A few weeks back we put the call out to people and organisations within the Irish Republican community for interviews on what Irish Republicanism means to them.  We are aware that Irish Republicanism has a wide spectrum of different views from traditional abstentionists to constitutional republicanism.  We have spoke to most Irish Republican organisations and have interviewed some people and still to interview a few more.  This morning we woke to hear the BBC talking with Des Dalton from Republican Sinn Fein.  So we decided that our recent interview with Republican Sinn Fein would be very relevant and many will find it interesting.

This first interview is with Geraldine Taylor Vice President of Republican Sinn Fein.

Now that Politicians have taken time off for the holidays this gives R8YourPolitician a chance to work on some other projects we have had on hold one project we are doing is a video series on Irish Republican Politics, the history of where it came from and the journey it has taken.  Over the next few weeks we aim to interview a spokesperson from all Irish Republican political parties about their party and what Irish Republicanism means to them and the people they represent.  R8 Your Politician wants to hear from Politicians and people within Irish Republican political movements what Irish Republicanism is all about, where did it come from and a little bit of history about each Republican organisation and where they are today.  

Through the short series of video interviews with all the Irish Republican Parties we will be seeking to clarify and educate the viewers about the differences that separate "Republicans" and what the common ground is between them all. 

We publicly put the call out far and wide letting everyone know that we are actively looking to interview people from within Irish Republican Political Parties to talk about republican politics.  We will also email each Irish Political party asking for a short interview.  If you are an Irish Republican Politician or work within a Political Party contact us, you can tweet us through Twitter @R8YP, you can Skype us : r8yourpolitician and you can reply to our emails.

We are really excited to be doing this project we have been wanting to do it all year, we have another project running parallel to this interviewing Unionist Political Parties.  It will be good to cover this rich political tradition of Irish Republicanism,its people, its roots and its future.

Now that Politicians have taken time off for the holidays this gives R8YourPolitician a chance to work on some other projects we have had on hold one project we are doing is a video series on Political Unionism. Over the next few weeks we aim interview a spokesperson from all Unionist political parties about their party and what Unionism is to them and the people they represent.  R8 Your Politician wants to hear from Unionist Politicians in their own words what Unionism is all about, where did it come from and a little bit of history about each Unionist party and where they are today.  

Through the short series of video interviews with all the Unionist parties we will be seeking to clarify and educate the viewers about the differences that separate "Unionists" and what unites unionists. 

We publicly put the call out far and wide letting everyone know that we are actively looking to interview people from within Unionist Political Parties to talk about Unionism.  We will also email each Unionist political party asking for a short interview.  If you are a Unionist Politician or work within a Unionist Political Party contact us, you can tweet us through Twitter @R8YP, you can Skype us : r8yourpolitician and you can reply to our emails.

We are really excited to be doing this project we have been wanting to do it all year.  It will be good to cover this rich political tradition,its people, its roots and its future.

Recently the citizens of Ireland north and south have watched N.Irish Unionists call for more Unionist Unity.  The recent article in the Belfast Telegraph discussed how Danny Kennedy MLA calls for Unionist Unity between the Ulster Unionists, Conservatives & The Democratic Unionists to fight of the growing political threat from Sinn Fein.

Due to these on going efforts @R8YP have decided to sample the attitudes of the electorate across the Island of Ireland , Scotland, England and Wales along with ex-pats in the United States, Canada and Europe to gauge local public opinion as well as international public opinion on Irish Reunification.  We are running the United Ireland Poll over the next month, we will be polling citizens across Ireland both online and offline.  

The United Ireland Poll can be taken here >> United Ireland Poll

We ask you to help us get the most widespread and broadest sample of public opinion across the Island of Ireland.  We ask that you share this article far and wide, post it to all your social networks. 

