Northan Ireland Hell no we don't want no stinking peace :(

[martinexsquaddie]

for those not in the know our glorious neighbours having been given the chance at democracy have really ballsed things up :(
The catholics have voted sein fein in your friendly neighbourhood terrorists
while the protestants have voted for the rev Ian paisly ULsters says NO now whats the question. he's against people making love standing as it could lead to dancing.
The grown ups in london and Dublin must be hitting there heads against brick walls. Gordon won't be getting his peace divend anytime soon

[PsihoKeke]

Preparing for the second battle for Bogside and Falls road? :|

[Argyll]

Hardly surprising considering TB sold the Loyalist community down the river by kissing Sinn Fein's ass,without a single weapon having been handed over as per the Good Friday agreement!
This is the clown who said the gloves were off against Al Quida,yet tied our hands behind our backs when the enemy was in our own back yard!
I hate Tony Blair more than my ex wife!!

[Roger Rabbit]

I quite like Tony, not sure why. Still hoping he will redeem himself and find his balls and re attach them.

Anyway on N.I. then what do you reckon will happen if it all blows up again? I mean then troops would be needed there or do you think Tony would pull them out? Any help from the Americans, UN, NATO or the EU?

[Argyll]

If we were allowed to do what we did in Afghanistan and Iraq,then there would be no troubles!!

[Roger Rabbit]

Would it work in N.I. though? I was under the impression the the two different sides were now turning into mafia's interested more in crime than in actually fighting and bombing the publich and each other? Would i be right or am i just reading too much from the media?

[Argyll]

They have turned to crime as terrorism is off the agenda for now!!

[California Joe]

I remember reading a while back about a half dozen or so Irish "journalists" showing up in Palestine not long before Israeli soldiers began getting sniped. I guess if you develop a skill set and the market dries up you go where the money is. Maybe some of the Israelis heard similar reports...

[Argyll]

It is common knowledge that the PIRA used to send it's scum to the Middle East training camps,run by the PLO,Libyans and the Syrians!!

[California Joe]

Yup. One of the benefits of working where I do, I've had to videotape lots of lectures by terrorism experts from all over. Extremely interesting stuff.

[StarvingStudent47]

Urgh. :cantbeli: I was hoping that Northern Ireland would be free of this s--- after 9/11 caused the IRA's funding from Boston to dry up. Guess that's just too d---ed much to ask for, huh?

If bombs start going off at Northern Irish girl's schools (protestant or catholic), or in London subways, I'll support vigorous counter-terror operations. Terrorism is terrorism and must be fought, whether the bombers are IRA or al-Qaeda.

[Argyll]

Thats the trouble with some folks in the US SS47,that many seen the PIRA as patriotic Freedom Fighters whilst we ,in the UK ,and in particular Servicemen and ex servicemen seen them as terrorists,the support that they had from the USA was quite sickening to be honest!!
Yet I'm certain the old addage will soon be posted here!!

[California Joe]

That's because of the huge populations of Irish in the major eastern cities. They're all hanging in the local pub singing Four Green Fields and John Kelly and thinking they're striking a blow for the Fenians etc. They look like us, we watch the Quiet Man on St Patricks Day. They don't have a different religion and wear rags on their heads. Eamon DeValera and Michael Collins are considered heroes in many places in this country still. When it comes to Ireland the British suddenly become evil, it's 1776 all of a sudden. It's weird but the SAS are considered heroes in this country in all their exploits except in Ireland where they are the badguys... It's a cultural thing. Doesn't make critical sense but is emotionally driven.

[Argyll]

you hit the nail on the head there Joe,it's a cultural thing right enough!!

[California Joe]

Americans like to think that Ireland is like it was in Angela's Ashes, and they're doing a good thing. It's irrational.

[martinexsquaddie]

trouble is the locals are voting for the worst of both sides
DUP under paisley havn't really got a plan apart from hatred of catholics.
while SF/IRA are playing a blinder at the moment.
The handing or not handing over of guns is actually fairly irrelevant given the amount of cash the paramilitarys have Both sides could hand over a massive asrneal on Monday and be back in business by friday.
I see the problem as Unionists want to see that SF/ira have given up the war for good AND ADMIT THEY LOST
while SF/ira want political power while keeping there gunmen on the side in case and also not admitting the armed struggle has failed and been a senseless loss of life. but also if the gunmen see themselves being side lined they may go off to a splinter group.
Anyone who can solve these problems email tony@10downingstreet.gov.uk
and pick up 10 million quid :D

[marktigger]

As a Northern Ireland citizen who is at home at the minite lets blow alot of the **** martinexsquaddie hhas been comming of with out of the water.

