Westie, I think younger more recent recruits to...

2009-08-27T06:11:04.483+01:00

Westie,
I think younger more recent recruits to 'the struggle'?? have less to battle with concience wise than us older people who lived through it all. I'm not from a dyed in the wool Republican family where it was like a family business or traditionn to be 'involved.' I never had that luxury. I was also more AGAINST the Unionist Taliban than for a Socialist Republic.

Westie, no to your credit you did not over react t...

2009-08-26T22:55:14.375+01:00

Westie, no to your credit you did not over react to the criticism. I just thought it was a bit unfair to you.

On having respect for people's views - I think we respect the right for people to have views but there is no reason why we should respect the views they hold.

I think your last post just about summed things up - the IRA campaign failed lamentably.

As

Anthony Just on the point of Padraig's speech...

2009-08-26T22:36:46.429+01:00

Anthony

Just on the point of Padraig's speech - I didn't mean to portray a simple argument that because he and other good guys are saying things, that they have to be right.

However, at the same time, their opinion and stance has to be respected in the same way as others, especially those who through their experiences and sacrafices, have earned the right to say

Larry Thank you for your misguided compliment if ...

2009-08-26T22:23:26.997+01:00

Larry

Thank you for your misguided compliment if you think I am younger than my years would suggest. (your comment about the attraction of youth and material to work with). I have been about for many's a year and have experienced a lot more than peacetime republicanism!

I do not share your view that I will be blackballed in any way for my participation on this site,

I beg to disagree, SF ARE to blame for the failure...

2009-08-26T04:27:15.750+01:00

I beg to disagree, SF ARE to blame for the failure. The 'party' was never more than a mouthpiece for the IRA. Mc Guinness and Adams redirected all energies to popular electioneering. The IRA was a small group of unrepresentative patriots, who had the begrudging/tacit support of the population. The solitary man in the corner figure of the IRA volunteer? thankless cause? SF [ modern ] took

Seán Mór, 'I don't believe the Sinn Féin ...

2009-08-25T18:35:31.920+01:00

Seán Mór,

'I don't believe the Sinn Féin leadership are to blame for the failure... we did not have the backing of the Irish people, and we were largely cut off from the rest of nationalist/republican Ireland, both geographically and in terms of the time lapsed since partition. The Sinn Féin leadership are the product of a deeper failure, not the architects of it.'

Good article Mackers. I read it in History Ireland...

2009-08-23T18:55:36.960+01:00

Good article Mackers. I read it in History Ireland a couple of weeks ago. There is some succour to be taken from your point that the majority of informers probably started on this path under duress, insofar as it helps to understand the mindboggling sense of betrayal when one of our own turned out to be working for the other side. Given the fairly senior positions of some of the informers it

I feel there's an innocence or [no disrespect ...

2009-08-23T12:01:07.854+01:00

I feel there's an innocence or [no disrespect intended here] nievety in Westies loyalty to the Party. Maybe that's why youth was always attractive to the movement? Fresh material to work with.If SF suss Westie's engaged in debate here it may end up in a less than pleasant experience. Like the 'cold shoulder' persona non grata and the black sheep/unclean syndrome all rolled

Hadn't the chance to follow this thread up unt...

2009-08-23T08:39:24.966+01:00

Hadn't the chance to follow this thread up until now. Didn't realise how intense it was. Westie, I thought you SF types were long since told to clear off!! Saw nothing in PW speech that would ease the misgivings of a doubter. Thinking something is worth it is a subjective matter. I might think a couple of quid is worth a pint, someone else might think a couple of hundred quid. The best

Westie I was not having a go at your conviction b...

2009-08-22T16:47:33.051+01:00

Westie

I was not having a go at your conviction belief and integrity your comment was in general about the site and out of context with this article. What you said is as valid as any other comment; I have no problem with your opinion. No doubt you have the balls to take it; the line would have been different if you had directed your point at the few comments that prompted such a swift

I was looking through you tube and saw Martin Mc G...

2009-08-22T13:17:31.832+01:00

I was looking through you tube and saw Martin Mc Guinness stating very forcefully that no amount of votes or electoral success would ever remove the British from Ireland, it would be the cutting edge of the IRA that would do that.-then there was the traitors speech beside the PSNI cheif constable.
I cannot for the life of me see how anyone can square that. No shame in the man. Also I

TP Sorry I misquoted you I was just taking a broa...

2009-08-22T12:19:15.152+01:00

TP
Sorry I misquoted you I was just taking a broad view of the Post plus all comments. The biggest problem with Sinn Fein is that the game of politics that they have had to take up is hard to play. Most people understand their problems but when the leadership make crazy statements that sound more Unionist than republican and people react does that mean we are bashing them. Opinions are

Comrades, Like old solders the world over, Irish ...

