I do not disagree with quite a lot of what you say and I will probably come back to the central points here tomorrow, because I am enjoying quality Guinness at the minute, but you need to look at the anachronism of using ‘Provos’ in the way you have. The PIRA did not exist when the British Army landed in 1969.
On Kingsmill: there was a brutal and terrible and utilitarian calculation involved. The calculation proved correct. I make that observation with no equanimity whatsoever.
What people objected to was…
'to keep the peace and did so for almost a year’
Stop telling lies on the internet, the audit trail is there.
They didn’t keep the peace for anywhere near a year. They allowed Catholics be attacked, they harassed Catholics, they set curfews in Catholic areas, internment was even carried out within the first year, they reformed the Bspecials into the UDR within 6 months…
They were welcomed in but quickly lost that support through their support of the RUC in harassing and discriminating against the nationalist community. There was as much loyalist violence, if not more, during this period and they didn’t suffer half as much army brutality or coercive measures.
You’re talking pure tripe and trying to dress it up as ‘nuance’ 
You reckon? I’d say as likely just moronic psychopaths picking the safest and easiest target. Both sides. Any strategic outcome was as likely a coincidence.
You should read lethal allies, or any of the books on collusion. The British were far from moronic psychopaths- you can draw a straight line from the loyalist to the number 10 and it’ll pass neatly through the udr, british army, ruc, orange order, judiciary etc.
‘nuance’
The fella loves to talk about nuance, but when it really comes down to it he relies on the filthiest insults and the dirtiest lies he can come up with…perfectly acceptable on the forum apparently
The genocide apologists are still hard at it.
No.
Was hoping for a discussion on our massive underspending on defence that has left us relying on ‘the Brits’ for any kind of meaningful defence.
Instead it’s a fucking tedious whataboutery pissing contest on what happened in the north 50 years ago.
Defence from what? Bee imports?
Is it something like three-quarters of trans-Atlantic cables run through our waters? Global technological warfare now means we’re on the front lines. Ireland was only ever “neutral” sue to geographical happenstance.
Our neutrality has been shown to mean almost nothing anyway, given we had the Yanks in here during the Iraq War.
We’re not a neutral country as it is, we might as well just be honest about it.
Who’s attacking?
Absolutely correct.
Successive governments have cone and gone. Ireland has become a global hub for technology companies and is strategically positioned both geographically and politically to be of great interest to belligerent states. There’s no question that we are.
The usual suspects are too stupid to see any correlation. The same suspects would rather hark on about ‘the Brits’. The same Brits that still provide us with defence like they did a century ago.
Our lack of maturity on this as a nation is embarrassing.
Give us your own mature thoughts on it. Do you see Ireland being invaded?
We were neutral on the side of the Allies in World War II. And we’ve remained so ever since. An Irish solution to an Irish problem, as they say.
Some great reading here.
Any thoughts at all? What are we defending from? An all out invasion? Cyber? Just our coastal waters?
Should we defend Google head quarters to the last man?
Posters throwing out ‘trans Atlantic cable’ because they read it two days ago is funny.
If you’re talking bringing Ireland up to the level of other small nations, with limited air, sea and radar capabilities you’re talking about 4bn a year. I’m not sure what belligerent states will be setting a fleet of invaders to our shores… What kind of defense are we talking about?
It’s hilarious the irony of the Putin fanboys on here who, surprise surprise don’t see any problem, potential or otherwise with our current capabilities.
No one said any of that… You’ve come in bulling on a topic no one has said anything on.
Give us your own thoughts and we can respond.
Where do I mention invasion?
You are aware that it’s no longer the 19th century. Do you see any problem with Russian military over flying out air space? Do you see any problems with Russian submarines incursions in our waters? Do you have any problem with the cyber attack on our health service? So far that’s cost over €100 million and counting.
If not, then it’s grand. Sure doesn’t everyone love the Oirish. Didn’t Vlad and Xi see the lads changing peoples tyres at Euro ‘16 and decide that we’re a brilliant bunch of lads altogether.
There was an entire article posted on it further up the thread.
Ya I’m absolutely seething here mate.