Irish activist Diarmuid O’Cadhla has been arrested after trying to board British naval vessel HMS Enterprise, a survey ship, in Cork Harbour.

Here’s a clip of the incident I posted to Twitter earlier, the clip comes from a longer video (used here under fair use) from a Facebook page Diarmuid O’Cadhla is involved in.

I’ve been told the person was co-opted on to Cork County Council in 2017 but failed twice to get elected to Cork City Council, so excuse my use of the term ‘politician’. ‘Activist’ is more apt.

According to local media, Garda Martin O’Connell testified he arrested Diarmuid O’Cadhla at John Horgan Quay, Cork, and brought him to Mayfield garda station. The charge states that on June 16 at John Horgan Quay, having been found on the curtilage of a building of the Port of Cork Authority when without lawful authority or reasonable excuse he failed to comply with a direction from Garda O’Connell to leave immediately the vicinity of the place in a peaceful and orderly manner, contrary to the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act.

Oddly, the Facebook page the clip was found on states:

“Peace activist released after 20 hours in lockup, arrested for advocating DIALOGUE in place of War. British and NATO Warship, HMS Enterprise, remains tied up in Cork with heavily armed British Military holding automatic rifles against the local community.”

He was arrested, by the way, when he “failed to comply with a direction from Garda O’Connell to leave immediately the vicinity of the place in a peaceful and orderly manner” after shouting at the crew of a survey ship and attempting to board the vessel. Quite how that equals “advocating dialogue in place of war” is anyone’s guess.

Did he come in peace? He told them to f**k off straight away.

HMS Enterprise, by the way, is an Echo-class multi-role survey, hydrographic and oceanographic vessel of the Royal Navy and along with surveying and mapping the ocean depths, she has been involved in many humanitarian and emergency missions in recent years, including rescuing more than 2,400 migrants and refugees attempting to cross from war-torn Libya to Italy during the crisis in the north-African country in 2015.

I don’t think Enterprise would be a great choice to subdue a large city but apparently, someone does.

HMS Enterprise arrived in the Irish city of Cork for a routine port call during the week, not long after an Irish vessel visited the British city of Glasgow.

According to local reports, HMS Enterprise is currently tied up in the heart of Cork city, on Horgan’s Quay, where she flies both the Union Jack and the Irish Tricolour (as ships visiting foreign ports do out of courtesy to their hosts).

“The good news is that even as Ireland, the EU and the UK stand on the brink of a possible ‘trade war’ over the Northern Ireland protocol, the Royal Navy has nothing but friendly intentions in the harbour that once was home to the fleets that guarded the Western Approaches of the Empire.”

Irish Naval Vessel LÉ George Bernard Shaw visited Glasgow in April, the visit by the Offshore Patrol Vessel is the first Irish Naval visit to Scotland for over 10 years.

Irish naval vessel visits City of Glasgow

LÉ George Bernard Shaw is a Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Naval Service. It is the fourth ship in a series of vessels designed by Vard Marine and built by Babcock Marine Appledore, and is named for the writer George Bernard Shaw.

According to the Irish Naval Service:

“LÉ George Bernard Shaw (pennant number P64) is the fourth and final ship of the P60 class vessels built for the Naval Service in Babcock Marine Appledore, Devon. In keeping with the ethos of a continuous learning organisation, she contains a number of minor improvements over her sister ships, aimed primarily at improving energy efficiency whilst still maintaining effectiveness. She is designed as on Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), with the endurance and capability to defend Ireland’s interests at, and from, any sea in the world.”

The ship was accepted into service in October 2018, and, following a military fit-out, has commenced Maritime Defence and Security Operations at sea. Additionally, the ship recently conducted night operations & fishery protection duties.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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211 COMMENTS

    • Not even a politician. Nobody over here can stand the eejit! He has tried his hand at politics and failed miserably. Now he wanders around, pulling stunts like this and generally looking like a clown.

    • Yes he was in fact trying to invade UK sovereign territory…. that does not sound like a peaceful act…

      Perhaps Putin put him up to it..

      • Meh, plenty of times the border been crossed by both militaries over the years. Non story then, non story now with this idiot. I’m just happen that George must not have been around one someone tried to lob a Molotov cocktail at one of the Frigates a few years ago.

        • Who decides what a “non-story” is, Mark? Is it you? The interest in this suggests that around three hundred thousand people disagree with your assessment and found it interesting enough to read.

  4. What a prat. Since the U.K. is not at war with anyone I’m not sure what dialogue is needed.

    What is interesting is the impact of national trauma. Although a generally lovely and friendly nation there is still trauma, I’ve had many a conversation about Cromwell built that or demolished this or the British army did that etc and I’ve traveled over and around island a lot.

      • I think maybe some Irish nationals try and build their identity by slagging off the English. He keeps on being in a neutral state as if this was a good thing… rather then stand against dictators and evil the Irish would rather be on the fence. Hardly a recommendation.

        • This seems like an act of desperation. Fewer and fewer people are interested in the past and just wish to resolve the issues of the present in the interests of a better future. Some still wish to hold on to the hatred but I for one am pleased that Britain stands for freedom & democracy & is willing to help countries against agressive authoritarian regimes. May the friendship with all our historic foes strengthen – even the French 😀

          • Do not dismiss lightly the trauma that the British (not just the English, Northern Ireland was settled by presbyterian Scot’s at the behest of James VI/I) inflicted upon the island of Ireland.

            However, that time has passed and this was a survey vessel on legitimate business in a friendly port at the invitation of an allied nation. Do not take as representative one person with an axe to grind nor use it as an excuse to white wash history and push out chauvinistic view points either.

          • History is just that. I do not take issue with the Germans, the French, The Romans or the Vikings. I also do not feel responsible for the actions of my Great Grandparents (long dead) who might have lived at a time when others were wronged. People have been wronged throughout time and I personally only feel responsible for what I have done – and my conscience is clear.
             
            We have to deal with the world we live in.
             
            Also my comments referred to the younger generation who are getting a little tired of the self-righteous claptrap uttered by the dinosaurs of the past.

    • National trauma….for God’s sake they have had independence for 100 years and these still can’t let it go. I do often think that much of this is just jealousy at the English – a bit like Welsh national parties and Scottish national parties. Have a hate figure which is the English for all the sins of the past and whip up brainless people who can’t think properly about the past (or indeed who have never read about it in the first place). I’m sorry it’s pathetic behaviour when none of these people were actually involved in things like the Irish potato famine, the Irish war of independence and the Irish civil war. I think the most pathetic thing I hear is these plastic Irish US men that pretend they are from County Cork and County Donegal and gave generously to the IRA to blow up, shoot or knee cap innocent men, women and children. Many a time a victim taken over the border into Eire to be killed with the Garda doing nothing to help the authorities in Northern Ireland. Perhaps they should just grow up instead and act like adults for once. You do have to admit that the Irish revel in their appellation of MOPE (Most Oppressed People Ever) – when in fact it couldn’t be further from the truth – I mean the real truth and not “their truth”.

