Northern Ireland Thread

Also, this just happened.

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Wow. What better way to get widespread sympathy and support for your claims of discrimination and hardship than attacking children going to school - again.
 
:lol: He's some craic. The best thing is, the madder he is the less likely people are to take any real heed of what he's saying.
 
http://www.u.tv/News/Shankill-bomber-plaque-to-be-unveiled/d551bd11-f02a-4222-bb4f-63f2b7e43f67

Alan McBride said he understands why people would want to commemorate the death of the bomber, but he hopes it will be done respectfully.
Republicans plan to unveil a plaque in north Belfast for the IRA bomber Thomas Begley near his home in Ardoyne next weekend, marking the 20th anniversary of the bombing.
A leaflet in circulation said that "friends, family and comrades" will host the event.
Nine civilians, including two children, were killed in the blast at the shop in 1993 - including Mr McBride's wife Sharon.
Begley was also killed when the bomb exploded prematurely.
The intended target was a flat above the shop where loyalist paramilitaries were expected to gather, but this meeting did not go ahead.
Mr McBride stressed the commemoration needs to be sensitive.
"The question for me is how it is done and handled. Is it done with sensitivity," he told UTV.
"At the end of the day I suppose we do have to reflect that people can remember their dead and all we can ask for is that it is done in a way that is sensitive and is not coat-trailing or in a way that is in some respect, spoiling the memory of someone else."
But another relative, John Scott, whose niece Wilma McKee, was among the victims, said: "These people are sick. How can they do this? It is unbelievable."
Mrs McKee, who had recovered from cancer, left an adjoining fruit shop when she was caught up in the fatal blast as her husband and two sons waited for her in their car.
DUP MP Nigel Dodds called on Sinn Féin to make its position clear on the commemoration following members' involvement with another event in Castlederg.
"Declan Kearney (SF chairman) recently said that Sinn Féin could have done more to address tensions around the Castlederg parade and also said it was time to reflect on and learn from the experience," he said.
"In the light of even those very meagre words it is important to know whether Sinn Féin feel that this parade will lessen tensions, improve community relations or help heal many of the wounds which have been re-opened during the last number of months. "
Mr Dodds continued: "This was a man prepared to walk into a crowded fish shop and place a bomb with an 11 second fuse on the counter.
"It was a cold blooded choice which would inevitably take the lives of innocent people. His actions are not to be celebrated but should be a source of shame.
"There is no place in Northern Ireland for the glorification of killers such as Thomas Begley.
"Sinn Féin have had much to say in recent times about peaceful protests on Twaddell Avenue. It remains to be seen if they will be as vocal about something as grotesque as this event."
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Aaaaggggghhh. fecking arseholes.
 
The commemoration will happen in a republican area, well away from the scene of the bombing.

It's part of the reality of living in a society post-conflict that people who played a part in it all will be remembered. That's just the way it is. It's no different to the Brian Robinson parade that they had on the Shankill recently.
 
It's a load of bollocks man. If people want to move on and live in a progressive society then we need to drop this kind of shite immediately and try at least to be a little more sensitive to the views of others.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
It's a load of bollocks man. If people want to move on and live in a progressive society then we need to drop this kind of shite immediately and try at least to be a little more sensitive to the views of others.
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That's easier said than done. How could Sinn Fein go to the families of republicans who died during the conflict and say that they don't want to be associated with their loved ones anymore since the political climate has changed now? it's not going to happen. It's the exact same on the unionist side of things as well.

These commemorations are part of the reality of our society. It goes without saying that they should be kept in their own areas where they are wanted (Like Thomas Begley, Brian Robinson) and not happen in areas that are provocative (like the orange order marching with banners dedicated to UVF men in Ardoyne). That's all that can happen.
 
Ramshock said:
Shows the difference in elements of the two cultures. Classic, emotional sporting event in Dublin played by athletes at the prime of their game v DUP and UUP at a UVF get together.
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It baffles me how you get away with coming out with this shite so often. You're forever in here denigrating protestants by grouping us in with knob heads like Willie Frazer. There are knobheads involved in Nationalist/Catholic circles too, but I wouldn't use them to tar you all with the same shitty brush.

Give it a try.
 
It's pretty clear that there's complete dicks on both sides and moderates shouldn't be pegged in with the extremists.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
Amazing really the mindset of some people. Acu will come now with some cock and bull story saying nationalists have done the same in an effort to justify while condemning. It's all coming from 'the one side' these days.
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PhilipB said:
Didn't they name a park in Newry after Raymond McCreesh? In the interest of fairness, naming it after Lenny Murphy was never going to happen and as I understand it, the bid to name it after him didn't receive anywhere near the top votes. It's just sensationalist media trying to stir the pot, imo.
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I know it shouldn't, but this made me laugh :lol:
 
The Neviller said:
I know it shouldn't, but this made me laugh :lol:
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TBF, about 4 posts above you I made my feelings pretty clear about the plaque for Begley. Also, the agro really is almost entirely coming from one side recently. That park in Newry was named about 5 years ago.

