The IRA

[crizack]

I think the op had respect for their strength in numbers as they are essentially a guerilla force. He did say he doesnt like the members but as a whole, the IRA have changed political stances in Ireland by any means possible, but what the IRA are doing or have done over 80 years is not half as many deaths that our government have influenced. war is essentially legal terrorism, causing unneccesary hurt and national/global shock, despair and anger to target political objections from the instigators view point. I do not agree with the IRA in the same way i do not agree with any other militia or government funded armed forces.

The media do control us as they do all the western world. I for one am too young to comment on any specific actions by the IRA (24) but i do also think that the media has somewhat managed to insert an influence of thought into many foreigners (us included) that southern ireland is mainly full of IRA militants and that northern ireland are the good guys. death is meaningless and as such, i cannot even think of what to say regarding anyone, group or government that kill for politics or religion. Live and let live.

Respect is anyones personal preference, just look at nelson mandela, he's ordered the deaths of hundreds upon hundreds of people within a guerillia organisation yet people respect him because in the same way as the IRA, he used the ANC (Umkhonto we Sizwe) as a republican army to keep the apartheid (the english mainly) out.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

'Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.'

 

[TCIB]

Fuck Mandella also, and tat hatefull sack of shit winnie mandella also.

You may want to also remember that it was the IRA who developed and perfected the car bomb in 1971/2. Of the skills they learned for terrorism they were happy to teach them to columbian drug cartels, Hamas, any fucker who had a gripe with the English basically.

tl;dr they are bad men and you can't play out with them anymore.

 

[liamctid]

Fuck 'em. I always end up with crisp packets in my pockets because there's no bins in train stations. Cheers for that.

 

[chris_m]

Just an honest question here not looking for a fight. What is taught in English schools about the troubles?

I left school in 2008, and we had no education about it whatsoever, nothing on the national curriculum whatsoever, we had a teacher teach us a bit about it, as they were Irish, the history of how it began, but that was about it

 

[cyberblue]

mammulty,
as someone who has lived through the troubles i can say what you were told is bullshit in comparison to actually seeing someone die as a result of the IRA.
i will never forget the day my mother came home saying a transit van driving down a road near the docks was stopped in the middle of the road by a fella. then 3 lads ran from the side street with a machine gun and gunned down the 5 occupants, 4 of which were catholics and 2 brothers, their crime?? doing a hard days work packing boxes on ships. my mother was working in one of the local factories and as a nurse was one of the first on the scene and had to hold one of the brothers hands while he slipped away with his last words being 'tell my wife and daughter i love them' he was 26 and his new born was 5 weeks old.

remember that next time you hear bullshit from your admirers.

while& i have total sympathy as any death is horrible, i am sure the relatives & victims of bloody sunday share the same pain

 

[jamiegrimble]

This did happen.No excuses.<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281972%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281972%29</a> What should we think of this?

 

[crizack]

Just an honest question here not looking for a fight. What is taught in English schools about the troubles?

I left school in 2008, and we had no education about it whatsoever, nothing on the national curriculum whatsoever, we had a teacher teach us a bit about it, as they were Irish, the history of how it began, but that was about it

I was never once taught anything. I left in 2002. I was so pissed of that we were being taught about the franco/prussain fucking war that happened 1000 miles away over a hundred years ago, yet my next door neighbour was in ireland fighting for our safety from people who planted a bomb in my own city whilst i was in school and we got told fuck all about it!

 

[talkativesprout]

Agree though my best mates dad was an active member. I despise them but it's impossible to say how I'd have reacted given the same circumstances. Still think they are cunts though.

I'm probably gonna bow out of the thread here before I get a ban though.

How active, dont go to soon.

Fairly is all I will say. I've had heated "debates" with him over the years. He comes across as a top bloke but having lost someone dear to an IRA roadside bomb, I can't bring myself to have any grudging respect for the cowardly way they conducted their "war".

As I say, I really should bow out before I lose my cool as it's not worth it. No ones opinions are going to be changed on this thread and I enjoy BM too much to get a ban over an emotive thread.

I will say I have undying respect for the paras that went in to do a job they were not trained for. The paras are not a police force and 51 normal working class blokes lost their life over there doing a job for fucks sake. They were not their through their ideology. Fuck it I'm off.

I respect your points. that in mind thankyou for reasoned debate. night fella, sleep well

 

[crizack]

This did happen.No excuses.<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281972%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281972%29</a> What should we think of this?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mquLQAiTJU[/youtube]

originally a bob marley song.