The IRA

[BrianW]

Some people admire the Krays and other gangsters. That's what the IRA were and are, gangsters. I don't hold with them or any other terrorist organisation that murders innocent civilians and enforces its 'rule' on its own 'community' by brute force and violence.

I don't think Parliament represents me, and I loathe this government we've got with a passion. A fair few of my mates agree. Does this entitle us to gang together to shoot policemen, bomb shopping centres and 'ask' for 'contributions' from the local punters? Of course it doesn't, and if we went down that road we'd not be heroes, we'd be murderers.

 

[Ancient Citizen]

I don't know it at all. Their war was agains the british government not the military in particular. So in their eyes the British mainland was a legitimate target - not civilians. However they did kill civilians and thats indefensible, inexcusable and disgusting. The British army have also killed civilians and the same applies to them.

You talk as if it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, when it was nothing of the kind. Although, regrettably the army sometimes overstepped the mark, killing innocent civilians was never done as a matter of policy, whereas the IRA did, as it's prime objective.
The idea, was to sicken and demoralise the British population; something that this shower of thugs, murderers and gangsters never achieved.

 

[johnmc]

I don't know it at all. Their war was agains the british government not the military in particular. So in their eyes the British mainland was a legitimate target - not civilians. However they did kill civilians and thats indefensible, inexcusable and disgusting. The British army have also killed civilians and the same applies to them.

You talk as if it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, when it was nothing of the kind. Although, regrettably the army sometimes overstepped the mark, killing innocent civilians was never done as a matter of policy, whereas the IRA did, as it's prime objective.
The idea, was to sicken and demoralise the British population; something that this shower of thugs, murderers and gangsters never achieved.

No it wasnt policy. Where have you got this from?

 

[bannblue]

can you bollocks.a British soldier would not deliberatley target an innocent child whilst aiming a semi automatic rifle at the enemy unless he or she was mentally unstable or a low life scumbag.

And the IRA deliberately shot innocent children with semi automatic weapons now did they?

No but blew them up in bombs,omagh,warrington etc

-- Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:42 am --

I've not made a thread to respect any atrocities of the British army john.

And warrington was nothing but a soft cowardly target.

I'd swing for those cowards.

Yes, I know you haven't. This isnt a thread I started nor would have started either.

The Warrington bombings, omagh all of them were attrocities. Not excusing those that planted the bombs by any means as if you plant a bomb the potential for it to kill is always there. However warnings were given. I am not saying that this makes it acceptable before you accuse me of that - just saying that it says to me that the people werent the primary target. Now Warrington police would never expected such an attack and probably werent capable of dealing with it anyway- which is why I presume you have singled out that in particular - and id agree with you.

But does that mean London and Manchester bombings are acceptable as warnings were given and therefore loss of life was avoided. Not at all as the potential for innocents dying was possible. I am possibly coming across as an IRA supporter and have been accused of that already, which im most certainly not, im just not a fan of the British army either

Omagh warning sent people in direction of the bomb,innocent civilians not army or police,similar thing happened in coleraine one bomb went off n police escorted people to other end of high street where another went off 10 minutes later, 6 dead,i was at school in town centre aged 11

I will never forget that day, 2 car bombs in Coleraine.I was in school when the bombs went off but slighty further away from the center of town.My father had a very lucky escape and was nearly caught in the second explosion.Small world.

 

[kinkysleftfoot]

I don't know it at all. Their war was agains the british government not the military in particular. So in their eyes the British mainland was a legitimate target - not civilians. However they did kill civilians and thats indefensible, inexcusable and disgusting. The British army have also killed civilians and the same applies to them.

You talk as if it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, when it was nothing of the kind. Although, regrettably the army sometimes overstepped the mark, killing innocent civilians was never done as a matter of policy, whereas the IRA did, as it's prime objective.
The idea, was to sicken and demoralise the British population; something that this shower of thugs, murderers and gangsters never achieved.

No it wasnt policy. Where have you got this from?

it is a matter of policy as soon as you become a terrorist!

 

[AlexWilliamsGloves]

The whole NI issue as we know is extremely complex, both sides as bad as each other and neither side willing to meet the other in the middle.

Ya know, this is a HUGE aspect of this whole debate going on in this thread...but you are wrong.

I love ready others opinions of the situation here...and indeed, i know im repeating what i have said in the past...

...a few years back some of you may remember a wee thing called the Good Friday Agreement. Its when everyone in "our wee country" had the chance to decide our own future...to vote on a proposed peace process.

