I didn't really want to get into this, but sneering at real hurt and exclusion caused by the term West Brit is not OK. It is another way of saying one type of person is more Irish than another. We should have moved far away from that by now.

The term has been used against Irish diaspora in the UK returned home, against Irish Protestants, against people with a British parent, as an insult and a slur. It's not racism. But it is a way of doing exclusion. And it's not OK.

If someone has pro-British views, that's entirely different to the implication that they are not really Irish. So call them out on that, instead of continuing to give your OK to a line of thinking that any of us are more Irish than others.

With the decade of centenaries, Brexit, the question of what it means to have an Irish passport as diaspora when so many Irish descendants in Britain now hold one, as well as the future of our island community,...

... we need a better way of talking about being Irish with British connections, about pro-British views, and a commitment to an inclusive Irish identity even while we taking on the legacy and impact of British politics here.

There has been some excellent commentary here amongst the bile about the way the term developed and its implications. It has _always_ been about implying that someone is not really Irish.

None of the above is a defence of any politician or person. I don't stand with anyone who supports racist policies.
This is only about the term itself and the commentary that's followed _that_ discussion. I will always stand against exclusionary language that undermines us all.