But today the DUP unveiled is new-look website, and in one corner there is a map of DUP advice centres:
Observant readers of this blog or the old DUP website will remember that for a long time the map of DUP advice centres included several in the south - one in County Leitrim and one in Donegal:
So it seems that the DUP has retreated and regrouped. After the Westminster election this year maybe they'll pull back a bit more. Over time, and with luck, those blue map pins will hopefully disappear from the map entirely.
8 comments:
Of what use are DUP advice centres in republican Ireland? Unless they're hoping to build unionist numbers in the south and reunite Ireland -- as a constituent country of the UK.
Paddy Canuck,
I saw it as evidence only of their stupidity and geographic illiteracy. Somewhat akin to their belief that NI = Ulster.
Of course, Donegal is in Ulster, so maybe they were being true to their 'ulsterist' ideals. But Leitrim is, of course, in Connacht as has a pretty negligible (I'd say zero) unionist presence. There are Prods aplenty there, of course, but they are definitely not unionists!
Horseman,
"There are Prods aplenty there, of course, but they are definitely not unionists!"
That's an interesting point. I wonder what the UNIONIST population of the Republic is. I know it can't be much, but there must be some people keen to reunite the Isles somehow. Any idea?
Horseman said:
"I saw it as evidence only of their stupidity and geographic illiteracy. Somewhat akin to their belief that NI = Ulster."
I think you'll find Horseman, that when a territory is split politically, the old terms for that territory can become problematic. I would say that the six counties are best termed British or UK Ulster and the three counties best termed Irish Ulster. Another option would be to call the six counties Ulster (anglicised version) and the three counties Ulster (Gaelic version). Alternatively, it might be best to scratch the word Ulster altogether from common parlance, as it no longer has any political meaning.
How do you feel about 'Americans' describing The USA as 'America' (as huge numbers do)?
"Of course, Donegal is in Ulster, so maybe they were being true to their 'ulsterist' ideals. But Leitrim is, of course, in Connacht as has a pretty negligible (I'd say zero) unionist presence. There are Prods aplenty there, of course, but they are definitely not unionists!"
Do you have a percentage figure for the number of 'Prods aplenty' in Leitrim?
"How do you feel about 'Americans' describing The USA as 'America' (as huge numbers do)? "
How on earth does that compare to a Letterkenny man saying he's from Ulster? And why this fascination with calling NI British Ulster all of a sudden? It's less British now than it's been for centuries, and getting less British every year.
"Alternatively, it might be best to scratch the word Ulster altogether from common parlance, as it no longer has any political meaning."
It hasn't had much political meaning for ages anyway. It's only real relevance these days that I can see is regarding sports. Still not likely to see the province's names scratched any time soon though. I'm proud to say I'm from Ulster.
"How do you feel about 'Americans' describing The USA as 'America' (as huge numbers do)?"
I don't know how HE feels about it, but actually living in America (but not the United States), I've always thought it sucked. It's the theft of the birthright of the vast majority of the people of this hemisphere. I'm every bit as much an American as anyone in the US... so are Mexicans, Brazilians, Argentines, Cubans, etc. Imagine if the Germans or the French called themselves "Europe" and implied the rest of you were so inconsequential that you didn't warrant being Europeans. It doesn't help that the British are even MORE likely to refer to the United States as "America" than even the people in the US are. >:/
"How on earth does that compare to a Letterkenny man saying he's from Ulster?"
It's the same thing, except that instead of only a few hundred thousand people ripped off, you're talking about a few hundred MILLION.
You've misunderstood Paddy.
Anonymous at 14.44 yesterday was saying that since the border was drawn, Donegal people should not say they are from Ulster; and that when they do, it's comparable to people from the USA saying they're from America.
Clearly, just because Ulster was split doesn't mean a Cavan man is no longer from Ulster.
A better comparison would be a Berliner still being a German during the Cold War. Or someone from Seoul still being Korean. Or a Belfast person still describing themselves as Irish ;-)
"You've misunderstood Paddy."
No, again, I haven't misunderstood (I get that a lot around here). I got the point; it was exactly my own: that the usurpation of a geographic name by one people living in it to themselves alone does not, or at least should not, disqualify its use by others who self-identify as being from the wider entity in question. To wit: a Berliner, east or west; an Ulsterman, Monaghan or Antrim; an American, US or Canadian or Mexican or Brazilian or Jamaican...
Post a Comment