This post has very little to do with rugby (there is some connection), but I lost the plot after reading about David Frost’s ‘speech’ on Tuesday, in which he repudiated the world-beating, superfantabulistic deal that he and Spaffer Johnson negotiated and signed with the EU less than a year ago.
These morons have no understanding at all of Northern Ireland, and nor do they care to understand. They seem to be only listening to the DUP, who are in serious decline, and whose worldview is anathema to most of the population – a population who you will remember voted against Brexit.
Why do people vote for them, you ask? It’s not because they like them or agree with their politics or religious fetishes, but because they are (were!) afraid of ‘Them-uns’ getting in instead.
It’s true that the Republic of Ireland was rather priest-ridden in my youth, but those days are long gone after the Magdalene Laundries scandal and other events; meanwhile, you will still find signs on the roadsides in NI proclaiming things like FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, and other lovely, inspirational messages, while abortion remains next to impossible and same-sex marriage has only recently been forcibly imposed by Westminster. Many people in NI who might previously have supported unionism are reconsidering on the basis of these changes and non-changes.
The Belfast / Good Friday Agreement has effected an amazing alteration in the physical and political landscape. Gone are the metal detectors and the tanks of my youth; in their place is a vibrant (yes, an overused word, but it fits here) downtown Belfast, with plenty of two-way cross-border traffic, a great food / café / arts culture, and a general air of tolerance and co-operation. People in East Belfast are learning Irish and playing GAA sports.
Northern Ireland has seen some empty supermarket shelves, but primarily in those retailers who are English-based. Other businesses have adjusted, and are buying in from the Republic and the wider EU. There haven’t been any petrol shortages.
(As for ‘sausage wars’, no honest Irishperson buys the clearly inferior English sausages. Irish sausages are gorgeous, and almost certainly have a lower sawdust percentage [citation needed].)
So along comes David Frost, with the DUP cooing in his ear, to assert that the Northern Ireland Protocol – which, remember, he negotiated and signed and proclaimed to be the greatest deal ever – is not fit for purpose, mostly because it exposes that NI, which remains in the Single Market, is prospering much better than the rest of the UK. And he wants to scrap the whole thing, putting the entire peace process into question.
So in other words, the DUP would prefer to have the Northern Irish people suffer the same privations as those on the island of Britain, because that would make them more British.
It seems that most Northern Irish, of whatever persuasion, don’t agree. They seem to prefer the all-island approach that is clearly advantageous.
And here’s where rugby comes in. Rugby has been an all-island sport since partition, and has seen a massive benefit from that: not just in trophies and matches won, but as a unifying factor. (Football has been divided, with little success for either country.) Ulster has its nine counties, with Tommy Bowe, for example, from County Monaghan. We have punched above our weight for such a tiny country in which rugby isn’t even the second or third sport. We have, in good GFA tradition, fudged the ceremonials by doing two anthems. It might not be ideal, it may irritate others (sorry!), but it’s the best we can do for now, and it works.
The likes of Frost and Johnson are careless of this carefully-built cooperation, and willing to destroy it all on the altar of their own egos. They are willing to send us back to bombs and threats and check-points and feel-ups and knee-cappings and murders. They are willing to divide an island – yet again – that their predecessors have ravaged and pillaged and planted and starved. They are the greatest argument for a united Ireland in my lifetime, and I expect now to live to see it happen.
Onna telly this week
Friday 15th October
| Ulster v Lions | 19:35 | BBC2 NI / RTÉ2 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Dragons v Stormers | 19:35 | BBC2 Wales / Premier Sports 2 |
| Sale v Harlequins | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 16th October
| Zebre v Glasgow | 13:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Brive v La Rochelle | 14:00 | FreeSports |
| Wasps v Exeter | 15:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Treviso v Ospreys | 15:00 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
| Montpellier v Clermont | 16:00 | FreeSports |
| Leinster v Scarlets | 17:15 | S4C / TG4 / Premier Sports 2 |
| Edinburgh v Bulls | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Munster v Connacht | 19:35 | RTÉ2 / Premier Sports 2 |
| Cardiff v Sharks | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
| Toulon v Racing 92 | 20:00 | FreeSports |
Sunday 17th October
| Bath v Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 | ||
| Lyon v Toulouse | 20:00 | FreeSports |
Ovally Balls 
Treviso stuffing up other opportunities. O’s just missed five tackles in the same move, but some poor passing after that let them off the hook. Winger should have scored in the corner not long before as well.
