General News Thread

[Lionator]

56 minutes ago, Juan Carrito said:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-says-he-would-love-see-united-ireland-2026-09-12/

 

This is extremely funny behaviour from him to be fair.

It’ll likely happen in most of our lifetimes. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

At last, the level playing field that everyone has longed for

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clye9nldd7do

 

 

[Juan Carrito]

52 minutes ago, Lionator said:

It’ll likely happen in most of our lifetimes. 

Not averse to it happening, though I'm not sure it will any time soon. I just thought it's very funny he's saying this given the bootlicking approach of Ian Paisley Jr and his fellow travellers to MAGA over the years. 

[Lionator]

12 minutes ago, Juan Carrito said:

Not averse to it happening, though I'm not sure it will any time soon. I just thought it's very funny he's saying this given the bootlicking approach of Ian Paisley Jr and his fellow travellers to MAGA over the years. 

The truth is that he probably just loves the golf courses in Ireland more than England 😂

[LCFCJohn]

40 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

At last, the level playing field that everyone has longed for

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clye9nldd7do

 

 

What does it even mean though? Maybe someone with more knowledge can say but it’s not going to make more people suddenly lose IQ enough to vote for them!

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

What does it even mean though? Maybe someone with more knowledge can say but it’s not going to make more people suddenly lose IQ enough to vote for them!

It might, however, buy enough misinformation on various forms of media to influence people. 

[leicsmac]

2 hours ago, Juan Carrito said:

True, true. Can't believe we're not even halfway through his second term 

Yeah. 

 

Hopefully the midterms might have at least something of an effect on the ability of him and his party to cause harm. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

35 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

What does it even mean though? Maybe someone with more knowledge can say but it’s not going to make more people suddenly lose IQ enough to vote for them!

What it means for me is that it's further evidence that the super rich have gone completely mental, as if there wasn't enough already. 

 

Whatever happened to philanthropy? They just seem to be obsessed with making the world worse

Edited 12 September by Bellend Sebastian

[leicsmac]

45 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

What it means for me is that it's further evidence that the super rich have gone completely mental, as if there wasn't enough already. 

 

Whatever happened to philanthropy? They just seem to be obsessed with making the world worse

That's possibly because the world getting worse is an acceptable side effect of them gaining more power. 

 

Of course, they either lack the wherewithal to know that the world getting worse will consume them too, or they simply don't give a shit if/when it does.

[st albans fox]

2 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

At last, the level playing field that everyone has longed for

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clye9nldd7do

 

 

That can buy a lot of bots!

[Nalis]

3 hours ago, Juan Carrito said:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-says-he-would-love-see-united-ireland-2026-09-12/

 

This is extremely funny behaviour from him to be fair.

The best thing about this is seeing the extreme left and right of my fellow countrymen have a political malfunction

 

On the right their hero has backed the opposite of what they want

 

On the left the arch nemesis has backed them so they have the battle of either giving the enemy Trump legitimacy or not

 

As a centrist, social media has been hilarious

[Vacamion]

4 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

What does it even mean though? Maybe someone with more knowledge can say but it’s not going to make more people suddenly lose IQ enough to vote for them!

 

The recent donations are just the ones out in the open.  They are swimming in cash.

 

That'll buy more oyster lunches.

 

Facebook is already persuading pensioners that Traffic Lights are spying on them and our young working class is being whipped up via online rabble rousers into menacing gangs that demonstrate at hotels, block roads and threaten lifeboatmen.  

 

Remember that Farage's mate Aaron Banks was closely linked to Cambridge Analytica, who farmed the data of millions and micro-targeted voters to swing elections.

 

I can imagine people being bombarded for the next two years in subtle and not so subtle psy-ops that will persuade many more of them that poor brown people are the root of all their problems and that some imaginary 1950's white Herrenvolk themepark is achievable, if they will but lend the far Right their vote.

 

It's not good.

 

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, Vacamion said:

 

The recent donations are just the ones out in the open.  They are swimming in cash.

 

That'll buy more oyster lunches.

 

Facebook is already persuading pensioners that Traffic Lights are spying on them and our young working class is being whipped up via online rabble rousers into menacing gangs that demonstrate at hotels, block roads and threaten lifeboatmen.  

 

Remember that Farage's mate Aaron Banks was closely linked to Cambridge Analytica, who farmed the data of millions and micro-targeted voters to swing elections.

 

I can imagine people being bombarded for the next two years in subtle and not so subtle psy-ops that will persuade many more of them that poor brown people are the root of all their problems and that some imaginary 1950's white Herrenvolk themepark is achievable, if they will but lend the far Right their vote.

 

It's not good.

 

And the stakes are much higher than some people think or believe. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

 

Essentially the same difference.

[bovril]

9 hours ago, Lionator said:

It’ll likely happen in most of our lifetimes. 

AI is apparently going to kill us in the next four years - checkmate Sinn Fein! 

[Lionator]

33 minutes ago, bovril said:

AI is apparently going to kill us in the next four years - checkmate Sinn Fein! 

I blame Gerry Adams

[Lionator]

In all seriousness, the peaceful transfer of the six counties into the republic while all people that want to identify as British can have primary British citizenship and all the rights associated with it, should occur. There’s no reason why we can’t do this in the next two decades once the violent troubles generation have died out. 

