Comments on: Terrorism in North Ireland and selling out the next generation http://www.thecommentfactory.com/terrorism-in-north-ireland-and-selling-out-the-next-generation-2044 Join And Start Writing Today! Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:16:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: CAPTAIN John Smith http://www.thecommentfactory.com/terrorism-in-north-ireland-and-selling-out-the-next-generation-2044/comment-page-1#comment-2424 CAPTAIN John Smith Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:25:45 +0000 http://www.thecommentfactory.com/?p=2044#comment-2424 Hey yo listen. So I'm going to do something people rarely do on this forum and admit that they are quite fucking confused. Don't worry, I'm not really asking for explanations,because it would be too complex to ask any fellow internet bystander just to do. I'll look it up myself. I mean I basically know what's going on. But I think what I can add is that I'm an American, and an Irish American who, like almost all other Irish Americans (at least of the 18-25 year age range) neither understands nor actually cares about the issue described skillfully above. So, in other words, the 30 million or so people with some proportion of Irish heritage living a few time zones away are completely divorced from the issue. It's odd. Of course, Irish people who came to the United States during the Potato Famine found a place where the old geographic grudges no longer mattered. Then, up till, well, let's say JFK, nobody even really cared if you were Irish or Catholic. Biden's Catholic, actually, and the Anglo establishment, along with the Evangelical wingnuts, don't go after him, partially because the two sides have become wedded by the abortion issue. And, moreso really, the Civil Rights Movement led to the creation a codification system of checkable boxes, which further attenuated ethnic and nation identities. Of course, it has also been a source of political friction. So, while it may be obvious to everyone, I'm just saying that this is the reason, geography and a lot of it, the thing North America has, mollifies these meaningless divisions between human beings of all sorts. Of course, the country is all sorts of dysfunction in a lot of important ways, the natures of which I'll leave to your alls' interpretation. At any rate, as lame as it may sound, I still hope that everything works out. At least there's been a miniature revolution here where, egad, the President is no longer a giant asshole. Followup question: What is/was the public and governments' general view of American involvement in intra-Irish negotiations and peacemaking in the 90s? Hey yo listen. So I'm going to do something people rarely do on this forum and admit that they are quite fucking confused. Don't worry, I'm not really asking for explanations,because it would be too complex to ask any fellow internet bystander just to do. I'll look it up myself.
I mean I basically know what's going on. But I think what I can add is that I'm an American, and an Irish American who, like almost all other Irish Americans (at least of the 18-25 year age range) neither understands nor actually cares about the issue described skillfully above. So, in other words, the 30 million or so people with some proportion of Irish heritage living a few time zones away are completely divorced from the issue. It's odd. Of course, Irish people who came to the United States during the Potato Famine found a place where the old geographic grudges no longer mattered. Then, up till, well, let's say JFK, nobody even really cared if you were Irish or Catholic. Biden's Catholic, actually, and the Anglo establishment, along with the Evangelical wingnuts, don't go after him, partially because the two sides have become wedded by the abortion issue. And, moreso really, the Civil Rights Movement led to the creation a codification system of checkable boxes, which further attenuated ethnic and nation identities. Of course, it has also been a source of political friction.
So, while it may be obvious to everyone, I'm just saying that this is the reason, geography and a lot of it, the thing North America has, mollifies these meaningless divisions between human beings of all sorts. Of course, the country is all sorts of dysfunction in a lot of important ways, the natures of which I'll leave to your alls' interpretation.
At any rate, as lame as it may sound, I still hope that everything works out. At least there's been a miniature revolution here where, egad, the President is no longer a giant asshole. Followup question: What is/was the public and governments' general view of American involvement in intra-Irish negotiations and peacemaking in the 90s?

]]> By: M J Collins http://www.thecommentfactory.com/terrorism-in-north-ireland-and-selling-out-the-next-generation-2044/comment-page-1#comment-2025 M J Collins Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:45:55 +0000 http://www.thecommentfactory.com/?p=2044#comment-2025 No Richard, it is you who are boring. Repeating the begrudging comments of both the SDLP and the Official Unionist party is pretty tedious at best. Promoting it as left wing is misleading. Your lack of knowledge of the Peace Process and the Republican agenda for a socialist united Ireland is only matched by your lack of an alternative strategy. However what is really offensive is your clear location of all political difficulties with the people of the occupied six counties, not a mention of the Brits. And you seem like the kind of guy who would like a mention. No Richard, it is you who are boring. Repeating the begrudging comments of both the SDLP and the Official Unionist party is pretty tedious at best. Promoting it as left wing is misleading. Your lack of knowledge of the Peace Process and the Republican agenda for a socialist united Ireland is only matched by your lack of an alternative strategy. However what is really offensive is your clear location of all political difficulties with the people of the occupied six counties, not a mention of the Brits. And you seem like the kind of guy who would like a mention.