That still doesn't effect my opinion that moderates shouldn't be pegged in along with there twats.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
It's pretty clear that there's complete dicks on both sides and moderates shouldn't be pegged in with the extremists.
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It happens quite a lot in this thread though Irwin, and often by the same posters. "Oh look what us good Catholics are doing while arsehole Protestants are doing this". Some Catholics also get themselves involved in arseholery, and every now and again one of us Prods is kinda at least semi-decent.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
TBF, about 4 posts above you I made my feelings pretty clear about the plaque for Begley. Also, the agro really is almost entirely coming from one side recently. That park in Newry was named about 5 years ago.

That still doesn't effect my opinion that moderates shouldn't be pegged in along with there twats.
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It was just funny though, that's all.
 
The Neviller said:
It happens quite a lot in this thread though Irwin, and often by the same posters. "Oh look what us good Catholics are doing while arsehole Protestants are doing this". Some Catholics also get themselves involved in arseholery, and every now and again one of us Prods is kinda at least semi-decent.
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Steady on there Nev.

What you're saying is right and there's a lot of bollocks posted by some of the nationalist posters, but none as bad as the king of antagonism.
 
The Neviller said:
It baffles me how you get away with coming out with this shite so often. You're forever in here denigrating protestants by grouping us in with knob heads like Willie Frazer. There are knobheads involved in Nationalist/Catholic circles too, but I wouldn't use them to tar you all with the same shitty brush.

Give it a try.
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First off you jumped up little cnut I wrote that a few weeks ago, did you go looking for trouble? And secondly I said ELEMENTS fecking read next time you buffoon
 
Just a coincidence you chose good elements of one side but bad of another in your pointless comparison.
 
BBC Newsline · 30,728 like this.
about an hour ago ·
  • BREAKING: Stormont's health minister did not have the power to keep an "irrational" lifetime ban on gay men giving blood in Northern Ireland, a judge has ruled. The High Court judge also found that Edwin Poots had breached the ministerial code by failing to take the issue before the Stormont Executive. The Department of Health said Mr Poots would "read and consider" the verdict. More at 6:30pm on BBC Newsline.
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What the fecking feck?? A lifetime ban on gay people giving blood???

Was he afraid people would catch Gay or something??
 
Ramshock said:
First off you jumped up little cnut I wrote that a few weeks ago, did you go looking for trouble? And secondly I said ELEMENTS fecking read next time you buffoon
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Jumped up little cnut? I'm a fecking grown man with a family. A protestant man, with great respect for people from the opposite side of the "political and religious divide". I show that respect by not looking for bad things Catholics do, use them to highlight some good things Protestants do, and then sneer while pointing out the differences.

Give it a try.
 
The Neviller said:
Jumped up little cnut? I'm a fecking grown man with a family. A protestant man, with great respect for people from the opposite side of the "political and religious divide". I show that respect by not looking for bad things Catholics do, use them to highlight some good things Protestants do, and then sneer while pointing out the differences.

Give it a try.
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Try and not take parts of someones post just to suit your agenda. You are a trouble making little feck and theres nothing redeeming about you. Infact just feck off
 
Ramshock said:
Try and not take parts of someones post just to suit your agenda. You are a trouble making little feck and theres nothing redeeming about you. Infact just feck off
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I didn't take parts of your post, I took your whole post. If you meant something different, feel free to put me right. I'm reasonable enough to listen. At face value, it reads as "This is what Protestants do, while Catholics do this. They do bad stuff while we do good stuff". You talk about elements, and compare the two sides, and use a bad element of "Protestant culture" and compare it to a good element of "Catholic culture" with the clear inference that we Prods all do bad stuff while Catholics are out playing sport. There are no bad elements on the Catholic "side". That's how your post reads. Did you mean something different?
 
Can people (not just you Nev) stop using Catholic and Protestant to describe the two sides. The terms are totally irrelevant. I highly doubt anyone in this thread actively practices their religion, so no point using that as a label to describe yourself with. Its Nationalist and Unionist. Even then anyone who thinks they fall into either category should give their heads a shake, too.

Time to wake up and start shedding labels, not conforming to them.
 
