Sure just leave the gate open…

[Donagh]

Counties Armagh and Tyrone now officially Brit free zones. Time now to get the Glocks of the state sanctioned paramilitaries and have Garnerville shut down for good.


British army to close Bessbrook base

Another major milestone in Northern Ireland's return to normality will be reached when the last British soldiers are pulled out of South Armagh today.
The British army is closing down its last base in the border region at Bessbrook.
At the height of the troubles, Bessbrook boasted the busiest heliport in Europe, but the last flight took place at the weekend.
The pretty 19th century model village, which became home to the military, is also where the last solider was killed by the Irish Republican Army.
Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot dead by a sniper while operating a security checkpoint in 1997. He was the last of 763 military personnel to die in Northern Ireland.
The withdrawal from Bessbrook is one of the last high-profile events before the army ends its official role of supporting the police in Northern Ireland on July 31st.
Operation Banner has been the longest single campaign in British military history, stretching back more than 35 years to the early 1970s.
Where once there were more than 30,000 troops in Northern Ireland, there are currently 5,600 army and RAF personnel and that will reduce to no more than 5,000 by the end of next month.
At one point, there were 104 military bases in the country but there are now less than 20 and that too is set to fall further in the coming weeks.

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio......

So long, you'll not be missed!

[GweylTah]

In the 1950s and 1960s, there were about 5,000 service personnel based in NI as a peacetime presence, save for the odd botched bit of republican posturing mostly on the border.

When the troubles broke out, the number eventually rose as high as 30,000 or so.

Now that the fighting is done and there is a settlement, it's planned to go down to 5,000 again in peacetime.

NI still part of the UK, and accepted as such by pretty well all parties to the conflict, good and improving relations between the North and South, UK and Republic bestest buddies, and nationalists and republicans administering UK laws within UK jurisdiction, and fair and equal opportunities for pretty well everyone.

Above all, relative peace.

Mission accomplished by the Brits.

[full back]

In the 1950s and 1960s, there were about 5,000 service personnel based in NI as a peacetime presence, save for the odd botched bit of republican posturing mostly on the border.

When the troubles broke out, the number eventually rose as high as 30,000 or so.

Now that the fighting is done and there is a settlement, it's planned to go down to 5,000 again in peacetime.

NI still part of the UK, and accepted as such by pretty well all parties to the conflict, good and improving relations between the North and South, UK anfd Republic bestest buddies, and nationalists and republicans administering UK laws within UK jurisdiction, and fair and equalo opportunities for pretty well everyone.

Above all, relative peace.

Mission accomplished by the Brits.

Fcuk off Gweyltah

[GweylTah]

Almost mission accomplished, I should have said, still a few straggling slow learners, eh FullBack?

[Tonto]

Counties Armagh and Tyrone now officially Brit free zones.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm from County Armagh - so I know there's at least one Brit here.

[magickingdom]

In the 1950s and 1960s, there were about 5,000 service personnel based in NI as a peacetime presence, save for the odd botched bit of republican posturing mostly on the border.

When the troubles broke out, the number eventually rose as high as 30,000 or so.

Now that the fighting is done and there is a settlement, it's planned to go down to 5,000 again in peacetime.

NI still part of the UK, and accepted as such by pretty well all parties to the conflict, good and improving relations between the North and South, UK and Republic bestest buddies, and nationalists and republicans administering UK laws within UK jurisdiction, and fair and equal opportunities for pretty well everyone.

Above all, relative peace.

Mission accomplished by the Brits.

glad your happy enough that when the majority so decide a ui will happen. bet your daddy wouldnt have agreed to that.... they dont make unionists like they used to NEVER NEVER NEVER blah blah blah

[Rossfan]

Mission accomplished by the Brits.

Nearly as successful as the Yanks in Viet nam and Eyerak 

[Bud Wiser]

Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot dead by a sniper while operating a security checkpoint in 1997. He was the last of 763 military personnel to die in Northern Ireland.

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

I wonder if all the farewell friendliness has anything to do with the fact that Pat Finnucanes execution is, as and from this week more or less a closed case?

[GweylTah]

Just for all the slow-learners amongst you, worth going over the facts again:

1950s NI - relative peace, small British garrison.

1970s NI - IRA and loyalist onslaught, big British garrison.

2000s NI - relative peace again, small British peacetime garrison again.


Mission accomplished, and the fourth green field still the fourth quarter in the Kingdom.  Not bad eh, decent result all round, pity it took a while for the slow-learners.

[Rossfan]

Usual Unionist denial  - The IRA started up again in 1970 totally in a vacuum according to that theory.
Ignore the 50 year Nationalist nightmare,gerrymandering,discrimination, etc etc.
Ignore the batoning of peaceful Civil rights marchers,The turning of the Brit Army who came in 1969 to prevent Loyalist pogroms into another wing of the Unionist repression machine in 1970 which begat the Provo IRA etc etc.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Go on home British soldiers, go on home... 

[pintsofguinness]

DOnt start rossfan, that's what he wants.

Go on home British soldiers, go on home... 

[Bud Wiser]

Mission accomplished, and the fourth green field still the fourth quarter in the Kingdom.  Not bad eh, decent result all round, pity it took a while for the slow-learners.

The only ones slow to learn were the Brits about when to go home.  Glad to see your British Empire tag has reduced to United Kingdom.  Fact is, you are not even that now, neither united or a kingdom. In fact far from it.  You must be a fairly slow learner yourself to not know that (at my last count) there were 26 Sinn Feinn Councillors in the north OF IRELAND.  In the 2005 election the figures for Belfast alone returned 14 Sinn Fein Councillors, exactly twice the number of councillors that were elected from the Ulster Unionist party and a staggering twice the amount of councillors (2) elected from the Progressive Unionist party. 

I don't know if you have been down here in the 26 lately but I suspect if youn were you must have been at the Galway Air Showm yesterday and suffering from concussion by being one of the unfortunates thatb got injured when the Brits were demonstrating a helicopter and the door fell off and landed on someones head.  I expect to see the Mull Of Kintyre investigation team flying in tomorrow to frame Willie O'Dea for this, and quite frankly, it would not surprise me at all if you are one of them.

[GweylTah]

Youre a sketch!

I'm in 'the 26 counties' a lot of the time, but usually only one county at once.