Picture by odcat1
I was on the Nolan Show this morning, with Jim Allister and Ruth Dudley Edwards. The topic, of course, was the upcoming handshake of Gerry Adams with Prince Charles in Galway, as the Windsor One heads for Mullaghmore and the site of his great-uncle’s killing. Jim, predictably, found a lot to disagree with: Prince Charles shouldn’t be forced to shake the bloody hand of a Sinn Féin/ IRA man, Gerry should tell who did the Mullaghmore bombing, and on and on and on. Ruthie came on the line shortly afterwards and weighed in with something similar, noting that the IRA had tried to kill Charles and Diana, and she had proof of same. She also said ‘Mr Adams’ was an ‘interesting psychological case’.
My own view, when I got a chance to get a word in edgewise after Ruthie had done her monologue, was that Sinn Féin are meeting the Royals and this is just one in a series of rapprochements. It’s both politically smart and commendable on a human level. First Queen Elizabeth at Islandbridge and wishing things had been different or not at all, then Martin McGuinness shaking her hand X 2. It’s clear that Sinn Féin want to leave the bitterness and rejectionism of the past behind and literally extend the hand of friendship to those who were formerly enemies.
As I say, it makes sense. no matter what way you look at it. Jim and Nigel Dodds – did you hear him on TV in the run-up to the election? – represent an antediluvian view of things that effectively wants to lock us all in a cell of recrimination, an endless round of ‘You did that’ ‘But you did that’ ‘Huh – look at that – you did it, didn’t you?’ . Could anything be more pointless? By shaking the hand of Charles, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute regiment, Adams is literally extending the hand of friendship, showing in deed (and indeed) that he and Sinn Féin want to move on to a better tomorrow. There will be those in republicanism who see this as surrender. I think they’re wrong: they are as antediluvian in their way as Jim or Nigel. It might be more glorious and wildly exciting if the British government were to announce a withdrawal from Ireland, but they’re not going to do that today or tomorrow. However, once we get out of the cell of the past, real change can start.
The lack of vision and the narrow mindedness of some republicans really does frustrate me. Before the Westminster election earlier this month I even came across some “republicans” who were planning to vote for Tom Elliot in Fermanagh. Yes, you read that correctly, “republicans” voting for UUP’s Tom Elliot in Fermanagh in order to get back at Sinn Fein. Instead of staying at home or even voting the SDLP, they choose to vote for an ex-UDR Orange man and devout Unionist who ended up getting elected. I’m sure that will bring Irish Unity closer……This is the kind of stupidity we’re dealing with when it comes to a minority of republicans. Its a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face in some cases.
When it comes to Jim Allister the man is a bigot and hypocrite and he doesn’t care who knows it. A man with views that wouldn’t be out of place in 1615, never mind 2015. According to Jim Allister there was no discrimination against Catholics in jobs, housing, etc by Unionism and the rebel Catholics rose up and demanded civil rights for the fun of it. Jim is that brand of Unionism that will never change and I honestly think its a waste of time trying to challenge his fundamentalist views and make him see both sides view point.
Poor Ruth, what can I say? The woman is routinely a strong contender for West Brit of the Year Award. Her one sidedness is second only to Jim Allister. I spoke to Ruth recently and i asked her was she even Irish? She informed me she was but was brought up in Britain. So shes British and Irish. That explains a lot…..
Many things have to happen that republicans will find unpleasant. Meeting Prince Charles is one of them. Lord Mountbatten was his uncle. Charles should remember that his paras killed many peoples uncles, has he came out and condemned their actions? Has he ever even mentioned Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy Massacre, etc? I don’t think so.
I haven’t listened to the Nolan show yet Jude, where you, Jim Allister and Ruth Dudley Edwards are talking about todays meeting. But isn’t it interesting how, not for the first time, Nolan has an unbalanced panel yet again? 2 against 1 is hardly fair….
