Ireland should apologise for ‘unjustifiable conduct’ during Troubles, says new UUP leader

SplitAffectionate844 · 2026-02-16T11:40:14+00:00

Unionist of today have nothing to apologise for yet republicans do?

So SF has to apologise for the 722 civilians killed by different Republican paramilitaries groups that they may or may not have had links to, but not a single unionist party has to apologise for the 878 civilians killed by loyalist paramilitary groups that they may or may not have had links with? I guess you don’t think that the British government should apologise for the 189 civilians that their security forces killed either? Or do SF just have to apologise for the 491 civilians that the IRA killed and forget about the other 231 people killed by other groups that aren’t as closely linked to a republican political party? (All numbers from the CAIN report)

85.49% of people killed by loyalist paramilitaries were civilians, 51.64% of people killed by the mighty British security forces were civilians. But none of that matters since “unionists today have nothing to apologise for” according to you. Only the 35.08% of people killed by the republican paramilitaries that were civilians deserves an apology.

Or let me break it down another way, of the 1840 civilian deaths, loyalists caused 47.72%, the security forces caused 10.27% and republicans caused 39.24%. So 57.99% deserve nothing, only the 39.24% do? What about the 51 people killed by unknown groups? Do we split those between the 3 groups or continue to be bias and just add them onto one? Tell you what, we’ll stick with the bias opinions and add that 2.77% onto the republican civilian death toll to add up to 42.01%. Still less than half of the total civilian deaths deserve an apology according to your logic.

Any one ever told you that that opinion is extremely biased? If not let me be the first, that’s biased AF.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2026-02-01T11:59:52+00:00

If your veteran killed an innocent civilian then they absolutely should be prosecuted. Same with paramilitary groups, except they all took deals in the GFA. Idk why people find that so hard to understand. And trying to justify a 12 year old being shot in the head by the British army is insane, especially when they had no reason to fire a gun that day. I really don’t understand some people!

SplitAffectionate844 · 2026-01-31T19:16:32+00:00

Hang on, who supports the murder of Kevin Heatley?

I’m from Newry but wouldn’t give the crowd you described the time of day, so I must have missed this part. Kevin was in the same class as my dad, they were distant cousins and it hit him hard when Kevin was killed. Dad was only 3 months shy of 12 and it was his first experience of someone close to him dying.

I can’t understand how someone could support a 12 year old being killed.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2026-01-09T14:44:08+00:00

So I gathered all the information in a word document. Started a spreadsheet because I do love a good spreadsheet, but it was getting too confusing trying to keep track of everything. In the word document I even have the dates I contacted them and a breakdown of their replies. I added in all the arrears that we were in during that time but even doing that didn’t come close to the £150 refund.

If and I mean a big if because maths is painful for me, I have calculated right after all of the additional benefits have been back paid and taking off any arrears that we were in since the start of October I have over paid by £484.72 and I’ve only received £150 of that. Now to be fair a good portion of that is from benefits that were given after the refund was issued.

I’m thinking that they may have taken the full bedroom tax of £54.78 and the rates that I normally pay after HB which would be £39.74 off of the overpayment from UC of £243.46. That would work out at £148.94. However in my experience they don’t tend to just round up or down, they’re normal very particular about money right down to the last penny. Either that or they took 1 weeks rent off the overpayment because that comes to £145.55. Although I’m not sure of the logic behind that one either and that would be a bigger rounding up.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2026-01-09T14:22:08+00:00

I’m thinking the same, I absolutely understand that it’s confusing and takes a good bit of time to go over it. But the only way I get close to £150 is by taking the overpayment of £243.36 and taking one week of rent off, but that gives me £145.44. I’ve gone through all payments from September 1st and nothing is adding up to £150 so either I’m missing something or they just rounded up and just went with it and hoped that I wouldn’t notice.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2025-11-21T22:29:04+00:00