81% of the population turn out to vote (that in itself is a great feat in modern politics/voting)...71% voted in favour, 29% against.

Whilst there is a lot involved, what this ultimately means is that we, as a country have decided to move forward...not to forget the past, but to accept what happened on both sides and get the feck on with our lives.

You's can go round and round in circles debating who was right and who was wrong...but see us lot over here? we dont feckin care anymore :-)

 

[Ancient Citizen]

I don't know it at all. Their war was agains the british government not the military in particular. So in their eyes the British mainland was a legitimate target - not civilians. However they did kill civilians and thats indefensible, inexcusable and disgusting. The British army have also killed civilians and the same applies to them.

You talk as if it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, when it was nothing of the kind. Although, regrettably the army sometimes overstepped the mark, killing innocent civilians was never done as a matter of policy, whereas the IRA did, as it's prime objective.
The idea, was to sicken and demoralise the British population; something that this shower of thugs, murderers and gangsters never achieved.

No it wasnt policy. Where have you got this from?

I don't recall the British army planting bombs in the centre of Belfast in the hope of killing a passing IRA member. My stepdaughter, 12 at the time was sat outside Macdonalds in Warrington 15 minutes before the bomb exploded. Was this in the hope of killing a group of transient paratroopers? The dozens killed at Birmingham in pubs weren't SAS men. Inniskillen deliberately targeted civilians,as did Omagh. I probably 'Got it' from these and every other atrocity.

 

[Anonymous]

The whole NI issue as we know is extremely complex, both sides as bad as each other and neither side willing to meet the other in the middle.

Ya know, this is a HUGE aspect of this whole debate going on in this thread...but you are wrong.

I love ready others opinions of the situation here...and indeed, i know im repeating what i have said in the past...

...a few years back some of you may remember a wee thing called the Good Friday Agreement. Its when everyone in "our wee country" had the chance to decide our own future...to vote on a proposed peace process.

81% of the population turn out to vote (that in itself is a great feat in modern politics/voting)...71% voted in favour, 29% against.

Whilst there is a lot involved, what this ultimately means is that we, as a country have decided to move forward...not to forget the past, but to accept what happened on both sides and get the feck on with our lives.

You's can go round and round in circles debating who was right and who was wrong...but see us lot over here? we dont feckin care anymore :-)

I see what you are saying mate, but how can you say I'm wrong when dissidents won't accept Sinn Fein's move into politics away from armed struggle or when the Orange Order refuse to work with the Parades Commission etc, etc.

I've got immediate family in the North and they all voted for peace too. But just back from the North the weekend just past and this has not changed. Members of the District Policing Board are still being threatened. Chap arrested with a rifle in his car. Community workers property being vandalised. On the other side, pipe bomb discovered in a kids' park. Houses attacked because the occupants are not Protestant (yes I know this goes on in Catholic areas too before anyone jumps in) but the fact we talk about Catholic/Protestant areas in the first place, ghettoisation if you will, ably demonstrates my point. Both my wife and I were left in no uncertain terms we should not have been in a particular bar one night a couple of years ago and were subtly interrogated as to our business there - and this from what you would call people on "our side"!

Of course, there have been huge strides forward over the last few years and to deny that would be churlish, but to say I'm wrong when I say both sides still won't meet in the middle is a bit wide of the mark in my experience.

 

[kinkysleftfoot]

The whole NI issue as we know is extremely complex, both sides as bad as each other and neither side willing to meet the other in the middle.

Ya know, this is a HUGE aspect of this whole debate going on in this thread...but you are wrong.

I love ready others opinions of the situation here...and indeed, i know im repeating what i have said in the past...

...a few years back some of you may remember a wee thing called the Good Friday Agreement. Its when everyone in "our wee country" had the chance to decide our own future...to vote on a proposed peace process.

81% of the population turn out to vote (that in itself is a great feat in modern politics/voting)...71% voted in favour, 29% against.

Whilst there is a lot involved, what this ultimately means is that we, as a country have decided to move forward...not to forget the past, but to accept what happened on both sides and get the feck on with our lives.

You's can go round and round in circles debating who was right and who was wrong...but see us lot over here? we dont feckin care anymore :-)

love it...........well said

 

[BigTony]

I listened to this a while ago and found it really interesting, worth a listen if you've got the time.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymxcd0w2b7E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymxcd0w2b7E</a>