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This is quite a collapse by treviso
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Think Leinster are teetering on the brink too.
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Scarlets have scored a couple of stupendous tries in this match. They’re still going to lose, but nice to see.
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Leinster score a boring try of their own to put it completely beyond any doubt at 36-15. Probably a knock-on in the lead up about four or five pick-and-gos before they scored, but so it goes.
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Watching Toulon against Racing. Calm, structured rugby it is not. When Finn’s looking like one of the more sensible players on the pitch, you know things are pretty loose. Also nice to see Big Leone playing and looking like he’s enjoying himself.
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Big Brian, Leone and Finn all adding the Glasgow angle to that game, BB.
I can’t say I’m enthralled by it, but maybe I’m rugby-ed out after watch Glasgow win in a very dull match in Parma and then Embra hold out against the Bulls in heavy rain.
That was actually a good game, not much between the teams but through my one eye I thought we were worth the win.
Shiel and Bradbury were very good, as was big Bill as per, but WP proved he is still the best scrummager in Scotland, which is a worry given he’s ninety seven years old.
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Yeah, there seems to be all sorts going on. Someone should tell Finn that he’s REALLY not very good at drop goals. Every time I see him try one the ball ends up further away from the posts. Commentator’s a bit annoying as well. Every rugby commentator should be made to watch some Bill McLaren games to see how it should be done.
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BB the commentator seems to have a bit of a thing for Beale, he wants him to take over from Finn by the sounds of it.
I usually can’t stand his laughing during the commentary.
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ticht, watched most of it. Edinburgh missed a bit when vd Walt went off. The scrum was such an effective part of the game for Edinburgh in the second half. Graham’s tackle at the end was important, good effort by Tambwe as well.
Cardiff beat the Sharks despite almost incessant 2nd half pressure from the South Africans.
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That sounds like Robbie Nock, the best worst commentator in the world.
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At least it wasn’t Mark Robson.
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Tam, Jaco has put my gas in a peep as we say, and good on him. He has played very well.
I so hoped he would be the creative spark I thought I’d seen glimpses of, and he is a reliable goal kicker. I’m more than happy to eat my pervious criticism of him, as long as he keeps it up. He is better for Immelman taking the touch finders
I still think Kinghorn has a higher ceiling, and definitely greater pace and attacking instinct , but between the two of them we could establish something, with the two young lads Savala and Chamberlain to come on too.
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Sarries have their bonus point against Bath in 30 minutes. Danny Cipriani was going to unleash the Bath backs – he throws an interception direct to Malins. Apart from Watson and Joseph, Bath have been pretty crap.
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Sarries get over 40 points.
And that’s half time.
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who’ll get shown the door first – Hooper or Solksjaer?
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This Bath performance is making me feel a little better about Bristol.
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Sarries are good – but Bath are a shambles
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17-71 has a certain symmetry
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Karl permitting, a massive thumbs up for the heartfelt ATL, Thauma.
Belated happy birthday, CMW.
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Ah, ’tis the Lesser Spotted Iks!
How you doin’ Old Bean?
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Great ATL Thaum, it’s really all quite depressing at the moment
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Muddling along, thanks BB. And yourself?
Still chasing my unpaid state pension (should have begun in July). Also chasing compensation for a missed flight that resulted in us arriving almost 2 days late for a one week’s holiday (FUCK YOU, CONDOR!). And chasing the non-repayment of a deposit on a previously cancelled holiday (FUCK YOU, EUROWINGS!).