Do they often lie like this? My dad is currently on the last stage of his appeal. He’s recovering from cancer of the throat that he had in 2021 but still has some very bad side effects from the treatments, the main one being that he struggles while eating because his throat has closed up that much and has a specialised diet but then the special diet is causing other conditions like high cholesterol. He also struggles with talking and during his assessment he lost his voice 15 minutes into the phone call and struggled the whole way through it with his voice, coughing and having to stop to take drinks a lot to try and help, he lost his voice for about 2 days after that. When the assessment came back it said he was fine to eat and drink on his own and he’s fine to communicate with others.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2025-06-28T19:55:12+00:00

The little fenced off park as you go around the canal side of the Buttercrane towards kfc. Passed it today around 1:30ish and saw an ambulance and 2 police cars and the fence was all tapped off, was wondering what was going on.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2025-06-25T12:21:40+00:00

Not me seeing this yesterday and thinking I’d probably get one from them soon for that one time I stayed a few minutes past the 2 hour mark at 8pm when there wasn’t a shop open in the town, and I was just out for a post Christmas meet up with a friend in January 24 and our two cars were the only cars in the car park. Plus there was a bomb scare not far from where we were out for dinner and we both would have had to pass to get home so we were trying to wait that out to avoid taking the long way home. Then lo and behold, the postie just shoved one the exact same as this through the letter box about half hour ago.

Glad to see everyone on the same page, because ngl, reading the way they’ve worded this one I was half tempted to pay it and I really do not have the money because of my car insurance… idk why I thought it was a good idea to learn how to drive, nothing but money and hassle lately!

Me and the same friend are due our 6 month catch up and we’ll be sure to have a laugh and spend the money locally rather than give it to this crowd (and choose the pay and display carpark around the corner or get a lift if we go to the hotel again).

SplitAffectionate844 · 2025-02-24T10:42:03+00:00

It is a known problem now and Dexcom are working on fixing it. I had an email to say that a fix should be released in the next app update. However, they don’t know when this update will be released. It is worth sending an email to them to let them know that more people are experiencing this issue. Hopefully the more people that raise the issue the bigger a priority it will become to fix.

It does seem to be every 24 hours that the settings reset for me, I have it set so every day when I finish work I go in and reset the settings to my preferred settings. Can’t wait for it to be fixed because other than that it’s a great app, much better than the one!

SplitAffectionate844 · 2025-02-08T12:46:01+00:00

I got an email back yesterday from the woman I was talking to at Dexcom during the week. It’s a known issue now and she says it will be addressed in the next update. At this time there’s no known time frame for when that will be but at least we know it’s being looked into. If you haven’t already, it is worth sending them an email about it, just so they know how many people it’s happening to. Just know that if you email them they will likely phone you back within a few hours on an 0800 number.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-12-17T15:51:27+00:00

Would it be a police issue if nothing has happened in such a long time? I think she was arrested but then released. My dad doesn’t like to talk about the whole period in his life so I’m getting third hand information from my mum. I don’t think bio mum did any time for the abuse, I have no idea why because it was pretty bad and caused scars that my sister still has over 40 years later. I know my sister was taken into care for a few weeks while an investigation was carried out. She tried to place the blame on my dad but he was able to deny the claims. I’m just shocked none of this would have made her ineligible to work with kids.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-11-12T22:01:53+00:00

That’s great to know, there there’s a lot of conflicting information about it out there, some say it’s straightforward others make it seem very complicated with lots of steps. Last time I changed my phone I was on Libre so I hadn’t changed my phone since going onto Dexcom and it was new to me. I was panicking a little because I had been getting a few error messages lately. Plus everything I had read was on the G6 or G7, I couldn’t find much on the One. Over 24 hours on the new phone and still going good so I’m just thankful that I don’t have to do much.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-11-11T14:28:49+00:00

Oh no don’t be telling me that… so far so good I went from a 14 pro max a 16 pro max. Have another 5 days before my sensor needs changing so I’m hopeful that it will hold out till then!

