Thatcher and the IRA

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FootballFan said:
link me to evidence of this - I've heard the soldiers got reports of an IRA sniper in the area, but not that he was within the civil rights protestors.

All eyewitnesses (apart from the soldiers), including marchers, local residents, and British and Irish journalists present, maintain that soldiers fired into an unarmed crowd, or were aiming at fleeing people and those tending the wounded, whereas the soldiers themselves were not fired upon. No British soldier was wounded by gunfire or reported any injuries.

26 civil rights protestors shot, 14 dead. Aye I'd say it was a pretty bad day for the British army alright. Thats putting it mildly.
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Apparently the Stickies (Old IRA) were the ones who opened fire earlier in the day but were then apparently disarmed by PIRA. Lots of mentions in the books that I've read of this and the fact that they did it to increase their standing in the community which had been falling away as support grew for the Provos. The man seen/identified by troops and marchers with a revolver in the morning was OIRA allegedly. There was definately guns flying about.

This doesn't detract from the fact that innocent people were shot by troops who frankly shouldn't have been policing a civil rights march given their particular training, previous deployments and reputation for hardness.
 
si73 said:
Apparently the Stickies (Old IRA) were the ones who opened fire earlier in the day but were then apparently disarmed by PIRA. Lots of mentions in the books that I've read of this and the fact that they did it to increase their standing in the community which had been falling away as support grew for the Provos. The man seen/identified by troops and marchers with a revolver in the morning was OIRA allegedly. There was definately guns flying about.

This doesn't detract from the fact that innocent people were shot by troops who frankly shouldn't have been policing a civil rights march given their particular training, previous deployments and reputation for hardness.
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Exactly. Sending paratroopers to police a civil rights march ffs
 
FootballFan said:
link me to evidence of this - I've heard the soldiers got reports of an IRA sniper in the area, but not that he was within the civil rights protestors.

All eyewitnesses (apart from the soldiers), including marchers, local residents, and British and Irish journalists present, maintain that soldiers fired into an unarmed crowd, or were aiming at fleeing people and those tending the wounded, whereas the soldiers themselves were not fired upon. No British soldier was wounded by gunfire or reported any injuries.

26 civil rights protestors shot, 14 dead. Aye I'd say it was a pretty bad day for the British army alright. Thats putting it mildly.
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Facts are me, if you don't agree then fine, but you weren't there, eyewitnesses in this situation will be biased but don't let that small fact get in the way for your pro IRA love in.

si73 said:
Apparently the Stickies (Old IRA) were the ones who opened fire earlier in the day but were then apparently disarmed by PIRA. Lots of mentions in the books that I've read of this and the fact that they did it to increase their standing in the community which had been falling away as support grew for the Provos. The man seen/identified by troops and marchers with a revolver in the morning was OIRA allegedly. There was definately guns flying about.

This doesn't detract from the fact that innocent people were shot by troops who frankly shouldn't have been policing a civil rights march given their particular training, previous deployments and reputation for hardness.
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No British troops should be sent to police Civil Rights marches, it was a job for the police.
 
Zig81 said:
Facts are me, if you don't agree then fine, but you weren't there, eyewitnesses in this situation will be biased but don't let that small fact get in the way for your pro IRA love in.
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Right so no evidence to back up what you said, as I suspected.

And I'm not pro IRA btw, I happen to think Thatcher handled the hunger strikes dreadfully, and I'm against unarmed people being shot dead by British troops. That doesn't make me an IRA lover by any stretch.
 
FootballFan said:
Right so no evidence to back up what you said, as I suspected.

And I'm not pro IRA btw, I happen to think Thatcher handled the hunger strikes dreadfully, and I'm against unarmed people being shot dead by British troops. That doesn't make me an IRA lover by any stretch.
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My evidence is myself, what more do you need? You are clearly a sympathiser of the Republican movement and therefore no better than them.
 
IrishMackem88 said:
I'd love to see those 6 counties reunited with Ireland, but once theres peace up North then let them stay under British rule if that was the case.

I'm from a place called Carlow, an hour south of Dublin.
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I don't think I ever stopped there for a look round, but might have whizzed through on the Cork-Dublin express once. I seem to remember Carlowians have a very distinctive accent...

Anyway, here's a thought. The UK will probably have a vacancy for a hard drinking Celtic nation a bit later in the year once the sweaties have buggered off, so why not come back and join us again, like about a quarter of the rest of the Irish population already have? Would be great craic as most of us seem to get along fine.
 
TwasOnTheFifthOfMay said:
I don't think I ever stopped there for a look round, but might have whizzed through on the Cork-Dublin express once. I seem to remember Carlowians have a very distinctive accent...

Anyway, here's a thought. The UK will probably have a vacancy for a hard drinking Celtic nation a bit later in the year once the sweaties have buggered off, so why not come back and join us again, like about a quarter of the rest of the Irish population already have? Would be great craic as most of us seem to get along fine.
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I'm impressed, you were only one letter off! Swap the "w" with a "v" and you have Carlovians. In terms of the accent (i'm sure you've heard many in Ireland) it's very mild in comparison to a Cork accent, I'm actually down there working all this weekend and I can't understand a thing they say :lol:`

Maybe pal, once I'm 6 foot under :lol:

I actually have great time for English people, well able to drink and wouldn't be as rough and ready as the Scots who are a breed of their own :lol:
 
Zig81 said:
So that's it? Brilliant, really well done.
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Explain yourself in some kind of coherent manner and i will get back to you. Accusing me of being an IRA lover, calling people stupid and then not producing any evidence to back up your claims, all that type of thing won't cut it.
 
FootballFan said:
Explain yourself in some kind of coherent manner and i will get back to you. Accusing me of being an IRA lover, calling people stupid and then not producing any evidence to back up your claims, all that type of thing won't cut it.
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What more evidence do you need, I am telling 100% that there was gumnen in amongst the civil rights marches! There were nail bombs being carried by the IRA. Don't let the facts by someone who was there get in the way of your anti Thatcher biased views.

Do me a favour and don't get back to me, you haven't got a clue about the incident that day apart from what you have read and what you seen on TV. Yes, it was a terrible tragedy and a big fuck up but do not try and play down the involvement of the IRA on that day.
 
Zig81 said:
What more evidence do you need, I am telling 100% that there was gumnen in amongst the civil rights marches! There were nail bombs being carried by the IRA. Don't let the facts by someone who was there get in the way of your anti Thatcher biased views.

Do me a favour and don't get back to me, you haven't got a clue about the incident that day apart from what you have read and what you seen on TV. Yes, it was a terrible tragedy and a big fuck up but do not try and play down the involvement of the IRA on that day.
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:rolleyes: :D:D
 
lostinfrance said:
Good Post

It would appear that you've killed this thread stone dead with an uncomfortable home truth.
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Not really.

The truth is that there was a strong Republican movement in the North, people who wanted to not just subvert the government but change the entire system and where their loyalties lay. That is unprecedented in modern Western history. No wonder the Protestant lot were keen to keep a stern hand over the country.

I should qualify this by saying I have no problem with the Irish. The fact remains, however, that Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom and a large proportion of the population want to change that. You'd be a touch paranoid in the event your culture was under threat.
 
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