]]> By: Rachel King http://www.thecommentfactory.com/terrorism-in-north-ireland-and-selling-out-the-next-generation-2044/comment-page-1#comment-1496 Rachel King Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:43:51 +0000 http://www.thecommentfactory.com/?p=2044#comment-1496 To piggyback on the above comments, again, great piece and insight into Northern Ireland politics. I think this week's events and the stirrings of dissident activity over the last several months are evidence that N.I. desperately needs more integrated, non-denominational schools. There needs to be an entirely new generation, brought up against violence into an accepting environment, to really eliminate these kinds of vicious and vengeful ideals and activities. Even though there has been relative peace for the last decade, violence is still in the blood of too many people on both sides. Many of them just don't know anything else. To piggyback on the above comments, again, great piece and insight into Northern Ireland politics.

I think this week's events and the stirrings of dissident activity over the last several months are evidence that N.I. desperately needs more integrated, non-denominational schools. There needs to be an entirely new generation, brought up against violence into an accepting environment, to really eliminate these kinds of vicious and vengeful ideals and activities. Even though there has been relative peace for the last decade, violence is still in the blood of too many people on both sides. Many of them just don't know anything else.

]]> By: Nick MacWilliam http://www.thecommentfactory.com/terrorism-in-north-ireland-and-selling-out-the-next-generation-2044/comment-page-1#comment-1487 Nick MacWilliam Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:12:32 +0000 http://www.thecommentfactory.com/?p=2044#comment-1487 Excellent article, there does seem to have been a cooing excitement in parts of the media (Peter Preston wrote a shockingly glib piece in the Guardian) and reminds me of how the press was full of articles anticipating a terrorist war on the streets of Britain shortly after 9/11. Nothing sells papers like a nice act of terrorism and the chance to put fear into the public. I agree with Max, the article is hugely informative and really looks into the heart of the troubles. Excellent article, there does seem to have been a cooing excitement in parts of the media (Peter Preston wrote a shockingly glib piece in the Guardian) and reminds me of how the press was full of articles anticipating a terrorist war on the streets of Britain shortly after 9/11. Nothing sells papers like a nice act of terrorism and the chance to put fear into the public.

I agree with Max, the article is hugely informative and really looks into the heart of the troubles.

]]> By: Max http://www.thecommentfactory.com/terrorism-in-north-ireland-and-selling-out-the-next-generation-2044/comment-page-1#comment-1485 Max Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:03:31 +0000 http://www.thecommentfactory.com/?p=2044#comment-1485 "The blood that was shed in the course of that war is indeed hard to square with such an inglorious outcome." How to begin to parse a thought like that? The bloodshed was glorious? Your central dichotomy between boredom and implied glory is a bit unnerving. Surely the way out of the "gloomy twilight" lies, if it lies anywhere, through economic invigoration and the nescessary peace? Do you agree that the fact that the terrorist acts did not have mainstream support is a good thing, and that the peace held? I thought Jerry Adams walked the line cleverly by condemning the logic of the attack in terms of it interrupting the peace agreement, but offering no personal condolences etc. Also, I was under the impression that it was the Belfast Agreement, that spelt the end of mainstream combat Republicanism? Because at that point the Provisional IRA agreed to non-violence. That said, this article was hugely informative for me. Nice one. "The blood that was shed in the course of that war is indeed hard to square with such an inglorious outcome."
How to begin to parse a thought like that? The bloodshed was glorious? Your central dichotomy between boredom and implied glory is a bit unnerving. Surely the way out of the "gloomy twilight" lies, if it lies anywhere, through economic invigoration and the nescessary peace?

Do you agree that the fact that the terrorist acts did not have mainstream support is a good thing, and that the peace held? I thought Jerry Adams walked the line cleverly by condemning the logic of the attack in terms of it interrupting the peace agreement, but offering no personal condolences etc.

Also, I was under the impression that it was the Belfast Agreement, that spelt the end of mainstream combat Republicanism? Because at that point the Provisional IRA agreed to non-violence.

That said, this article was hugely informative for me. Nice one.

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