Martin McGuinness...

[JackSnakes]

Pan breid...


Oh well.

[Mook1]

I can see this thread being very diplomatic & jovial...

[JackSnakes]

I can see this thread being very diplomatic & jovial...

I have no opinion on the matter one way or the other. I would imagine some will be saddened and some will be delighted.
One of the United Kingdom's leading politicians has died so I thought I would mention it.

[AguyIknow]

Could be wrong but I doubt he saw himself as "One of the United Kingdom's leading politicians". Even former enemies seem to credit him with having done a large amount to foster peace in Ireland though.

[Hairdrier]

I have no opinion on the matter one way or the other. I would imagine some will be saddened and some will be delighted.
One of the United Kingdom's leading politicians has died so I thought I would mention it.

Marmite is the only word I can think of. This has nothing to do with football (yeah right).

[England_First]

Birmingham, Manchester, Guildford, London, Warrington, Lichfield, to name a few, let the celebrations commence

[Hairdrier]

A year ago and this would have hit 5 pages by now. A bit like Scottish politics - dumbed down and in decline.

[spikeontheright]

McGuinness is a very interesting subject.

Only someone like him, who had been in his position and done the things that he did, would have been capable of taking the majority of Sinn Fein/IRA with him into the peace process.

The families that have lost loved ones in any terrorist activities he was involved in must have found it very hard to see him in a position of power within British politics, but if the British government had refused to deal with him, there would almost certainly have been more innocent people killed.

[JackSnakes]

McGuinness is a very interesting subject.

Only someone like him, who had been in his position and done the things that he did, would have been capable of taking the majority of Sinn Fein/IRA with him into the peace process.

The families that have lost loved ones in any terrorist activities he was involved in must have found it very hard to see him in a position of power within British politics, but if the British government had refused to deal with him, there would almost certainly have been more innocent people killed.

Nigel Havers was on R4 yesterday almost in tears because someone had compared McGuinness to Nelson Mandela... I'm not sure if Mr Havering is, or was, aware of the history of NM, but the backgrounds are very similar apart from the fact that Mandela was a posh boy whereas McGuiness was an erse-oot-yer-troosers croppie. Both involved in terrorist acts, both heads of parts of organisations that murdered civilians and bombed property with the intention of causing death or injury.
It would seem that one man's terrorist truly is another man's freedom fighter...

[England_First]

Difference is, Mandela was stuck in the South African apartheid era, McGonner was bombing people in a Britain where he had a vote, a passport, freedom of movement, could worship in his own church of choice and so on, basically McGonner had the same rights as you and I, his issue was that he did not like the fact the the British Army were patrolling British streets, at the request of the catholic community. Trying to compare apartheid South Africa to the UK is a very weak attempt at trying justify McGonners actions, the actions of a murdering scumbag.