The antediluvians as you term them are only happy when they foment a hatred of “the other”….In this case that “other” is Nationalism or at it’s more extreme, republicanism or even socialism . The only way they feel secure in their power bases is by focusing their potential followers on a hatred of some sort .Take that hatred away and there’s nothing left to bring focus .That is why they work very hard to be contentious ..even though the”war” is actually long-since over.
Pre-election, Dodds couldn’t wait to stir up a dead past during the election “debates” He jumped in at every opportunity to rake up a one -sided view of the past.He knew that his potential voters preferred an attack like this rather than something more constructive. It is always about insult …attack…insult. That is when they are happiest .Any rapprochement is now seen as a defeat for their tribe .There is literally a mistrust of agreement ….any agreement .Think of the number of agreements they had to be literally dragged into in the past. I don’t think they “agreed” with any of them.
I remember well the hot August day Lord Mountbatten was killed, eighteen British soldiers also perished that day of course, I have to say I was elated, buzzing, a blow had been struck against the British presence in Ireland, the establishment had been rocked, I would be a hypocrite if I said otherwise. I now support the meeting of Gerry Adams and Prince Charles, I do not support any armed actions and I am not being a hypocrite. British people supported the bombing of Dresden during the second world war, if someone decided to blitz Dresden tomorrow morning only a psychopath would support it. There is no contradiction in my position. People like Ruth and Jim are stuck in a time warp, bitter and unforgiving.
Very well put, A J…
I remember that August day too…. A young lad that went to school with me was slain. His name was Paul Maxwell. He was not a ‘combatant’. Just collateral damage I suppose.
We all know people who were killed in the conflict, many of them were non combatants, the big project now is to avoid going back to those days, so at least their deaths will have some meaning.
No contradiction only a complete fool would say that Another Jude.
Neill – I haven’t a clue what you’re referring to but I don’t know if straight abuse is much of an argument…
If you get elation from hearing people have been killed I believe you should be pitied also found it interesting on radio that you said The IRA and loyalist death squads would love to know why you would draw any distinction between the groups as they did exactly the same thing or are the IRA good and saintly and Loyalists evil?
I don’t remember saying I felt elation at hearing that people were killed, neill. But if you say so. On t’other hand I suggest you go to the aural equivalent of specsavers – on the programme I said ‘Vile things were done by republicans, vile things were done by the British army, vile things were done by loyalist death-squads’. Peer close to the screen and you might get it…
I agree AJude. I see Charles every bit the prisoner of a fate that he might not otherwise have chosen .He has lived a very controlled sort of life in a gilded cage . I can’t say I’d call it any kind of freedom. I certainly wouldn’t choose it for myself , if given a choice.To see him come to Ireland and meet republicans and shake their hands , may have been in part a sort of political choreography but it’s a damn sight better and more constructive than constantly insulting your fellow citizens like certain Norneverland politicians never tire of doing. Now it’ll be themmuns have now got the future king shaking their hands and ussins get nothing ….
What is wrong with an Irish Statesman shaking the hand of a Foreign Prince?
One’s elected and the other isn’t??
The Irish Republican Movement has made a serious effort to make the peace process work. And it hasn’t been easy in the face of the reluctance – and often downright crude hostility – of loyalist/unionist politicians to fully commit to the ‘new’ reality, the refusal of loyalist paramilitary groups to decommission, death threats from dissident members of their own community, mealy-mouthed politicians in the south who are more interested in their own careers than what happens on the ground north of the border, and a wholly disingenuous mainstream media in Ireland and the UK. If others directly involved and who can influence events had made a similar committment to peace, justice and equality for all the citizens since the GFA was signed in ’98, Gerry Adams shaking hands with an English prince wouldn’t merit even half the attention it’s currently getting..
Completely agree, Michael. As Martin McGuinness said, not a single unionist politician said ‘Well done’ after he’d met and shaken hands with QE2…
Did he thank any unionist for shaking the Irish Presidents hands?
