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Given Adams legitimises violence for political end, it's strange he never joined the IRA himself to help 'the struggle'

He was politically active first, did you not read the article? 

Violence or the threat of violence is used day and daily by the US, UK, French, Israeli's, Russians, and just about anyone who has an Army deployed anywhere where it shouldn't be.

It's not about the size of the gun.

Ok so now you are comparing the US Army to the IRA. Got it.
How anyone can condone violence against Men, Women & Children for their own political ends is beyond me.

Go to Nagasaki and ask them.

Given Adams legitimises violence for political end, it's strange he never joined the IRA himself to help 'the struggle'

He was politically active first, did you not read the article? 

Violence or the threat of violence is used day and daily by the US, UK, French, Israeli's, Russians, and just about anyone who has an Army deployed anywhere where it shouldn't be.

It's not about the size of the gun.

[It's still my view that the use of armed actions in the given circumstances is a legitimate response.]

DER SPIEGEL: You have defended IRA violence on multiple occasions as "legitimate resistance." As a devout Catholic, how do you reconcile that with your faith?

Adams: It's still my view that the use of armed actions in the given circumstances is a legitimate response. Whether you exercise that right is another issue. And of course, there were many things that the IRA did which were wrong. And I both condemned at the time and deplore and regret it to this time.

So, according to this, any group, republican or loyalist, can define its own circumstances in which it believes that a return to violence or, in the case of those termed as dissidents, a continuation of violence is legitimate.

DER SPIEGEL: But hundreds of innocent civilians were killed for that cause.

Adams: Many armed groups were involved in the conflict. Regardless of who was responsible, I regret all the dead. Our cause and our commitment must be to ensure it never happens again.

DER SPIEGEL: Is violence a legitimate means with which to reach one's aims?

Adams: I think in given circumstances. And the circumstances at that time in the north were that people were being denied their rights. The English occupiers refused to concede those and in fact attacked the demonstrators. The most disastrous mistake that the English government made is that they handed the situation over to the generals. That always leads to a militarization of the situation. Military people are not there to pacify, they are there to subjugate.


Feckin Nolan was rabbiting on about this this morning on the radio, so I had to read it to see exactly what Adams had said and like Owen big Nolan was pretty specific about quoting to suit his agenda.

Reading the whole article Adams isn't in denial and is forthright where he believes his community were before the turn to armed conflict, he's not currently advocating violence if the Shinners don't get what they want as he now believes there's other paths now open that weren't there in the late 60's so it takes a fair bit of spin to suggest otherwise.

[Leinster should be interesting with 3 teams in the running.]

Tipp improved 150% between April and August. I dunno if KK can. Not enough iterations imo.

You'll never learn  you're obvious Kilkenny hatred makes you look foolish so many times

You can't really hate a hurling team. Maybe Schadenfreude occasionally such as here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgoPvOQPdfQ&t=299s

KK are ranked 3rd by the bookies which seems fair. Like all great managers Cody squeezed the last out of a super cohort and is now missing them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A65qo0U5630

Kilkenny won't be there this year but they've at least put out some reminders that they ain't going to lie down this summer

Leinster should be interesting with 3 teams in the running.

For three playoff spots! Leinster will be anything but interesting unless Offaly or Dublin can take points from some of the other three and that doesn't look likely.

Munster on the other hand, any three of the five are in with a shout.

Credit to Kilkenny, they showed a great hunger and with TJ Reid and big Walter on song along with the young 19 year old have talent in the squad. Cillian Buckley is a fine hurler as it Eoin Murphy in goals and that's a decent foundation. Add in Richie Hogan, Paul Murphy and Colin Fennelly and they will be there or there abouts later on added by a handy enough run in Leinster where the odd defeat won't be catastrophic. Still thing Paudie Walsh in fullback is a square peg in a round hole and the right man in on top of him will cause issues.

But have they enough to kick on in the summer months like most other major contenders will?
There's far more to Tipp that they showed yesterday, Galway will be much stronger, Waterford won't become a bad team overnight. Limerick can kick again with a young team.

The likes of Clare, Wexford and maybe KK have shown a good bit of their hand already IMO and maybe won't have the strength in depth for 4 games in 5 weeks and that's maybe where they'll all come unstuck. Injuries to key men and no suitable back ups could spell the end of their summers.
Kilkenny used to win leagues at a canter and you just knew they were treading water, this team was full tilt yesterday, but who knows.

Fairly quiet in here what with your cup final tomorrow 

Sam will try and park the bus and still concede a goal in the first 10 minutes.

Karius could catch a cold tomorrow if he doesn't wrap up warm.

The sooner Sam is gone the better IMO.

Did I hear somewhere the the analysis of the substance was weapons grade but could not be tied to russia?  The only places where it is available is Syria, North Korea  and Russia.

Was the Russian that was poisoned an out spoken critic of Putin?

He may have been but he was a Spy caught by the Russians for providing the Brits info and then released back to the UK as part of a prisoner swap IIRC.

You're starting to have doubts after most western countries had a look behind the curtain and found the evidence it compelling enough to start a tit-for-tat spat with a world power. Right. It's all a conspiracy against poor Russia.

Has the lesson of the Americans and the Brits steaming into Iraq to destroy the WOMD been lost on you?

