Last night.

On BBC One’s Question Time.

American-British playwright, novelist, critic and broadcaster Bonnie Greer, who’s from Chicago but has lived in the UK since 1986, said:

“Often times,  hear people talking about Ireland, as if this country [UK] owns Ireland. Ireland owes this country nothing.

“Ireland owes this country no concession, it owes it no quarter, it owes it nothing.

“The third thing that I would add, too, is that the Good Friday Agreement, in spite of its rather benign name – the Good Friday Agreement is a truce.

“And it’s a truce because the United States of America and the EU sat down with the country to make it happen. We have to be much more serious about this.

“And the third thing I want say is that the United States is Irish and anybody who thinks that they’re going to get a deal through and have a relationship, a trade relationship with the United States, that shafts Ireland, you got another thing coming.

“It’s not gonna happen.

“I’m from Chicago, that’s where I was born and you know what we do on St Patrick’s Day? We dye the river green. People are very serious about Ireland in the United States. Don’t mess with it.”

BBC Question Time

Thanks Spaghetti Hoop

Meanwhile…

Hardcore.

Thanks Nat King Coleslaw

Meanwhile

Who you calling savages?

Today’s London Evening Standard.

Thanks Ken

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69 thoughts on “GFA? GTFO

    1. martco

      shurrrup wouldya

      watched that & did a little dance & punched the air!

      funny how in less than 2 minutes she managed to slice open 3 years worth of horsesht and got straight to the heart of the matter

      I hope there were plenty of Bojo fans watching that last night, might give them pause for thought, it might even give his Tory rat mates playing with currency markets pause for thought

  1. martco

    if the government are smart they’ll social media the pert breasticles off that contribution, make it go viral

    1. Col

      If they weren’t here we probably would have managed to build buildings ourselves. And eventually they would have become old.

      1. Jake38

        such as Liberty Hall, Busarus, Beaumont Hospital, etc……………………Ugh.

        (Freedom of the City for Ms Greer!, BTW)

    2. martco

      and don’t be forgettin all those beautiful Follys you see around the country @Dhaughton99

      still I suppose having a job would’ve made them feel a lot better about themselves and I suppose they did put a few spuds in the belly for those who stayed…so they didn’t have to resort to the oul robbin’ to survive instead of resorting to unconditional handouts or the like, wha?

  2. D

    On BBC One’s Question Time/em>.

    oh the dreaded emphasis tag has been unleased, given free reign over all the text.

    like the tans.

    EMPHASIS TIME

  3. Frank O

    “Ireland owes this country (UK) nothing”.
    incorrect Bonnie.
    ireland owes the UK 3.2 billion pounds. which they very kindly lent to us in the 2010 bailout. let’s not forget our neighbours generosity while we try to trap them into staying where they don’t want to stay.

    1. Brother Barnabas

      do you have a mortgage, Frank? a bank loan?

      do you feel great gratitude towards the bank that issued the loan? or would you agree that meeting the agreed terms- repayments plus interest – mean it’s a purely business arrangement with no need for gratitude?

      1. Frank O

        I have a mortgage, a car loan, 2 overdrafts and a couple of credit cards. if my finances were in crisis I would not get any of those things.
        the crisis loan from the UK came when irish finances were in dire straits. so yes, manners would recommend gratitude.
        this language of ‘we owe them nothing’s is dreadful stuff and entirely unhelpful as we owe them a lot. and before you begin with a history lesson. my own grandfather killed many british soldiers alongside Tom Barry in a dirty war.
        but let’s move on. look to the future etc.

        1. Nigel

          You know what’s more recent, historically? The UK voting for Brexit without giving NI, let alone the Republic, a moment’s thought, then pre-emptively scuttling any chance of any kind of a workable deal that accomodatees the GFA by getting into bed with the DUP. Thanks, UK! So helpful! We owe you for that! I think it might be a good idea to keep this kind of behaviour in mind as we march bravely into the future.

          1. Frank O

            well that’s it in a nutshell Nigel. they did vote for Brexit and they voted in the north too. we here in the republic of ireland didn’t get a look in because we’re not in the UK.

    2. Batty Brennan

      Oh, Frank.

      The interest bearing loan made to prop up the UK banks in Ireland? The interest bearing loan which they declined early repayment of? The interest bearing loan made in support of UK banks, so generously repaid by the taxpaying citizens of Ireland? That loan?

      1. Frank O

        all loans I’m aware of bear interest and early repayment of a loan incurs penalties. welcome to the grown up world.

