Our brave hero's

[Hereiam]

Belfast City councillors have voted in favour of a reception for members of the armed forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What do people reckon about this parade, as if we need another one. The best thing to do would be to organise bus loads of nationalists from all over the north and give each of them a tricolour and lets give them a warm Irish welcome one that they will never forget. Could you imagine it, them parading through Belfast to a sea of green white and orange. It would look good for cross community relations. 

[An Fear Rua]

you will need to get there early then, becasue there will obv be 1000s of antiwar protesters back on the streets to "welcome" them too....

[dodgy umpire]

People are entitled to welcome their soldiers home from illegal wars all they want, the event should not be backed by the city council however. alliance voting in favour of it shows their true colours

[Orior]

Its just chance to wave the union jack.

[red hander]

Great, the RIR, heirs to the UDR, a bunch if murdering, colluding bastards, themselves heirs to the B Specials, a bigoted rabble of scum, being given the right to parade through the city centre just cos unionist councillors labour under the misapprehension that the statelet is as british as finchley ... how many innocent civilians - most of them children - were murdered in an allied airstrike in Afghanistan last week? 80? 90?  And we're supposed to cheer the perpetrators of this? BALLS

[T Fearon]

On a more serious note, surely this proves that the North of Ireland Office's favourite unionist party, aka the Alliance Party, are unfit to hold any type of Executive Ministry much less the crucial Policing and Justice Ministry

[Sideshow Bob]

Although I might not agree with welcoming home the troops, its their city. They pay their taxes to their government, so in essence it is as British as Finchley.

[dodgy umpire]

its not "their" city. im from belfast and its as much my city as it is theirs. its bad enough celebrating people who took part in illegal wars, but the fact that they did it in the name of a queen who half the population of belfast oppose makes it worse, let those who support them honour them , but dont make it an official event in the name of belfast

[Hardy]

If there's one thing worse than yet another parade in a place that has waaaaay too many parades already, it's each side satisfying the other's motives in holding the parade in the first place by bitchin and moaning about it. The only purpose of parades is to upset the other side. Therefore complaining about them fulfills this purpose before the parade even starts. The only sensible reaction to them is to deny them their purpose by ignoring them. Or at least, if you can't ignore them, laugh at them.

[dodgy umpire]

If there's one thing worse than yet another parade in a place that has waaaaay too many parades already, it's each side satisfying the other's motives in holding the parade in the first place by bitchin and moaning about it. The only purpose of parades is to upset the other side. Therefore complaining about them fulfills this purpose before the parade even starts. The only sensible reaction to them is to deny them their purpose by ignoring them. Or at least, if you can't ignore them, laugh at them.

celebrating people involved in thousands of civilians being killed for no cause isnt really that funny

[Hardy]

Missed that - where did I say we should celebrate them?

All parades are funny, when you look at people got up in ridiculous outfits, walking in an unnatural way and expecting to be taken seriously.

[dodgy umpire]

misunderstood you first time round, i now see you mean we should laugh AT them and not with them. i feel a more serious reaction to them is required

[The bard of dunclug]

Good to see nationalists and republicans showing their true colours need i say that far to many catholics were more than willing to support a terrorist group who killed their unionist neighbours so get off the f**king highground so less crap about illegal wars

[dodgy umpire]

Good to see nationalists and republicans showing their true colours need i say that far to many catholics were more than willing to support a terrorist group who killed their unionist neighbours so get off the f**king highground so less crap about illegal wars

1. What has this to do with catholics, what makes you yhink im a catholic?
2. where have i stated my support for whatever "terrorists" you speak of.
3. its hardly crap about an illegal war when the war was waged on a false basis and was actually an invasion of a sovereign country

you shouldnt jump to conclusions about posters on this board.

[dodgy umpire]

PS. the IRA were never celebrated by the city council at St.Annes cathedral