The death of Dr David Kelly left lots of questions in the playing out of those events.

Robin Cook's as well was a bit funny IMO, him being very outspoken on the WMD's and being Foreign Secretary.

You're starting to have doubts after most western countries had a look behind the curtain and found the evidence it compelling enough to start a tit-for-tat spat with a world power. Right. It's all a conspiracy against poor Russia.

What evidence? Post a link to it there.

Same evidence as Boris had, I'd imagine. 

Exactly,
   It's hard not to question the UK Government when the bold Boris goes on German TV and tells huge porkies;

https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/did-boris-johnson-lie-about-porton-downs-evidence-against-russia

Jesus, some people are easy offended

I'm not offended, I just think they're donkeys.

It is a tad insensitive and ill timed considering they're "spit roasting" a cup.

Dickheads alright.

[Show the people that they would be better off in a United Ireland.]

No use standing on the back of a lorry in West Tyrone roaring about a United Ireland. Show the people that they would be better off in a United Ireland. Show them how the State would be  without excessive taxation. And dont use the old shite comment that the Brits will pay. They wont

IMO that is the crux of the matter. Prove to the people that they would be financially better off in a United Ireland and you're onto a winner, even a surprising amount of protestants would be in favour I'd guess.

But as I've said on here before it won't be the Shinners that will convince Protestants of that and that it has to be the sitting Government in the South who may have a lot more sway in the coming years depending on what impact Brexit has in the North.

Ironically enough I think the Special Status that the Shinners want will be an economic stimulant for the north and if anything prolong British rule and Arlenes wish to leave the EU in the same manner as the rest of the UK would increase the likelihood of a United Ireland.

Strange times.

In awe at the quality of Fionntamhnach's post above. Best I've read on this board for a long time.

Agreed

Indeed a good riposte to Sid, but will fall on deaf ears of those that don't want to hear as usual.

[So what is the link?]

So it was OK for Michael Collins to commit murder?

The murder of who exactly?

The Cairo gang.

Fairly clear that he orchestrated this.

Completely clear that he had popular support for his overall goal.
It's clear that the democratic process was being frustrated/denied.

But that doesn't mean anything goes. Did he have popular support for a campaign of violence or this act of violence? What options did he have? Did he conform to the rules of war (admittedly pre Geneva convention)?

I don't have the answers to those last bits.

Pre the execution of the 1916 rebels it was clear that the armed movement didn't have much popular support for armed insurrection that is well documented.
The homerule bill was being stifled and whatever in Westminster during WW1 and beyond, but at the same time due to gerrymandered in build unionist majority and abuse of power in the north the nationalist minority there would not have had a whole pile of options either as can be seen by the way the civil rights movements were met on the streets across the north which were by and large peaceful. There was no movement to a common ground by unionists then before the IRA were able to function.

Is there much of a difference in post 1916 Dublin to late 60's, early 70's Belfast or Derry?

So what is the link?

I was sober last Saturday during the day. But I was drunk on Saturday night. Therefore the darkness caused the drunkenness??? No need to look at other factors??

The link is that if people are denied proper democracy and basic civil rights then they will come out fighting if all other avenues are exhausted whether that's the 1916's or the late 1960's.

The Old IRA were good and New IRA were bad  peddled from Dublin was what I was questioning.

You're a busy boy this morning.

Being involved with teams in the lower Divisions for a few years now, it's hard to get a game moved between teams most of the time because most teams think you are missing players etc and want to get a perceived advantage. I think the County Board should look at this and stagger start times of certain games that draw an interest to the neutrals. It couldn't be that hard?

It would be harder than you think.

Take the weekend past for instance. All three Ards clubs were up in the glens.
Portaferry must have come to an agreement with Dunloy to play their games on the Saturday, fair play to them.
We approached the Dall for Saturday games as well as we run our annual 10k race on the Sunday, they couldn't facilitate as lads were working on Saturday. Fair enough.
Ballycran and Loughgeil played at the same time IIRC.
To facilitate spreading both games apart would mean an early start for one travelling team and / or a late journey home for another and this on Easter Sunday.

Parallel games in the Ards also affects gate receipts, would a North Antrim team be happy with an evening throw in down in the Ards on a Sunday, not getting home the far side of 10pm?

See things from both sides lads.

One thing that I think is prevalent that also contributes to this culture of elevating young men of school age onto pedestals for sporting achievements on the field.
Schools cup rugby in places like Methody, BRA etc, etc and getting onto the team elevates these lads as almost legends and with that comes the trappings of the jersey pullers on a  night out and all that goes with it beyond that.
The complainant knew that only too well by the correspondence with her friend the day after.
Taking the issue of consent out of it, the girls are pieces of meat, conquests to be bragged about.

For schools cup rugby substitute in McCrory cup, is there any difference in how these young men are lauded in an unhealthy way IMO.

Add in the easy access to porn and it's a recipe for disaster.

Meanwhile their Arab "brothers" are busy trading away with Israel

What sort of volumes as a % of Israeli GDP?

From my experiences Israeli goods (electronic mostly) are shipped into the EU , rebadged and then shipped into the Middle East.
Israel is propped up by western governments, not just America.