      • It may not be ideal Andrew but, trauma is passed for mother and father to son in a Cycle that can last for hundreds of years, with people not even aware of it. A classic example is France and England, two peer nations that have been allied for over 100 years, but actually both nations had before that almost a thousand years of blood and mistrust. It’s still in both nations characters not to trust the other in what is quit an unreasonable level of paranoia. We still hold onto myths like the V sign being an insult from English longbowmen to the french, it’s not as it takes three fingers to pull a 100lb+ war bow, and the french actually threatened to cut 3 fingers of captured English archers. So all nations do hold their traumas even after the actual events move from memory to history and then legend and myth.

        • I read that the British army did not take part in the convoy driving into Paris after its liberation in 44 due to French sensitivities over Waterloo.

          • The French have always had a certain inferiority complex…not sure why perhaps the fact that from 1870 onwards the German’s had the whip hand…indeed they still do in the European union it’s just they let the French feel they are in control whilst the German’s pull all the levers behind them…still whatever makes the French feel happy…I hold no animosity towards them at all. However, I just wish our politicians would square up to the French and Germans more often rather than taking it up the proverbial….

          • So the Germans did take over Europe in the end, third time lucky.,, once again Britain stands alone.

          • Blame De gualle for that the Brave French officer who ran away to England in 1940 and we had the misfortune of looking after him for 4 yrs

          • If that’s true it says more about the French …”Thank you for liberating us….now fuck off”..

          • They are embarrassed they could not liberate themselves and do not like to be reminded of the fact by the presence of their liberator just over the Channel.

          • its is also why the Eurostar no longer ends at Waterloo as the wanted it renamed. due the offense of getting stuffed

          • Ha Ha ! From your other post to which I also replied , my old regiment ( RAF Regiment ) were among the first British troops to reach Paris ( and Brussels ) . Attached to the Guards Division at the time . As a french speaker I served there many years later as a liaison officer . No offence intended on the french language .

          • The latest French nuke is being called Suffren, after Admiral Suffen.

            Who was more or less he last French Admiral to beat the RN. In about 1780.

            Needle us? The French? ⚜ 😎

          • No, it’s because the Free French wanted to have the honour of “liberating” Paris. Which is entirely understandable after four years of occupation.

          • Don’t know where you read that but the British Army was nowhere near when Paris was liberated by General LeClerc’s Second Armored Division and the US’s 4th Infantry Division. Eisenhower initially wanted to bypass Paris but decided otherwise when there were indications that there would be an uprising in the city and slaughter. And De Gaulle was afraid the Communists would take control. The last thing on Eisenhower’s and De Gaulle’s minds were French sensibilities over the British or Waterloo. Besides Montgomery was too busy scheming to become Ground Commander again and hatching the diasterous Market-Garden operation to worry about the liberation of Paris.

          • Hi Daniel. Yes, I know, I’m well read on WW2 and where the 2nd British Army was located after Normandy. Much further north than Paris and any assault on the city, even declared an open one, would not include the Brits.

            Where did I read it? Good question, one of my Ww2 history books, which one I now forget. It indicated just a British presence not a full on division or brigade level force. I will see if I can find the reference.

            Market Garden could have worked but for the presence of 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions, Model, and being dropped so far from the bridges!

          • The British Army was far too busy in the North liberating coastal ports and consequently further cementing our own national security . Plus we’d already occupied the city twice firstly to depose Napoléon and secondly after his defeat at Waterloo . That’s enough !!

          • I’m not totally convinced that the Northern coastal ports of France were much of a threat to UK national security in mid-late 1944 😉

          • The British have always fought in the North not much interested in the rest of France and showboating in Paris. The First War showed that . I was thinking more as the coast as a whole. The battle for the Scheldt is a good example and the German offensive in the Ardennes in late 44 was ultimately an attempt to drive to the coast and split the allies . They still had to be driven out . Opening ports for supply lines , particularly Antwerp was essential .

          • No, but those ports had been fortified, with many of the sieges lasting to May 45. They were bypassed as the British Army moved on Brussels.

            Some were launching areas for any V1, V2 ( Antwerp? ) and planned V3 vengeance weapons that had somehow survived being blown to hell by the RAF.

            By that point we were also running out of men and it was felt that the heavy lifting could be left to the expanding US 1st and 3rd Armies with us increasingly taking a flanking role. Montys last fling to bounce the Rhine excepted.

        • Seriously inherited trauma…I’m afraid this is un-scientific non-sense. I don’t mean to be rude but for God’s sake we are in the 21st Century not the middle ages. There is no such thing as inherited trauma only people that are too pety to let things go for things that never actually happened to them in the first place

          • My grandfather watched British forces (in this case the Black and Tans) burn the heart of Cork to the ground and then have British politicians say in the Commons that it was the locals that did it. He lived until the 90s and could still tell the tale until he died. You can’t make people erase the parts of history you don’t like remembered.

          • Unfortunately the black and tans were facing guerilla warfare. Although I cannot verify what you say is true (and probably you can’t either as it is an oral history passed down by your grandfather who may have embelished the story) what I would say is that the British were dealing with a very well organised asymmetric warfare with the IRA and they were grappling with ways in which they could deal with this but some troops over-reacted (not all but some – usually a very small minority who were poorly trained and poorly led). These has happened the world over and everyone knows that you cannot police with troops. However, then again the police were being gunned down at the time so I understand the UK government were trying to counteract the IRA brutality in the best way they knew at the time with households offering these terrorists refuge. I think a balanced view would be that attrocities were committed on both sides in my opinion and agreement between both sides early on would have been very preferable to all the bloodshed. It’s ironic that Eamon de Valera wasn’t even fully Irish but American-Spanish-Irish – it does make me wonder to this day what was truly behind this man…. He was also an avowed Nazi sympathiser and to do this day there is a very dark stain on Ireland for remaining independent in the second world war – some would even say the Irish government were morally supportive of the Nazi’s (a deep-deep stain on the Irish nation whilst Britain stood alone from 1939 until 1942 and bankrupted herself to save Europe).

          • The burning of Cork is factual history, as are the other actions of the British forces in the War, to the point where former British PMs complained in the Commons over their actions (again historical fact).