As we continue to grow and expand R8YourPolitician globally into different democratic countires, We are right in the thick of a UK general election and it looks like its a done deal, we will hold of our prediction just yet as you never know with Political campaigns anything could happen.  As we continue to progress forward R8 Your Politician is focused now on the November elections in the United States, we just have to add the Politicians profiles to the US website and we can launch.  We will be soft launching the US Congress and US Senate Apps on the Facebook Platform at the same time as R8YourPolitician.us  This will hopefully generate some support, interest and exposure of R8 Your Politician USA.

we hope that you will try the apps even if your not from the USA , browse through them and if you find them useful or know someone who might find them useful please share the link with them.  We should not be to long away from releasing the beta version of R8YourPolitician.us  We have tried and tested the framework on the UK & Ireland and took the experience learned their and applied it to R8YourPolitician.us

Please be patient as we prepare to launch R8YourPolitician in the USA.  If anyone would like to help out, blog, design and develop please get in contact.  

R8 Your Politician

Due the recent announcement of a joint Unionist Unity Candidate in Fermanagh & South Tyrone.  Nationalist Politicians called the move sectarian Politics.  R8YourPolitician run a poll to gauge public opinion.  The final Polls results are as follows;

For a larger view click here ( opens in a new window) 

We will leave it up to you to interpret the results.

As you would expect R8YourPolitician has been watching UK Politics now for the last year and now that the election has finally came, what a let down.  After watching that massive 2 year campaign to see Obama get elected and observing the amazing political campaign leveraging of social networking, social media and engagment.  

Things looked very promising in the UK, election had to happen in 2010.  A chance for the electorate to stand up, be counted and vote.  Remember the promised Lisbon Treaty ReferendumS, remember that War based on lies of Weapons of mass destruction.  Who can forget in a western democratic capitalist free market country the government stepping in and nationalising Northern Rock, pumping billions of the country's money into banks, bailing them out because they failed. We will not even mention the expenses and lobbying scandals. 

This article is not about the above its about the trend data that we can see on the public searching for these common terms, Parliament, House of Commons and Westminster.

Anyone can go to Google Trends : http://www.google.com/trends and try this for yourself. 

Recently R8 Your Politicians Managing Director Patrick Lismore was enjoying an nice relaxing afternoon away from the computer, attending the IFEX Catering & Food Exhibition at Belfast's Kings Hall with his father Patrick Lismore Sr, an experienced head chef in N.Ireland's catering industry for the past 25 years.  After visiting and talking with different catering and food suppliers, software companies selling interesting point of sales systems and a short browse around the Chef Skills competition area of the event we decided to leave.  

As we were walking towards the exit we met the UUP delegation headed by Sir Reg Empey walking the opposite way, he was being escorted by one of the top Chefs in N.Ireland I assume to the "Chef Skills Competition" as it was being sponsored by Sir Reg Empey's department.  I thought to myself here is an opportunity to thank Sir Reg Empey personally, he had wrote a letter to me a few weeks back in response to several emails I sent him over a 16 month period.  I also thought to myself here is an excellent opportunity to have Sir Reg put a face to the name on the emails and a face to R8 Your Politician.  I also thought here is an excellent opportunity to explain in person the long term aims of R8 Your Politician and ask for his and his Political Party's endorsement of "R8YourPolitician" efforts to create jobs.

 ( Photo by Simon Graham : http://www.harrisonphotography.co.uk )

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The R8 Your Politician Parliament Facebook Apps,

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Today we finally added up all the figures on our recent Polling on Policing and Justice.  We asked three questions to the people;

Do you support the transfer of Policing and Justice powers from London to Belfast?

66.75% YES

33.25% NO

Do you think their is sufficient community confidence to allow for the devolution of Policing and Justice powers to the N.Ireland Assembly?

66.75 % YES

33.25% NO

Which option below do you think would be the best model for transferring power to?

 A single Justice Department, headed by one Minister : 48.77%

A single Justice Department headed by two Ministers, with decisions requiring the agreement of both, similar to the arrangement provided for in the Northern Ireland Act where the First Minister and deputy First Minister act jointly in carrying out their statutory functions : 22.66%

Responsibilities for justice to be added to those of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, perhaps supported by additional Junior Ministers : 15.27%

Two Departments (Policing and Justice), with the two Ministers each coming from a different tradition : 13.30%