The Don said:
Can people (not just you Nev) stop using Catholic and Protestant to describe the two sides. The terms are totally irrelevant. I highly doubt anyone in this thread actively practices their religion, so no point using that as a label to describe yourself with. Its Nationalist and Unionist. Even then anyone who thinks they fall into either category should give their heads a shake, too.

Time to wake up and start shedding labels, not conforming to them.
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There's a reason why most times I used the terms I put them in quotation marks, ie "protestant culture" etc. I'd classify myself as a Unionist, ie I want to maintain the Union, but I don't identify with Loyalists or Loyalism, and they don't represent me.
 
Ramshock said:
Its the only language they know, the thing is hardly anyone goes to church anymore so it could be muslim and feckin mormon for all it matters
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What does the "they" mean here?

I make no differences between people, irrespective of their religion, political beliefs or where they're from.
 
Soldiers from an undercover unit used by the British army in Northern Ireland killed unarmed civilians, former members have told BBC One's Panorama.

Speaking publicly for the first time, the ex-members of the Military Reaction Force (MRF), which was disbanded in 1973, said they had been tasked with "hunting down" IRA members in Belfast.

The former soldiers said they believed the unit had saved many lives.

The Ministry of Defence said it had referred the disclosures to police.

The details have emerged a day after Northern Ireland's attorney general, John Larkin, suggested ending any prosecutions over Troubles-related killings that took place before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

The proposal has been criticised by groups representing relatives of victims.

Panorama has been told the MRF consisted of about 40 men handpicked from across the British army.

'Surveillance from gutters'

Before it was disbanded 40 years ago, after 18 months, plain-clothes soldiers carried out round-the-clock patrols of west Belfast - the heartland of the IRA - in unmarked cars.

Three former members of the unit, who agreed to be interviewed on condition their identities were disguised, said they had posed as Belfast City Council road sweepers, dustmen and even "meths drinkers", carrying out surveillance from street gutters.

But surveillance was just one part of their work.

One of the soldiers said they had also fired on suspected IRA members.

He described their mission as "to draw out the IRA and to minimise their activities... if they needed shooting, they'd be shot".
Another former member of the unit said: "We never wore uniform - very few people knew what rank anyone was anyway.

"We were hunting down hardcore baby-killers, terrorists, people that would kill you without even thinking about it."

A third former MRF soldier said: "If you had a player who was a well-known shooter who carried out quite a lot of assassinations... then he had to be taken out.

"[They were] killers themselves, and they had no mercy for anybody."

In 1972 there were more than 10,600 shootings in Northern Ireland. It is not possible to say how many the unit was involved in.

The MRF's operational records have been destroyed and its former members refused to incriminate themselves or their comrades in specific incidents when interviewed by Panorama.

But they admitted shooting and killing unarmed civilians.

When asked if on occasion the MRF would make an assumption that someone had a weapon, even if they could not see one, one of the former soldiers replied "occasionally".

'Targets taken down'

"We didn't go around town blasting, shooting all over the place like you see on the TV, we were going down there and finding, looking for our targets, finding them and taking them down," he said.

"We may not have seen a weapon, but there more than likely would have been weapons there in a vigilante patrol."
Panorama has identified 10 unarmed civilians shot, according to witnesses, by the MRF:
  • Brothers John and Gerry Conway, on the way to their fruit stall in Belfast city centre on 15 April 1972
  • Aiden McAloon and Eugene Devlin, in a taxi taking them home from a disco on 12 May 1972
  • Joe Smith, Hugh Kenny, Patrick Murray and Tommy Shaw, on Glen Road on 22 June 1972
  • Daniel Rooney and Brendan Brennan, on the Falls Road on 27 September 1972
The Ministry of Defence refused to say whether soldiers involved in specific shootings had been members of the MRF.

It said it had referred allegations that MRF soldiers shot unarmed men to police in Northern Ireland.

But the members of the MRF who Panorama interviewed said their actions had ultimately helped bring about the IRA's decision to lay down arms.

Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the British army, and a young paratrooper captain in 1972, said he had known little of the unit's activities at the time, but admired the bravery of soldiers involved in undercover work.

He said: "That takes a lot of courage and it's a cold courage. It's not the courage of hot blood [used by] soldiers in a firefight.
"You know if you are discovered, a pretty gruesome fate may well await you - torture followed by murder."

Panorama has learnt a Ministry of Defence review concluded the MRF had "no provision for detailed command and control".

Forty years later and families and victims are still looking for answers as to who carried out shootings.

Former detectives are reviewing all of the deaths in Northern Ireland during the conflict as part of the Historical Enquiries Team set up following the peace process.

Around 11% of the 3,260 deaths being reviewed were the responsibility of the state.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24987465
 
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