Bobby Sands Movie

[Main Street]

OK, thanks. So all those memorials, biographies, commemorations etc etc are wrong and Donagh's right. 

FWIW he was OC of all the prisoners in Long Kesh. AFAIA he was not OC of the Belfast Brigade.

[Kerry Mike]

Just out of curiosity what do people think would have happened if Bobby Sands had survived the hunger strikes, would he now be sharing the big power table with Ian Paisley, or would he have followed the path of his brother-in-law McKevitt.  Was the Strikes the catalyst for the next 20 years or so of the troubles or was that going to happen anyway. We will never know maybe there would have been another outcome.

I know he stood as an MP while on the Hunger Strike as a protest and got a huge vote, but had he a real calling to make it as a politician like Adams or McGuinness or David Irvine who turned their backs on the gun and pushed for a peaceful solution.

[Donagh]

"Though more likely he'd become leader of the DUP and Queen of England."

[Man In Middle]

Just out of curiosity what do people think would have happened if Bobby Sands had survived the hunger strikes, would he now be sharing the big power table with Ian Paisley, or would he have followed the path of his brother-in-law McKevitt.  Was the Strikes the catalyst for the next 20 years or so of the troubles or was that going to happen anyway. We will never know maybe there would have been another outcome.

I know he stood as an MP while on the Hunger Strike as a protest and got a huge vote, but had he a real calling to make it as a politician like Adams or McGuinness or David Irvine who turned their backs on the gun and pushed for a peaceful solution.

Bobby sands was an ordinary man who found himself in similar circumstances to hundreds of young men across the province. Living in Rathcool, he watched as his parents home was targeted time and time again for no other reason other than they were catholics. He choose, writely or wrongly to join the armed struggle against British oppression in Ireland.

I have no doubt what path Bobby sands would have choosen to take. He was a man who educated himself and hundreds of others inside the Kesh, and yearned for simple"Human Rights" for his people. Yes the conflict was about British Imperialism and  their presence in Ireland but it was about much more.
How cirmcumstances have changed that: There is no RUC, Republicans are in power sharing government, noth south institutions etc. etc..
I rekon he would have settled for today.
You only have to look what paths his 3 closest compadres took. Big Gerry, OC at the time Bic McFarlane and Jennifer McCann.

"The revenge will be the laughter of our children."

[pintsofguinness]

In June 1972, the family were intimidated out of their home in Doonbeg Drive, Rathcoole and moved into the newly built Twinbrook estate on the fringe of nationalist West Belfast. Bernadette again recalled: We had suffered intimidation for about eighteen months before we were actually put out. We had always been used to having Protestant friends. Bobby had gone around with Catholics and Protestants, but it ended up when everything erupted, that the friends he went about with for years were the same ones who helped to put his family out of their home.

As well as being intimidated out of his job and his home being under threat Bobby also suffered personal attacks from the loyalists.

At eighteen Bobby joined the Republican Movement. Bernadette says: .. 'he was just at the age when he was beginning to become aware of things happening around him. He more or less just said right, this is where I'm going to take up. A couple of his cousins had been arrested and interned. Booby felt that he should get involved and start doing something. '

Bobby himself wrote. "My life now centered around sleepless nights and stand-bys dodging the Brits and calming nerves to go out on operations. But the people stood by us. The people not only opened the doors of their homes to lend us a hand but they opened their hearts to us. I learned that without the people we could not survive and I knew that I owed them everything.

In October 1972, he was arrested. Four handguns were found in a house he was staying in and he was charged with possession. He spent the next three years in the cages of Long Kesh where he had political prisoner status. During this time Bobby read widely and taught himself Irish which he was later to teach the other blanket men in the H-Blocks.

Released in 1976 Bobby returned to his family in Twinbrook. He reported back to his local unit and straight back into the continuing struggle: 'Quite a lot of things had changed some parts of the ghettos had completely disappeared and others were in the process of being removed. The war was still forging ahead although tactics and strategy had changed. The British government was now seeking to 'Ulsterise' the war which included the attempted criminalisation of the IRA and attempted normalisation of the war situation.'