        1. Batty Brennan

          Given your personal indebtedness to the banks, your opinions on the adult world of personal finance clearly carry far more weight than my own.

          1. Frank O

            I didn’t express an opinion. I started a fact based off the limited knowledge I have regarding bank loans. that has perhaps something to do with my own personal financial indebtedness but moreso a simple understanding of how a loan works.
            if you have some knowledge of how zero interest loans work and how one personally obtains one or how a financially distressed sovereign state obtains a ‘mam and dad’ loan please share your valuable knowledge (not opinions, I’ve zero interest in your rudely expressed brainfarts).

          2. Batty Brennan

            Well it’s a novel interpretation of the meaning of the term “facts”, I’ll give you that.

          3. Frank O

            a loan earns interest. fact.
            a loan repaid early incurs penalties. fact.
            if there is interpretation of these facts elaborate.

          4. Charlie

            I gave my mate €20 last Thursday night. He gave it back to me this morning…no interest…fact. Had he given it back to me earlier, I wouldn’t have penalized him, fact. He’s a trustworthy old soul.

    3. ReproBertie

      You say “very kindly lent us” I say “used to bail out their own banks to prevent the contamination spreading”.

      The amount owed is now much lower than the £3.25 Billion as we’ve been paying it off for years with the final payment due in March 2021. We offered to pay the loan back in full early but they said no, and why would they when we’ve paid over £500 million in interest so far.

      We are not trying to trap the UK into anything. We are looking after our own interests.

      1. Frank O

        it was a loan. we (the irish state) owe that back. we agreed on the terms of that loan including a penalty for early principal payment. there is no point in trying to argue that.
        bonnie greer is wrong. we do owe the UK and this is just one example.
        to say we owe them nothing is simply not correct. we owe the UK a lot.
        I appreciate that truth sits uncomfortably.
        I do agree we must look after our own interests. of course. but we are by any and all means possible trying to trap the UK into Europe because if they can wriggle out it, it will plunge ireland back to the 1930s. then it will really be writ large just exactly what we owe them.

          1. Frank O

            explain the Krueger dunning effect to me in the same language you failed to explain how zero interest loans work.

        1. ReproBertie

          Saying “we owe the UK a lot” is a purely subjective opinion, not a truth. The Irish State are paying back the loan and, whatever the outcome of Sasamch, will undoubtedly continue to do so. A financial agreement like that does not mean we should sacrifice our economy and peace on this island just to satisfy their vague desires. That is where we owe them nothing. We are an independent nation and our national interest comes first.

          We are not doing anything to trap the UK in the EU. The UK made certain commitments in good faith during the negotiations and they are being held to those commitments by the EU. Even if they leave without a deal our economy will survive and will certainly not plunge back to the 1930s. We do the vast majority of our trade with people who are not the UK and there will be a market for the goods we trade with the UK when we move to fill the void made by the UK ceasing trade with the EU.

          Those commitments the UK made will be the first items on the agenda should they leave without a deal and then come looking for a trade deal. No doubt that will be portrayed as Ireland’s fault too.

          1. Frank O

            that we owe the UK the 3.5 billion we agreed terms on in 2010 is not subjective opinion. it is a fact.
            of course we will pay it back as per ther terms agreed in 2010. fact
            what is ‘purely subjective opinion’ is a dismissal of the UK electorates will as ‘vague desire’. Perhaps you should say these things out loud before you type them to see how absurd they sound.

            we are trying to trap the uk inside EU. some will thank us for that. others wont.

          2. ReproBertie

            Whether the outstanding amount of that debt is “a lot” or not is a subjective opinion. We certainly no longer owe them £3.25 billion. You do understand how repayments work, yes?

            The UK electorate and government remain unclear as to what exactly they voted for in their referendum so “vague desires” is a pretty accurate statement.

            Since you insist we are doing so please explain how exactly Ireland are trying to trap the UK in the EU.

          3. Frank O

            good you’ve came along the road from bonnie greers stupid ‘we owe them nothing’ to agree that we do indeed owe them something. We owed them. We owe them. We have owed them. We will owe them.

            the UK electorate was polled. its answer was clear. The current UK government is clear. it will leave the EU on the 31st.
            The UK parliament is preventing that will.

            we are trying to trap them, keep them, use what language you will. I’m not saying this is a bad thing on the contrary it’s the only hope we have of continuing to enjoy the marvelous quality of life we have, which owes so much to our munificent neighbour.

          4. ReproBertie

            It was far from clear, hence the farce we see unfolding. I don’t believe they will leave on the 31st either.

