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Messages - Hound

#1
General discussion / Re: The Fine Gael thread
March 25, 2024, 08:49:50 AM
Quote from: Itchy on March 25, 2024, 08:10:07 AM
Quote from: Hound on March 25, 2024, 07:37:19 AMDecent first speech by Harris:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0324/1439725-harris-speech/

I don't find him a likeable character, would have much preferred Coveney or Donohue, but let's see what his policies and actions are.

I heard he wants to take FG back to their roots, is that to fascism or does he not intend to go quite that far back?
Nope, you heard wrong.

Key bullet points for FG values / agenda.

Hope. Enterprise. Equality of Opportunity. Integrity. Security. An immediate ceasefire in Gaza. And I want this party to fight against populism and deliberate polarisation.


#2
General discussion / Re: The Fine Gael thread
March 25, 2024, 08:44:07 AM
Thanks for that RH. I see the odd McDowell piece in the paper, i don't frequent his website.

McDowell's claim that SF was undemocratic wasn't because she was elected unopposed though.

If you believe some puppet master told Coveney, Donohue, Humohries, McEntee etc that they were not permitted to contest the election then that would be equivalent alright. Personally I don't think Harris is controlled by shawdowy puppet master figures. I think he really wants it and will make decisions (whether good or bad) himself and for his personal agenda of what he thinks would be successful. And he has persuaded most of his elected parliamentary colleagues to side with him. The other potential contenders were either not interested (SC and PD) or knew they would lose (everyone else).

Here's some of what McDowell said about SF (from the 2019 article that was linked):

I think Sinn Féin is still an undemocratic, marxist movement masquerading as a conventional political party. Most of its members are probably unaware of its true nature.

Let me pose two questions.

Why did Sinn Féin recently spend a large sum sending a delegation to the inauguration of the undemocratic marxist, Nicolas Maduro, as president of Venezuela?

How precisely was Michelle O'Neill chosen to succeed Martin McGuinness as leader of Sinn Féin in the North?

In the case of Maduro, the Provisional movement have long backed communist movements in that region. They sold their weapons technology to the Farc communists in neighbouring Colombia in exchange for millions of narco-dollars. They had, despite denials, a permanent representative in Castro's Cuba. The common thread was a belief that they were and are a revolutionary movement with a marxist orientation. Readers of An Phoblacht over the years will remember the constant stream of supportive articles for marxist revolutionary groups internationally.

It should come as absolutely no surprise that the party sent a delegation to Caracas to celebrate the subversion of democracy in what used to be one to Latin America's most liberal states.

This may not lie easily with the polished, bourgeois professional image which the Party seeks to create using Mary Lou McDonald and, until recently, the urbane Peadar Tóibín.

But the truth is that Sinn Féin is rigidly controlled by a small clique of Provo veterans who are puppet-masters in what appears to be a normal democratic party.

It was they who chose Michelle O'Neill. It is they who secured the unopposed election of Mary Lou as the party's Uachtarán. It is their network of commissars who impose order and discipline on the party's members. It is they who decide on strategy. It is they who will decide if and when the party resumes participation in the NI executive.

In true marxist style, the entire party is subject to what Lenin described as "democratic centralism".

Sinn Féin members of the Oireachtas do not choose their advisors, interns or secretaries. The party commissars make those decisions. By this means all vestiges of political privacy and autonomy are absent.

We are still somewhat in the dark as to whether the party confiscates its public representatives' earnings and allowances over certain average industrial wage thresholds to apply them to party purposes under the guise of a voluntary contribution to the support of the party.

Most Sinn Féin members, elected and un-elected, are outside the loop of decision-making. I do not believe for one minute that Mary Lou or Michelle is in charge of the party rather than the old gang in the backroom of the Felons' Club on the Andersonstown Road.

If the party does not make sufficient progress at the polls, either or both of them will receive a tap on the shoulder from the Felons' Club – not from the ordinary members.

Sinn Féin is not a democratic or republican party. It remains a carefully constructed façade for a small, manipulative and undemocratic clique with very different values.
#3
General discussion / Re: The Fine Gael thread
March 25, 2024, 07:44:43 AM
Quote from: RedHand88 on March 25, 2024, 07:41:01 AMRemember when the media/twitterati said Sinn Fein wasn't a democratic party because Mary Lou was elected unopposed?