A recipe for equality
Mr Allister and RDE appear to forget that the UVF were killing innocent Catholics and planting bombs in the Republic of Ireland in the 1960’s. In October 1969 a member of the UVF, was electrocuted while preparing to plant a bomb at an ESB station in Ballyshannon, just a few miles from Mullaghmore
.
After Bloody Sunday, Mr Faulkner advised Mr Heath that internment without trial should be retained, proportional representation was unworkable and there would be no cabinet posts for minority interests at Stormont. Stormont was prorogued on 28 March 1972 as a direct result of gerrymandering and discrimination.
Today, a few miles south of Mullaghmor in Galway, a Republican will shake hands with the heir to the British throne. What is Mr Allister and RDE really afraid of? Do they really prefer to perpetuate the divisions of the past? They cannot have their cake and eat it.
Time will tell what the outcome of the choreography and rhetoric will produce as a result of one more handshake with members of the Windsor family. The proof of this particular pudding will become apparent if and when families of the bereaved and injured are afforded their legal rights in relation to the violent campaign waged against them by agents of the British government using disloyalists as proxies throughout Ireland.
We cannot change the past. We can build a better future.
People sometimes wonder at the fact that Nolan always seems to have an audience biased towards unionism.
There is the fact that he is a Shankill Road Protestant whose education in world affairs is very limited.
So while we can’t expect fairness from him, surely there is a duty on the BBC to ensure impartiality in their programmes. But then they are the British Broadcasting Corporation.
I thought Declan Kearney was very calm and measured in his verbal joust with Nolan.
And of course Nolan didn’t appreciate it being pointed out that the story was bigger than him, and that he couldn’t see the bigger picture – he was just looking for sensational headlines.
Does Gerry Adams regret or apologise for the death of Lord Mountbatten? Nolan repeated this in the hope of his big scoop.
As for Jim Allister: if every former IRA member or sympathised publicly committed hari kiri he would still find something to complain about.
It is unfortunate that someone with a brain can never use it in a proper way. He may have left the DUP but he still follows their old dictum ‘never, never, never’.
And poor old Doddery Edwards – would someone have a bit of sympathy for her, pension her off, and never expose her to the real world again.
Note how Unionism’s stance has changed now they know Sinn Fein have no problem meeting the British Monarchy. Once upon a time they were condemning Sinn Fein for NOT meeting the Queen etc, now they don’t want the British Prince to meet Sinn Fein as it will be beneficial to the peace process and show Sinn Fein in a positive light. They didn’t complain when Martin McGuinness shook the hand of the British Queen! Now they see how popular this act may become and are now condemning it. The word ‘hypocrites’ comes to mind.
The only reason the Unionists profess loyalty to the royal family is because it is Protestant. If the monarchy reverted back to Catholicism you would see Unionists becoming republican.
The Act of Settlement, that is still in Law in the UK, forbids there to be a Catholic Monarchy. No such restriction on Muslims, Hindu’s, etc only Catholics.
Kind of exposes the spin that the UK is open and equal to all whilw it still enforces an ancient law of discrimination against Catholics, simply because they are Catholic…..
I agree, Ryan – but I’d point to the absurdity of monarchism before I’d complain that they don’t allow any taigs.
Anyone swallowing the absurdity of religion is poorly placed to comment on the absurdity of monarchy!
Do you try to be offensive or does it just come naturally, gio?
Come on Jude,
Calling monarchy absurd is ok, but calling religion absurd is not?