            You didn’t explain HOW we are trying to keep/trap them in the EU. Please do because all I see is their own commitments getting in the way.

          5. Frank O

            the brexit referendum was clearly decided. what’s unfolded has been the determined prevention of an electorates decision.

            no matter what deal they try to make, what concessions they give. it will never be accepted by us. that’s how.

          6. ReproBertie

            What was decided? Please elaborate on what the British public voted for because as I remember it their Taoiseach could never quite explain it.

            They could have left back in March. After 3 years of negotiations the UK and the EU reached a deal, a deal that protected the all island economy and protected the peace on this island. Then the UK Dáil decided to reject that deal and demand more concessions from the EU. How is that Ireland’s fault? They are not making any concessions. They are going back on an agreement and demanding the EU dance to their tune at the expense of the economy in Northern Ireland (such as it is) and the peace on this island. Explain to me why Ireland, or any of the EU27, should go along with that?

          7. Frank O

            should the UK remain a member of the European Union or leave the European union?
            remain?
            or
            leave?
            straightforward and simple. very clear I think.

            you say a “deal that protects the peace on this island” like you want to invoke the spirits of the past. to breathe life into the corpse of violent republicanism. and might I put it like this, if that relic of bloody republicanism isn’t just that, a relic of the past. what the bloody hell has our security services been doing for the past 50 years. if we cant keep a lid on our own problems our friends and neighbours surely will. and that turned out nice last time.
            I think it’s a strange threat to the british to dangle the IRA at them. they know that enemy and beat it ‘almost’ out of existence. does the bould IRA fancy its chances now?

          8. Frank O

            the threat of a return to violence is just that; a threat, and everyone that issues it should be ashamed of themselves.

          9. ReproBertie

            Was that to leave the EU cold turkey with the WTO tariffs, the food shortages, the medicine shortages, the lack of radioactive materials for x-rays, the end of recognition of UK driving licenses in the EU, the return of EU dwelling UK citizens etc, etc?

            I see you have failed, yet again, to explain how any of this is Ireland’s fault or proof that Ireland is keeping the UK in the EU. Would you like to try again?

            Maybe you’ve not been following the news but there are dissident republicans planting bombs in Northern Ireland. Set up custom posts and you just give them targets. That’s the word coming from the PSNI who are the ones trying to deal with them at the moment, along with the gardaí who have been locking up quite a few of them.

          10. Frank O

            again this tripe of ‘if you set up customs points you attract conflict’. from whom exactly? and if the Guards and PSNI do not have an exact handle on who these individuals are and kibosh them directly what the bloody hell have they been doing over the last 50 years. this is ireland. I can tell you about everyone of my neighbours. about everyone in the couple of pubs i drink. this is a small country. if our security services don’t have a handle on this then we’re all stuffed.
            its manufactured fear and manufactured hatred.
            stop peddling it.

          11. Frank O

            further. I never said this was Ireland fault.
            I said the dictat from the EU was to make this as difficult as possible for the UK. that we are doing with aplomb.

            I don’t like my english neighbour. I don’t like their ways. I don’t like their culture or their music or politics or sport or literature.
            I don’t like anything about them.
            I don’t like them at all.

            I love them.

            why don’t you?

          12. ReproBertie

            You said, repeatedly, that we were trapping them in the EU. You have yet to explain how. As I said, they could have left 7 months ago but changed their mind.

            The EU negotiators worked for three years to protect Ireland’s interests. That’s not making things difficult for the UK, that’s protecting the members of the union. Now you would have them throw that away because the UK have changed their minds.

            Do you love your English neighbours enough to burn down your house because they want you to?

          13. Frank O

            if the British offered us boo boos ninky pumpkins for breakfast for all eternity we’d still shoot them down.

            we can hide behind mammy Barniers apron and tell the dirty Brits we’ll never surrender but if they do manage to extricate themselves (and that, whether you like it or not is their expressed will) we will find ourselves in an unimaginable hell. because not only will the lights go out here but we’ll have obfuscated this process, much (I would hazard to say) to the British chagrin.

          14. Frank O

            please.
            “if the British offered us BOO BOOS for breakfast”. with complete deference to the moderators of this wonderful website can I respectfully suggest ‘ninky pumpkins’ in place of BOO BOO.

          15. martco

            ah @Frank O – I think you’re a suspect device

            the lights will go out?
            there’ll be some kind of retribution due to our obfuscation?
            IRA?
            nonsense about OWING? (alright, y’know I completely disagree but let’s go your way…I say whatever, if you’re gonna get all hung up on it & define it as so, ok, why not just call it REPARATIONS)

            Bonnie Greer nailed it. We neither are owned nor do we owe.