 ::)  ::)  ::)
Nope. Not in any media I read. But I try to avoid the crazies on 'social' media.
#4
General discussion / Re: The Fine Gael thread
March 25, 2024, 07:37:19 AM
Decent first speech by Harris:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0324/1439725-harris-speech/

I don't find him a likeable character, would have much preferred Coveney or Donohue, but let's see what his policies and actions are.
#5
GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2024
March 24, 2024, 03:41:56 PM
Quote from: SouthDublinBro on March 24, 2024, 03:31:04 PMand yet we are told that Armagh have the "best squad depth in the country at the minute"
What don't you post under your Cavan name instead of using this fake Dub nonsense?
Every post having a go at either Monaghan or Armagh, and you feel the need to use this moniker when the whole board knows you are not a Dub. Weird.
#6
GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2024
March 24, 2024, 03:39:25 PM
Quote from: Brendan on March 24, 2024, 03:18:51 PM
Quote from: seafoid on March 24, 2024, 03:07:07 PMThe Tyrone game is a massacre. The GAA have created a monster.

A successful Dublin teams pays the bills for headquarters and that's all that matters
Did you think that through?

Dublin's fans went to games regardless of whether they were successful. Every game under Pillar seemed to sell out, and we never even got to a final.
All Ireland Semis and final would sell out without the Dubs. A Leinster final without the Dubs would unquestionably sell more tickets than a final with the Dubs.
#7
General discussion / Re: Premier League 2023-2024
March 10, 2024, 08:43:00 PM
Despite the stats, I thought Son wasn't all that hot today. I think he's much better wide than through the centre. But his workrate and desire is second to none.

I think Arsenal have a great chance in the CL. Nobody they should be afraid of, but need to be streetwise (which they probably aren't in a European context, but you can learn it )
#8
General discussion / Re: The IRISH RUGBY thread
March 10, 2024, 08:37:39 PM
Quote from: 6th sam on March 10, 2024, 08:18:42 PMBecause it's not a "certain team" ,it's my team, my country. I don't want to see them lose , and hit the roof when james Lowe scored the try to put us in front, but I'm not afraid to be honest about rugby's many deficiencies. RTE and the Dublin 4 media, hype rugby up disproportionately and without question. That isn't good for rugby and it's not good for Irish sport .
We didn't deliver in the WC again. We had a chance to partly rectify that with back to back grand slams but couldn't deliver against the "auld enemy " when it counted.
Its a cliché but sport is a "game of inches". And when u have to find those inches you need hungry warriors on the pitch . It's an indictment that the 3 hungriest looking Irish players yesterday were NZers. Unpalatable but a reasonable opinion?
We lost in the WC, because NZ were a small fraction better than us. Nobody with any intelligence could deny that the best 4 teams in that competition were SAF, NZ, France and Ireland. Even though only two of them got to the semis. We have failed at previous world cups, but we didn't underperform at this one. Played really well and lost to a team a little bit better on the day. Mistakes were made of course, as happens to every team in every game, but overall we performed.
Correlating it to completely different Ireland teams actually underperforming at prior world cups is an absolute nonsense.

No team has ever won back to back grand slams in Six Nations history. Not a single one. There have been very good England, France and Wales teams who have won grand slams and were thought to be favourites to do 2 in a row. None have. Because it's hard. Two championships in a row will be impressive, but only if they do it. The Scots hate us and certainly won't lie down.
#9
Quote from: jcpen on March 10, 2024, 06:41:28 PM
Quote from: Gael80 on March 10, 2024, 05:57:13 PMGreat game for the neutral. There is no other team in world football that survive that second half. The atmosphere and drive from that Liverpool team was insane. Klopp's teams have fell short in most title races and today was the chance to open a gap, they were not ruthless.

I sense City will be delighted to survive today and I think will go on to win the title from here.
To be fair I think Liverpool be happy with a point also, City missed a couple of chances in second half also, Kelleher saving from Foden and Doku hitting the inside of the post.
Great game.
Mistakes are probably just around the corner,  but to have lads from Cork and Tyrone replacing injured so-called superstars, and being just as good as them, it's incredible. I'm sure the whole of Ireland is cheering us on in the run-in 😀
#10
General discussion / Re: The IRISH RUGBY thread
March 10, 2024, 08:18:01 PM
Quote from: 6th sam on March 10, 2024, 06:24:57 PM
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on March 10, 2024, 04:37:57 PMDid you support Big Jack during those glory years for the Irish team (well not entirely Irish)

International teams in all sports are using outsiders, providing its within the rules then that's ok.

These players come to Ireland and play for Irish clubs, have or start families, their kids go to Irish schools and they put down roots here, in Ireland.


They play with pride and put as much effort into it than paddy Joe from Offaly.

What him being one of Irelands better players has got to do with your point I've no idea. Sexton was Irelands better player for nearly a decade. O'Driscoll the decade before that and so on.

