I’ve travelled to Northern Ireland a fair bit this past decade or so. For pleasure I have made trips to see the Northwest 200 and for work to Belfast to train rail operatives in track safety. I always found the people welcoming and friendly. However, the troubles seemed to me to be lurking under the surface. A warning not to go to the Bogside when visiting Derry and don’t, whatever you do, go into the Bogside Inn. Then there are the murals still in place. Looking across the walls you see the murals of “free” Derry. In Belfast, the unionist murals and flags. There has always been an undercurrent that to the visitor was apparent despite the peaceful façade.
I recall talking to an apprentice boy who told me that they are all Northern Irish now and that the old sectarianism has been put to one side. I can’t say that I was entirely convinced. To me, it hung over the place like a rain cloud.
Recent events appear to confirm that gut feeling.
Police in Northern Ireland have used water cannon and dogs to contain fresh rioting in Belfast.
Armoured Land Rovers and officers with helmets and shields were deployed on Thursday night after crowds clashed at the Lanark Way interface that separates the nationalist Springfield Road from the loyalist Shankill Road.
Police used water cannon for the first time in six years after dozens of young people on the Springfield Road side ignored a warning to disperse and continued to throw stones, bottles and fireworks.
The gathering on the Shankill Road was smaller and less violent, marking a relative lull in loyalist violence after seven nights of unrest in loyalist areas across Northern Ireland.
The outcome of the Brexit negotiations effectively creating a border, despite the denials, was always going to trigger something like this. And I’m sorry to see it happen, for I like the place and the people.
’… and that the old sectarianism has been put to one side.’
Sure, and over the border, they’ve totally got over that potato famine… ?
Oh, tell me about it. I was there a couple of years back and it’s being peddled as English genocide of the Irish. Historical revisionism of the worst kind.
Myself and a colleague travelled across Southern Ireland to service a pallet making machine. In the hotel where we stayed the dining area had a huge mural depicting English Redcoats massacring peasants. As a group they do seem to have difficulty in getting over stuff and moving on.
Animosity like that runs deep.
I remember being on a night bus in Edinburgh about 15 years ago. There were a bunch of Irish lads on the bus who treated us all to a rousing rendition of a song:
“We hate the f*king English,
We hate the f*king English,
we hate the f*king English and we want them all to die.”
Needless to say, I scarpered pretty quickly.
Bit of an eye opener, have made it a general policy to never go to Ireland. Ever.
So the troubles are not surprising.
Similar to how the French don’t like us, and we haven’t had any wars with them for quite a while now – we even helped them against Germany in the last scrap.
Let’s just hope that the troubles remain there and they don’t resume bombing the mainland again.
A surprisingly high number of French population believe that it was only the Americans who were involved in D-Day and who freed the French from German occupation.
I suppose all the American films about D-Day have helped to generate this impression.
According to Hollywood, it was the US navy that captured an enigma machine from a U Boat and won the war…
Does animosity towards white English folk ever go away.
I don’t follow sport anymore, was a rugby man. In the world Cup, if England were not playing, I would get behind one of the other home nations (well apart from Ireland, Ronan O’Gara was just too pink for me).
If England are playing the other nations mostly want us to lose.
If you drill it down they specifically hate the Southern English, particularly the upper and middle classes. (Northerners? Cockneys? They’re alright, they will grudgingly admit)
Then why did bomb northern and midland cities?
Those who hate, hate those from the south, Protestant Scottish people, and everyone in between.
And when they kill innocents – especially children, we get a mealy mouthed faux apology as if somehow it was an accident and couldn’t be avoided.
I was referring more to the Scottish nationalist type of Anti-English mentality, not the murderous IRA b*stards.
I can recall attending a rugby game between Wales and France at the then Millenium stadium (Wales were going for the grand slam back in 2008) Needless to say the charmless Welsh Rugby fans do not take kindly to me singing ‘Allez les Bleus’ which led to the following exchange:
‘Shut that English b@£tard up – I never thought I’d see someone here from England supporting a French team!’
