BBC reporter Mark Simpson was on this morning to tell us about a car bombing of a police station in Londonderry. Of course Mark doesn’t call it Londonderry, he chooses to use the preferred Irish nationalist term “Derry”. He also suggests that this was a relatively minor event – nothing to see move along. We then had the Mayor of “Derry” interviewed – once again the BBC using a particular term – on to tell us that nobody supports these people and that Derry is a great city. Well, maybe the BBC could have asked the Mayor why the police cannot gain convictions against those republican terrorists who seem to operate with impunity from the “UK City of Culture” that is Londonderry? Surely the residents of the Bogside and other such salubrious areas would not provide sanctuary and succour to murderous “dissident” terrorists in the exact same way as they did to Machine Gun McGuinness and his fellow terrorists in the IRA? We’ll never know as the BBC will never ask such questions.
WHO LET THE THUGS OUT?
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But surely “Derry” is not exclusively nationalist usage?
My impression is that people on both sides call it that. Certainly my in-laws, who live in County Londonderry and are both unionists and conservatives call it “Derry”.
I thought the resolution of the Bloody Sunday inquiry was proof that everyone was going to be peaceful now?
This is an absurd over-reaction. The locals were surely just rehearsing their pyrotechnic displays for the opening ceremony of(London) Derry’s UK Capital of Culture love-fest. What could be more appropriate?
It does not even make the BBCs front page. its hidden in the lower text.
johnse18
My wiife is also from Londonderry and she calls it Derry so that is al fine! But the name of the city is LONDONDERRY and the BBC political editor chose to ignore that. It’s the equivalent of BBC reporters making a point of calling the Falklands the Malvinas!! 🙂
One thing is sure: you’re not going to get him saying Londonderry / Derry (as I have seen on some documents on the internet) or what that Ulster radio station called it: Stroke City! 😀
Exactly. BBC Northern Ireland has a clear nationalist agenda and it shines through in how Mark chooses to name the City.
bBC news 24 ‘Derry’, interview with mayor odf Derry. 2 minutes later on Sky news, the bombing is in Londonderry.
The mayor of (London)Derry kept referring exclusively to Ireland the entire Island, not Northern Ireland. Whenever he said that everyone was really trying to move past it and work for peace, he kept making it about the entire island, not merely NI, which I thought was supposed to be a separate country still. So there’s no real pretending what his goal is for the peace process: uniting his area with the Republic of Ireland.
The BBC did not attempt to correct that impression.