Since u asked. With the exception of carcarino's alleged dodgy Irish connection, all Jack's team were Irish. Ray Houghton is amongst many Glaswegians with a strong sense of irishness because many of their ancestors had to go from Donegal to Scotland or starve . Kevin kilbane and mick McCarthy are examples of people born in the North of England who consider themselves Irish. Kilbane though he has a Yorkshire accent, famously rejected the chance to play for England

Irish Rugby exiled Simon Zebo because he wanted to go to France , yet availed of james Lowe , a clearly proud NZer, with no Irish connection , to effectively take Zebo's place.

I question the authenticity of that , and I'm a celtic supporting , GAA begrudger talking dung . 😂😂😂 .
Gallsman ( presumably a GAA himself) inexplicably drags in sectarianism, when one of my main complaints is that lads at state schools in the north are being deprived of opportunities for Ulster and ireland due to elite rugby tourism .
I'll admit, as I've experience of it, that I've no time for the nonsense around the privileged private school culture in Leinster .

Ultimately the IRFU much like jack Charlton , gathered the best possible team together within the rules. Jack Charlton tapped into the diaspora which in my view is more authentically Irish than Rugby tourism. Soccer is clearly the most popular Sport in the world . Rugby isn't even in the top 3 sports in Ireland . Do I like the fact that rugby is given an elevated status by the Dublin media , No. Do I like that Ulster is poorly represented in the Irish team , No. Do I like the deliberate targetting of concussion vulnerable players, No. Do I like the privileged culture of private education , No. Do I think proud NZers should represent Ireland ahead of an Irishman , No. do I support ireland , yes.


I'd like those that call that begrudgery to explain how they feel about the points above .

Posters on here regularly complain about boring play in Gaelic football, about  Dublin GAA's privileged position , or about Shane Walsh's transfer to kilmacud, or about Irish Soccer's woes , but we dare to criticise the sacred cow/darling of the media , that is Rugby , and we're talking dung. I find that hilarious tbh
Kevin Kilbane is a complete spoofer,  but I agree he has always seen himself as Irish. But can you please elaborate on how he 'famously' turned down England? (Given he would never have been anywhere near a senior England team had he been truly English)

Andy Townsend and John Aldridge are two players who never let Ireland down, always gave 100%. But would undoubtedly have chosen England had we not nabbed them before they became top players in the top division.
#11
Missed most of the first half, but delighted with the second half performance. MacAllister and Endo dominated midfield and Virgil was just immense, but most of them played well. Think Klopp made a mistake taking off Darwin but a draw is a decent result, still ahead of City. Just win our last 10 games and we might pip it!
#12
General discussion / Re: The IRISH RUGBY thread
March 10, 2024, 11:43:33 AM
There's no begrudger like a GAA begrudger! Especially the 'the best team in the world' muppets. Nobody in rugby circles has called Ireland the best team in the world in the build up to, or during, this Six Nations.

When Aston Villa beat Man City earlier in the season, and played them off the park, nobody suggested Villa are a better team than City, but they were better on the day. We are better than England, we'll finish well ahead of them in the championship, they played very well, we were quite poor, and yet they still only grabbed their fully deserved win by a whisker.

Bit of pressure on now to go beat the Scots, who will also have a lot to prove. Which is good for the 6N, because the 3 previous games had probably been too easy. Extraordinary that if things go well next week, there's a chance Ireland will end up with a 90+ points difference and every other team could have a negative points difference.
#13
General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:
March 09, 2024, 11:07:21 AM
I haven't watched any of the other 'overlap' thingys where Neville, Carra, Keano, Wright and Scott interview someone, but this one with Solskjaer is really good, especially if you are a United fan (it is 80 min long and I've no real clue what's going on at the beginning while they're eating, but it's good when the interview gets going).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jpwbYwOfg4&t=4848s
#14
GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2024
March 02, 2024, 06:34:38 PM
Great appetite and workrate from the Dubs. Mototring along nicely. Some great scores by both sides but Derry didn't really bring it in the second half, so can't read too much into it.

Some amount of Palestinian flags at the Dubs end
#15
Quote from: tonto1888 on February 26, 2024, 07:08:09 AM
Quote from: square_ball on February 25, 2024, 06:56:31 PM
Quote from: RedHand88 on February 25, 2024, 06:52:03 PMCaicedos face at the end was EVERYTHING. What he must be thinking watching the club he turned down make a go at sweeping the board.

What to say about Kelleher? Greatest achievement of any Irish sportsperson this weekend, hands down.

Who or what else was in contention for this prestigious honour?

Well, I would give it to Adam Idah
Con all day long 😁

Great that Kelleher has stepped up. That's 4 games in a row where he's played well and made big saves. Arguably could have done better for the Luton goal where the ball went through him, but it was hit with quickly with a lot of pace, but main thing was it didn't impact him one iota. I expect he'll get a decent move in the summer