Documentary/real lives.

[animallittle3]

Whilst I haven't watched this documentary as yet for reasons I've already explained it's a subject I've previously held a huge interest in .

This may not sit right with too many especially those who have served in our military or have or have had family members in the armed forces .

The war fought by the IRA and various other Republican paramilitaries was a just cause , they'd every right to fight for a United Ireland .

As you can imagine I've had some fairly robust debates on the subject because I don't believe for one minute the narrative that was presented to the UK population through government policy and the media that Brits are good and the IRA evil .

Both sides were guilty of atrocities and both were responsible for a huge number of innocent deaths , Bloody Sunday was every bit an atrocity as the Birmingham bombings to name but two incidents .

What I've always said is this , how would you like Yorkshire to be ruled from Dublin ?

How would you like Irish soldiers on the streets of Leeds , Sheffield , York and Barnsley ?

How would you like to be interned in prison for a couple of years , never charged on the suspicion that you were a member of the YRA ?

That said I'm extremely proud of this country's record of defending itself from aggressive forces , namely those who died fighting Nazi Germany and preserving our freedoms but I simply refuse to place all our conflicts in to one convenient box .

[pass_and_move]

Whilst I haven't watched this documentary as yet for reasons I've already explained it's a subject I've previously held a huge interest in .

This may not sit right with too many especially those who have served in our military or have or have had family members in the armed forces .

The war fought by the IRA and various other Republican paramilitaries was a just cause , they'd every right to fight for a United Ireland .

As you can imagine I've had some fairly robust debates on the subject because I don't believe for one minute the narrative that was presented to the UK population through government policy and the media that Brits are good and the IRA evil .

Both sides were guilty of atrocities and both were responsible for a huge number of innocent deaths , Bloody Sunday was every bit an atrocity as the Birmingham bombings to name but two incidents .

What I've always said is this , how would you like Yorkshire to be ruled from Dublin ?

How would you like Irish soldiers on the streets of Leeds , Sheffield , York and Barnsley ?

How would you like to be interned in prison for a couple of years , never charged on the suspicion that you were a member of the YRA ?

That said I'm extremely proud of this country's record of defending itself from aggressive forces , namely those who died fighting Nazi Germany and preserving our freedoms but I simply refuse to place all our conflicts in to one convenient box .

I think that you've made a fair point. Looking at things objectively is what it's all about in my opinion.

I was too young in the 80s and 90s to understand things properly. I remember seeing things on the news back then which obviously didn't paint the IRA in a good light regarding the bombings etc. Until a few days ago, I never knew what bloody Sunday was. To me, it was a U2 song and the lyrics/meaning didn't register - Not through ignorance, just not being old enough. That's why watching this is programme is an education and I'm going into it with an open mind.

As ever in conflict, both sides suffer although to listen to real people who have experienced things and lived through this horror, it's a hell of an eye opener.

I will watch the 3rd episode in these next few days. To be honest I'm still trying to get my head around the first two programmes that I've watched. It's difficult viewing and something that stirs the emotion in many different ways.

[animallittle3]

I think that you've made a fair point. Looking at things objectively is what it's all about in my opinion.

I was too young in the 80s and 90s to understand things properly. I remember seeing things on the news back then which obviously didn't paint the IRA in a good light regarding the bombings etc. Until a few days ago, I never knew what bloody Sunday was. To me, it was a U2 song and the lyrics/meaning didn't register - Not through ignorance, just not being old enough. That's why watching this is programme is an education and I'm going into it with an open mind.

As ever in conflict, both sides suffer although to listen to real people who have experienced things and lived through this horror, it's a hell of an eye opener.

I will watch the 3rd episode in these next few days. To be honest I'm still trying to get my head around the first two programmes that I've watched. It's difficult viewing and something that stirs the emotion in many different ways.

As a boy growing up in the 70's and as a young man in the 80's I hated the IRA with vengeance .

They were presented on our tv screens as the evil ones , there was no balance to be seen .

That said it's also important to remember and take in to consideration how we came to split the North from the South of Ireland .

It was considered to be something to aspire to if you were a nation of great military might to invade and conquer other nations and build an empire , it was as acceptable then as it's unacceptable today , although we still do it in more subtle fashion by financing and choosing leaders in other parts of the world who can benefit us economically .

I take the point we can't rewrite history but we can shape the future .

It would seem to me to be a sensible idea to start laying the foundations for a United Ireland .

The Catholic population in the North will very soon be the majority if they aren't already , that's only going to go one way at the ballot box in the very near future .