The good friday agreement and subsequent consesssions to the IRA has alienated the majority unionist population. who have watched the release of murderers, the destruction of one of the best police forces in the world and the total lack of any sign of an end to the demands of the IRA or the consessions the Blair government are prepared to give. In the follow up talks the parties represented were the UUP the SDLP and Sein Fein. The DUP was kept ou but has stuck to its principles of not dealing with Sein Fein while the IRA still exists. The public perception of paisley is a catholic hating bigot and yes he comes of with some ****e sometimes but he is one of the best constiuency MP's in the UK for all his constiuents its the catholic church he hates no individual catholics.
The DUP's campaign was well run and the Ulster unionists have over the last number of years have lost support because of Trimbels handling of the whole talks process. There have been a few attempts within the ulster unionist party to have him removed each occasion gaining more support. The elements within the UUP who have wanted a harder line taken have done well the like of Jeffery Donaldson.
Sein Fein ran their usual slick campaign that was aimed at the Nationalist working class population showing the SDLP to be an older generation middle class party. They were well funded (from America) and brought in people from the Irish republic to help. It would be inertesting to see how much each of the parties spent.
The swing to the DUP could have been been predicted as unionist disilusionment with the good friday agreemnet has risen. The election has wiped out most of the smaller parties (ukup,pup) with the moderate non sectarian Alliance party and Womens Coalition loosing a large number of votes and the swing from the moderate UUP and SDLP to the extremes. Which would indicate to me that Northern Ireland has become very Polarised which is the opposite to what was intended.
My reading is the Republicans have been given so many consessons they see final victory withing grasp. The Unionists have been pushed into a corner they have seen the terrorists winning hand over fist and have finally said enough is enough.
The DUP would like to to re negioate the good friday agreement but thats not going to happen with this govt. There will be a review and some hand wringing but no changes will be made so's not to annoy the IRA. The assembley as elected will probably never sit and the people of northern ireland people will be sent back to the polls again unitl they come up with the 'right' result that the Blair/Ahern govt agree with.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

I have not really paid much notice of the events in NI these days, what state is the INLA in at the moment and what did Andre Khaled Shoukri get sent down for.

[gary-amsterdam]

Having parents who grew up in belfast during the troubles (and born there too) but moved to amsterdam in 1980 (where I was born and brought up) I have an outsider/insider view of the whole problem over there.

It seems to me that all the terrorist organisations, especially the protestants, have just become criminal thugs.

The troubles will never stop unless we educate the children of N-ireland that being protestant or catholic doesnt make any difference to the person underneath, and that things like race/skin color etc are issues of the past.

I know I am attacking my own people here, but most of the people I spoke too, talked with, and know in N-Ireland are thick-as-pig**** arrogant, racist bastards. Untill we can get that out of the way there will never be peace. NEVER

[marktigger]

interesting conclusion gary. Consider this Northern Ireland has some of the hardest examination boards in th UK and some of the Highest pass rates at gcse and a level in the UK. So we're no thick by any stretch of the imagination. Yes I completley agree with you about educating the kids together the integrated schools are at the minite oversubscribed so alot of parents think similarly. There could be more integrated schools but for 2 things the Education ministry (under Martin McGuiness) and the Catholic Church who intimidate parents into sending their children to Church schools. Most Protestant kids attend state schools. The Free Presbyterian church has stared to set up its own schools to keep their children under its control so its as bad.
At least on the mainland you send kids to church schools for the right reasons good educations and morals. Here church schools are part of the problem. Made worse when one side or the other use kids as political pawns eg Holy Cross

[gary-amsterdam]

I know you have high gcse marks, but that doesnt make someone smart, it makes them a good learner, I am talking about the general stupid mentality of religion, until that gets sorted out and catholics and protestants are just as good friends as bil and bob there will never be peace.

[California Joe]

The straight up shamrock wearing flag waving pretend Fenians I know from Southy are some of the most prejudiced bastards this side of the Klan. Which is messed up because it wasn't that long ago they were the victims of the "No dogs or Irish" mentality prevailent in this country not that long ago.

[marktigger]

unfortunatley there is alot of hurt on both sides which will take time to resolve. It however cannot be resolved in the current atmosphere that the good Friday agreement and its subsequent consessions have created. The agreement was ment to draw the people together and away from the extremes it has obviously failed. The problems of Northern Ireland will take decades to sort out. Mixing education would be a good first step and removing from education religion leave that to the churches/families.
There is also the joint problem of ghettos and ethnic cleansing until that one is sorted out there is no way ahead. But the ghettos exist because the paramilitaries want to control areas so they can safely run their criminal empires and that means you need a strong effective police force that operates without fear or favour. Which I'm sorry to say the PSNI isn't and never will be it has been emasculated and its terms of reference deceided by the criminals it is ment to be dealing with. The RUC was a strong professional police force that did operate without fear or favor that criminals were scared of why did the paramilitary parties push so hard for patten's review and scream for its full implementation. Unfortunatley the damage to law enforcement has been done. I think patten should be binned and the PSNI radically altered getting rid of the PC mentality and political interference stopping police being scared to do their job because of the ombudsmans office and its attempts to take over the running of the force. Putting in strong leadership that is independent and getting rid of the crap that now masquarade as newly qualified police officers in the province.