I sometimes think about how when I was in a cafe in cork, a couple stopped me to ask “were you at the meeting?” I was like wtf? And they pointed at my “north is now” badge, “we just came from a United ireland meeting” I told them Nah this is for abortion rights -

“You don’t have abortion rights?” Nope, still fighting for that. “Cool yeah we were in repeal,” cool, I was a part of that too, “cool!” and I then said there’s still work to do if you want to check it out - “nah I’m good”

Lmao like woo United Ireland but “nah I’m good”-

Our politics and Healthcare up North aren’t just an after thought, if you’re serious about a UI can you at least pay attention to what happens here however “boring” and far away we might seem. -

It always feels like being from the North we have to prove our intelligence, identity, rationality, by always always keeping on top of what UK/ROI/our government are at, I can’t say “don’t know that politician” to a person across the border or I’ve shown myself up as less Irish -

I have a genuine interest in what’s going on because I want to know how our collective politics impacts our people, (the uk is also our people - not just the London irish.) But why can’t people across the border give us the same courtesy? -

Well aware most of the uk don’t know we exist but if you say you’re passionate about irish politics and yet you couldn’t tell me what stormont is or what big human rights campaign we currently fight for - you’re cherry picking who matters, and saying we don’t. -

I don’t expect people who are activists/politically involved etc in the Republic to know every intricate detail or political name in the North but if there’s a massive human rights campaign happening in the North and you want a UI - I expect you to care enough to know that little

It’s like saying attending a meeting about a United Ireland etc is enough to save us in the North, as though our current, urgent, life devastating issues can wait because you’re going to eventually Unite us so that should be enough. You don’t need to know what impacts us now -

Because you’ll fix it later.

It’s an attitude I frequently encounter. Maybe for 2021 people “passionate about irish politics/activism” can pay more attention to what’s happening here too. We’re people too, not just a romantic idea, & our issues deserve solidarity now not later

(Especially as we go into brexit)