          16. Frank O

            Martco I’ve set out above how we do literally, factually, and through an agreed loan published script called the Ireland loan term act 2010 passed by british royal ascent OWE the UK.

            I’ve used a copper fastened, utterly waterproof example of how we IRELAND OWE THE UK. contrary to Bonnie greers tripe and dreadfully populist rebel rousing.
            and yet even in the white bright glare of the factual truth you and other commentators here have tried to argue the opposite.

            why is that?

          17. ReproBertie

            Can’t elaborate on what sort of Sasamach the Brits voted flor. Can’t elaborate on how the Brits changing their mind is Ireland trapping them in the EU, Nonsense forecasts of Ireland’s economy going back to the 1930’s and the lights going out and to top it off “hiding behind mammy Barnier’s apron”.

            All guff, no answers and no facts. Typical Sasamach. Enjoy the soup.

          18. Frank O

            what I have elaborated on is how Ireland owes the UK.
            contrary to Bonnie Greers twaddle talk. we owe them much beside, they owe us in equal measure. to suggest otherwise is profoundly untrue.

            your sense of elaboration I feel is akin to trying to cycle a bicycle without a chain. not going anywhere.

            I want the UK to leave the EU. I hope they don’t because it’s back to the stone age for us but I’m an anarchist rather than a ‘sasamach’ as you put it, who knows perhaps I’m one of those too??
            now we’ve decided what I am. what are you? are you the opposite of me a ‘sasaisteach’? please, oil your crankshaft and elaborate.

          19. ReproBertie

            I don’t care if the UK stay or go. What I do care about is the impact their eventual decision has on the economy and peace on this island. That being the case I’d prefer they left with a deal. If they don’t then our economy will not return to the Stone Age. (What is it with you and the doomsaying?) It won’t even return to the 1930’s. As I said already, we do more trade with people who are not the UK than with the UK.

          20. Frank O

            that makes no sense. you don’t care what they do but you do care how that will effect our economy and peace.
            so you do care but you rather not admit it. very Oirish.

            it’s a bitter pill for some to swallow but we need dear old England very badly.
            I’m sure we do more trade with the rest of the world than the UK in the IFSC or perhaps agriculture. but what about every single small and medium business here in ireland. every single thing those types of business imports to do business with or exports – comes and goes to and from the UK.
            I’ve been in business for 20 years and every single element of my business is reliant on the UK because we manufacture nothing here.

            we’re an island. an island that makes nothing for ourselves. everything comes from the UK. grand says you that doesn’t care if the powerhouse beside us closes its doors we can bring in what we need from our European pals.
            well perhaps so. but rather than order today and get delivery tomorrow we’ll be waiting how many days for delivery a week 2 weeks?? and we’ll get rode on price. I can do better business with Lee in an industrial estate in Solihul than I can with Gunter sprechen de Deutsch in Frankfurt.
            there will be a holocaust of small businesses. we live in an immediate age, people want things yesterday not a fortnight from tomorrow.

            we need a deal with the UK like Garfield needs lasagne. make no mistake.

          21. ReproBertie

            Despite what the Sasamachs may believe we don’t need “dear old England” at all. While they’ve been faffing around deciding exactly what they voted for and what they want, Ireland and France have been working to increase shipping capacity so that we can bypass their landbridge even more than we already do. You see, not everything comes from the UK. You should read up a bit on the volume of goods entering Ireland and where they come from before spouting your soupy nonsense.

            As far as I’m concerned the UK can stay or leave as they wish. I’d prefer they left with a deal because I put Ireland’s interests ahead of the UK’s and a deal is better for this country. If they leave without one we’ll take a hit but we’ll bounce back a lot quicker than they will. That’s probably with the British Dáil decided they’ll send their unelected tea-boy Taoiseach back to the EU to beg for an extension rather than leave without a deal on October 31st. No doubt you think that’s Ireland’s fault too. 20 years in business and yet you don’t understand anything about negotiation.

  4. eoin

    “the third thing I want say is that the United States is Irish”

    Someone might want to tell that to Mike Pence who was clear that his support in Brexit negotiations was with Bojo.

    And if you were to say where Trump’s loyalties lay, Leo or Bojo, or EU or UK, I wouldn’t be too sure at all that the “United States is Irish”

    1. Batty Brennan

      It’s a simple fact of US demographics. Trump et al are undeniably reliant on Irish Americans for votes, not to mention the unabashed bipartisan support for the GFA in both houses.

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