            As to Irelands position in WW2, as I’ve said, complain to the other nations that stood neutral, more than a few of them actively supported the Axis with material aid, Ireland did not. As a free nation we were and are entitled to our own foreign policy positions as any other nation is.

          • You are right Spain being a good example… Switzerland bankrolled the Nazi state through stolen Jewish wealth. Yes there were quite a few states willing to stand by and let evil prosper.

          • And the Swedes iron ore for the German military, however somehow it’s always Ireland that outrages many British posters even though Ireland was Pro Allies…

          • So did more than a few other nations, and I wonder if it weren’t for the Empires would more nations have stayed out of it. And no they didn’t do “nothing”, and could have made things more awkward for the Allies if they had been doing nothing.

          • What a telling commment. And yes, they did nothing. They stood by and folded their arms when given the option of standing with the human race against evil, and therefore are scum.
            And they didn’t even have the excuse of fearing invasion. Pathetic.

          • Ireland had made it clear to the U.K. in 1922 during the Treaty talks that it would not involve itself in a British war, and there was no public or political will to do so, certainly not with Churchill being PM. Like it or not Dev had overwhelming support for staying out of WW2, and the Allies did little to change that position.

            More than a few nations stayed neutral until 1945 and literally did nothing other than declare war, does that make them somehow better?

          • “British War” HAHAHAHA Omg that’s really clutching at straws. Yeah, you decided that your neutrality was so precious you’d not raise a finger to oppose ACTUAL NAZI’s.

            And you claim that the fight against THE NAZI’s was a “British War” to justify you enabling genocide.

            Then again: I could see where you were going with your first reply to me, as I said, a telling comment.

          • “I don’t have anything to say so I’m going to insult you personally and question your sanity.”

            Fuck off.

          • I think it’s important to differentiate between the then position of “Official Ireland ” during WW2 and that of a huge amount of Irish men and women of all persuasions who served with bravery and distinction in the UK armed forces. A tradition that continues to this day.

          • Indeed, that’s why I specified “the Irish govt.” Plenty of respect for those indivduals who did the right thing.

          • Germany spent most of WW1 and then WW2 trying to compromise Ireland onto their side. The Irish saw through this as they did not want to swap one empire for a new one!. If the Irish could have done more in the war is debatable, though plenty of Irelands citizens fought for the Allies, sometimes to the detriment of their post-war lives in Republican Ireland.

          • Dern, leaving aside our irritating excuse of not being prepared, when conflict breaks out, to justify our neutrality.

            Based on our available resources at the time of WW2, what could Ireland have provided beyond the man power that joined the British army and navy anyway?

          • The Royal Canadian Navy started WW2 with 11 ships, and ended it with over a thousand and the third biggest navy in the world, even though Canada is not known as an industrial powerhouse. Not saying Ireland would have matched that, but it’s not like it wasn’t able to contribute anything.

          • Now then Mark, let’s talk about leaving the lights on shall we…..

            Many thousands of brave young Irishman ignored ‘neutrality’ joined the struggle against the Nazis with British forces, bloody good job they did…

            Where do you think Ireland would have been if the UK lost the war, under Hitler’s jack boot, that’s where…

            About leaving the lights on….

          • As are the IRA atrocities.

            But the point is, most people want to move on from this nonsense. Of course those who lived through it often can’t, by there are some who can and also many people who didn’t live through it and don’t wish to be chained down by the grievances of others.

            This latter part makes some people very angry. But tough luck. The world changes and moves on.

          • I would point out Mark that the black and tans were 20% Irish as well by the way….Perhaps a little history lesson for you 🙂

          • Did I say they weren’t? Nor did I deny the make up of the RIC/DMP did I? Can you point out where I did?

          • To be fair Mark no you didn’t deny that 20% were Irish. My take on Irish history, for what’s it worth, is that a whole lot of missunderstanding and reticence to home rule caused the whole debacle. I think the British government should have given home rule earlier on but then as you see from the SNP and Plaid Cymru this would never have appeased Irish nationalists. I think a referendum should have been held at the end of the nineteeth century. Both side make huge mistakes and both sides wrought death and destuction. Personally reading about Michael Collins he seemed a decent man but I think Eamon de Valera was very much an evil man and was only happy when causing death and destuction. Ironically as I mentioned he was an American first, Spanish (maybe Cuban) second and Irish last. Ironic that the history of Ireland was dominated by someone that wasn’t even born in Ireland but instead New York City. I did mention those plastic Irish American’s….who was the classic example…all misty eyed and filled with hate.

          • Actually of the two, Collins was far more the militant and capable than Dev who was more a pacifist. Collins being alive most likely wouldn’t have changed anything regarding Irish international positions as it was he who informed Churchill during the Treaty talks that Ireland would seek to remain neutral in any future U.K. wars.

          • I half remember the words of one song from my All Ireland repetoire

            From Dublin to…..and from…. to Mayo
            lies a trail of destruction wherever they go
            With England to help and fierce passion to fan
            They must feel bloody proud of their bold Black and Tan..

            My Dad, a Belfast Presbytarian and his best friend Noel, a Roman Catholic from Dublin were at a party at my parents house in Durban. As the evening wore on and the booze flowed, my Dad proudly told Noel that his Father had built St Johns Chapel in the Falls Road and in so doing employed many Catholics. Noel,feeling patronised, told my Dad thanks for nothing. My dad then told him to leave immediately! Noel said “No problem, I’ve been kicked out of better places than this!”
            They renewed their friendship the next day😀
            True story

            I’m staying out of this one.
            Cheers

          • Around 20% were «  locals «  or at least born in Ireland with just over half their number identifying their religion as Catholic . Your calling them ( the Black & Tans ) « British Forces «  is also a subjective term . They were in fact constables of the RIC

          • I do not think we are talking about altering history. It should be shown warts and all. However every generation has a choice to live in hate or to try and move on and not blame people for what others, now dead did or did not do.

            Perhaps the Irish can let go of the Black and Tans and the UK will let go of those killed in the Troubles.

            i know it is not as simple as all that but we all have to start somewhere..

          • not sure what you are taking about Andrew as I’m not talking about genetic memory ( which is actually a thing as well, a fish knows how to swim and a cat will hunt without ever being shown by a parent). But what I’m taking about is the passing on of more complex cultural behaviours and emotional trauma from learning.The passing of trauma from parent to child is a proven concept, it’s why we have what’s called troubles families, the mental trauma of the parents and their cultural assumptions, like the french are to be mistrusted or the English etc etc are passed onto the children. You are a bundle of thoughts and issues passed to you from how your parents raised you and they from how their grandparents raised them going back a long way. almost all of your deep behaviours have come from or been created by how you were raised. That includes a mistrust of specific cultures or nations.

