Is it really such a big deal, Queenie shaking hands with Martin? After all hasn’t she done the same to others who have done worse (cue Bliar rants)?

Why would McGuiness want to shake hands with the poster girl for an archaic repressive ruling class?

I wouldn’t waste a cup of urine on him if he was ablaze, personally.

Is it really such a big deal, Queenie shaking hands with Martin?

Well, given the labyrinthine course of Irish history since Oliver Cromwell rather annoyed them, yes.

It’s as significant that Martin McGuiness has agreed to it as the Queen has; at the time of the troubles, they were to each other, the enemy.

I think the reason it’s being hailed as a big event has less to do with the controversy of the Queen shaking hands with someone responsible for terrorist atrocities than it is a representation of how far we’ve come.

I heard an interview with the father of the child killed in the Warrington bomb congratulating both sides for just this reason. It was pretty amazing to hear him speak so compassionately about the person ultimately responsible for the death of his son.

With rare exceptions conflicts get resolved around a table, its just a sahme that in the thousands of years of human history that we haven’t got round to doing the table bit first.

Hurrah for common sense 😯

Is it really such a big deal, Queenie shaking hands with Martin?

MM has had a long journey from murdering provo bastard, to someone who genuinely seems to want to see a permanent peaceful resolution to the conflict.

What he’s doing now, by this act of unity and compromise, is further isolating the mad sods on both sides who want to continue the bloodshed.

So…. yes – it is a big deal! Its part of a process that must have already saved countless lives

In a better world, we wouldn’t know who either of them was.

MM has had a long journey from murdering provo bastard, to someone who genuinely seems to want to see a permanent peaceful resolution to the conflict.

He has also managed to get his nose in the trough. Don’t underestimate the ability of a Platinum Frequent Flyer card to soften the most ardent revolutionary’s spirit.

What he’s doing now, by this act of unity and compromise, is further isolating the mad sods on both sides who want to continue the bloodshed.

Agreed. And, as Greg said, it’s also about the fact that they, i.e. he and Queenie have agreed to do it, that means that this is a big deal on both sides.

In a better world, we wouldn’t know who either of them was.

THIS

I dont know how the conflict will ultimately be resolved and whther we will ever give up or colony and the planted population.
However it gets resolved the reduced number of deaths is a good thing

MM The british governmnet has had a long journey from murdering provo bastard, to someone who genuinely seems to want to see a permanent peaceful resolution to the conflict.

FTFY

Lets try and take a balanced view eh. Neither side was exactly saintly and lets be honest our invasion of Ireland, ignoring the ballot and subsequent partition etc was what started and maintained it all.

People want to be free …except the ones we put there to be loyal obviously who are still doing their job 350 years later and being loyal to the crwon.

I did mean to add “and so has the Queen” JY

The thing is that its just so pronounced with Martin McGuiness. Its obvious he’s had a huge damascene conversion along the way from violence as a solution, to not only peaceful means, but also the complete margalisation of his former comrades who still sadly seem committed to ‘the armed struggle’

Credit where its due. He’s risking a lot by this. The queens risking eff all, quite frankly

Indeed Binners there has been a huge shift within the IRA from the armalite to the ballot box…at times in the “troubles” such a change was inconceivable.

I suspect it took “men of action” to be able to carry the “troops”

On a humourous note, I hope he leans forward to Queenie and says in his Norn Iron accent “I know where you live”.

As an aside, an important part of the peace process is reconcilliation and the ability to move on. If a one time terrorist can show a deep commitment to a peaceful solution then we can all learn from that, otherwise you remain in a cycle of mistrust.

He’s a disgrace to the IRA.

She shook hands with this guy, he was allegedly a murdering barsteward at some point in his life.

I suspect it was the fact that the IRA were beaten in the field by the british army that prompted their ‘conversion’. When you’re reduced to bombing Bognor Regis (no bad thing) you may as well pack up and get what you can from the establishment, which is what the IRA did.

He’s a disgrace to the IRA.

I hope they shoot him.

His faction got the upper hand so he’ll be the one doing any shooting.

Very positive – a step forward for peace.

I suspect it was the fact that the IRA were beaten in the field by the british army that prompted their ‘conversion’.

You cannot realy beat terrorismm when ideas that support it are deeply emmbeded in the nations psyche

One wonders why they had to decomission weapons and say they would stop bombing/violence if they were beaten…you could possibly argue contained but beaten is just chest beating on your part.