‘Ok then, Boyo, who would you be supporting if it were England- France’?’
(Pauses)
‘That isn’t the point, I wouldn’t be taking a ticket from a good,… well there isn’t such a thing as a good Englishman, but I wouldn’t be taking a ticket from one’
Similarly a conversation with a Scottish football fan in the 90s (Saddam still in charge of Iraq) who I asked who he would support if England were playing Iraq, Iran or North Korea (context was the World Cup Finals in 1994 were held in the Us and there was a prospect that those three sides might be barred from attending if they progressed to the finals) elicited the response: Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
Given England paid, and continues to pay handsomely to have these two oblasts tacked on to us, the ingratitude has led me to delight in supporting any opponent (neither team has yet played North Korea in any setting but rest assured I’d be backing Kim Jong un’s men in person if I could) against them and have been enjoying(for example) in Scottish football defeats to Kazakhstan or Welsh Rugby defeats by Fiji for decades,
Regarding NI, I’ve come round to the idea that repartition would be the best solution. (The most recent post on my blog discusses this)
Repartition to the Loyalists for staunchly defending Queen and Country amid the constant attacks from BBC, MSM, USA, Labour and many Conservative MPs beguiled by BBC inc John Major?
Repartition to the Loyalists for Blair & Clinton’s undemocratic Belfast Agreement?
I’d support that, but I suspect not what you propose
Just let the eu have Ireland, there’s about 5 people living there.
Begone you Traitor
The French, away from Paris, are fine. Personal experience.
Away from Paris they have the same feeling about it and the bien pensants as we have for London and its environs.
London knobs probably feel closer to their Paris equivalent than they do to hoi poloi to the North and West.
What the MSM don’t make clear
1. The Loyalist protests are Not about Brexit, they are about NI still in EU and Brexit denied to NI
2. Most riots on Thursday night, inc where water cannon used, were Republican, not Loyalist Springfield Road
H/T relatives in NI
Pcar
There’s also an anti – lockdown element as well. Lesser but some people feel house arrest is an inappropriate response to a pandemic
C4 News bias by omission astounding today – reporting on Friday riots brief mention of “loyalists urged not to protest…Prince Phillip”. Then “However this these riots went ahead….”
Lots of words, but one glaring fact missing: Who? Well, Loyalist never said – draw your own conclisions: NI’s very own unique PONA
As I said before, MSM being disingenuous when they say ‘Protests, riots due to Brexit’. No, they’re because NI still in EU
Nigel Dodds spot on:
https://youtu.be/qH3bG2OOxGQ?t=386
As is Brendan O’Neill: It’s time to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol
https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/04/08/its-time-to-tear-up-the-northern-ireland-protocol/
Prince Phillip
@P_V
Indeed as do I, but mostly due to EU’s NI Protocol which partitioned NI from GB to ‘prevent unrest and violence’ – ha bloody ha
David Davis was correct when he told EU “We won’t impose a border, what you do is your problem”. May sacked him & surrendered to EU, Boris did same
Peter Hitchens in MoS almost nails it
I voted against Blair’s Belfast Agreement after reading it, page 1 of text exposed it was undemocratic. MSM enthralled with Blair & Clinton, reported it as a Peace Solution, it was an incendiary device silently smouldering waiting to explode
Page 1 summary: Laws in NI must be approved by majority of both Gov’t members and Opposition members. If either side votes No, it’s rejected
HoC: 650 MPS, assume all Con, Lab
320/350 Cons vote Yes
200/300 Lab vote No
Law rejected
Good piece by Dominic Lawson
OANN also exposes msm distortion of ‘riots due to Brexit’
https://www.oann.com/northern-irish-loyalists-demand-changes-to-brexit-border-arrangements-call-for-end-to-street-violence/