Brexit : 24th June 2016 : The United Kingdom Votes to Leave the European Union

At around 5:20am this morning the result of the EU Referendum was declared as the United Kingdom had voted to leave the EU. 

52% of the entire United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. A majority of approximately 1.3 Million people. 

I am certainly not a political correspondent, there is a lot of information available on this subject across the Internet with much more insight than I have. However here are some facts. 

62% of Scotland voted to remain. 

55% of Northern Ireland voted to remain. 

England and Wales had a leave majority. 

David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister. 

The FTSE100 opened down almost 10%. 

The £ lost 10% overnight. 

Scotland now want a 2nd independence referendum. 

Northern Ireland nationalist politicians want a border poll. 

Labour call for leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign.

What is sure now is that history has been made and our elected representatives have a huge amount of work ahead of them to ensure the progression of the United Kingdom for the benefit of all citizens. 

A chaotic night. A completely unexpected result. The bookmakers had a leave vote at 7/1 last night which subsequently fell to 1/250 !

I have two questions in my head though. 

Firstly, this was a democratic vote. The majority have spoken, regardless of personal opinion surely that’s what democracy is? 
Surely then Scotland and Northern Ireland politicians saying they want out goes against the democratic process. It screams of ‘democracy – only if we get our way!’

Secondly every one is saying this is a decisive vote. Is it though?  52 % v 48%. 17 million v 16 million.  To me that is not decisive. But it is democratic. See point one. 

Finally after seeing this morning’s developments is there an aura of regret? If not regret absolute worry. 

The battle cry of the Leave Camp this morning was :

’23rd June 2016 The United Kingdom’s Independence Day.’

Could it be more of ‘Judgement Day?’

Changes ahead…

The Ulster Covenant 1912 – 2012

Today celebrates the centenary of the Ulster Covenant in Northern Ireland. The Covenant was signed in 1912 by almost 500,000 people to express their opposition to Home Rule.

Today will see almost 30,000 marchers and supports of the Covenant and orange order descend upon Belfast to march all around the city in the largest open air parade for over 20 years.

Good luck and have a good day to all those involved.

It is also a highly contentious march that having looked at twitter already looks like there are already trouble makers around looking to stoke the fires of the past and cause as much disruption as they can, of course partnered with the traditional Belfast riot.

Therefore lets all hope that calm rules today and this event does not become a media frenzy on the trouble that can still dominate Belfast.

Oh and if you would like to sign the Covenant you can do so 100 years later at Ulster Covenant 2012 – Sign here

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12th July 2012 Ardoyne Riots – via Twitter

12th July 2012 Riots

This year I found out how truly amazing Twitter can be, and it was in a bad situation.  As you will probably no each July Belfast turns from an amazing, beautiful, diverse and accepting city into a pit of sin, fighting, rioting and hate rule the streets for a day or two then we are back to our brilliant best.

It is these couple of days though that get us plastered all over the world news and as you will see from the following photos it is not in a good light!

Some call this ‘activity’ ‘reactional rioting’ in an attempt to disguise what it is.  That being criminal damage, attempted murder, disorderly behaviour and riotous behaviour, all pretty high up there in the criminal scale of things.

No matter what anyone says it is clear from yesterday that these riots were planned, no side, be it orange or green could have done anything to prevent these riots, there was gonna be a fight and that’s it!

Even the rioters were caught on camera fighting with each other!

Thugs… Get out, move on, grow up, leave us and leave our city, in this our year, our time, our place, and oh yeah you’re not welcome!

And your guns aren’t welcome on our streets, shooting at Police will never be acceptable, you want to be a killer?  Just get yourselves under that water cannon and have a good aul Belfast wash!

Read more

Northern Ireland 12th July 2012 Celebrations / Riots

12th Juy 2012 Behind Police Lines

So it is the 12 July again and that means it is time for rioting across Northern Ireland and moreso Belfast and the Ardoyne shops.

This basically comes down to the Loyal Orange Order wanting to match along their traditional route. The Nationalists then claim that this area is not supportive of an oppressive march and it is not welcome.

Result – A Stand off.

So what has now become a yearly event the Nationalists attack the police who are trying to separate them from the Loyalists.

Today there were determinations ruled by the Parades Commission that meant the LOL had to be finished by 4pm. They did this. Then the Nationalists would have a counter demonstration, however before this happened the riots began.

These riots have lead to #Belfast and #Ardoyne trending on twitter! A real shame in this 2012, our year, our place, our time.

We have let ourselves and each other down a lot this year.

I could go on and on about this but I want to keep it straight and to the facts do that is them. I have amassed a full collection of photos from the day which I will get up later, but really people – wise up your are destroying your own communities and raising tensions when in this day and age there should be none!

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MLA’s get an 11% Payrise! Forget the teachers, doctors, paramedics and police!

2012 Stormont Estate, Northern Ireland

Yeah indeed, they get an extra £5000

Extract from the BBC News Website : See the full story here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17366868

An independent panel has decided that assembly members pay should rise by almost £5,000 from April 2013.

The 11% increase to £48,000 will be financed by a cut in office costs.

An MLA’s basic pay is currently £43,101. MLAs who are committee chairs get another £11,331, while deputy chairs get an extra £5,667.

Junior ministers get £19,609 on top of the basic while ministers get £37,801. The first and deputy first ministers are entitled to £114,535 each.

Now maybe I am out of line here but at a time when the average Joe is struggling financially, a time when fuelling a car is becoming difficult for the working man / woman, it is not the time for our ‘elected’ representatives to be bumping up their wage to the tune of £5000.

This is at the same week when health workers earning under £21,000 will get an extra £250 ANNUALLY, anyone over it will be FROZEN for ANOTHER YEAR!

This is at the same time were the UK  Police are looking at having their wages FROZEN FOR THREE YEARS.

This is at the same time the genuinely decent human being out working every day is getting taxed on food, fuel, road tax, PAYE Tax, TAX TAX, to make sure the scum of society can get their benefits and luxuries like their 50″ Plasma TV to watch that wee shit Jeremy Kyle on, instead of getting off their ass and getting a JOB.

This is at the same time that the UK has accepted that there are around 500,000 illegal immigrants claiming benefits that they can’t possibly process.  This is forgetting about the immigrants that are here and getting benefits under fraudulent asylum claims.  (BTW I support beneficial immigration and genuine asylum.)

This is at the same time that the banks are being bailed out by the ordinary decent tax paying man and woman.

This is at the time when the average Joe is crippled trying to keep themselves right and decent!  Who is paying these extra £5000, yeah indeed the average Joe!

Sort it out Stormont!  I hear you scream but we are cutting expenses to fund this rise – behave yourself!  We all know what Politicians and expenses means.  Nice garden gnomes by the way where did they come from?  Oh really expenses, well shit!  Gimme my bit of the gnome back!

Show me the money, oh no wait the Politicians are getting it!
Show me the money, oh no wait the Politicians are getting it!