McGuinness and Paisley to meet Bush

by Mike - Judean Popular Peoples Front Thu Nov 15, 2007 20:31

I was at the protests outside Hillsborough for the 2004 Bu$h visit and took much delight in being part of the crowd that booed Mitchell McLaughlin off the stage.

When "revolitionary socialist" (what a joke) Adams sups with the leader of the "war on terrorism" Bu$h. Its hard to figure out which of them is the bigger hypocrite

by radical jonny Fri Nov 16, 2007 09:20

Whenever money and power are concentrated into the hands of the few (even when it is done 'democratically' by the many), there will be this type of hypocracy.

But in another way, it isn't hypocritical at all; it's just politics, which is all about 'getting into power'. It's important to remember that: politics isn't about getting things done, it's about getting into power. If things get done, fine, but if they don't, no big bother, because the people will keep voting anyway. This is particularly true in the disfunctional, sectarian voting game we have in the north.

And once these people have 'gotten into power', it would appear that the money helps to soothe the feelings of hypocracy.

Stuff the politics. Let's have anarchism and peace.

by Patrick Henry Fri Nov 16, 2007 16:09

I wonder what Bobby Sands would have thought as he walked down the wing to the prison hospital if he could have got a glimpse of the future and 2007 where a Sinn Fein minister in a Paisley-led Puppet Government was adopting a Thatcherite attude to the Unions? Where his leadership would be availing of photo opportunities with a man with Hitler's zest for world domination?

As Bobby and his comrades set out to give their lives to smash the crimalisation of the IRA would they have ever envisaged that in 2007 that there would be those who would use the IRA to make themselves wealthy through criminal activities and would hold once loyal Republican areas in a Mafia like grip?

I'm sure they would have turned back and put the gear on.

by gameball Fri Nov 16, 2007 21:55

That's not it at all.

When they write their autobios, McGuinness & Paisley can say they were invited to Americay as a huge mark of respect for their - community / authority / peaceable natures / democratic ideals.

Bush can say that as a peace-loving man of the people, he took part in solving the NI dispute.

Must rate 3 lines each at least, maybe a paragraph. The photos.

by Tiocfaidh Ar La - Irish Republican Liberation Army Sat Nov 17, 2007 09:01

The cause of Irish liberty has been betrayed by Adams and McGuinness!

To arms comrades!

The Irish Republican Liberation Army has formed out of the ashes!

Young brave voluteers have already struck the first blows against the PSNI in recent days and will continue to take the war to the enemy!

Republicans, true republicans, must fight night and day against the resurrected Stormont government and traitor collaborators hiding in republican clothing.

Remember H-Block, remember the sacrifices of the martyrs who died for Irish freedom, remember the innocents slaughtered by loyalist gangs controlled by British securocrats.

We aim the overthrow British rule in Ireland for once and for all!

Tiocfaidh Ar La

by Sceptic Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:00

These offerings just show how divorced from reality and marginalized those who make them are. The latest one exposes a major flaw in republican theology. If the IRA or their equivalent are paramount and no rules apply to them and they alone guard the republic who is to prevent any splinter body regarding itself as the true IRA, its predecessors having sold out as will always happen? The idea that they alone embody the republic and the 1916 tradition etc and are at liberty to make war on its behalf of or indeed against the Irish people or their institutions if needs be is politically perverted and indeed purely fascistic. SF deserve some credit, not cheap scorn, for moving away from these notions into non-violent political compromise that takes account of the views of the majority of Irish and other decent opinion and mainstream opinion. Fantasy ideas that could lead, and in the past have so led, to wholesale murder of people (most of them Irish Catholics incidentally!) have no place in any forum which purports to represent values like peacefulness, justice, respect for minorities and the like.

by Patrick Henry Sat Nov 17, 2007 16:07

Sinn Fein deserves credit for nothing as far as I'm concerned. Does anyone actually believe that if they hadn't succeeded in overtaking the SDLP that they would have called off the armed struggle or even for a second considered supporting the State Police force and crown courts. The only reason they are actually supporting them in the first place is because they were forced to.
The attitude seems to be as long as the guns are silent it doesn't matter what mess they make of running the Statelet. People seem to forget it was the Provos who kept the war going until it suited them Politically and people continued to die. Now we have a situation were teachers are protesting outside Sinn Fein headquarters because their minster is acting like Maggie Thatcher.
As for the other IRAs such as the character above, I say get a grip and wise up you sound like a bunch of immature kids. If you honestly believe that you'll defeat the Brits with your caveman tactics then go ahead it's you who'll end up in jail or worse.

by Sceptic Sat Nov 17, 2007 18:56

I am a strong opponent of SF and the provisional IRA campaign and all that goes with it. Though it is contrary to my instincts I nonetheless realize that the though the peace process the SF leadership has brought most of their supporters with them, including their more wild eyed extremists, to normal politics instead of violence. The rump that was left behind is quite pathetic, if still dangerous as the Omagh bombing showed.

by Patrick Henry Sat Nov 17, 2007 21:20

I don't know were you live Sceptic but where I live there are a lot of Provos still with Sinn Fein because they are making a lot of money out of their association with the Shinners. Others are employed by Sinn Fein through their control of various community and Irish language groupings and therefore their loyality is assured and that is not including their security firms and bars.
Sinn Fein has bought not brought alot of their supporters along with them.
According to you and others it doesn't matter what they do as long as they aren't OPENLY killing people.
This peace is indeed great.

by Sceptic Sun Nov 18, 2007 15:25

Lack of killings in itself is something quite worthwhile and valuable albeit those doing the killing should not have being doing it in the first place. I am sure you are correct about Provo gangsters and criminality and the like but it is not mutually exclusive of the value of peace process in bringing the republican movement in from the cold. Flawed and all as the SF leaders might be they seem preferable in relative terms to those that pass themselves off as their more extreme republican opponents. If Ireland is fortunate some of the unsavory aspects of republicanism like crime and the odd killing by republicans will fade. Its better to stick with the project we have for the present – there is little alternative unless support for SF begins to decrease significantly in the north. Then there would be a different scenario.