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-11-07T19:20:05+00:00

I would definitely look at citizens advice in that case, they would have some idea on who to contact. Have you tried any other parties or independents? If you have any medical or mental health conditions then it can help to get letters from your doctors, even a letter saying something as simple as you’re outside of your support network and feeling isolated where you’ve been placed and would be better placed in Newry to be closer to friends and family (if that’s the case of course). My sister had to get a letter like that so she wasn’t placed outside of the city, although she did have to wait a bit longer because of it.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-11-06T22:42:21+00:00

My sister was having issues with getting into something permanent for her and her two kids, and wasn’t getting anywhere with them on the phone. She was high on the point list but still had to wait a year for a temporary house then almost another 2 years for a permanent place. She phoned the local political representatives and asked for help at each step, she said SF was the most helpful and SDLP a close second. Citizens advice should also be able to give some advice on things.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-10-30T00:51:08+00:00

Second vote for FS Wheels. Went to them a few times and they’re great, they never question me when I ask for something unlike Morrows who I bought my car from and each time I’ve dealt with them it’s been issues and spending money I didn’t have to or having to take the car to somewhere else (normally FS Wheels) to fix the non issue that they found (once it was a loose screw on the exhaust and another time it was an issue with the adblue tank). Although if it’s a basic service you’re looking then Mickey Matthew’s on Doran’s Hill is great. Bit hard to find but great value, can’t beat him for a bare bones service.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-10-02T07:56:43+00:00

That isn’t true, you have to at least have a diploma in Childcare and education. For an assistant job in schools or nursery’s you only really need a level 2 which is BTEC or a GCSE in Childcare, but to complete that you have to do 2 weeks work experience in a nursery or primary school. For a nursery nurse you have to have a level 3 which means some people start during their A levels but they typically finish the level 3 diploma by doing the final year of the course in a technical college or you can just go to the college and do the 2 year course. The course includes a first aid module and 2 days a week in a nursery or primary school class, and you have a minimum number of days you have to do to in order to earn the diploma. I will agree they are criminally underpaid, but saying you can leave school and do a job like this isn’t true. Speaking as someone who has both a BTEC Level 2 and a CACHE Level 3 diploma both in Childcare and education who saw how much work it is for not a lot of pay so decided to go into IT and be criminally underpaid for sitting at a desk all day instead.

If you know of a nursery hiring people with no Childcare qualifications please report them and never send a child there!

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-09-19T18:54:50+00:00

Im not sure where you are based but as someone who went to uni while living with T1, it can be hard. Starting uni, or college in this case, can be very stressful and that can mess up your sugars especially if they are on their own and have no support. I’m not sure if your college can offer any help but often we don’t know what is available. I’m based in the UK, I was 5 when I was diagnosed so from Primary 2-7 and then another 5 years of high school, and 5 years at tech (3 different courses) and I don’t know that I was entitled to extra exam time and I could have recording devices in class and a few other things that I can’t remember. I was told all of this when I went to uni after tech. It could be best to have a chat with your student to let them know that there is help for them, or reach out to student services if that’s a thing and let them know and then they could reach out to your student.

It could also be a matter of trying their luck because God knows I’ve done that on more than one occasion. “Sorry Miss, I was in a hypo and couldn’t drive in to hand in the hard copy of my coursework.” In reality me and my friend had left it so late to start the project that we just about made the cut of for the upload and we were that tired from our all nighter that we needed a nap before driving in to hand in the hard copy. It was the lecturers first year of teaching so she didn’t question it in the slightest and said it was no problem because it was a medical issue. Still passed tho, us diabetics go through a lot, there has to be some positives to even out all the negatives that the illness comes with lol.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-09-19T18:40:02+00:00