          • Andrew, this is an interesting area of research.

            we are actually getting a greater understanding that there is far more impact on genetics than we think, every famine, disease and stressor has an impact on the genetic information you pass to your children.

            https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190326-what-is-epigenetics

            its a young science and like all research has its supporters and detractors, so you cannot say there is yet a scientific consensus ( but it took many decades to get consensus on the harm of smoking).

            There is also very good research on significant events on populations in the long term. so there is some good evidence that poor life expectancy is built into some U.K. populations ( those with family histories form the poor inner city slums of the 18th, 19th and early 20c.) as they have a far more vigorous inflammatory response that those who can trace back a family history in the countryside or of wealth. Essentially people in the slums only lived to breed if they had very active ( high level of inflammatory response) immune systems and they had permanently challenged immune systems through their lives..which has lead to their decedents suffering lots more long term conditions and earlier death.

            But what I was focused on was cultural passing of trauma down generations ( like the flood mythologies).

          • Modern trait is how people still vote, just because there Grandfathers voted Tory/Labour. they do rather than what is best for them,

          • A assure you Sean I have more that it would be likely most people could possibly imagine and had to deal with death and misery that haunt my waking moments.

          • Well I doubt there’s any Frenchmen whose waking moments are haunted by the ‘trauma’ of thoughts of English bowmen giving them V sign….

            As someone who claims to have had such a traumatic life – let’s not repeat Monty Pythons Four Yorkshire Men sketch – you belittle it by comparing it supposed inherited trauma over imagined historical slights.

          • I’m not discussing personal trauma here Sean, your the one who has brought up personal trauma. As a person who has to live with PTSD daily and the memory’s that’s brings I would never belittle personal traumatic events which create massive levels of mental health issues that can be debilitating. So please don’t start getting personal about that is I find it very hard to stay personable and reasonable in my discussions when personally attacked about trauma ( what I have witnessed and managed in my life is far beyond what is normal for even someone working in front line Emergency medicine for decades as I have, and steps into the realms of profound evil that moved from harm and threatening those I worked with and cared for, to attacking and harming my family).

            What i was discussing was cultural trauma. I studied this as at one time ( a long time ago) I was working in an area with a lot of polish war veterans and I had a number of German individuals on my team which was creating a bit of an issue.

            If you are at all interested In Looking into this field a good starter is the book “Cultural Trauma and collective identity” 2004 JC Alexander Et al

            its really good as it’s also great for anyone interested in Geopolitics and why nations can react in irrational ways ( like Russia ).

            it focuses a number of examples through the ages:

            Slavery in the US and transatlantic trade
            Nazi Holocaust
            Sept 11 2001

        • I think France is a very bad example as we are in the same side on paper but France has done everything it can recently to kick the UK especially post BREXIT.

          The average French person I am sure is just like the UK counterpart the French State Government goes out of its way to ‘attack’ the UK…

          perhaps they are still pissed off about Waterloo…

        • Well said Jonathan, you beat me to it as I was going to point the English/French thing (and to a lesser extent Germany but that’s more of a football thing). It seems wherever you are in the world you find a ‘THEM !’ that are vilified. Even within countries it gets divided, Scotland its more an east coast/west coast thing, England have their southern ‘poofs’ and northern monkeys….. and so it goes on.

      • You only have to look at how all the Irish emigrants to America in the 19th century took part with such enthusiasm in stealing and murdering the Native Americans for their land & natural resources, for their own benefit, to realise they’re no different from anyone else when it comes to oppression.

        • Aah yes we are all hypocrites when it comes to such matters completely allied to our own particular prejudices aren’t we. One just has to look at Putin’s ridiculous commentary on the Ukraine situation and how it’s mimicked by his cronies far and wide to cover the fact that Russia has many hundreds of years of Imperial Conquest and his own with no little irony, personal quest to be seen as the new and bigger Peter the Great. He is trying to claim victim hood while acclaiming brutal expansionist Imperialism at the same time and I guess like Victorian Britain the people are buying into the self serving totally contrary myth because I guess it’s what they want to believe in over all the evidence, it makes them feel good but really reveals a sense of inferiority they need to exercise.

          • To equate a more balanced opinion of the past to the current Ukrainian conflict requires a massive feat of mental gymnastics. The UK even at its height was probably the best Empire the world has ever seen in terms of not inflicting death and destruction on native populations. The Russian, French, German and Spanish empires on the other hand….and in recent memory might I add…

          • British Empire was all about ruling these lands not to invade and cleanse but gets lost in history and agendas.

          • Putin just said in the last few days he’s looking forward to anew world where gtreater nations subjugate weaker ones. If that’s not nor-colonialism I don’t know what is. Time to square up to the Russian/Chinese agenda rather than backing off & appeasing them. Otherwise another Trump will arise & extinguish freedom & democracy from under our very feet.

      • Independent factions for Scotland and Wales have plenty of passion but such a revolution will come at a heavy financial cost to both. The coming recession could last for the rest of this decade, due to tumultuous World events. As for this individual, the British deterrent protects all of the islands of the British land formation and the latter gets it for free! His treatment was commensurate with his smugness.

        • I will mention a little anecdote. About a month ago in work I have two Welsh colleagues. Both claimed that the Welsh assembly served a useful purpose (both work in London I may add). They thought it good value for money (failing NHS and schools I may add). They also mentioned that they thought Nicola Sturgeon was a brilliant Scottish politician with good policies (which all the evidence doesn’t support). It’s this unthinking approach to things that makes me put my hands into my face. They don’t actually look at policies and outcomes they look at personalities and rhetoric. These are both incredibly intelligent people I may add (and I respect them both) but for some reason they loose their brains when it comes to Welsh and Scottish nationalist causes – all from the comfort of London….you couldn’t make it up could you? I really hope the UK stays together as I love Britain as it stands but bit-by-bit you feel our institutions are manned by idiots and mental pygmies. I think some of this comes down to the very narrow curriculum that students have been fed since the 1970s as well as a diet of left wing activism from both many of the news outlets and teachers. It’s lamentable but if we loose things like the Monarchy and Britain as a whole I think the west has lost something precious and special. As they say we will regret it when it is gone and I think those from Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland should think hard before they press the self-destruct button…

          • I think the problem is how you define a “good” politician.

            Once a good politician was an effective statesman, negotiator and individual relied on to focus on the greater good, these were the consensus politicians of conservative, labour and liberal parties. Although they had different ideas of how to get to the greater good of the nation, they all shared the same goal.

