The Secretary of State Question

Dude - drop the capital letters. They make your post difficult to read. From what I did make out of it, I feel you give PSF way too much credit. No political party deserves your unquestioning allegiance based on its past policies. I have never voted in an election (on principle over partition) but, if I did, I always would have chosen the liberals. There had always been something "fair" about their policies. After seeing them chop and change their principles since jumping into bed with Cameron, I felt let down and would have changed my vote next time or, more likely, stayed at home. Why does that natural democratic feedback mechanism never adversely affect PSF? You say you are unhappy with them, and rightly so. They bought into the Stormont charade and sold it to people like you as something that they knew it not to be. Their evolution over the past 20 years shows natural selection at its most ruthless - all they care about is increasing their vote and no change is too far for them on their path of political expediency if, on the balance of probabilities, they will make a net gain at the next Free State election as they have more scope for growth there. You guys are taken for granted. If you are unhappy with PSF's impotence over inept British ministers interfering in Irish affairs, or you are unhappy at the way PSF demonise other members of your community for disagreeing with them - the answer is simple, stop voting for them. If everyone voted RSF, SDLP, etc., or just stayed at home, then you'd find Martin and chums start pushing more of the issues you care about. Saying that, it would merely be disingenuous spin akin to Sadaam Hussein singing "I can change" to Satan in that South Park film.. I dare say that most of what I have said here could equally well be applied to the DUP or the UUP in the past. Society would benefit if we could consign irrational tribalism (and posting in capital letters!) to the dustbin of history.

I READ THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT BOOKLET WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT,WHY BACK THEN. AND EACH PAGE I READ I HIGH LIGHTED DIFFERENT PARAGRAPHS,STATEMENTS,AND GAVE MY OWN THOUGHTS,AND JOTTED THEM DOWN AS SOME OF THE THINGS WERE NOT CLEAR, SO I DONE WHAT ANYONE WOULD DO,. AND READ BETWEEN THE LINES.NOW ALMOST EVERY THING THAT I HAVE TOOK NOTES OF DURING MY READING OF THE BOOKLET, HAS BEEN SO CLOSE TO MY THINKING, SADLY IT WAS MOSTLY NEGATIVE,AS ALL I COULD SEE THROUGH OUT THE WHOLE THING WAS THAT EVERY THING THE EXCUTIVE DONE HAD TO BE PASSED BY THE WESTMINISTER GOVERMENT,NOW THAT IS NOT A NEW START FOR GOVERMENT AND SELF DETERMIATION IN IRELAND.NOW WE HAVE OWEN PATTERSON JUST PULLING RANK AT WILL. THIS COUNTRY WILL NEVER BE FREE FROM BRITISH RULE. IN PART OF THE BOOKLET I HIGH LIGHTED THAT THE CARROT AND STRING APPROCH WAS BEING USED TO ROPE REPUBLICANS IN, AND THE BRITS HAVE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB IN DOING THIS AND THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP JUST WALKED STRAIGHT INTO THE TRAP.I WOULD LOVE TO SEE PEACE IN THIS ISLAND OF IRELAND. BUT IT DOSENT LOOK LIKE IT WHILE THE BRITS ARE STILL HAVING THE LAST SAY IN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS. IF IT DOSENT GET THIER RUBBER STAMP,IT DOSENT HAPPEN,SIMPLE AS THAT.NOW I HERE SINN FEIN LEADERS REFERRING TO OTHER REPUBLICANSAS AS TRAITORS,DISIDENTS,AND COWARDS.I AM A SINN FEIN SUPPORTER. BUT I THINK SINN FEIN, SHOUL BE SITTING DOWN WITH THESE GROUPS,INSTEAD OF INSULTING THEM.AND EXPLAIN WERE THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE GOING WITH THIER STRATEDY, INSTEAD OF TALKING TO THE BRITS ALL THE TIME. AND GETTING NOW WHERE.BUT FROM THE START OF THIS PROCESS THE BRITS HAVE BEEN PULLING THE STRINGS TO SUIT THEM SELVES, SO IT DOES NOT SURPRISE ME THAT THESE GROUPS STILL EXCIST.BECAUSE IN THIER EYES THE BRITISH GOVERMENT ARE STILL CALLING THE SHOTS IN THIS COUNTRY,DEVOLOUTION IS A JOKE.THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS THAT THIER IS NO MORE MAYHEM AND FAMILIES ARE NOT BURYING THIER LOVED ONES ON A VERY HIGH SCALE.THE WHOLE THING IN MY OPINION IN THAT, THE BRITS HAVE NEARLY COMPLEATED THIER WEE JIGSAW PUZZLE,WITH JUST A FEW PIECES TO FIT. BUT THEY ARE SITTING PRETTY COMFORDABLE AT THE MINUTE WITH FULL CONTROL OF THE SIX COUNTIES, NOTHING HAS CHANGED, WE WERE PROMISED BETTER HOMES,MORE WORK THAN WE COULD HANDLE,BETTER EDUCATION FOR OUR KIDS, AND FOR THE HEALTH SERVICE WELL THATS A DISGRACE.NOW THE BRITISH GOVERMENT HAVE DONE THIS AND PETER AND MARTIN HAVE LET OFF A WEE BIT OF STEAM HEAR AND THIER, BUT THE REALITY IS THE BRITISH GOVERMENT HAVE NO INTENSIONS OF PULLING OUT OF IRELAND, AND WHO IS GETTING HIT THE WORST WITH CUT BACKS ETC. YES THAT RIGHT US.SO THE EXCUTIVE NEED TO GROW A BACKBONE AND THAT SHOULD BE EVERY PARTY INVOLVED IN THE EXCUTIVE. AND TELL THE BRITISH GOVERMENT TO BOW OUT OF OUR BUSSINESS AND LET US GET ON WITH IT. NO GOOD HEALTH CARE,NO GOOD EDUCATION,NO GOOD JOBS,NOT ENOUGH HOMES.DO THE JOB THE PEOPLE OF THE SIX COUNTIES ASSIGNED TO YOU, AFTER ALL YOU LOT ARE GETTING VERY WELL PAID. (ALL YOU NEED IS A BACK BONE.)