Antideluvian (very old fashioned or out of date) Jude I consider myself neither of those things but I have to say it makes my stomach churn to see Gerry Adams playing footsie with Charles windsor. In my view he is doing this to be more acceptable to polite society in the south where he hopes to be in power come the next election. The cosying up to “nice people” didn’t increase votes in south Belfast and in fact dropped significantly in the heartland of west Belfast. It seems to me that for sinn fein every principle is worth sacrificing to get hold of reins of power. A power which they have held in west Belfast for over 30 years and still it remains one of the most deprived and starved of jobs in the uk. Some achievement
I’m fed up with all this ‘peace process’ bullshit, why don’t we call a spade a spade, the brits have no right to be in Ireland at all, pussyfooting around unionists and shaking hands with british royals means nothing to me, Ireland belongs to the people of Ireland, all 32 counties and all the islands and seas.
there will never be real peace in Ireland till the british state forces are gone forever,then maybe we can have some kind of normal relationship with Britain.
I agree with you on that too, I S – but the question is, what will hasten that happy day? I don’t think violence will do it – it’s been tried in recent decades…
IrelandSaoirse
Yes and if we can then get rid of all the blacks, tinkers, and queers, Ireland will at last be free for the herrenvolk eh?
if you’d come out of the closet in your caravan gio that would be a start,and then you can ‘tarmac’ my driveway boss.
Your bitterness will destroy you grasshopper.
there will never be real peace in Ireland till the british state forces are gone forever,then maybe we can have some kind of normal relationship with Britain.
The British state forces are in the process of going. Now I am assuming you mean specifically military forces – they are already going – but it is a long process. We have roughly 1 million people living on the Island who consider themselves British – it is those people whom you need convince there is no need for a British state presense in Ireland. The British state gave up on maintaining a state in Ireland decades ago – there is no need to worry about the monolithic British state because they do not want Ireland – they don’t want Northern Ireland – but they will only go fully when unionists come to terms with the fact that they are no longer needed or wanted. Unfortunately this will take some time for the Ulster Protestant to come to terms with.
Maybe they need to speed up the process a bit then, wasn’t it the UVF that blocked home rule coming in 1912 or thereabouts,by threatening a rebellion/civil war, seems to me the only thing the british respond to is force,
they could talk the hind leg off a donkey and you’d be no further on when you’re finished,
the brits made the mess by planting Ulster,let them clear it up,by paying for their withdrawal and taking any planters that can’t stand the fact they are Irish back with them to England.
Distressing to hear, Esteemed Blogmeister, of the sour-voiced nay-sayers you found yourself surrounded by in that wireless studio in Norneverland.
Down here south of the Black Sow’s Dyke things thankfully are ordered differently. Even as you were being ear-wearied, by contrast Charles and Camilla were in receipt of The Hundred Thousand Welcomes. Of which we are so justifiably proud and which is part of our very DNA. (as in Don’t ‘Nock Abasement) .
Or, as Charles is expected to call it – wow ! – Cead Mile Failte.
The only sour note, indeed, that one has heard thus far in the Free Southern Stateen has been from an unexpected source, that of Ms. Aine Lawlor ( aka the folksy ‘you can call me AL’) who rather sternly fingerwagged G. Adams that ‘regret’ is a feeble word., a very feeble word, indeed.
Sadly, Ms.Lawlor has seemingly been leading a rather sheltered life. Perhaps, she might even consider allowing some other empathetic broadcaster to come off the bench to replace Dame Dosh Finucane while the Empress of RTE is on her annual vacation the better to bond with her bank balance.
And use her weekends to tune in to The Little Sparrrow opening her lungs on ‘Je ne Regrette Rien’.
‘Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs
(my troubles, my pleasures)
J’ai plus besoin d’eux
(I don’t need them anymore).
One is confident AL (merci beaucoup for allowing us to call you thus, Aine) would come to a different opinion on the feebleness or otherwise of the word ‘regrette’ in the uncompromising throat of Edith Piaf (elle meme !)
For Aine is nothing if not open-minded: she has told us so herself, many a time and oft, ni hoth liom a ra.
But, back to Operation C.A.C.
As the wonderfully generous gesture on the part of the Royal pair, who have felt the oh so nice and tender tap of rice on their shoulders, has been code-named.
