Naomi Long MLA @naomi_long@respublicae.eu
Unofficial automated mirror. No copyright asserted. ∎ Alliance Party Leader | East Belfast MLA
email: naomi.Long@mla.niassembly.gov.uk | Facebook: Naomi Long
Check in when I can. No DMs. Email for a reply 🙂
Joined Apr 2022
@realLangerDan @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 We do. 🙂
@CQs_1987 @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 We do turn up at events which discuss our future and in which we can participate on a without prejudice basis. We've been doing so for years and will continue to do so in future.
@Steven_OConnor1 @TomTory1 @ClogherHead1 Be nice if Alliance votes were made equal to nationalist and unionist ones, too...
@Steven_OConnor1 They won't out of interest in us: they will because they need to avoid a trade war with the EU and get a deal with the US for self-preservation.
As for the Assembly, even if it does get restored after 28th (and I agree, that's a big if), it will collapse again without reform.
@PaulieWillDo @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 Their behaviour baffles me, too. Everyone else can see it as self-destructive, except those who lead unionism.
I'm an optimist, though: change can and is happening in our community despite lack of leadership, so I continue to work to build a more respectful, inclusive community.
@Reunify32 @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 Point out where I said before.
I'll wait...
@ClogherHead1 @Steven_OConnor1 And that's all part of the consideration we'll make in the event of a border poll.
In the interim, we'll work on trying to serve the people who elected us and deliver a more peaceful and prosperous future for us all.
@realLangerDan @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I've said that elsewhere in this thread. I'm not in favour of shifting the goal posts.
@na_croi @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 No. See the reply above on this.
@CQs_1987 @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I've never disputed our right to decide our future. Be wary of dismissing your neighbours as "slow learners", though.
The GFA also acknowledged the legitimacy of points of view other than your own.
Reassuring people and showing respect might be better than insulting them.
@CapersColly @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I've never said it can't? In fact, I said it was a crucial aspect of delivering a truly UI or UK.
I'm saying that without it being given priority, it won't just happen.
@PaulieWillDo @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 No. Not while our people are as divided as they are now.
Same rules apply from my point of view - it just wasn't the question I was replying to.
@NIPDroid @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I tend to agree.
@Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 That's a chicken and egg question.
Also, it assumes that what has happened in the interim - the hurt and pain - can be wiped away by the logical certainty of how it started. It can't.
We can and must be informed by our past, but we can't allow ourselves to be captive to it.
@eamonred246 @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I didn't say we had to wait to progress other ambitions? Quite the contrary: uniting our community is essential whatever the constitutional settlement.
I simply said that neither a UK or UI could be truly united unless we as people were. And delivering that is my priority.
@Meryna40955825 @ChuckyRentonjim @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 Surely, it was division that already existed which drove partition?
I cannot undo the past, but we have to do better for the future. We can build better relationships between these islands and between the people on this island.
That doesn't preclude a UI progressing?
@soundabuse @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I think we need to try to break down those divisions - internally, N/S, E/W.
That was the vision of the GFA and offered hope of better.
From the perspective of those who want a UI, the transition would be smoother and more successful with all 3 relationships working well.
@is_it_2021 @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 I've never denied that right? I've asked for clarity on the conditions for a border poll for example.
I wasn't here at partition: I'm not an apologist for it and I can't influence the past.
I do care about our future, and unreconciled, it's grim, whether in the UK or a UI.
@ninnythebear @Northernman1916 @Steven_OConnor1 @ClogherHead1 There's no mask. There's no stalling.
We've always said we prioritise building a united community over the constitutional question.
@Donnan_S So glad you're happy x You deserve to be. 🤗
Unofficial automated mirror. No copyright asserted. ∎ Alliance Party Leader | East Belfast MLA
email: naomi.Long@mla.niassembly.gov.uk | Facebook: Naomi Long
Check in when I can. No DMs. Email for a reply 🙂
Joined Apr 2022
