Costello:
"Says the man who's taken a couple of days to answer a straightforward question as to the legitimate government of this state."
What`s your problem? I thought you drew your own conclusions.
"So come on demon, nail your colours to the mast. Do you think the IRA are an army of liberation and that this state, that has enjoyed the democratic endorsement of it's citizens for eight decades and is internationally recognised, is a charade and that the IRA army council is in fact our legitimate government?"
One only has to study the gerrymandering, corruption, and the state-enforced religious discrimination of Ireland as late as the 50s and 60s to see that this is false. Gerrymandering in Derry, for example, led to the 60% Catholic majority consistently getting less than 40% of the council seats. Other grievences included public services in Catholic areas being less well funded, discrimination in housing policy, and so on. Indeed, the civil rights marches of the 60s (misinterpreted by the British Government as nationalist protests), are a clear indicator that NI did NOT have the democratic endorsement of its citizens.
A quick glance of the civil rights record of Northern Ireland would deepen the suspicion of any "neutral" observer that we are not talking about a democracy.
The reason that Northern Ireland enjoys a loyalist majority is because those loyalists were planted there after the indigenous peoples were slaughtered and displaced and because of the arbitrary nature of the border.
Let me ask you a couple of questions.
Do you think that a process whereby property owners have greater voting powers than others is democratic?
Do you think that a constabulary which is derived from and serves only one part of the community is democratic?
Do you think that the Catholic community "endorsed" the system of apartheid that they lived under?
Do you think that the Cathoic community "endorsed" diplock courts, or internment, or the shoot to kill policy of the British government?
Do you think that the Catholic community "endorsed" the right of Unionists to march through their streets shouting "◊◊◊◊ the Pope"?.
Yes, democracy in Northern Ireland was indeed a charade and if you aren`t aware of these facts then you need to educate yourself about Irish "democracy" and then come back and see if you can be bothered asking such offensive questions in the future.
As far as the IRA are concerned, I do not see the actions of the republicans as some kind of heroic struggle against oppression or some kind of romantic fight between the forces of good and those evildoers on the other side. Who do you think I am, George Bush?
I don't regard the IRA as angels, even on those occasions when they committed the deeds they are accussed of, however, they had the right to take arms against oppression and they retain that right. Ask any Englishman. If the Russians took over tomorrow and told the English it was for their own good, how long would it be before home made bombs started going off in Whitehall?
Yes the IRA are guilty of a lot of things, but from what soil did they spring and who sowed the seeds? Or do you think these things just exist in a vacuum? Would the IRA exist in Ireland if it weren't for the British occupation?
So, my position on the IRA is the same as it was in my previous post on Jean McConville. Some things can be both legitimate and produce tragic results at the same time for innocent civilians. Some things are born as a necessary repsonse to injustice.
I will not condemn anyone who takes up arms when confronted with oppression of this kind. If being on the receiving end of violence allows you to condemn the violent, then why doesn't it allow you to strike back when you are on the other side? It was legitimate and yes it was a struggle of liberation. That`s based on the simple fact that Great Britains ownership of Ireland was based on armed conquest.
Graham:
"It's a s***hole full of of ignorant, psychotic bigots with massive unemployment and no viable industries of any kind. If it sank into the sea tomorrow no one would miss it."
Is this supposed to be an intelligent commenty, or can I interpret it as the type of offensive negative generalisation made by an ignoramus? If the answer is the former then justify the ridiculous comment quoted above.
"Sinn Fein/IRA reps have also developed a habit of turning up in marxist controlled sections of the Colombian jungle, but then they may only have been there on a nature walk."
Sinn Fein/IRA are not the same thing, despite their connections they are separate entities. Lumping them together all the time is a Paisleyite tactic permitted by an anti republican media. If you have a problem with the people in either of those movements wanting to participate in marxism explain why, in reasonable language without all the crass Loyalist propaganda used in your original post.
As for democracy now, and the ending of sectarian violence, you might want to consider that since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement loyalists have been responsible for more than 500 bomb attacks and 540 gun attacks, while republicans have been responsible for 80 bomb attacks and 237 gun attacks. (
http://www.serve.com/pfc/sattacks/jan02att.html)
Unfortunately I once had the very dubious pleasure of living in a very sectarian town and had to put up with similar anecdotes and distortions of Irish political reality every time I went out. Your remarks are a sad but timely reminder of that time and serve only to prove that you two are the worst kind of wannabe pub commentators.
) or even anti-Republican.