Unionist Flag Protest Outside Leinster House

[Cianostays]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... ing17.html

This can only end well, right?

[tackle-bag]

No doubt some people will disagree but my view is that if you engage in that kind of antagonistic bull-sh!t, you deserve a hiding.

[TerenureJim]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... ing17.html

This can only end well, right?

So it's tongue in cheek to show us what it would feel like if someone came to us and asked us to take our tricolour down? Yeah but buddy the people who voted to take the Union flag down are your own politicians, they're not people from the Republic of Ireland, they're Northerners like yourself it's nothing to do with us if you don't agree with your own politicians. Maybe engage with your who,e community up there or get your vote out at the next election, ya know like people do in a democracy.

[Broken Wing]

So the Loyalist community is appealing to the Dublin government to defend their rights in Belfast?

[Mackman15]

So the Loyalist community is appealing to the Dublin government to defend their rights in Belfast?

Enda shall meet them on the plinth and receive them as gaeilge. Will make for an interesting spectacle.

[sid]

I think the whole thing is ridiculous - just fly the British flag in the UK and the Irish flag in Ireland for fock's sake.

[Jackie Brown]

Careful now with that approach.

[blockhead]

Cant they wait until the Heineken cup final? Two birds, one stone n all that. Impatient barstewards.

[Jackie Brown]

Cant they wait until the Heineken cup final? Two birds, one stone n all that. Impatient barstewards.

I know it's tongue in cheek, but please believe these flag molesting fools have nothing to do with the normal working Northern Irish citizen and certainly wouldnt know Ulster Rugby if it kicked them up the arse. A very very very small minority giving the could Norn Irish a bad name, yet again...

I appreciate the sentiments about reaching the final btw.

[fourthirtythree]

Personally I have never felt the urge to fly any flag, apart from the Jolly Roger which floats from the enclosure to my children's trampoline, and distrust anyone who does fly a national flag.

That said I do support the notion of coming to a country and satirically asking to have the flag taken down as being a valid protest against not being allowed to fly what you consider to be your flag in certain political situations. I just think the satire would be more biting if they protested the tricolour in, say, Mexico. Not to mention that the weather would be less unpleasant etc.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Comical stuff from wee willie. Coming to Dublin and looking for help with their ludicrous cause
Do these clowns not get it that Bigotry is not classed as Culture by normal decent folk.

Let them come down by all means, but similar to the 'Love Ulster' farce they won't have the PSNI to protect and shield them whilst they go about antagonising/abusing/intimidating locals with their triumphalist goading.

[Darce]

As has been said elsewhere, there was an opportunity for the public to go to city hall and say their piece on the motion but the grand total of 3 people turned up to it. So what business do any of these gurriers have rioting now.

I'm sorry to say that this is democracy at work and to back down now would be a regression in the journey to take the gun (and stones, bombs, petrols bombs, etc) out of NI Politics

[honeyec]

Am I the only person who can't understand why they don't just fly both flags all the time? Or am I missing something glaringly obvious about such a seemingly simple solution?

[TheBear]

Am I the only person who can't understand why they don't just fly both flags all the time? Or am I missing something glaringly obvious about such a seemingly simple solution?

They used to fly the Union Jack all the time, and Sinn Féin brought a motion to suggest that it wasn't flown at all (I think; please correct me if I'm wrong). The Alliance Party suggested a compromise - that the Union Jack would be flown on 17 days a year, in line with Stormont, and other city halls throughout the UK. Then all hell broke loose. I can't imagine what would have happened if the City Council had voted to fly the tri-colour.

[D'Arse]

I assume Enda is giving them some sort of grant under The Gathering initiative

[Broken Wing]

Am I the only person who can't understand why they don't just fly both flags all the time? Or am I missing something glaringly obvious about such a seemingly simple solution?

They used to fly the Union Jack all the time, and Sinn Féin brought a motion to suggest that it wasn't flown at all (I think; please correct me if I'm wrong). The Alliance Party suggested a compromise - that the Union Jack would be flown on 17 days a year, in line with Stormont, and other city halls throughout the UK. Then all hell broke loose. I can't imagine what would have happened if the City Council had voted to fly the tri-colour.

Small correction, all hell didn't break loose until Belfast City Council actually passed the compromise.

The decision to fly the flag on the same 17 days as other city halls was adapted via a democratic vote of the democratically elected City Council. Willie Frazier, speaking on This Week yesterday said this is undemocratic because there are other councils in Belfast. Therefore, naturally, the only solution is night after night of rioting and a deliberately provocative protest in Dublin.

[sid]

Am I the only person who can't understand why they don't just fly both flags all the time? Or am I missing something glaringly obvious about such a seemingly simple solution?

Why should they fly the tricolour? Equally, why should we fly the Union Jack?

[Broken Wing]

Am I the only person who can't understand why they don't just fly both flags all the time? Or am I missing something glaringly obvious about such a seemingly simple solution?

Why should they fly the tricolour? Equally, why should we fly the Union Jack?

Why answer the question with a question? Why not just answer the question by pointing out that the national flag of Northern Ireland is the Union flag and they are under no obligation to fly the Irish tricolour?

To answer your first question, although there is no obligation to do so there is no reason, beyond the usual offence it will cause those who love to be offended, for the tricolour not to be flown and, given the spirit of reconciliation we hear so much about, there may even be good reason to fly it out of respect for the nationalist community alongside, but slightly lower than, the Union flag.

[sheepshagger]

I assume Enda is giving them some sort of grant under The Gathering initiative

Don't make jokes like that - its probably true.

[domhnallj]

Since the tricolour won't actually be flying over Leinster House on Saturday the rationale behind this ridiculous stunt can only be to start a fistfight with Eirigi or whatever knuckledraggers the spectacle attracts.