Adams challenges party leaders to debate on Past

And yet they will still be voted in by the bigger margin the North the next elections.
I honestly dont know what people think voting for them.
Abstain!

 

I dont get that either. However theres no viable alternative, people i believe vote sf to have them in rather than sdlp (whom i abhor also)

 

I will vote for the party who stands up for the true morals of National Republicanism, there is currently none that do.

 

I might be talking complete * here so correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't the big difference between the PIRA and the current paramilitaries be the fact that the PIRA were a reaction to loyalist and British aggression at the time and not just the fact that there isn't a United Ireland?

 

Hmmmm in a short answer yes .... however was it not an aim of the PIRA for a united Ireland?

 

The ignorance from free state ministers and practically stick leader mick finnegan should hang there heads in shame with the recent comments on the provo campaign.

 

Yes.
But now SF are administering British rule in Ireland, which goes against the whole principles of the 1916 risers of instance.

 

Well ye good point. I just think the fact Gerry Adams sold out some of his best friends like Brendan Hughes and denies any involvement in the IRA when everyone knows he was involved, but yet he condemns what the RIRA do, when he used to support the exact same thing. Many of his friends gave their lives for a United Ireland and all he wants is a bit of power, that's why so many people feel betrayed. I don't like him but I still wouldn't support the RIRA I don't want innocent civilians killed.

 

He's right there but * him and the rest of his scumbag party. Him and that other rat * think they are Republicanism. Ye can say whatever you want about the so called dissidents but at least they are keeping a fight going. Sinn Fein are destroying the Republican movement. The younger generation have two opinions on politics where Sinn Fein are concerned - they either don't give a * about the situation or utterly despise Sinn Fein with a passion. What have they achieved since 1998? * all, they are happy collecting their money while still trying to impose their rules on some communities. Calling people traitors for doing the same thing they done for 30 years and what Irishmen have been doing for ages. I would rather vote for the DUP than vote for those *. Sinn Fein are the dissidents

 

Beautiful post, better than a good post, better than a brilliant post, maybe a perfect post?!

 

Just to clarify are we specifically talking about the IRA of the late 1960's here or are we talking about the Republicans who fought in 1916, during the war of Independance and the civil war here as well ?

 

Isn't the whole point of this thread that it is pointless to draw distinctions between the two?

 

Aye and it's even better when you mistakenly read his sig as part of the post as well :smiley-laughing002:

 

That was part of his sig?

 

Yes. I thought the whole point of the thread was to point out the hypocrisy of championing and celebrating the IRA of the early 20th century yet condemning the PIRA. Therefore I would have thought it would also be wrong to commend the PIRA yet write off the sacrifices of early Republicans. I was just giving Wrigley the chance to clarify whether this was his position or not.

 

The PIRA wanted to kill as many soldiers and innocent civilians so that Britain would pull out of Ireland due to public opinion changing.

The 'Old IRA' (assuming this to be the one actually connected to the PIRA) totally rejected the free-state and moronically thought it was wise to lead an insurrection - that would kill other Irishmen (Just for disagreeing mind) in order so they could fight the British and more 'Northern Irishmen in the north.

 

How about some proof of this statement.

 

What the absolute dear * have you actually just come out with?

 

That doesn't solve the problem though. Say you don't draw a distinction between the two. The PIRA are a historical continuation of the Volunteers / IRA of 1916 onwards and continue the same struggle with the same mandate for military action.

All this does is change the way the establishment portray the original struggle for independence in an attempt to undermine contemporary IRA organisations.

E.g. Historians cooking the books to invent 'atrocities' such as Kilmichael, or the Bandon Valley Massacre, and generally implying that the IRA of old were hate-filled sectarian thugs.

Another tactic they use to undermine the PIRA is to deemphasise the military component of the 1919-21 war of independence by overemphasising what's called the 'constitutional narrative'. This means that they glorify and exaggerate purely political means of pursuing an independent Ireland, and portray the military campaigns as an ugly and even unnecessary sideshow.

A good example of this is the biopic of Michael Collins, where they went as far as to replace the film's promotional poster of Liam Neeson holding a gun to one where he is brandishing a document. Doesn't matter that Big Mick was primarily a soldier and very much a militant man. The lie undermines militant republicanism and that's what the establishment want.

It's the story the government want to tell, the media want to tell, the historians want to tell. They all have a stake in partition and business as usual. Sinn Fein don't want to challenge false histories, they just want a new lie that will give them legitimacy whilst denying it to groups such as the RIRA.