Though it be a largely symbolic post. From the intelligently progressive Nick Cohen:
Martin McGuinness’s candidacy is an affront to decency
How can the former IRA man be considered a serious candidate for the Irish presidency?
…
Jim Cusack of the Sunday Independent and a few other Dublin reporters are doing what journalists are meant to do and spoiling the party with awkward questions. McGuinness says he never killed anyone with gun or bomb. All right, they say, you may not have pulled the trigger but how many “spectaculars” did you organise? Whose deaths did you order? Which families are still grieving because of your commands?…
…[the] war was futile because the power sharing and cross-border institutions the IRA settled for in 1998 had been on offer since 1974. All the people the IRA, Protestant paramilitaries and the British army killed in the intervening decades died for nothing…
…Ireland may soon be welcoming a president who cannot be honest with the electorate, cannot be honest with supporters and cannot be honest with himself. He will use the presidency as a megaphone to boom out the myths he has to believe. As always, the surprise is not that the politician lies, but that so many in Ireland and beyond want to be lied to…
The Irish electorate is hardly singular in that respect (h/t Norman’s Spectator).
A symbolic post with a symbol of hate and murder. Mc Guinness is just a visible symptom of the festering rot within.
“How can the former IRA man be considered a serious candidate for the Irish presidency?”
His birthplace is known, as is his entire personal history. Unlike some, people know who they are voting for warts and all. Has he spent nearly two million personal dollars in court to hide his past from the public? The answer is no he hasn’t. The Irish will vote in free and informed elections.
It works in the ME,why not Ireland?
From a comment in the linked article:
“Martin McGuinness has put himself before an Irish electorate many times since 1982 and has been elected to many different fora – including Westminster. He is currently the joint First Minister of the North’s executive and is well into his second term in that role. Before that he was the Minister for Education in the same executive. He has been working closely and effectively with his Unionist and loyalist counterparts for many years. He has been instrumental in reaching out to the Unionist community and has been commended for his work in this regard by very many members of that community.
People know Martin McGuinness’ past as a member of the IRA. He has never hidden it. He has served two terms in jail for it. And anybody familiar with Irish history since independence from Britain will know that a number of Irish Presidents – not to mention Prime Ministers – have been former IRA members. The most famous of them all was Eamon DeValera – once sentenced to death by Britain for his “crimes”.
Martin McGuinness’ entry in to the Presidential race has upset a small but vocal element in the establishment media. Unsurprisingly they are the same elements who were most hostile to the peace process over the years and did nothing to advance it. And unsurprisingly too most are the same elements who were the greatest cheerleaders of the corrupt and greedy politicians who bankrupted Ireland in the recent past.
It’s time for those elements to get over themselves. The people of Ireland will make up their own minds on polling day. Whether Martin McGuinness wins the election or not it is certain that huge numbers of Irish people will vote for him on the basis on his considerable achievements to date – achievements that are unmatched by any of the other candidates in the race.”
much ado about nuttin
Would I vote for him given his history? Nope, but the man served his time and he is free to participate in society as much any other free human being..
Nelson Mandela was a terrorist who was responsible for the death of many, and now we give him the Peace Prize.
As I recall, a former Israeli PM was a terrorist prior to 1948 (Begin?)
I can hardly wait for Clifford Olson to run for PM.
He served his time. If people are that stupid to vote for him they deserve thier fate.
We live in a mad house ourselves because we voted with emotions instead of logic.
Fortunatly reason won over emotion last election.
Nick Cohen didn’t mention the Omagh bombing, in which 29 people died, including several children. McGuinness, who became Education minister shortly thereafter, admitted to knowing who carried out the murders. He knew their names. This is an evil man, he’s a terrorist. Some of you guys no doubt are in favour of a united Ireland, and are angry about the history of British colonialism in Ireland. That’s fine, I have all the sympathy in the world for that; this isn’t about that. McGuiness would be the scum he is if he were an Orangeman.
One of the things that went through my head on Sept. 11, 2001 was “I hope those IRA ‘charities’ aren’t picking up a penny in any east coast pub today”. And for those saying “he’s served his time” – no, he hasn’t. Most of these bastards got off very light because of concessions and political dealmaking. He should probably have served his time at the end of a rope.
Go on, Ireland, prove you’re more civilized than Afghanistan, or Iran.
“How can the former IRA man be considered a serious candidate for the Irish presidency?”