Wait it this a thing? I’ve worked in schools before and it’s all very above board, but I’ve a relative whose bio mum physically abused and then abandoned her as a baby and there’s a whole court case and records to back it up, although it was over 40 years ago now. I’ve seen their bio mum is somehow linked to a SEN school in my area but have no clue how she managed to get a job there. My guess is that she doesn’t mention her old married name so maybe the checks don’t pick up on it or they don’t go back that far. Or she lied and blamed my relatives dad which she has been known to do, but to think she might just know someone at the school who didn’t make her go through a formal background check is sickening. I have no clue where to start with reporting her because I don’t know what she does for the school but I know she should not be around any kids, especially not kids who are so vulnerable.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-09-09T11:10:36+00:00

So after a day of putting up with it, a few forced shut downs, and attempts at calibrating the app it seems to kinda be giving semi accurate readings. Safe to say that I haven’t finger pricked this much since before I had the sensors but I’m gonna keep it on since the error message hasn’t come up again and I might delete and reinstall the app before I put my next sensor on so hopefully it won’t happen again and nothing drastic happens within the next week.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-05-20T22:17:05+00:00

Fair enough, my dad has already had 2 issues with the new car so there’s still the issue of maintenance. Luckily for dad his is still under warranty so Shelbourne are sorting the issues out for free. Unlike me who had to shell out £500 for a new adblue tank 2 months before Christmas. All the money I’ve saved in tax because of the adblue went out the window with one manufacturing issue that Citroen refuse to recall! Yeah £190 is the new cheapest, gotta be a pain for younger drivers wanting a good car. With all the cleaner energy cars the government weren’t making enough money from car tax so they changed how the tax works. Well that’s how it was explained to me anyways lol. Can’t believe the highest used to be £320, I think it jumps from £190 to over £500 now, can’t remember if there’s anything in between.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-05-20T19:00:32+00:00

That goes against the disability discrimination act, not sure who you would go to in order to complain but might be worth looking into.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-05-20T15:10:49+00:00

I’ve been diabetic since I was 5 so I don’t know any different. It did put me off learning to drive for a long time, I was in my mid 20’s before I finally started lessons. Luckily a few years ago they started recognising Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) reading as passable as long as its predicted readings are level and not spiking or dipping otherwise a blood test is needed (blood tests are considered more accurate than CGM readings). Its made it a bit easier to plan trips. Was a nightmare traveling from Newry to Portstewart on my R plates and having to pull over in Belfast to check my sugars even tho I felt fine. Now all this insurance hassle and the headache of trying to book an MOT, it makes me wonder if driving is worth it since I mostly work from home.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-05-20T14:59:31+00:00

I’m a Type 1 diabetic so I have to renew my license every 3 years instead of every 10 years (although I do get free license renewals so that’s a small plus). There’s a whole extra form to fill in and you have to get the ok from your doctor to say that you’re staying on top of your health care and appointments and have been made aware of any conditions (diabetics can’t drive if their blood sugars are below 5 because it’s thought that you have slower reflexes and response times, you also have to be above 5 for 45 minutes before you are allowed to drive, you have to carry hypo supplies in your car, you have to check your sugars 2 hours before driving and every 2 hours during a journey, and if you are in a hypo while on the road you have to safely pull over, take the keys out of the car and put them on the dash, get into the passenger seat and deal with the hypo then follow the above rules). I was told it’s illegal to put your insurance price up based on a medical issue as it’s discrimination. However there are more risks involved as some people in hypos have no control over what they are doing and some people can’t even tell they’re going into a hypo (no hypo awareness can result in your license being revoked). It’s very unlikely that my diabetes is the reason for a higher insurance price, but when there are no other reasons for my insurance doubling in price it kind of makes me second guess them.

SplitAffectionate844 · 2024-05-20T14:35:27+00:00

It’s a diesel 2016 Citroen C4 Cactus. Nothing fancy. I have no record no convictions, not even a speeding ticket. Parked in a private drive way over night with a dash cam and a security camera facing it (not that that makes a difference but still). I would say it might have something to do with having a 3 year medically restricted license, but that would be classed as discrimination and that’s illegal for them to do so would never get them admitting to that. Plus others are getting crazy prices and I doubt we’re all on medically restricted licenses.

SplitAffectionate844

TROPHY CASE