“Squinter” from the Andytown News is a man who speaks his mind in his column. Of course sometimes he is reminded by Sinn Féin what his mind should be.
So it seems a bit odd that a seasoned journalist would be putting out a tweet like this one.
I have to admit that I am not a big fan of Twitter.
In the early days of Internet, we used to have “flame wars” ….political arguments. Stupid waste of time. As you may know, I dont encourage “flame wars” here…and the best way to avoid problems is to encourage conversation/debate among like-minded people.
What is the point of Twitter?
I dont follow people I dont like. I see no point.
Twitter seems a good place for silliness and a bad place for politics.
Although I do have a Twitter account, I really dont care much for it all. It is a young persons medium.
I do not know if “Squinter” is a big fan of Twitter…but it is known that Sinn Féin supporters have used it to attack political opponents. …John Coyle, SDLP candidate in Fermanagh-South Tyrone last year and of course Mairia Cahill. Hard to think that “Squinter” is unaware of this.
Are SDLP twitterati becoming more aggressive of late?
i have certainly seen no evidence of it.
Nothing on the scale that John or Mairia suffered.
Maybe thats just how Sinn Féin trolls operate. There are one or two trolls who have shown up here….I think I might have a designated “troll” on average industrial wage from Connolly House.
They come…they go….they change their screen-name. Sometimes I publish their comments and sometimes I couldnt be arsed. They are too young to bother me.
It is easy enough to put a troll back in his box.
What “Squinter” (shrinking violet that he is) has probably noticed is a sense of purpose about SDLP. Assertive. And the trolls are on the look-out for soft targets….notably young women.
At the end of the day….the Sinn Féin trolls are a waste of space. I bet their daddys were touts.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
Ooooooh well you certainly didn’t miss and hit the wall there! If you’re referring to the treatment Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx received, I noticed that myself. Trouble seems to have been brewing since Peggy O’Hara dying, what with the new leader carrying her coffin and Martin McGuinness being asked to stay away from the funeral. Then Colm Eastwood saying last week he was a Republican. It certainly made Danny Morrison lose his hat. From what I can see is the SDLP whom I have never voted for and finding it increasingly hard to sleg these days, they are getting younger and more vocal on Twitter which was previously under the ownership of SF but such is life. If Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx can take the heat, then she’s entitled to air her views. One thing though, I do not share er enthusiasm for Hilary.
Áine….I deleted the recerence to the name because the point was more general.
No surprise that SDLP are republican ….we have allowed Sinn Féin to copyrite it. I think in the 1990s SDLP had to suppress a lot of feeling in the name of the Peace Process accomodating both Trimble and Adams.
SDLP had to bite their tongues.
My own problem with the trolls is that at heart I am a “Falls Road spoofer”…just like Squinter, Máirtin O,Muilleoir and Danny Morrisons hat.
Squinter can spoof his way to the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism, “New Belfast” can spoof his way along into every art gallery and poetry reading from here to New York and Danny Morrisons hat can be an “author and journalost”.
From the Felons to An Féile, the spoofers have been given a bye-ball and they seem to take it badly when somebody (SDLP or PBP) challenges the narrative.
Like I say, I am a worse spoofer and con man.
But you know what they say….”never spoof a spoofer”
I predict an interesting day.
Nothing cheers you up like a good laugh.
SDLP aggressive seriously.
The last the SDLP was aggressive was when Gerry Fitt ordered Paddy Devlin to get the next round in.
If the Provos are posting that on Twitter they must be desperate.
I enjoyed myself today. More later.
What are flame wars and where did they happen ? Was it protestants against nationalists?
No…
When Internet started arguments of any political or personal nature was called a “flame war”.
Facebook and Twitter are newcomers.
There used to be chat rooms and later sites like MySpace….and sometimes it got nasty.