One possible answer.
http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/tm_objectid=17143900&method=full&siteid=93463-name_page.html
Kevinb: agreed. As long as the voters know his past, it’s fair ball.
What does it say about a sovereign nation who would elect such a man as McGuinness?
We are a long, long way from the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the subsequent civil war (which no one in Ireland ever seems to want to talk much about). Even the Northern Ireland troubles are slipping further and further into posterity.
Which is where Ireland – the Republic and the North – ought to be consigning the likes of McGuinness.
Perhaps he might be convinced to take Ian Paisley with him.
I’v seen people posting in SDA about the fact that Ozero hung around with Ayres the admitted murder, and that that fact should be enough to consider not voting for the Zero, but now, mcguiness, a murder, “has served his time”…tel me it ain’t so….hang the ba$$turd
Black Mamba:
And for those saying “he’s served his time” – no, he hasn’t. Most of these bastards got off very light because of concessions and political dealmaking. He should probably have served his time at the end of a rope.
This is probably true, but what does it say about the peace process? Concessions get made all the time for political master’s ends. He only paid the price that was put upon him by those same masters. I don’t blame him for his sentences, I blame the politico’s who short changed justice, still would never vote for the murdering scum bag even if he is a free man.
Wha’ saw the tattie howkers,
Wha’ saw them gang awa’?
Wha’ saw the tattie howkers,
Marching doon the Broomielaw?
Some of them had bits an’ stockin’s,
Some of them had nane at a’,
Some of them had umberellas
Marching doon the Broomielaw.
Ireland is a frigged up nation full of frigged up Irishmen. They’re a pack of loons the same as Al Qaeda who happen to share a language with us.
Who d’you think TRAINED the Islamists in the fine art of IEDs, small unit tactics and general terrorist mayhem? IRA, duh.
Tattie howkers. You can’t talk to them, and they barely notice if you bang ’em with a 2×4. No sense, no feeling.
and for all you bing crosy fans:
toooo ra loooo ra looora.
tooo ra loooo ra la
thats an irish lullaby !!!
the irish conflict is based on RELIGION.
I think it time we start throwing christians to the lions again.
Erskine Childers and Roger Casement both hung for their misdeeds, and to my knowledge no one died because of them. This bastard should hang also. (Of course, so should many of the Black and Tans!)
My mistake, I believe Erskine was shot by firing squad.
Questions questions,
Bing despite his Hollywood persona was an abusive pr#ck to his wife and children.
questionable troll said: “I think it time we start throwing christians to the lions again.”
Fine, we can start with you. The modern atheist is just a Christian who hates God for being too strict, so you qualify.
Anybody dumb enough to think the Irish Troubles, the Orange vs. the Green had religion as more than a peripheral issue… the phrase I believe is “dumber than a bag of hammers”.
“Ireland is a frigged up nation full of frigged up Irishmen. They’re a pack of loons the same as Al Qaeda… Posted by: The Phantom September 26,2011 11:50 AM
“Ireland is a frigged up nation full of frigged up Irishmen. They’re a pack of loons the same as Al Qaeda… Posted by: The Phantom September 26,2011 11:50 AM
“Ireland is a frigged up nation full of frigged up Irishmen. They’re a pack of loons the same as Al Qaeda… Posted by: The Phantom September 26,2011 11:50 AM
“Ireland is a frigged up nation full of frigged up Irishmen. They’re a pack of loons the same as Al Qaeda… Posted by: The Phantom September 26,2011 11:50 AM
“Ireland is a frigged up nation full of frigged up Irishmen. They’re a pack of loons the same as Al Qaeda… Posted by: The Phantom September 26,2011 11:50 AM
∞ ≠ ø said what I said, five times. It bore repeating, did it? 🙂
Religion’s got nothing to do with it. The Irish fight for the sake of fighting, its what makes them loony and frigged up in the first place.
Phantom >
“The Irish fight for the sake of fighting, its what makes them loony and frigged up in the first place.”
Meh, the Irish contributions to the founding centuries of the US & Canada can’t be ignored, especially that fighting spirit in the armed services.
The Irish overcame “ethnic” discrimination in NA and assimilated then excelled like no other immigrating race, including the bulk of the Chinese. The discrimination of Irish in the UK is still palpable in many places. In fact the Irish do not owe the once oppressive Brits who whine like elitist victims, any favours. They do indeed produce their share of excellence in available industry, commerce, arts & entertainment given the size of population.
Mostly sour grapes from the UK me thinks.