            Now a good politician is a person who can raise a mob with hollow rhetoric for the sole purpose of power ( for themselves first, donors and friends second, party third and the greater good a low fourth ( it’s only that as a way to keep the mob happy).

            But I think that’s a symptom of modern society as a whole, I see less and less people willing to work for the greater good over their own self aggrandisement or personal comfort.

            We have moved from a society based around obligations as a fundamental cultural driver to a culture of rights and entitlement.

          • Devolved government inflated egos that otherwise would have remained hidden. The notion that increased local governance is good for democracy ignores political egos, that will always expand horizons, which in some cases, don’t exist. Allowing the instrument of broader local control and license, can and will in many cases, bring about what we are seeing in Scotland. When I visited Edinburgh some years ago for a wedding I was informed that certain people on my table would not enter a conversation with me due to being English! I’ve never witnessed such behavior toward a Scottish person in England. The experience highlighted a narrow attitude towards other members of the UK? The same treatment was displayed against my brother and me at a pub in North Wales, the landlord refused to serve us purely on the basis that we were English. There was one pub just two miles over the English welsh border that refused English customers. Thankfully, the law now does not allow such ignorance and intolerance. The current financial predictions for the World are going to render ideas of independence dead in real terms for some considerable time. Even Sturgeon knows selling increased domestic social costs at a time of national financial stress, is far less appealing to the average voter.

          • It’s very sad to hear about that Maurice. You never know these Scottish and Welsh politicians may indeed get what they want eventually and they will be in a right pickle when they do…

          • Hi Maurice10 it really is vulgar the way some people act at times, I remember being in London and was told on more than one occasion that there is to many (bloody jocks) down here, I just ignored it to be honest, if I was to hear what happened to you up here I would have to have a growl at them because that is disgusting, I hope it doesn’t stop you coming back up and enjoy yourself in the future as most people aren’t like that in Britain, most people I talked to were great for a blether we just have some real tits in Britain 👍

          • Craig, the fact these were professional people made it worse! A policy of not speaking to English visitors is mind-boggelingly narrow. My wife is Scottish it and Wales are much loved by our family and we will continue to visit. This Irish fool is so wrapped up in hate that he’s lost sight of the real world.

          • “ They don’t actually look at policies and outcomes they look at personalities and rhetoric. ”

            Well, quite. Brexit, too. Nationalism is a feeling, an emotion, and there’s no reason or rational argument that sways it. I’m afraid good Government and policy implementation has been lost forever on the altar of gaining power by appealing to populist sentiments and lying when the facts don’t fit.

          • If I’m not mistaken, It would seem to be time of year for Length of Daylight Hours Being At Their Greatest Extent,

            Particularly in the North of Britain/UK,

            Yet, It would seem that due to a certain Scottish Government led by a certain Nicola Sturgeon having to Curtail Its’ Expenditures for fear of Breaching Its’ Budgeting Constraints,

            It would seem that Concessionary Travel Card Scheme Re-Applications are being Heavily Delayed In Renewal,

            Effectively Prevention of Travelling by Government Direction, Enforced by Scottish Local Government, It would seem, Whether Scottish National Party Controlled or Otherwise.

            So, So Much for Ms Sturgeon’s mantra that It would seem Scottish Independence will lead towards the Land of Milk and Honey and Better Living for All of the Scottish Population:

            Perhaps Milk and Water…….

          • Perhaps reality ( economics) is starting to bite. By 2021 the Scottish Govt had reached about 80% of its borrowing limit. The sooner it gets to its cap the better imho. Might get interesting when they actually have to budget without cheap money.

          • If I’m not mistaken, “OldSchool”, It would seem that I have much University of Life Experiences of Economics and Harsh Economics from 1970s Onwards.

            Furthermore, It would seem possible that having followed A Family Connections Tradition of Pairing-off-with Other Faiths for Marriage Prospects, It would seem “that Practice cost me my Degree By-All-of-Ten-Percentage-Marks in A Final Exam Paper, Third Year Economics, whilst Full Time Student of A-New-University in Central Scotland in the 1990s”:

            Allegedly, some connection with the Garnethill Locality of Glasgow Scotland, It would seem, According to Relatives with Knowledge of Religious Order that has been Residential Within that Locality for Great Many Decades (Established in that Glasgow Scotland Locality, apparently).

            Allegedly, It would seem that, “I had met the Wrong Kind of Girlfriend. It would seem that I Should Have Met-up-with a Completely Different Kind of Girlfriend, But I have, Apparently, Up-until-the-1980s at any rate, Associated-with Polite Society and not Prostitution Society”

            Need I Continue With the theme of “A Girlfriend In Every-Port-of-Call,

            Seeing As, It would seem I Have Royal Navy (Wartime Hostilities, Definitively) Connections for A Definite Fact”.

          • If I’m not mistaken (Second Time Around), It would seem that a certain Richard Leonard whose Scottish Labour Party would seem to have been Party of Government, So Sorry to be Pedantic, the Scottish Executive from Inauguration of the Scottish Parliament EH99 from 1999 through until 2007 and Parliamentary Success for the Scottish National Party,

            And It would seem to have been the Scottish Labour Party MSPs who would seem to have Decided Policy and Its’ Associated Legislation to bring about the National Entitlement Card for Scottish Concessionary Travel Scheme from the Early Years of Noughties Decade,

            It would seem that Scottish National Party continued Financial Support for the Scottish Concessionary Travel Scheme from 2007 Onwards, Albeit with the Funding Parameters Reducing Insofar As Public Transport Operating Companies Received Reducing Incomes Relevant to Journeys Made By Concessionary Travel Card Holders, It would seem.

            So Much So, that, It would seem that the SNP have been forced to Preside Over Ever Diminishing Financial Resources since before the Financial Crisis of 2008 and the repercussions of ever since.

            In Consequences Of, Thereafter, It would seem that the Devolution Financial Implications of 2008 Onwards would seem to be Definitively Imploding all and any attempts to recovery of Financial Balance Sheets and Stabilisation of Future Government Policies, whether Devolution Development Policies or UK General Government Policies including Devolution Financial Assistance within the UK, including Northern Ireland and Its’ Financial Resources.

            Briefly returning to Richard Leonard, In conclusion, It would seem that during the months prior to the May 2021 Elections for the Scottish Parliament EH99, It would seem that a certain Richard Leonard would seem to have been Asserting that All-of-Population of Scotland be Provided With Free Access to Concessionary Travel Card Scheme for the Purposes of Bus Travel in Scotland:

            If I’m not mistaken, It would seem Highly Likely that Richard Leonard, himself, had absolutely No Idea where the Financial Resources for His Big Idea were likely to be sourced from: Just Saying………

      • Have to say as the biggest killer of native American indigenous people was a most proud ‘irishman’ amongst other less than savoury historical figures as with all nationalities it’s probably best no one tries to claim some form of vapid ‘high ground’ in this world. As said it’s all about self serving political manipulation.