Edited Saturday at 22:24 by Lionator

[kenny]

5 minutes ago, Lionator said:

In all seriousness, the peaceful transfer of the six counties into the republic while all people that want to identify as British can have primary British citizenship and all the rights associated with it, should occur. There’s no reason why we can’t do this in the next two decades once the violent troubles generation have died out. 

It will be a sad day. The north is the best part of Ireland imo.

[Zear0]

8 hours ago, Lionator said:

In all seriousness, the peaceful transfer of the six counties into the republic while all people that want to identify as British can have primary British citizenship and all the rights associated with it, should occur. There’s no reason why we can’t do this in the next two decades once the violent troubles generation have died out. 

Not entirely sure that waiting for people to die so the rest can keep their passports is a particularly appropriate approach for a country that is split down the middle. Republicanism isn’t some inevitably that will somehow become the prevailing view and also offering citizenship to unionists in exchange for selling off your home to another country is a proposal the Israeli’s would be proud of.

 

This peace was hard fought and gaining consent to protect and manage communities your proposal is betraying would just reignite the troubles.

 

Not to sound too blunt, but to dismiss an entire generation, including those who secured the peace, as the “troubles generation” is a wonderful combination of ignorance and condescension. Such a flippant proposal to go against the will of the majority is peak Trump.

 

 

[Lionator]

8 hours ago, kenny said:

It will be a sad day. The north is the best part of Ireland imo.

Antrim is beautiful but hey you can cross the border now anyway. There is basically nothing in the Republic that is different to the north aside from the EU and currency. No border checks, nothing. 

[Lionator]

10 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Not entirely sure that waiting for people to die so the rest can keep their passports is a particularly appropriate approach for a country that is split down the middle. Republicanism isn’t some inevitably that will somehow become the prevailing view and also offering citizenship to unionists in exchange for selling off your home to another country is a proposal the Israeli’s would be proud of.

 

This peace was hard fought and gaining consent to protect and manage communities your proposal is betraying would just reignite the troubles.

 

Not to sound too blunt, but to dismiss an entire generation, including those who secured the peace, as the “troubles generation” is a wonderful combination of ignorance and condescension. Such a flippant proposal to go against the will of the majority is peak Trump.

 

 

I think the rise of the Alliance party says a lot of though, there is clearly an apolitical generation growing up in the north. Religion is less prominent and it’s literally just wacko’s on both sides that care these days. You can’t make the Israel comparison because we colonised Ireland for centuries. If anything Britain did the West Bank type action by moving Scottish people into the north. Anyway, controversial topic and of course the GFA is the best thing right now, just over time things will inevitably change. Even N. Farage said this in 2023.

 

Just to caveat, I’ve done the Belfast walking tours, I’ve seen the murals, I’ve heard the stories, I’ve seen the bombed out shops on the Shankill. I believe in a united ireland (eventually). 

Edited Sunday at 07:00 by Lionator

[kenny]

12 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Antrim is beautiful but hey you can cross the border now anyway. There is basically nothing in the Republic that is different to the north aside from the EU and currency. No border checks, nothing. 

Massively disagree.

 

Culturally I find them really quite different. I think the north is prettier. Belfast is more cultured than Dublin albeit less touristy.

 

Also the north is so cheap compared to the south. There are more differences than a line on a map and a currency for me.

[Zear0]

10 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I think the rise of the Alliance party says a lot of though, there is clearly an apolitical generation growing up in the north. Religion is less prominent and it’s literally just wacko’s on both sides that care these days. You can’t make the Israel comparison because we colonised Ireland for centuries. If anything Britain did the West Bank type action by moving Scottish people into the north. Anyway, controversial topic and of course the GFA is the best thing right now, just over time things will inevitably change. Even N. Farage said this in 2023.

 

Just to caveat, I’ve done the Belfast walking tours, I’ve seen the murals, I’ve heard the stories, I’ve seen the bombed out shops on the Shankill. I believe in a united ireland (eventually). 

Voting for Alliance makes someone non-sectarian, not apolitical not automatically a supporter of Irish unity.

 

You’re treating people moving beyond the old sectarian divide as evidence they’ve chosen your side of it.  People can be secular, tolerant and entirely peaceful while still wanting to remain British and part of the UK.  Respectfully doing a walking tour of Belfast doesn't give you the high ground you might think it does.  My Mum's family are all Northern Irish and I've spent lots of time there and wouldn't assume for a second to have a voice on the issue.  Re: the earlier comment on Alliance, the family are all traditional Irish Catholics who don't want a united Ireland and they enjoy the peace.  You can't assume people's intentions based on what side of the sectarian divide they've traditionally been on.

 

Again, calling them “wackos” hardly demonstrates the understanding you’d need to persuade them into a united Ireland.  Britain’s colonial history is real but it doesn’t make the people living there today less entitled to a say in their future. And the GFA already allows for reunification through democratic consent, we can't ignore this to hurry it along for personal preferences.  That doesn’t make your preferred outcome inevitable, or guarantee a peaceful transition.  And re: Farage, not exactly a leading authority on matters given he says "Up the RA" for cash is he?

[Raj]

19 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

At last, the level playing field that everyone has longed for

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clye9nldd7do

 

 

And the donors want nothing in return...yeah...🙄🙄

Edited Sunday at 08:01 by Raj

[Raj]

" Man of the working class" Farage...getting £36 million quid from his "mates"...

What an absolute creation.

If people still buy into this they deserve everything  they get.

Edited Sunday at 08:30 by Raj