Just remembered a lecturer of mine who had lived in Finland being noticeably concerned about Russia about ten years ago. What I didn't know them was his son was doing his military service in Finland at the time. Don't really know what this has to do with anything, but it struck a chord with me.

Not to focus too much on America bashing, but a friend's cousin is visiting from America, and all she can talk about is how amazing the concept of a butcher is while fawning over every butchers window she passes. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure America has butchers.

I've mentioned it a few times before, but I've come across more left of centre Americans this morning who seem to think all it takes to emigrate to the US is the desire and a plane ticket. If you're going to argue in favour of immigration, it would be helpful to know how it actually works.

The last Magdalene laundry closed in my lifetime. Homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland in my lifetime. Access to condoms without a prescription in Ireland only came in 1985. We repealed the 8th. There's a lot of ways in which Ireland is still bad, but it is an entirely different country.

Constantine@ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 18h ago

Food, man. Food is so much better than it was in 1986. All of it. Poor-people food, restaurant food, fresh food, frozen food. Food is just a hell of a lot better.

Wild how much England has turned into Northern Ireland

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · yesterday

Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.

It's also just bollocks.

Rob Jacques@knutcrosswords.bsky.social · 2d ago

This is profoundly upsetting

I've had a Finnish song about pike stuck in my head for a full 24 hours. This is just my life now, I suppose.

I almost forgot! On my unnecessarily annoying morning read, I also came across somebody who was arguing that in the event of an independent Scotland, the capital should be moved from Edinburgh to either Inverness or, for some reason, Fort William.

Also unrelated to anything, the number of - usually American - people online who think Northern Irish independence is more likely, and in some cases more desirable, than unification is absolutely mad.

Like, the sheer amount of energy put into gestures of remediation on this island, and being careful not to make people feel awkward about things there were even complicit in maybe, and then your average British pol is just casually like, "ha ha stupid paddies"

But remember, if you point any of this stuff out, it just means we're obsessives with chips on our shoulders.

Des Fitzgerald@desfitzgerald.bsky.social · 2d ago

I think we're generally much too chill about how mainstream and normal this weird, obsessive anti-Irish stuff is in the UK. #speirgorm

I think we're generally much too chill about how mainstream and normal this weird, obsessive anti-Irish stuff is in the UK. #speirgorm

Motivated by absolutely nothing at all, I've come to the conclusion this morning that when it comes to "Northern Ireland = Ulster" and "you're British because you live in the British Isles" stuff, Yanks are someohow significantly worse than Brits.

"The Napoleonic Wars were a conflict of empires that had no bearing or relevance to me as an Irish person beyond our role as cannon fodder for our newfound countrymen's army." *Battle of Waterloo is mentioned* "Did you know that the Irish saved Europe from Boney's tyranny?"

Haters focusing on Liddle's violence toward his pregnant partner, his galloping racism, or his repeated defences of paedophilia, should remember to mention he was also one of the worst writers to ever do it. A calorie-free hack of the first water. Just absolute dogshit, back to front.

Look lads, you can argue about World Cups and Super Bowls all you want, but we all know that the annual Hurling-Shinty match between Ireland and Scotland is the only game in town.

My hot take re Afghan refugees at Polish/Belarus border was the numbers were easily manageable for the entire EU. The real flex would have been to say “Sure fine let them in, we are rich and strong. People flee Russia and come here.” but nobody actually wanted an EU with some backbone.

Lmao it's literally his birthday! What a gift.

Mojito Fiend@ronronzo.bsky.social · 2d ago

Apropos of nothing I hope Eamonn Dunphy is having a great day.

There's one man who'll be buzzin' today.

It's great that I get to live in a time when I can have a favourite youtube whisky reviewer, and said reviewer can also be a gravedigger from Glasgow with some very fruity opinions.

That's nothing, every other Sunday Conor MI6 O'Brien used to forecast in the Sindo that there'd be a coup by the army in order to destroy the IRA. Still waiting.

Not to sound too contrarian or anything, but 'everyone agrees with this' is the most thick way possible to argue your point.

When I talk to unionists about a border poll they're usually like, "It'll be grand. The union sells itself." Then you talk to a nationalist:

"Should the Anglo-Irish Buddhist/Catholic pop star who used AI to write a pro-genocide reggae song be allowed to play Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar?" longest thread in Bluesky history, locked after 212,531 increasingly unhinged replies

We all still love the Bristol liberals though. The Edinburgh liberals are more of a mixed bag.

David Higham@oldtrotter.bsky.social · 3d ago

Dear me.

A Motherwell title challenge is something I can get behind.

"I'm in favour of a two-state solution for the most part. What part aren't you in favour of? The Palestine part." Welcome to the glorious world of American foreign policy.

Only Scotland could have people shouting 'wankers' during their anthem be so integral to it's live performance.

Again, I restate my belief that Irish politicians made the UK up to make Ireland's fuck ups look less terrible.

Lisa O’Carroll@lisaocarroll.bsky.social · 3d ago

Exclusive: Some EU citizens in the UK have been contacted by the Home Office to say they were granted settlement status after Brexit "in error". If you know anyone this happened to contact me on lisa.ocarroll@theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It's possible to think Magdalena Bay and Thantifaxath are both good. Don't let the taste consensus win!