James McClean.

Let’s be right though they bood him first then he gave them it back after. If they’d never bothered he wouldn’t have done anything.

 

If you're referring to what became known as Bloody Sunday no one's been convicted of murder to the best of my knowledge, but if they were then I wouldn't seek to justify it.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Finucane
Please don’t make me post every example....

 

Rightly or wrongly I associate the wearing of the poppy mainly with the millions of lads who lost their lives in WWI and WWII. Plenty of those were from Ireland so do all Irish not show respect for their fallen?

 

British forces colluding with Irish Loyalists to execute a British passport holder from a family of IRA members. But he wasn't in the IRA - honest.

 

A citizen of the UK was murdered in front of his wife and children by agents of the Uk in his home without a trial or even an order by an elected member of the government - if you can justify that Good luck. The prime minister of this country has publicly admitted as much and apologised on behalf of the state. Could it be any more clear?

 

If you can't understand why a Catholic from Derry would decide not to wear a poppy it's not worth debating the issue with you. I wear a poppy, others from England may not for very valid reasons too, but your posts indicate a real ignorance relating to the complexities of Irish history.

 

Don't debate then nip, as I've said previously it isn't about showing support for government, for policy, for the monarchy, it's about showing respect for and remembrance of those who were killed and injured whilst in the service of our country. Doesn't matter what side of the falls road you live on, Irishmen died wearing a British uniform as well.

 

As I say, I respected it, but when did it become a matter of judgement,and when did it start encroaching on a game of football?

 

They fought dirty (and laid the ground rules). We fought dirty back and they bottled it. How many times have you visited meadowhall since the disgraceful Warrington bomb of 1993 and not watched your 11 year kid blown to pieces?? That isn't an accident, people worked hard to make it the case that the IRA themselves realised the gun was getting them nowhere. If they weren't beaten we'd still be at it now, is that what you'd really want?? As I've said before, McClean is a footballer, doubt he's possessed of a wisdom but had his own belief. Ok. Leave him to it. To quote a German friend, it is the snow of yesterday. Oh...and if he hates us so much, how come he's over here taking the ENGLISH football leagues shilling.

 

Were the IRA beaten, or did changing their targets to financial rather than people help to speed up the peace process?

Manchester and Canary Wharf costs billions to the UK economy with two deaths (two too many).

 

thats all very emotional and provocative, but the UK government ran murder gangs to kill British citizens, and if your justification for that is that “they were bad as well” it doesn’t wash. Trying to morally justify state terror by comparing it to those you are opposing is a zero sum game. Either you are justified morally as the state or you offer no better solution to the people then a more efficient mechanism for murder.

 

I'll leave you to your morals, I'm glad nobody has had to pay a price for them since the 1990s in respect of the IRA. I'm not going into what I did for a living but if I hadnt suceeded then on a number of occasions many innocent people would have died. UK plc could have claimed the moral high ground but if its your child who had died thats a hard thing to take. But hey, youd have had your morals ....well done you.!

 

That's the whole point - "whilst in the service of our country". Many people in Derry, rightly or wrongly, believe they were oppressed by an occupying force. I'm not suggesting they are right, or that you should agree with them, but if you can't understand that then you can't understand why he might not want to wear a poppy. And if others hadn't understood that we wouldn't have had the Good Friday agreement.

 

Top reply mate

 

So who's the terrorists he speaks of ??

 

I wasn't agreeing with him so wouldn't know

 

So do you think it was ok for members of the RUC and UDR to kill innocent people in their spare time then?

 

To bring a bit of lightheartedness to this thread:

 

If the poppy was about just the two world wars then I don't think he'd have a problem as those people had no choice but to defend our country against evil. It's that the poppy is for every conflict since where our government have sent our troops who had the choice to join the army out across the globe to police the world and get involved in other peoples business.