[quote=“farmerinthecity”]Bandage infuriates me so much - he really does. He just makes stuff up.
I am growing tired of this now but I will say the following:
‘Protestant Slayers’ - that was my view of why IRA were used in the song by Celtic fans, nothing to do with my personal view of the IRA. But Bandage sniffs out something there that he can run with for a while and makes stuff up which I didn’t say at all.
Why t’fuck else would IRA be used? ‘We’ll get the Ra after you Novo just like they went after the rest of your mates’. IRA is used in that song purely to create a secratian divide and it is sickening. Rock actually came on this thread promoting this chant and sets himself up as someone who hates racism and that it the height of hypocritism. Yeah he plays for a club that represents something rotten but don’t lower yourself to their level by wishing death on him by the hand of a group how are now synomynous with crime and self-serving and nothing to do with freedom fighting anymore.
That brings me to my view of the Ra. Bandage - are you seriously drawing comparisons between the shower of fooks who now run organised crime in many areas of Ireland with people who died so you can type on your computer. Utter shame on you. Yes they share the same name (IRB then actually) and yes they were entitled to take up arms in the 1960s when Catholics were being pissed on but in later years they are nothing but scum. Absolute scum who have abandoned their Republican roots for a few quick bucks. It is not about freedom anymore - it is about crime…
Rock - it depends in what context those songs are sang. I have no problem with rebel songs but if you use them in a sectarian context then I have a big problem with them…[/quote]
On your first point Farmer - fair enough if that’s your opinion. It is wrong though. It’s clearly not used in a Protestant Slayers context because it has absolutely nothing to do with Protestants. Accept that and move on so we can move off the whole religious angle. Many of the great Irish revolutionaries were Protestant - including Robert Emmett my personal favourite. Don’t see the relevance of it at all and it serves only to distort this debate.
I’m really not sure why you think using the Ra is used to reinforce a sectarian divide. There weren’t many actions by the Ra in Scotland - can’t think of any off the top of my head - so don’t see why there’d be any reference to “just like they went after the rest of your mates.” I came on this thread to post the chant - don’t particularly care if you like it or not. It was sung and has been sung and is relevant as a result. As I said before I’m not trying to convince you to like it or accept it, just don’t see why you’d go out of your way to be disgusted by people singing it in your absence.
I’m entitled to hate racism and don’t see why any IRA reference has anything to do with that at all. There’s a strong culture of racism in loyalist circles in the 6 counties which is all too prevalent to this day. I hate that shit and it makes me have even more contempt for those pricks. I’m not trying to make myself out to be a saint by despising racism. It’s just something that particularly annoys me and I’m not above hating people. Apologies for that.
I’m now watching last night’s match again so don’t have time to go into the full defence of the Ra but why are you refusing to give them any credit for bringing peace to the 6 counties. They’ve unquestionably advanced the plight of Catholics and repbulicans in the last 30 years. They’ve also brought about a historic peace to the island.
Throw out the crime shite all you like but where are the big IRA crimes taking place now? There aren’t any. The last “example” was the Northern Bank robbery which was such a fucking sham and setup from the special branch it’s unreal. Not the first time and not the last time that the Brits tried to use the media to disrupt republican popularity. Try and exercise a little common sense when thinking about these things.