        • If you face the truth, we have all at one point in history, been invaded and enslaved and ruled by another country. but that’s History, and unless i decide to Take offence with the Roman invasion and try and claim they en-slaved my forefathers and i want compensation.

          or just accept history or Exploit the BLM group for financial gain.

      • Well said, and it’s necessary that these things are said. These bitty nations surrounding England need reminding that without England they are nothing. A simple truth now more relevant than ever.

          • And where is the factual evidence? Or is that in the same league as a U boat in every port in Ireland every day? You do get that the RAF had officers attached to the AC throughout the war, they must really have been slacking if that was happening.

          • Now then Mark, funny how you just love a bit of Brit bashing, but absolutely refuse to accept any failure of the Republic isn’t it…..

            Did Ireland leave the lights on allowing Belfast to get bombed with far greater accuracy …. Fact.

            Where they able to use the lights of Dublin to take accurate fixes to help them Bomb Liverpool with greater accuracy, Fact.

            We’re many of the brave volunteers who fought for the allies in WW2 treatment badly by Government after the war … Fact.

            Did Britain fighting on alone in Europe for two years, stop Ireland being occupied by the Germans, Fact.

            You are welcome by the way….

            So yes, you left the lights on….

            Suck it up, it might come as a shock, but ROI isn’t pure as the driven snow throughout its short history.

            Great Britain isn’t responsible for all your woes, it’s a boring and rather tired false narrative.

          • Oh, come on Mark, admit it, you left the lights on, don’t be evasive.

            I believe the Luftwaffe still send a Christmas tree to Dublin every year in grateful thanks…😉

          • So you have no historical data to support your claim then… if you were right you’d have thought the RAF Wing Commander might have said something? Or any of the British Cabinet minister that used what was to become Shannon when transmitting to the US? Or any historian might have said something?

            The only navigational support given was to Allied aircraft who were briefed on the available runways and had navigational markers along the coast.

          • Here’s the thing Mark, happy to put the boot into the UK, but you absolutely refuse to accept any blame on behalf of the Irish Republic during WW2.

            You left the lights on, there were serious consequences of those actions, you didn’t have a blackout, hence the lights were in fact on, not a hard one to accept surley?

            Well street lighting aside, we face a new reality today and the Russians are becoming a serious threat to all Western Europe.

            As a country, you can’t just look the other way and expect everyone to shield you, Sweden and Finland have answered the call of duty, will the Republic stand up and be counted too I wonder?

            I do hope so, Ireland has much to offer NATO, considering its geographic location and its small, but highly professional armed forces..

          • While we are on the subject Mark…..

            “Eamon de Valera’s ‘moral myopia’ in offering condolences to Germany over Hitler’s death put Ireland beyond the pale for many people”

            Care to comment?

          • I think the Irish state nailed it beautifully with that particular Fubar Mark … Outstanding!

      • Both right & wrong, we did what we did in our history. I’m all for accountability. At some point people need to let it go or you just store up trouble later on. Should we English start seeking apologies & reparation for the C5th Irish raids & settlements on the west coast? or from the Picts for raids in the same period? or Scottish attacks thoughout the medieval period? or the Viking attacks etc? Always best to make amends within the lifetime of the victims.

    • Apparently, when I asked why it was taking so long to be accepted into MP, I was told, you know your cousin was Kevin Barry, right?

      Ffs, that was 1916!!
      Yes, but, we have to investigate these things.

    • More recent research by local Irish historians indicate Cromwell wasn’t especially bad. Firstly his actions seem entirely typical of standard practice across Europe at the time and secondly the supposed massacres just don’t seem to be reflected in missing peoples. Its contentious of course but the hard facts as they appear don’t seem to correspond with the stories as passed down. The truth probably sits somewhere between.

      • Yep agree you have to remember at the time religious cleansing was considers pretty normal and the great catholic powers of Europe would have done it to England in a flash. But it’s interesting that in conversations with perfectly friendly individuals in Ireland, they will point out things like “ Cromwell built that castle with stone from the local town buildings….

  6. Sometimes I really wonder about Irish politicians. Many Irish politicians supported the Nazi’s in ths second world war and they pretend they are a neutral country (I’ll stop whilst I laugh on that statement). They shamelessly don’t support Ukraine when almost all neutral European countries have. I think they are clearly just irational and hate the English just because their antecedents told them they should for the Irish potato famine and the black and tans (the real story of these events doesn’t look so bad for the English either I might add if you look at the real history). It’s a bit like those plastic Irish from the US pretending they are from county Cork or County Donegal. Why don’t they all just grow up and stop acting so childish. I directly mentioned England as they don’t hold this ire for the Welsh or Scottish (even they made up quite a bit of the Anglo-British that colonised Ireland). I mean what would explain their ire 100 years after they achieved independence. I would mention that they had an Irish civil war as not all the population of what is now Eire wanted to become independent from the UK (they pretend it was all 100% of the population which is a fiction and the biggest Irish fib or all). No sane person would hold such ire when Britain has defended Europe against Napoleonic France, Imperial Germany and Nazi Germany. In these conflicts may Anglo-Irish were involved and shed blood but the Irish politicians keep on whipping anti-English sentiment. They really do deserve the appellation MOPE (Most Oppressed People Ever) if you listened to their politiicians. I know quite a few Irish people and most can’t stand their own politicians and hold no bad feelings towards the English – it’s always the noisy minority (a bit like those IRA nutters in the North). You couldn’t make it up though as we are providing a defence umbrella for the Irish as they are too tight to pay for their own defence. Unfortunately they have us over a barrel as we have to defend them too just in case we have issues on our west coast with the Russian bear. I do lament that Ireland became independent from the UK as this nation (UK) has been a bastion of freedom around the world (yes dark bits but many good things that have created the world we know today). If it was up to these Irish politicians people like Adolf Hilter, and now more recently Putin, would have the whip hand around Europe.

      • Okay well that’s an enlighted response….I think that response more about you that one could ever wish to know.

        • It’s the response a load of ill-educated nonsense deserves, why bother going line by line when you are just going to ignore reality that you don’t like?

          • Okay Mark you are giving an excellent impression of that man in the video. However, I know it’s pointless talking to you just like that man…

          • Well since you clearly don’t know any facts to support what you posted that’s alright, saves me time.