Bobby set himself to work tackling the social issues which affected the Twinbrook area. Here he became a community activist. According to Bernadette, 'When he got out of jail that first time our estate had no Green Cross, no Sinn Fein, nor anything like that. He was involved in the Tenants' Association... He got the black taxis to run to Twinbrook because the bus service at that time was inadequate. It got to the stage where people were coming to the door looking for Bobby to put up ramps on the roads in case cars were going too fast and would knock the children down.'

Within six months Bobby was arrested again. There had been a bomb attack on the Balmoral Furniture Company at Dunmurry, followed by a gun-battle in which two men were wounded. Bobby was in a car near the scene with three other young men. The RUC captured them and found a revolver in the car.

Sammy I've been through this with you before.  Sand's only spent about 9 months  of his time in the IRA outside of jail.
I'd love to know when he killed all the people you say he did. 

[SammyG]

Sammy I've been through this with you before.  Sand's only spent about 9 months  of his time in the IRA outside of jail.
I'd love to know when he killed all the people you say he did. 

FFS try reading the bit you've just posted. What do you think the 'operations' were that he was involved in, how do you think he 'forged ahead with the war'? Was he helping oul dolls across the road or delivering meals on wheels or something? He was the OC of the Provos in Belfast at a time when the Provos were slaughtering people on a daily basis, to try and suggest that he wasn't involved in that slaughter would be laughable if it wasn't such a serious issue.

[SammyG]

FFS, have you not got that half an hour you were talking about? I'm waiting all day for you to back up your idle comments.

What idle comments?

[Fluffy Che]

Boys a'dear..if you keep paying him attention - he'll keep posting his crap!

[Donagh]

He was the OC of the Provos in Belfast at a time when the Provos

No he wasn't

[pintsofguinness]

FFS try reading the bit you've just posted. What do you think the 'operations' were that he was involved in, how do you think he 'forged ahead with the war'? Was he helping oul dolls across the road or delivering meals on wheels or something? He was the OC of the Provos in Belfast at a time when the Provos were slaughtering people on a daily basis, to try and suggest that he wasn't involved in that slaughter would be laughable if it wasn't such a serious issue.

I couldn't tell you what he was at but he was 18 years old at the time and had just joined the IRA 4 months (at most) so I'd imagine it wasn't a lot!!
You've yet to provide a credible source to say he was OC of the belfast brigade. 

[Donagh]

Strangely enough Sammy's never as quick to provide the evidence he so often demands of others.

[SammyG]

You have been claiming that someone has been involved in things that he was never found guilty for. When questioned on this, you promise that you will produce relevant facts to back this up "when you get half an hour". You have had 4 and a half hours and you still have not found any way to back your claims up.

Christ do you ever stop talking shite. Sands was OC of the Belfast Provos, the Belfast Provos killed/bombed/maimed hundreds of people at the time he was OC. Even the sycophantic shite that pog posted, states that he was involved in 'operations' and progressing the 'war'.

As far as the evidence, I'm still in work and will be for a while, as I've already said, when I get time I'll produce the list of people slaughtered, while Sands was involved. If you don't want to wait, try the Cain website, or the McKitterick book that I've already mentioned.

[SammyG]

Strangely enough Sammy's never as quick to provide the evidence he so often demands of others.

See previous answer.

p.s. Still waiting for the list of loyalist bigots on OWC, when you get a minute.

[SammyG]

Don't bother your hole actually because I can't listen to anymore of the shite you have to say. You continue to say the same things over and over without any back up. I ask you to back them up and you say I'm talking shite. Go and crawl back into that shite ridden hole you unfortunately slimed your way out of.

When all else fails go for personal abuse.

[SammyG]

When all else fails, just tell the person he is talking shite when he has done no more than to ask questions!

You're talking shite because you didn't bother to read what I wrote before you posted about it.