Irish Swell British Army Ranks

[Evil Genius]

When you're a paid carrier of lethal arms in the service of another country, specifically when that same country pursues operations of occupation and suppression overseas, you're a mercenary, never a 'soldier'.

Nonsense. Or would you consider e.g. people from many parts of the world who joined the fight against the Nazis, prior to any involvement by their own countries, to be "mercenaries"? Or the (British) Indian Army in 1939, perhaps? You know, the largest volunteer army the world has ever seen?

Mercenaries fight purely for money, and will even switch sides and fight against their former comrades, if offered more money. Moreover, they serve in all sorts of conflicts, involving all sorts of shady militias etc, which follow no rules of war and who wouldn't recognise e.g. the Geneva Convention if it were tattooed on their arse.

Whereas when ROI recruits join the British Army, they are joining legally constituted, internationally recognised armed forces, often serving directly on behalf of the EU, NATO or the UN, as in Afghanistan, Cyprus or Sierra Leone, for example. To compare them to mercenaries who e.g. join some rebel force which is seeking to overthrow a Dictator somewhere in Africa, for instance, is an insult to the integrity of recruits concerned, as well as an insult to the intelligence of the rest of us.  

These guys want to be professional soldiers, like countlless numbers of Irishmen before them. As to their choice of army, why should it be so surprising if, for instance, they viewed the recent RIR homecoming parade, and decided they wanted to serve with an Irish Regiment of an undefeated army, as they marched proudly through the streets of an Irish city, to the sound of thousands of cheering Irish men, women and children?  

[The Watcher Pat]

Professional soldiers

How hard is to ask for your licence?


I heard the RIR had a checkpoint up in the desert in Iraq with a sign......please use dipped headlights!!!

[whiskeysteve]

When you're a paid carrier of lethal arms in the service of another country, specifically when that same country pursues operations of occupation and suppression overseas, you're a mercenary, never a 'soldier'.

Nonsense. Or would you consider e.g. people from many parts of the world who joined the fight against the Nazis, prior to any involvement by their own countries, to be "mercenaries"? Or the (British) Indian Army in 1939, perhaps? You know, the largest volunteer army the world has ever seen?

Mercenaries fight purely for money, and will even switch sides and fight against their former comrades, if offered more money. Moreover, they serve in all sorts of conflicts, involving all sorts of shady militias etc, which follow no rules of war and who wouldn't recognise e.g. the Geneva Convention if it were tattooed on their arse.

Whereas when ROI recruits join the British Army, they are joining legally constituted, internationally recognised armed forces, often serving directly on behalf of the EU, NATO or the UN, as in Afghanistan, Cyprus or Sierra Leone, for example. To compare them to mercenaries who e.g. join some rebel force which is seeking to overthrow a Dictator somewhere in Africa, for instance, is an insult to the integrity of recruits concerned, as well as an insult to the intelligence of the rest of us.  

These guys want to be professional soldiers, like countlless numbers of Irishmen before them. As to their choice of army, why should it be so surprising if, for instance, they viewed the recent RIR homecoming parade, and decided they wanted to serve with an Irish Regiment of an undefeated army, as they marched proudly through the streets of an Irish city, to the sound of thousands of cheering Irish men, women and children?  

Did you miss the widespread allegations of torture of iraqi detainees? How about a suicide bomber who kills a crowd of people (one horrific act) vs. a bomber who kills a crowd of people (another horrific act dressed up as 'collateral damage'). Legal mass murder, eh?

The idea that one side is constantly fighting a clean, legal war is deluded. Legal in whose eyes? From what I can make out the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are widely viewed as unpopular or illegal in the western world.

Very blinkered view of the world

[Main Street]

What are the actual figures?
They keep talking about the numbers going from 3% to 14%, but of what - 100, 1000, 10000. It can be very easy to work figures to suit an agenda.

Celtic have increased the gap by 75% today.

As regards the rise in recruits from the Republic to the RIR from 3 to 6 to 8?, they are still dwarfed by the rise in recruits and general interest with out and out fascist organisations.

[belleaqua]

The idea that one side is constantly fighting a clean, legal war is deluded. Legal in whose eyes? From what I can make out the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are widely viewed as unpopular or illegal in the western world.

Why do people consistently lump Iraq and Afghanistan in the same category of wars?? Afghanistan while maybe unpopular is a legal war under international law, Iraq a blatantly illegal liberal crusade.

[doire na raithe]

I wonder, before he was removed from this Earth, did the young marine feel any remorse for the attrocities committed on many innocent people by his beloved British army during the time of his involvment and of many centuries before.

I don't wish death on anyone but I certainly feel no remorse or loss for a young Irish man with romantic imperial notions and delusions of grandure.

[Rossfan]

As an Irishman I find it very hard to undrstand how any Irishman, who isnt an out and out Unionist who thinks of the Brits as his army, would join an army which in one guise or another spent 800 + years terrorising,robbing,killing,plundering, burning in our Country.

I doubt if many Poles join the Bundeswehr or the Russian Army.

[Hardy]

As an Irishman I find it very hard to undrstand how any Irishman, who isnt an out and out Unionist who thinks of the Brits as his army, would join an army which in one guise or another spent 800 + years terrorising,robbing,killing,plundering, burning in our Country.

I doubt if many Poles join the Bundeswehr or the Russian Army.

I suppose you have to assume that's what they are - that or mercenaries, though seeking reward in what they seem to call "action", rather than money. You can't imagine a nationalist going to "fight" for another country.

[thejuice]

Well I guess theres a wider range of things you can do in the British than the Irish one. Its just a job for some people. you dont nessesarily end up on the front line. Im sure you've seen plenty of adds on the UK channels about the wide range of jobs in the Army/RAF/Navy. I would like to see more lads and lassies joining our own army but the wide range of jobs isnt likely to be there.

But Im just talking about the non-combatitive jobs.

[doire na raithe]

But if you want to be an engineer why do you have to be an army engineer? same with the other positions offered in the army, if thats what you wanna be then can't you do it outside of the army?

[thejuice]

A jobs a job, wherever you can get it.

[whiskeysteve]

The idea that one side is constantly fighting a clean, legal war is deluded. Legal in whose eyes? From what I can make out the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are widely viewed as unpopular or illegal in the western world.

Why do people consistently lump Iraq and Afghanistan in the same category of wars?? Afghanistan while maybe unpopular is a legal war under international law, Iraq a blatantly illegal liberal crusade.

How have I lumped them in the same category?

A jobs a job, wherever you can get it.

Disagree. Where there is a choice I would rather work as an engineer on a public project for example than design or build something than contributes to the likes of the war in Iraq

[doire na raithe]

A jobs a job, wherever you can get it.

Yeah true and those guys in the SS who turned on the gas would definately agree.

[thejuice]

A jobs a job, wherever you can get it.

Disagree. Where there is a choice I would rather work as an engineer on a public project for example than design or build something than contributes to the likes of the war in Iraq

Well I guess there are those who would choose the army.

A jobs a job, wherever you can get it.

Yeah true and those guys in the SS who turned on the gas would definately agree.

is it fair to compare every army with the Nazi's?

[doire na raithe]

Thats not what was in question.

I was taking your sweeping statement about "a job being a job" to its obvious conclusion.