2009-08-22T12:15:40.469+01:00

Comrades,

Like old solders the world over, Irish republicans love to chew the fat and when doing so spit the gristle into the bin, and there is nothing wrong with that, but let me ask this.

Would you have preferred the PRM's campaign to have gone down in glorious defeat without a trace left within the body politic, bar the broken lives and cold graves. Or as things have

Westie... I will respond to your comment as fairl...

2009-08-22T12:00:19.151+01:00

Westie...

I will respond to your comment as fairly as I can after I have a proper think.

I have some experience of SF tactics and have expe...

2009-08-22T11:47:34.646+01:00

I have some experience of SF tactics and have experienced them in action. The art of smearing everyone is very finely honed. I remember how the Relatives For Justice [a broad calition against supergrasses] was hijacked by SF in the Felons club in Andytown. Also the relatives for justice was in Lurgan/Craigavon was sabotaged by SF after false acusations that the door of a house that was used by

Larry If you can’t join them beat them… I may as w...

2009-08-22T02:52:22.566+01:00

Larry
If you can’t join them beat them… I may as well get my wooly bashing mask on.
You have now committed political blasphemy confessing to party bashing “shame on you for having your own opinion” picking on the hard pressed party.
If Sinn Fein had any sense they would use sites like this to gauge support factors and at least offer an opinion of why they refuse to hear any opinion

Just to finish on the latter, I will repeat as I h...

2009-08-22T01:26:08.404+01:00

Just to finish on the latter, I will repeat as I have on a few posts that I totally disagree with the line being taken on passing information about other Irish Republicans to the PSNI. I know that it does not sit easy with any SF member and supporter that I know and I would hasard an educated guess that it hasn't happened on too many occasions thus far. However it is a major issue that will

Tain Bo, I used the term SF bashing because it wa...

2009-08-22T01:25:19.635+01:00

Tain Bo,

I used the term SF bashing because it was referred to by you as a typical response from SF supporters so I didn't want to dissapoint you a chara! Mind you,I would ask the question, why would you predict such a reaction? - and talking of reactionary, I see you were quick to respond to my comments, and in what could be described as a less than complimentary post, you

Interested, how correct you are. The same leade...

2009-08-22T01:14:51.905+01:00

Interested,
how correct you are. The same leadership is the problem I rekon. Trimble and Paisley are gone...maybe time Gerry and Martin took a bow too. If there's a bad smell in the fridge toss the source the f@#$k out. And boy do they smell.

Westie, Like Larry, I hope you stick around and k...

2009-08-22T00:45:51.507+01:00

Westie,

Like Larry, I hope you stick around and keep commenting. I don't visit this site for the Sinn Fein bashing. But given my negative experiences of SF (in the South) I can't help but join in.

I follow this blog because I want an intelligent republican perspective on Northern Ireland.
I have been following a very good moderate unionist blog for a while now,

Tain Bo there is no 'magical' strategy....

2009-08-22T00:19:56.417+01:00

Tain Bo
there is no 'magical' strategy. That's the point I think. SF basically should shut up shop and stop contaminating Ordinary Decent Politics. They should leave the career blarney merchants to get on with it and stop insulting and antagonising those who contributed to 800 years of Irish history. Casement must be spinning in his grave and I bet he and Slab Murphy will have

I rekon we ARE doin a bit of SF bashing to be sure...

2009-08-22T00:07:37.211+01:00

I rekon we ARE doin a bit of SF bashing to be sure,but it's not doing any harm,likely doin little good![head and wall]This is a site where people who put their own wee flags to the mast in the bad old days can'talk'and it's important that we have somewhere to express ourselves. I wouldn't put Westie down too much as he at least has the decency and dignity to put his

TP “necessary and worthy “ Would love to read...

2009-08-21T20:30:09.110+01:00

TP “necessary and worthy “
Would love to read your understanding of these noble words. I am absolutely galled in this year of 2009 to be reading that here we have the great Sinn Fein leadership calling for the good people of Northern Ireland to inform on fellow republicans, Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross for less . How can anyone support such traitors? When the British offered the

Westie Padraig Wilson can justify himself howeve...

2009-08-21T10:10:00.410+01:00

Westie
Padraig Wilson can justify himself however he sees fit and if he can live with that then good for him. Personally I recon if at 17 yrs old I'd been told where we'd be ending up I'd have saved myself+my family a lot of pain and been a good wee boy and joined the SDLP.
That's all. What do ya think yourself? Would Martin Mc Guinness sit ddown with David Mc

Part 2 I could reverse your comment and pull a Si...

2009-08-21T03:52:11.176+01:00

Part 2

I could reverse your comment and pull a Sinn Fein and accuse you of TPQ bashing? Did you consider the article and actually notice the commenter’s and based on the few comments you go off on a tangent “Objective?”
I am not speaking for anyone who commented or comments on this site and I have no objection to their opinions… would you feel better if I whispered behind the

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