Not chest beating but a statement of fact. Yes the ideals of republicanism are still strong, but given a population thouroughly sick of it all, and a few economic concessions that can be quietly withdrawn in the future, the so-called ‘path to peace’ was an easy road for MM and his cronies to take.

So what are we supposed to do? Stonewall the Repulican community in NI and pretend they don’t exist?

The Mandela pic is quiet apt, for the ANC committed a number of acts of terrorism in SA in the 1970s/1980s. The minority government also committed an even greater number of atrocities.

There came a point where the bravest option wasn’t to keep fighting but to find a way to bury the hatchet. Both sides had a lot to lose.

I think it’s it s an important step for both sides and shows just how far the peace process in Northern Ireland has come.

Interestingly it was probably 9-11 that was the final nail in the coffin of the republican movement and the resulted in the permanent removal of the gun from Irish politics.

They were effectively beaten from the mid-nineties.

Ditto what Geetee72 said. i didn’t see the Warrington dad, but Breakfast news had a guy whose wife and daughter were killed 20-odd years ago. Made me cry, the level of forgiveness he was able to give. Very humbling.

On a humourous note, I hope he leans forward to Queenie and says in his Norn Iron accent “I know where you live”.

She can probably reply that she knows where he is too! 😀

The road to reconciliation is always punctuated by shaking hands (whether literally or figuratively) with those you once despised. Some will be left behind because they can’t move on. And everyone is better off for their non-involvement in the process.

One day the island will be united as it should always have been. Probably not in any of our lifetimes. But one day.

When are you effectively beat – is this the same as being “beaten” as you originally claimed?

1,000 rifles
3 tonnes of Semtex
20–30 heavy machine guns
7 surface-to-air missiles (unused)
7 flamethrowers
1,200 detonators
20 rocket-propelled grenade launchers
100 handguns
100+ hand grenades[77]

This is what they gave up to decomiisioning

but given a population thouroughly sick of it all

One wonders why they continued to vote for them throughout this period ? Any suggestions?

I am not derialing the thread to debate this as this is a Good thing and it is progress

DD I do hope we finally give it back but we have many other colonies we wont give back and claim the settled population as “british”.

Credit where its due. He’s risking a lot by this. The queens risking eff all, quite frankly

What’s he risking?

On a humourous note, I hope he leans forward to Queenie and says in his Norn Iron accent “I know where you live”.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll have some of my people come round in a car and pick you up”

Junkyard – Member
DD I do hope we finally give it back

Should the population have a say?

Definately a big moment. Let’s hope it is just another step along the way…

Must say, there are some pretty unreformed views being expressed ^^ 🙁

It would have been a bit difficult for MM not to meet the Queen, given the reception she received in Ireland. Would have appeared outdated if he couldn’t be as civil as the country he wants to join and that would probably have harmed his cause.

I can’t see a United Ireland in my lifetime. I always thought European integration would make both sides irrelevant but now I just can’t see the NI population looking at the Irish economy and thinking they’d like a bit of that in the next couple of decades.

well, he’s been taking the Queens shilling for long enough (well known tout) so I can’t see the issue really, even if he did murder her cousin.

I don’t think its a big deal at all, nothing more than a PR stunt that Martin and Betty couldn’t sidestep as SF are going down the political route now.

In terms of how it will affect things here, it won’t change a jot, there are still plenty of morons on both sides of the divide who are hell bent on continuing the sickening secarianism that has divided the country for many years.

Currently the province is getting marked up with flags for the so called, ‘glorious twelfth’ nothing more than an excuse for drunken hoods to throw some stones and petrol bombs at the police.

Only last night this ‘flag guarding’ created this nice piece of news;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18603574

However depressing the above may sound things are slowly getting better here but its more to do with education from mixed schools and responsible parents teaching their children to have respect for all people regardless of background, not what happens up on the hill.

Eventually there will be a vote on the future of NI but I doubt if it will be in my lifetime. The Republic of Ireland need to pay off the loans first to be able to afford to pay the salaries of the 35% of peopl employed by the civil service here!

One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

Some interesting posts. Having lived in Belfast all my life, it’s been an interesting last few days, with friends and the like all having their opinions.

I don’t have much to say about it, I only get annoyed thinking about the past 30 years and beyond. A step in the right direction? Not sure, it’s a step in some direction no doubt.

One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

There’s always someone that rolls out this trite untrue bollocks.

It is my sincere hope that HM makes a public proclamation of gratitude to Mr.McGuinness and announces that he will be awarded the OBE for his many years of hard work on behalf of British intelligence.

😈

One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

There’s always someone that rolls out this trite untrue bollocks.

Why is this untrue? Enlighten me?