Perkie’s inner attendant to detail has been preparing with his customary due diligence.
Which specifically takes the shape of reading and rereading the text of the celebrated Victorian farce called ‘Charley’s Aunt’. First produced in 1892 it is remarkably prescient of the joyous event. Indeed it is truly remarkable in the way the drama shows The Visit to be contemporary and historic, both simultaneously and at the same time.
Consider the ambiance in which the hilarious farce is set: oak-pannelled walls which regularly resound to the rousing chorus of ‘The Eton Boat Song’, long stone-mullioned embayed windows, saddle-back armchairs with white antimacassar,Corona cigar boxes, square decanters half full of whiskey, bottles quarter full of claret,expectant tumblers, framed photographs on the wall of Rowing 8s Rugby 7s , Fives 5s and Croquet ?s..
Not forgetting cream-coloured lounge suits and college ties with leander pink and white diagonal stripes. And flannels, ah yes, flannels. Flannels, both of the spoken and bespoken variety.
Charley, an Oxford undergraduate with a thing about not only uncles and aunts, but indeed about granduncles as well, has received word that his Aunt in Brazil, whom he has never seen, is about to visit him.
The most famous line in the farce is,of course:
-And where are you from?
-Brazil.
-Ah, Brazil, where the nuts come from.
Now, sharp-witted students of geography,.will immediately point to the obvious inconsistency here: that Camilla does not come in fact from Brazil. But rather from Parasiteaguay, which while sharing the terrain of South America is a different country altogether.
Which may well indeed be an incontrovertible fact, but note, pray,the n for nuts word. Whose relevance will shortly become clear.
Thump ! Thump ! Thump !
Schrodinger, ever the impatient pet pussycat of Perkie, demanding clarification of a previous hint of Perkie’s. To the effect that the timing of The Visit was anything but coincidental in the context of the Referendum de dum to come.
How true, how true.
(Note: Spoiler alert !!!!).
By way of a preface to the denouement, it is only meet and j. to point out that it was a mere toss of a coin which decided on Operation C.A.C. rather than Operation C.R.O.C. as a codename for The Visit. CROC being a diminutive for, er, Crocodile which was the Victorian term of endearment for a lady d’un certain age whose perceived shortcomings in the area of pulchritude might well have been over-compensated for in the dental department.
Diplomacy will always out.
But, to cut to the chase:Charley’s Aunt, for the bulk of the plot is not in fact female as is normally the case in nature,but rather is ‘she’ of the of the unfair sex.aka the testosterone tribe. This was occasioned by the unfortunate non-show of the original Aunt and the subsequent, erm, dragging of Charley’s pal into the equation.
That would be Lord Farncourt Babberly, known to one and all as ‘Babbs’. (Btw, the Babberlys and the Warbecks go back a ways). In order to save the unsaveable, i.e., face, Babbs was duly, erm, dragooned into togging out in an exquisite evening gown, bespangled with a gold-digger’s best friend, sparkling diamantes.
So, while there may be an absence of the,erm, Brazillian there may well be a preponderance of nuts (see above).
Should there still be any poor doubters among you, Perkie, as an obsessive Royal watcher of many yeas’ recumbent reclining, will draw attention to two not insignificant details. Even as you follow Operation C.A.C. which is currently receiving curtsy to curtsy coverage on RTE , paying particular attention to Charlie’s ‘Aunt’:
1. The ‘fatal four inches’, as they are known and which are more commonly associated with department store Santa Clauses: when Camilla the Chameleon graciously lifts her elegant evening ballgown (by Paul Costello) to avoid the de rigeur Paddyland puddles. They would be ‘the fatal four inches’ of trouser turn ups underneath..
2. Observe the Son of Parasiteaguay aka Charley’s Aunt and the way (s)he might instinctively wipe her manicured moustache immediately after quaffing the goblet of Bushmills in the toast ‘to a Totality of Relationships’ thingy.