          • Whatever Mark…live in your own bubble. You are clearly an intellectual giant in that big bubble of yours…

          • Bubble?
            You claimed that we aren’t supporting Ukraine, when actually we are (Finland and Sweden have changed their positions, Ireland, Austria, Malta and Cyprus haven’t of the EU neutrals and instead are providing non lethal supports), not too mention the Swiss who are blocking anything of theirs because of neutrality. Ireland has been one of the most supportive within the EU and at the UNSC for Ukraine and hostile to Russia. A quick Google would show you that.

            The old trope of Ireland in WW2 is just factually wrong, with Ireland being openly pro Allied (and why do British always single Ireland out compared with the other neutrals of Europe like say Sweden, Spain, Portugal or Switzerland?), giving everything from intelligence supports, to flights and radar facilities in Donegal to allowing Allied personnel return to the Allies compared with holding Axis forces, all the way to joint planning with the U.K. in regards to invasion responses.

            The Civil War wasn’t about not wanting to leave the U.K., it was about the Treaty ending the War of Independence, that’s just a basic factual mistake by you.

          • I gather that those Irish who joined the British Army were discriminsted after ww2 for decades ( for 20 years after ww2 were banned from govt jobs). And then we have the pro-Nazi IRA.

          • Again you don’t seem to know what you are talking about. The overwhelming majority that joined up had zero issues post war. The men you are referring to were those that had volunteered for the DF then deserted during their service. How did the U.K. treat that crime? They should have been court-martialled but for reasons known only to Dev and his cabinet he went with his stupid plan.

            As for the IRA what of it? They were suppressed as much as possible up to executions during the war by the Irish government.

          • Well that was the biggest load of trash I’ve ever read. Jesus look forward not back. Learn from the past and try to be better. There are always a few bad apples in the bunch
            If anyone has had bad treatment from someone because of who you are you simply move on as this is always the minority of people and the next person you meet will most likely be much nicer

          • Andrew, that attention seeking cretin trying to board HMS Enterprise is not representative of mainstream Irish politics or the Irish people any more than say Stephen Yaxley or George Galloway would be representative of UK politics or society . He’s an embarrassment, plain and simple.

    • “the real story of these events doesn’t look so bad for the English either I might add if you look at the real history”

      Never not at it.

  7. Typical Leftie loon, deliberately provoking an incident for publicity purposes. He’s probably annoyed that it was the Garda rather than British servicemen that detained him, would have played better for his political narrative.
    He’s probably a Putin apologist too given his anti NATO rhetoric 🤷🏻‍♂️

      • Hi Daniele. I hope you and your family are well and that you are enjoying the hot weather! I promised myself, apart from one brief foray, to stay out of this scrap!
        Kind Regards from Durban-7 degrees this morning-bloody freezing, but warming to 21 deg later.

        • 21! My AC is set to 27!
          36 degs at 0800 and will probably push 40 this afternoon.

          If you want to throw in a grenade use Eire instead of Ireland. I got asked where that was and told to get an education by a tricolour twitter user…It all went quite when I pointed out that that is the name in the written constitution and used on the stamps…

          • Doesn’t surprise me that someone on twitter took offence !! To be honest, someone getting their knickers in a twist over the use of Eire/Ireland has little to offer the world, any more than someone getting antsy over the use of the terns UK/Britain. History is just that , and views that prevailed around the thirties, forties fifties don’t really have any relevance anymore in Ireland. Societal views and demographics have changed massively since then and while Ireland is rightly proud of its independence it has acknowledged the pain and bloodshed on all sides.

            The narcissist rabble rouser who attempted to board HMS Enterprise in no way represents Irish society or mainstream politics. I’d urge others here not to fall for his bullshit, it’s what his crowd desire and feed on, endless ‘whataboutery ‘ and grievance, don’t merit him with any response. The crew of the ship were models of polite restraint in contrast to his shrill histrionics.

            Where charity and wisdom prevail, fear and ignorance don’t.

          • I think the point you might have missed is that Eire isn’t Éire. Those are two different words only one of which means Ireland.

          • I have enough issues typing words as it Is without adding stuff above the E. From many years ago in German lessons it was an umlaut to change the vowel sound… No idea what the equivelant is in Gaelic or how to do it on a phone keyboard.

          • Then surely the simple answer is use English? As in Ireland. Never understood why some switch to attempted Irish when using English. As to the fada is goes on the vowels, just hold down the letter you want and it’s the rising left to right one. Or you know just say Ireland, or ROI if you want.

          • Hello GB. 40 degrees is no joke but i should imagine it is a dry heat where you are. It’s mid winter here in SA so day time temperatures hover in mid twenties. Our summer is our rainy season so very humid which makes it feel hotter than it is.
            Cheers
            Geoff

          • Humidity is up in the 30-40% area.
            I am working outside and sweating like a Joy Rider at traffic lights!

          • Haha😂 “sweating like a joyrider at traffic lights..” brings back memories of taking my Dad’s 3.8 Jag to town of a Friday night and blowing nearly all the opposition off, heart pumping and hands sweating on the wheel 😂
            Durban in summer can have 70% humidity
            Cheers

          • Hi Geoff, hope you managed to survive the last round of floods. Things seemed pretty bad looking at the coverage on BBC. Nice and chilly here in Auckland- mercifully today is the shortest day of the year!

        • Morning my friend. Hot weather?? That is gone, It’s now grey and raining! But yes, we were enjoying it previously.

          Go on, indulge yourself, I know when the Irish English ones kick off you like a foray, with your knowledge and first hand experience.

    • I don’t know if many know but the USS Enterprise was in-fact named after the original HMS Enterprize which was captured from the French and then less gloriously captured by the rebellious Americans and kept the name. You can actually see that link in the credits to the Enterprise spin off prequel series.

      • And the Space Shuttle Endeavour was named after HMS Endeavour – hence the British rather than the American spelling.

        So that’s 2 Space Shuttles named after Royal Navy warships.

          • It certainly flew but never went into space. I don’t know whether it is still there, but a few years back I visited USS Intrepid in NYC. Enterprise was sitting on the flight deck under a huge tent. That thing was huge. It is very impressive how they got those things to glide down and land.

      • Nonsense. The first USS Enterprise of the US Navy was a schooner, subsequently rebuilt into a brig, built in 1799 in Baltimore Maryland. It served in the Barbary Wars.

      • Enterprise in French is Entreprise . There’s no Z involved . The RN tradition of not renaming taken ships would have reflected that. If a Z crept in it was down the the Americans .

