Over The 25 Years Since The Signing Of The Good Friday Agreement...

[sandyRoe]

...three US Presidents have visited Ireland, Clinton, Obama, and now Biden.
Could it be their visits here coincided with times when the agreement was bogged down and there were Democrats in the White House?
Would Republicans have come?

[Old_Geezer]

And ironically Biden is doing his utmost to wreck the Belfast Agreement and split the UK; possibly reigniting the Troubles once more. However Sunak and his Westminster supporters don't seem to need Biden's help with that.

[Peter Pedant]

And ironically Biden is doing his utmost to wreck the Belfast Agreement and split the UK

yeah I noticed that: he gone quiet on that
very quiet
But he is RC ( true cousins in the republic apparently) and he may have noticed it is mainly the RCs revolting

[Peter Pedant]

I mean I can understand old wykehamist Rishi saying
" well you are an RC and understand them Mr Biden can you stop them chucking molotov cocktails around and shooting policemen"

and Biden saying
Mr Prime Minister I cant stop my OWN great American people shooting themselves on a regular basis

[ichkeria]

" ironically Biden is doing his utmost to wreck the Belfast Agreement and split the UK;"

That is ridiculous.
I am hoping Biden;s visit will shame the DUP into taking its rattle back and restarting Stormont.
Both they and Sinn Fein ought to face the electorate: the trouble is, people keep voting for them. It would be interesting to see, were an election called, to what extent the non-sectarian parties continued to progress.
The problem is, the stance of the DUP makes Sinn Fein look reasonable, and that I am sure is one reason that party now easily tops the polls.

[Gromit]

// Biden is doing his utmost to wreck the Belfast Agreement and split the UK; possibly reigniting the Troubles once more. //

What absolute claptrap.

[Old_Geezer]

No point denying it. The internal UK border creates a split, the Unionists point out they are being abandoned to EU control, Biden encourages it, the Republican individuals of violence seem encouraged to think it is time to push the issue. There's no point in refusing to accept the evidence of one's own eyes. What would be ridiculous claptrap would be to try to do so.

[Gromit]

The hard border issue is a consequence of Brexit voted for by the public. It was enacted by the Conservative Government. It is a huge blame shift to call out Biden as the bad actor in all of this.

[New Judge]

//It is a huge blame shift to call out Biden as the bad actor in all of this.//

That may be so. But Mr Biden would be better off remaining in the USA. There's enough for him and his lakkies to sort out there. Ireland (both north and south) has absolutely nothing to do with him or the USA. It is, apparently, 165 years since the last of his ancestors upped sticks and left Ireland for the USA. Time he moved on, methinks (and spared the people of Ireland his intrusion).

[tomus42]

I suspect it's something to do with engaging with the Irish American voters.

[fender62]

the south cannot afford to absorb the north even if they wanted to.
i suppose they could ask the eu for for the cash, but i wouldn't hold my breath on that, plus civil war would ensue, catholics protestants killing eachother, again the eu would have to send in the military.

[Gromit]

It was the hard work of US Congressman George Mitchell that played a leading role in bringing about the peace. They don’t want that wrecked by some ephemeral UK politician for a short term gain.
But yes, they have an eye on the Irish vote back home in the US.

[youngmafbog]

Biden is a doddery old fool and is divisive especially on Irish politics, there is no doubt about that.

One poorly placed gaff could blow it all up. The USA need to keep their nose out.

[ichkeria]

Far too much being made of that.
Any gaffes Biden makes will offend unionists but it honestly doesn’t take much to do that.
Generally speaking Irish people even Protestants love a presidential visit though ;-)

[New Judge]

//They don’t want that wrecked by some ephemeral UK politician for a short term gain.//

By “some ephemeral UK politician” I assume you mean the politicians who have been elected to govern the UK (which includes Northern Ireland) by the people of the UK. If so, are you suggesting that the wishes of the US President and his associates should somehow trump those of the UK’s elected politicians (and by extension, the people of the UK)?

This “Irish-American” concept is nonsense. Although around 10% of the US population claim Irish ancestry, there can be very few people in the USA who have any significant and recent ties to Ireland. It’s about time they grew up and accepted that they are American, live in America and that matters concerning Ireland are not their business. In any case, having spoken to a few Americans both before and after the EU referendum, it is clear to me that many of them have absolutely no idea of the problems that Ireland’s EU membership and the UK being a normal country causes.

If Mr Biden needs to garner votes from them he should not do so by interfering in the UK’s affairs. My grandfather was born in Dagenham, but I don’t expect my local councillor to have an input to the affairs of the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham.

[youngmafbog]

//Any gaffes Biden makes will offend unionists but it honestly doesn’t take much to do that.//

Yes, well thats exactly my point. One gaff and they kick off. Doesnt help anyone.

[fender62]

america is full of plastic paddies, iv met a few, what gets me, none have ever been there, none have read any of the history,except for nationalist skewed views, i remember noraid fund raising during saint paddy day in ny, and irish pubs with chuggers and donation bottles etc.
but no thought where that money goes, like bombing crowded areas with nail bombs...it's all rather pathetic and misguided.

[ichkeria]

He’s of Irish Catholic descent and he’ll be visiting his “roots” in the republic so the idea he won’t stress his Irish background is daft. It’s what US presidents do.
And to be honest I think even most unionists are grown up enough to realise that.
The tricky bit was not appearing to browbeat or lecture to Jeffrey Donaldson and he appears to have cleared that hurdle.
Just hope he didn’t add: “So, are you in London visiting friends, Jeffrey?”
!!