To conclude,on a literary note: ‘Charley’s Aunt’ was first produced in 1892 and was followed in 1895 by the first performance of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Oscar Wilde, down on his uppers, shamelessly filched many essential elements from Charley’s Aunt, including the setting, the plot and the characters.
This is in no way to be taken as, erm, homophobic in the current climate even if there is no evidence to show that a seven year old Perkie requested ‘a vacuum cleaner’ for Chrimbo.
For what distinguishes the second play from the first, and that which ensures its immortality is the wit.
Which was all Oscar’s own.
(Phew, can’t have Amnesty Ireland breathing down one’s d. neck now, can one?).
Unlike North Belfast, represented by Nigel Dodds , a thriving, beating industrial heartland, a place mentioned by British ministers as being a jobs heaven, A place where the local MP has zero influence, unless it concerns the projectory of a brick, thrown by one of his satisfied constituents.
“There will be those in republicanism who see this as surrender. I think they’re wrong: they are as antediluvian in their way as Jim or Nigel.”
Poor. Your articles usually have a good structure to them and display decent logic, unfortunately in this you offer nothing more than its pissing of unionists to suggest this is a beneficial move. The gaurd standing at the cell of the past is the shadow of the british gunman. If reason, fairplay and good nature could be appealed to all this would have been sorted centuries ago but dan oonnell got a lesson in real politic at clontarf and it was out of analyzing this and placing it in social contract theory that fenianism became inevitable, ignoring these lessons is to repeat the past.
What was done for the republic today? Did republicans challenge someone who believes he can inherit a claim to a part of ireland or did they single that they are no danger to britain through gestures and theatrics. As well meaning as it may be it stinks of redmondism.
Well I’m sorry to disappoint, shea, but interesting to hear your take on it. What would you suggest as an alternative road that SF should take at this point? I don’t think your parallel with Redmond quite fits – Redmond urged thousands of young Irishmen to go off to WW1 in the name of promised Home Rule. SF are urging the opposite – they believe that a peaceful route will be more effective. I think they’re right. Even on purely military terms, if the IRA at its height couldn’t dislodge the British by force, what chance would you say the present republican proponents of violence have? It may not be what many people would want – the slow political road – but the other road is a cul-de-sac, in my opinion.
For me, this is one of those situations where the old conundrum is, “what if they hadn’t met him?”
What if the party had decided to snub the visit? How would that have advanced Irish unity?
from rossa and clarke through pearse and on the sands in the disparity of influence between britain and ireland probably the most potent weapon in the hands of the fenians was there refusal to recognize. Britain always had a bigger army, always had a bigger navy always had a bigger economy, by any understanding of power they should always call the shots. Saying no or so what is powerful it is where the republic was born. SF once understood the power of dismissing their kings and queens, they have lost that knowledge, for what? adams said today on sor on rte radio that anyone who supports a ui has to suport this. He didn’t explain how the two are connected, if it is supposed to be self evident its not.
If I ain’t mistaken jude, it wasnt that long ago you were ‘locked in the past’ like all the rest of us when you predicted that miguinness wouldn’t meet/dine with he queen?
What this charade simply teaches us and younger generations looking on is that republicans are now good after all the bad stuff that they done. And look how decent the royals are in being the better people for being civil to adams et al. Isn’t Charles a fine individual for reaching out bless him? After all they killed his ‘uncle’ don’t ya know? Absolutely pathetic and indeed laughable if it wasn’t so tragic.
Make no mistake the thinkers in s.f would have seen how this would be played out and okayed it so it says a lot about them. I.e republicans were bad are ok now; british royalty always were good.
I am all for ‘moving on’ but jeez let’s not pretend a rotten system is good. We are certainly not cherishing all of the children equally by continuing this charade. I await with bated breath any news lead were we hear of the deaths of nationalists attributed by Charlie boys armed forces.