  10. I’d apply the term politician with a grain of salt !!, more like a failed wannabe local councillor. The Irish extreme left, and their various iterations in the ‘Peace and Neutrality Alliance and Stop The War coalition are unrepresentative, are continually on the wrong side of the facts and are bywords for inveterate stupidity. The fact that he kept switching to ‘as gaeilge’ to ask his supposed question goes to show the level of self absorption and narcissism of this crowd. They would have no issue with a visiting Chinese or Russian ship, they do not protest outside the Russian embassy over the invasion of Ukraine, the repeated breaches of Irish airspace by Russian bombers, the cyber hack on the Irish health service by Russian hackers. They regularly organise protests outside the U.S. embassy over American foreign policy, but are never seen outside China, Iran, N.Korea, Russian consulates. But a survey ship paying a courtesy visit is somehow an affront to their sense of neutrality. They’re morons and need to be treated as such.

    • They have a long heritage everywhere sadly. Read a few days back in an article from the Socialist Workers how the Ukrainians use of the word Orc is a racist term against Russians. Does one laugh or cry at such matters when they are killing and raping Ukrainian citizens while their Masters use terms like ‘final solution’ as their plan to ethnically cleanse the occupied areas come to light and replace them with more Russophile peoples on mass who will be more compliant as they have done in previous centuries. Of course ‘Orcs’ only applies to the Russian military so clearly is not an actual racist term but the writer is only intent on inflaming and priming the reader rather than any sense of objectivity. Unlike of course the actual racism expressed by Medvedev yesterday when he called the leaders visiting Kiev as frogies, sausage eaters and pasta chewers which I’m sure the Socialist Workers mouth piece won’t have a problem with.

      • You’re not wrong. The fact that these ‘peace activists ‘ are only ever found protesting outside UK/US/Israeli or similar Western embassies tells you exactly where their funding comes from. They nurse false grievances, perpetuate myths,
        and hate the freedom and economic success of the west. All of their hardline ‘activists’ are unemployable malcontents who are as much use as tits on a bull. They would struggle to get a job selling life jackets on the Titanic.

        I always thought that the orc term was taken directly from Lord of The Rings, the parallels are strikingly obvious!!

      • It’s bizarre really, when you consider the Putin regime is very much a far right corporatists/facist state.

        • Fascism isn’t far right. it was created by Mussolini who was a lifelong socialist. I think we’ve had this discussion before though.

          • We have indeed and they both have the same Progenitors. to be honest I think left and right are essentially pointless labels and you need to look at the outcome. But in general conversation most people understand is far right = nationalism and facist and far left = communism…sloppy but you can’t spend 2hours explaining they are functionally the same on every post.

      • Go back and read carefully what I wrote. I never stated that the Irish didn’t protest over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vast majority of the country stand with Ukraine and the world in their condemnation of Russia. I was referring to the extreme left wing elements in Irish politics. I stated quite clearly who the morons are.

        • Phew! It’s good to know not all the Irish are morons.
          You have an amazing talent for divining that this ‘wanabee failed local gaelic speaking politician’ was likely to be Russian leaning socialist activist.
          Don’t suppose you have any evidence for that? He could just as easily be a romantic Irishman who’d had a row with the wife and had been drowning his sorrows at the local pub!

          • Again professional shitstirrer, he’s been up in front of the courts a couple of times for defacing signs and such, it’s a non story.

          • “.. Russian leaning socialist activist…”

            Well he is, there’s no divining talent required. Him and his ilk have previous form for this kind of histrionics. I’ll leave it to you to look it up if you need proof, I’ve better things to do with my time.

  12. ‘I will regard it as an act of aggression and I will respond’

    Is he trying to physically threaten multiple armed men? What’s going through his head?

    • He wants them to manhandle him for obvious reasons. Provoke to get a response and then claim the ‘violence’ involved proves the correctness of his position. Those already primed for that message will flock to his side.

      • Spy wrote:

        He wants them to manhandle him for obvious reasons. Provoke to get a response 

        I was sent this the other day, I think it somes up their game to a T
        

        • There’s a famous case where the BBC did something similar but the other way around, at the Battle of Orgreave during the miner’s strike in ’84. That morning the BBC news showed the police charging the miners and the miners answering with a hail of rocks. But by the early evening news, it had been swapped around, and the film footage showed the miners attacking with rocks, answered by the police cavalry charge.

          Years later the editor admitted he’d swapped it around for “dramatic effect”, although veteran MP Tony Benn always claimed it was a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth.

  16. For the record the man is both a failed politician and a professional shitstirrer, been arrested more than once, he’s about as representative as George Galloway is for the U.K.

    Also one of the previous times it was a Molotov cocktail, so this is a sort of improvement.

  17. Was this an episode from Father Ted if so its “Feck ” Coff , not Fxxk off not even Father Jack would make that mistake

  20. Ah yes, the burning of Cork. Nothing about the Ethnic Cleansing of Protestants in Cork after the Irish Rebellion.

    • That would be the War of Independence, and don’t forget the Ethnic Cleansing that went on in NI after it was formed at the same time.

  21. Oh its ok for us to guard their airspace for them with our nasty war weapons but we cannot visit their ports…

    • You are aware of how many times RN ships have been in? Not too mention that this is a random idiot, are you going to suggest there aren’t any idiots in the U.K.?

    • Seriously? That wasn’t a representative of the Irish government who appeared on the gangplank. It was a local idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.

  22. Meanwhile in London The Met police arrest a white man for defending himself from 2 wonks who took offence at him for carrying the St George Flag (listen to all the wonks calling him a facist)

    • Was he arrested? There are a handful of cases in the UK where a restraint or detention can take place without using the power of arrest. This looks like one. Anyone, whether a policeman or not, can restrain someone to avoid an imminent breach of the peace. If he was held for a few minutes to calm the situation down, that seems reasonable to me. We don’t see the whole situation, but I have to admit, the use of cuffs looks like overkill.

  23. I’m a bastard but i’m a bastard because of what others did to my ancestors. No you’re a bastard because you’re a bastard. Fill in any nationality you choose in the gaps.

  24. Ireland was not neutral as they aided the allies plus Nazi Germany would have invaded the Republic of Ireland if given the.chance

  25. Stupid is as stupid does.

    Our sailors doing exactly as they should and ignoring the muppet as much as possible.

    And the Garda too doing their job (though really, he should never have even gotten on the gangway).

  26. Just an observation…if they put a security fella at the bottom of the gangway then these jokers wouldn’t have got up as far as they did!

    • Somebody correct me if I am wrong here. But I was of the belief that a Navy ship in a foreign port is classed as the territory of the country it belongs to. Hence the reason why the guard are on board the ship and not on shore. It also explains the Garda office on shore, (who did arrive somewhat late to the incident) 

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