how this will pan out and it will take several years before any conclusion can be drawn as to the rightness or wrongness of the result.  For me, one of the positive outcomes will be that we will not be able to blame the EU for all our woes (at least in the long term) and the buck will now stop in Downing Street.  This may revitalise an interest in politics for the masses as the influence of the EU seemed to induce a sense of apathy in voting as people felt more and more powerless and that their issues were not being listened to or cared about.

One of the ironic outcomes of the result has been the remain vote here in NI, with Sinn Fein campaigning for it.  I asked a question about this in an online debate, The question was this, 'Why would Sinn Fein who fought for 100 years against British rule in Ireland quite happily hand over the sovereignty of Ireland to the EU?  I'm still waiting on an answer.  The funny thing about this is that Sinn Fein have been at the forefront of a campaign in the Irish Republic against water charges, something that was imposed by the EU.  You couldn't make it up!

Then, the same in Scotland, complaining for years about being under the yoke of Westminster, then when they get a vote on independence, they bottle it. Now, they want another vote so they can leave Britain but hand over their sovereignty to the EU.

Strange times indeed......


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