Stephen Bates

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@Adriankewmutu @FootballInT80s Surley beating Spain to get to the quarter finals of the World Cup.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@cappuccinokeano @NorthernIreland What makes you think merging two underwhelming teams (as you put it), won’t just make one underwhelming team.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@NIFLGrounds @NorthernIreland The thing is though, the Ulster Banner was a civic flag that incorporated representations of Britishness and Irishness. Unfortunately, just like the Irish tricolour, it was hijacked but terrorist organisations. Maybe the decent people of this country need to try and reclaim it.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@farflungdung1 @JakeFitzsimons It may not be a union of equal nations, but that only matters when you have a new ‘united’ Ireland. But in order to get that, you need the majority of people in NI to vote for it. And that’s only going to happen if certain things are in place, including an accepted flag.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@ebelfastmum Don’t worry. It’s nothing to worry your wee tin foil covered head about.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@farflungdung1 @JakeFitzsimons Unfortunately that flag was hijacked by terrorist orgs that murdered innocent people inc. children. And whilst I don’t believe the actions of a minority should grossly impact the decent majority, it would be very hard for many people in NI to accept that flag in a new Ireland.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@farflungdung1 @JakeFitzsimons This debate is about what a possible new flag would look like should Eire and the UK constituent country of Northern Ireland unite to become a new Ireland. And with respect to the ‘unique history’, as you put it, don’t you think we should be trying to drop the religious issues.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@GoogleMcGurgle @MarkWilson1980 @IanOgbkavz Apologies mate. Maybe I misunderstood the sequence of the posts. I thought you were trying to say that there were GB wide elections that people in Northern Ireland couldn’t vote in.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@farflungdung1 @JakeFitzsimons WTF does religion have to do with the make up of a national flag. Italy is a majority catholic country but there is nothing to symbolise Catholicism on their flag.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@FinnR1BL21 @JakeFitzsimons Who do you mean by ‘they’ and how are ‘they’ represented on the current flag

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@LeVrai_Rene @JakeFitzsimons I’m a Protestant. How fire the current Irish fish represent me.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@Innocent849 If you think the playoffs should be scrapped, then you really don’t know the actual point of them and how the I prove the league.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@kjdon83 @RFCBojam @robjonescfc What is it then?

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@JimDolan1888 @RFCBojam @robjonescfc What is it then?

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@TH_GBTGB @RFCBojam @robjonescfc What is it then?

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@The_Foe_Malign @RFCBojam @robjonescfc What is it then?

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@kennybhoy66 @RFCBojam @robjonescfc What is it then?

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@KJ_Worldie__7 @YoxTweets @DaveKent101 @Starbucks FFS mate, wise up. You’re a fully grown man.

[Stephen Bates @stephenbates79]

@NICoefficient @CrusadersFC Beaten cup finialis getting the uefa spot was a carry over from the old Cup Winners Cup days. It seemed more approriate that a place in the cup winners cup should go to the cup runners up rather than next best position in the league.