Posted on 03/08/2007 2:16:22 PM PST by presidio9
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was re-elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as Sinn Fein appeared on course to remain the major Catholic-backed party in the British territory, according to results Thursday.
Adams, 58, topped the voting in his longtime power base of Catholic west Belfast. He was among the first declared winners for the 108-member assembly following Wednesday's election to find out which Protestant and Catholic parties will control the assembly and hold the key to revived power-sharing in the territory.
Sinn Fein activists cheered wildly in the major ballot-counting center, the King's Hall conference center in south Belfast, as Adams took the winner's podium. Nearby activists from Protestant parties booed or stood stony-faced.
The vote-counting is likely to take two days before all winners are declared. Northern Ireland's complex system of proportional representation allows voters to pick candidates in order of preference, requiring ballots to be counted several times.
Sinn Fein haven't moderated, just very good at PR.
> They voted for a terrorist organisation.
Sinn Féin has been legal since, what?, 1974 or something, yes?
It's no wonder the Irish are still bickering about %^@# that happened in 1650 with attitudes like that...
I am talking about the right of free association and of self government.
How do you feel when you read the Declaration of Independence? Does it make you angry? Do you feel it is anachronistic?
It gives me a sense of the importance of freedom, and the risk individuals accepted to secure freedom from oppression.
It eaves one to speculate your position.
My position is crystal clear, in case you haven't read this thread - the IRA are terrorists, the UK is a democracy, end of story.
You people just can't admit when you are wrong, can you??
Unless you're willing to assert that, what 40%??, of the voters in the North are IRA, I say you're wrong about the second part.
"What are you talking about?? They voted for a terrorist organisation."
So, you want to take away their right to vote because you have a strong opinion of the IRA? Nonsense.
BWAHAHAHAHA!!! And Sinn Fein/IRA are the answer to that?
"Piss off"
This is the type of discourse that has led to years of violence in Ireland. Someone disagrees with you on a public board and you tell them to piss off.
Still can't answer?
Ok one more - Do you think the British government treated Catholics in Northern Ireland as equal citizens in the 1950s and 1960s?
It's not an opinion, it's a fact - the IRA are terrorists, thus should not be allowed organise a political party.
People are free to vote for whatever party they want - the parties, in turn, must not be fronts for terrorist organisations in order to participate.
That didn't justify IRA terrorism, it wasn't so dictatorial that they couldn't work with the system for reform - which was happening until the Northern terrorist destroyed that.
"It's not an opinion, it's a fact - the IRA are terrorists, thus should not be allowed organise a political party."
This is only your opinion. Evidently, your opinion is not held by the majority, therefore the IRA IS a political party and people ARE able to vote. Thank God.
See, this is why there will never be peace in the north with you Tories.
Nothing more than a tactical retreat to overthrow Irish democracy, infiltrators have been found in the institutions of the Republic - Google 'Phil Flynn' or 'Frank Connolly' to see what I mean.
Ok - I'll accept that answer as a no, Catholics in Ireland were not treated with equality by the government.
Why don't they then? Please tell me, I really want to know.
Substitute Ireland ping! Irish_Thatcherite says "Howya!"
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