I just had a horrible dream. I dreamed that the Craggy Island Cumann of Sinn Féin had invited their friend President Trump over to Ireland to judge the Lovely Girls Competition.
Or maybe I did not dream this.
Maybe it is an alternative fact.
Sinn Féin and Trump love alternative facts.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
It seems that G Adams will accept a White House Paddy’s Day invite if offered. Good for realpolitik, terrible for principles. Sometimes the latter need to outweigh the former. It’s a mistaken position to take and a cudgel for its left-wing rivals.
To be fair to Colum Eastwood, he was first out of the traps on this, long before Inaugeraton. Of course it was a position that was easier to take because no realpoltik was involved. An Opposition can afford “principle” and SDLP become more relevant by taking this stance.
Also it captures the prevailing leftist mood and obviously a good tactic for SDLP to promote their anti-Trump stance and embarras SF at every opportunity.
And obviously I myself am in election mode and unashamedly partisan for the next month.
Whether it makes any difference in terms of votes is another story. But this is the public mood, rather like Easter Rising defined SF tactics last year.
The non-partisan aspect is that SF are all over the place on what should be a fairly straightforward decision.
VIsit:
McGuinness…warm welcome.
O’Neill…inappropriate
WHite House:
Adams will go if invited.
Now that CNN, BBC, ITN etc are analysing Trump as much as a “narcissist” than a politician….in a sense Adams seems to fit that bill.
Ridicule…is the weapon of choice these days. And SF dont like Ridicule.
Well seeing as we Irish have often been conditioned to look towards the US razzmatazz politics for solidarity in some faint hope that a president might some day call a spade a spade and perhaps declare his support for irish unity it would be remiss for any irish politician not to go to the White House and see the lay of the land. Who knows he might outrage more folk and actually declare his support for irish unity? I know, I know it would be a shock if he did; just as shocking I suppose as those irish politicians who don’t publically call for Irish unification. Either way at least with Trump we will know what side his bread is buttered and would make a change from previous ‘good’ presidents who endeavoured to blow smoke up our noses.
I take that point but ultimately ALL US Presidents are pro-British.
Trump advocating Scottish Independence….his mother was a bigly royalist….seems even more unlikely.
Much as I believe Englands difficulty is Irelands opportunity…two world wars, I dont think an alliance with a racist scumbag like Trump would be a good idea.