It was put to me today that Irish Republicans are used to being angry, but no longer have any reason to be, so are reduced to shouting at Armed Forces Day events in order to get it off their chests. I can see the logic of that. But we should bear in mind that this didn't happen in Ireland. It happened in Glasgow. It wouldn't now happen in Ireland. It couldn't, really. Who would organise it?
Those shouting were clearly frustrated at something, and I expect that it was at the decision of those who, after all, have to live there to sign up to an Agreement which declares there to be two peoples, each with a right to self-determination, and one defined explicitly by saying No to anything to which both have to say Yes in order for it to come to pass.
But look at the investment in Nationalist areas. And yes, look at the ministerial office for Martin Maguiness et al. I think that there are serious problems with the Good Friday Agreement, by no means only the ones that are usually invoked. But I don't have to live there. And nor does any probably rather distantly Irish-descended person in Glasgow.
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Well actually there was a smal and rather pathetic "dissident" Republican protest in Belfast yesterday.
ReplyDeleteNobody actually cared very much.
There has been a much larger and effective protest at a"welcome home " (sic) parade for the RIR afew months ago.
A break away group of loyalists welcome party tried to attack a very large group of SF-IRA demonstrators led by Bobby Storey who is er allegedly er.....
Anyway the PSNI thanked Storey for helping them maintain peace.
Changed days indeed.
Indeed.
ReplyDeleteYou should go for the Policing Board. When something similar was suggested to me, I lost out (if that's the right way of putting it) to a friend who is a retired Chief Inspector who had held onto his Labour Party card. He is certainly a cradle Catholic, so, although his name is not Irish, I assume that his background largely is; his wife's certainly is.
Irish Catholics are to be found in large numbers in the fields of law enforcement generally, and policing in particular, wherever the Irish have gone. And the Irish have gone to an awful lot of places. As a people, you are clearly good at that sort of thing.
As John has pointed out, there are protests in Ireland at the homecoming parades for British forces. Arresting people for chanting seems a bit harsh - whatever happened to "sticks and stones"? I'm sure servicemen and women are tough enough...
ReplyDeleteFrom the governments end, armed forces day is a cynical PR stunt - obviously those participating wanted to show their appreciation. But as you've said, we have a day commemorating the armed forces - and if the government wanted to show it cared, it would organise a swift exit from Afghanistan and a series of genuine homecoming parades.
"As John has pointed out, there are protests in Ireland at the homecoming parades for British forces"
ReplyDeleteAs he also pointed out, they were "small and rather pathetic".
"Arresting people for chanting seems a bit harsh"
Yes, I rather thought that.
"if the government wanted to show it cared, it would organise a swift exit from Afghanistan and a series of genuine homecoming parades"
Or the Forces could do it themselves...