It’s really draining the will as well as the pocket.
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Cheers, Iks & Michael! It’s madness; it makes me truly irate.
Iks, sorry to hear about your travel and pension woes. Also irate-making.
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@thauma
not that I can shed any light or comfort on the NI situation, but I do follow this really good twitter account. Most days they post something that happened 100 years ago in Ireland – obviously at the moment they’re in that bit between the war of independence and the civil war. So 100 years ago today they were negotiating the Anglo-Irish Treaty:
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Sorry to hear about your pension troubles Iks, hope you get it and your other hassles sorted out soon
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Thanks, OT – that looks interesting!
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In Deebee-pleasing cricket news Scotland got a shock win yesterday over Bangladesh, largely thanks to the all-round contribution of Chris Greaves from Johannesburg. Great scalp for Chris and the rest of them. Ireland are currently cruising to an also slightly surprising victory over the Netherlands. They’ve mainly been inspired by four wickets in four balls from Curtis Campher from Johannesburg.
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You take our sports stars and what do we get in return? A consultant in the UK sagely telling me that he’ll “knife and fork” the issue from their side, whilst we carry on from ours. I actually have no idea what that means or why it can’t be said in plain English?
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Curtis Campher was at the same school as me too! No idea about Chris Greaves.
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Just be grateful he didn’t want to spoon.
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Wotcha!
Words Thaum. Tbh, I hadn’t really paid a lot of attention to that story. However, it does reflect a depressing pattern.
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Speaking of potentially depressing patterns, it’s nice to see one hasn’t been repeated and Eddie has re jigged England squad. Good to see that the Vunipolae and others can’t just waltz in after a few good performances.
Genuinely excited for the autumn but fear that we might lose to Australia for the first time in 6 years.
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Pfft
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I’m not going to do a full read back but, looking back a few pages, it’s nice to see most people present and correct.
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knife and fork
Rhyming slang for bork.
How’s it going, Craigs? Was getting slightly worried since I think the last we heard from you, you had a dastardly plot against the neighbours.
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present, yes, the correct part is moot.
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@Craigs – This is a misleading page as some people are not as present as they might appear. You, for example.
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Thaum
dastardly plot against the neighbours
Tis a thing of well worked beauty. They still don’t know how fucked they are and I am completely invisible, a knife striking from the darkness. And I am enjoying it far too much.
Am good otherwise. The builders have nearly finished my house. Only taken close to 3 years but things are normal again.
How’s you?
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Cmw – I post therefore I exist innit.
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This, well AoD really, is where I first heard of sporks, knorks and spives etc.
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Craigs – other than politician-inspired bouts of rage, I am fine! Glad the house is nearly there.
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Deebs – there was a guy I used to work with and we’d play sayings bingo when he was on a call. Choose 3 random sayings and the first to get them all won. We never had a situation where no one won. ‘Soup to nuts’ was a certainty but he came out with many I hadn’t heard and didn’t understand.
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Of the 4 lads he got out, 3 are Saffers but only one from Joburg. The other is a Tongan-born Australian.
There are billions of South Africans at the event:
https://www.iol.co.za/sport/cricket/international/enough-coaches-players-umpires-who-can-swap-a-heita-with-a-lekker-at-the-t20-world-cup-166b751d-f4ec-452c-8d2c-609c25f87e38
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That’s Chris Campher, not Craigs’ mate.
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“Soup to nuts” is simply a terrible cliche. It doesn’t even work – who has nuts at the end of their meal? “Soup to cheesboard” might mean something or “soup to mint imperials” might work even better.
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OT – the Roman’s did apparently.
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“Leicester’s uncapped Australian-born hooker Nic Dolly is one of the more unfamiliar faces”
Tapping up Aussies for the front row. It’s tragic in its own way.
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@craigs
Get “soup to mint imperials” in at the next meeting
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@TomP – As far as I could tell everyone was South African apart from O’Dowd who was of course playing for the Dutch.
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