Thanks for thoughts, WT. You’re right, I was opposed to the visit of QE2 to Dublin because I thought it sent a signal that all was well/resolved, the Irish question finally answered. I now think that maybe people aren’t that naive after all – certainly the SF electoral surge in the south suggests otherwise. The stick with which opponents beat SF is this constant ‘bloody past/present’ thing. These kind of meetings make it much harder to wield that stick. It also make reactionary unionist politicians look a little silly: the monarch/heir presumptive has no problems talking to/shaking hands with SF leaders; unionist politicians who protest loyalty to the monarchy stay stuck in the mud of the past, unable to pass a civil word.
well said wolfetone
Royal family are a pr machine for the british state, all about sanitizing and co option.
Shinners going for the pat on the head from the irish times. Why not politicize their new vote. Bigger body would allow them to push issues they have been championing for decades. But yeah the fickle approach thats worked well for others in these times.
Stuff like this will be forgotten about when it suits and remembered when it suits. Shinners will still get the past thrown at them at elections and when they try to have legacy issues address they will be brushed aside. silly one for them.
Just watched the BBC reporting of today’s meeting.
The BBC as always reports Mountbatten murdered but the victims of the Parachute regiment were killed.
Of course murder is a criminal offence, but killing can be justified and the local BBC in particular would never use the word murder in describing any death caused by state forces.
Even the nice liberal Channel 4 news showed their true face when aggressively questioning Gerry Adams.
The British of all shades of opinion with a few honourable exceptions do not like to see themselves shown in a less than perfect light,
before it got to the stage of 100,000 enlisted redmond engaged in tokinistic shite like this. His entire approach well meaning was this ‘be realistic’ stuff tailoring his presentation so as not to upset london and northern unionists.
Sf could very easily have put down an intellectual challenge today, they didn’t they are showing a very primitive understanding of the relationship between both countries, just like redmond.
Britain have more guns and money, that is why they are here, because they can. they don’t give, anything ireland got in that relationship it took for itself. If SF can take that logic and run with it in a none violent setting that would be no harm, that would be the nuts and bolts of what i would like, that which was argued for two decades ago, get fenians in to have ago. What is the point in getting the foot in the door if all you will do is abide by the rules and thinking processes of others once you get in.
apologies, the above post was intended to be in reply to Jude Collins May 19, 2015 at 6:57 pm
Well said Shea, I can see the similarities between Redmonds time and now, my mother used to say she’d rather and Irishmans grunt than an Englishmans smile,
we don’t trust the fcukers and with good reason,
all this pussy footing around is demoralising,I wonder did the provos agree to 30 years of war for good jobs for the boys in Stormont? aka home rule
Some commentators have posted to the irony of Gerry Adams playing the statesman with Prince Charles while his party colleague Paul Maskey lines out with members of the Ballymurphy campaign .As usual Sinn Fein unashamedly ride two horses.Could there be political considerations at play here?!Surely not!
I have no doubt there are political considerations in play, Argie. All politicians have them – that’s because they’re politicians. It doesn’t mean they’re not doing something for other reasons as well. Such as furthering reconciliation. Or at least trying.
SF only doing this now because the people have moved on. Recall when Queen came SF sent Mary Lou to Cashel and she spent two hours trying to dissuade then SF Mayor of Cashel not to meet Queen on her visit there. They also boycotted events in Dublin.
SF are just slow learners.
I don’t remember saying I felt elation at hearing that people were killed, neill.
Jude I didn’t say you did I was referring to Another Jude.
Ah – tá bron orm, neill – mea culpa – apologies.
Just for the record neill, who did you support during the conflict? Were you a pacifist?
I didn’t support anybody being killed children losing parents hearts being embittered hatred becoming endemic and the chaos that ensued
I note that R D E in her Bel Tel column today describes you as ” the ever-obliging pro republican commentator Jude Collins”.Fame at last!!
Be still, my beating heart…
Jude being pro republican who would have guessed?