Todays the Day

[Elgrande]

When for some reason people are allowed to sing songs about killing British Soldiers and glorifying terrorists in many pubs and sing racist songs about hating and despising the Brits. For some reason as opposed to football fans or right of centre political parties these racist and inflammatory songs will be ignored and in many cases glorified by the stupid and those that think it is all about Guinness.
Sits back and waits!!!

[CadburyMan]

Where does all this happen then?

[Elgrande]

At many of the St Patricks day "celebrations". I wonder if they know he was Welsh?

[CadburyMan]

Biggest parade in the UK was in Birmingham; there was not a single report of the behaviour you cite.

[Elgrande]

Go into the real Irish pubs and bars that night and I will guarantee it did. The parades are loads of people; non Irish in the main for some reason celebrating an alien Saint. It just always amazes me that when the English try to do the same it is frowned upon to say the least. I have been in pubs in Kilburn when the collection tin did the rounds for "the boys" as they listened to songs about the Rebel Cause. Too many people just choose to ignore that aspect.

[Garawa]

Ignore or be ignorant of though? Its amazing how many people go along with things and then nearly pass out when you tell them what they were actually doing! Classic example is the sharing of Britain First statuses on Facebook, 90% of users don't have the foggiest about what they stand for or who they are supporting. I bet many are Irish "for the night" to get drunk, sing songs they don't know the meaning to and go home. I know a couple of English people who always booked the day off to celebrate it.

[Elgrande]

Agree Gary; my point was as much about the fact that if football fans stand in pubs or in a ground and sing about Foxy, Hillsborough, Munich etc they would get arrested or at the least filmed. Do the exact same thing on Paddies day and it is fine?
The rest of the ballyhoo with green beer and silly hats is almost tolerable if people didn't get all precious when St George's day is celebrated. All this about it being taken over is just a smoke screen.

[Garawa]

That in itself has been taken over somewhat. I would imagine the very far right will have claimed St George's Day for themselves but I can't remember the last time it was celebrated as a national day anywhere....at school, local events or anything. Sad really. Perhaps that's why many English people enjoy St Patricks Day so much.

[CadburyMan]

I think you've pitched it exactly right Gary; as a nation we barely acknowledge 23 April but we tolerate 17 March and enter the Spirit of the day in a totally unpolitical way - mines a pint of the black stuff.

[Elgrande]

I'll have mine without the detonator and Gerry Adams thanks!

[CadburyMan]

When does a "freedom fighter" become a terrorist and then become a "bona fide" politician? That Nelson Mandela was an awfully bad chap

[Elgrande]

well we have got there in the end. Gerry Adams is the northern hemispheres version of Mandela. So if I stand somewhere tomorrow and sing about killing Bobby Sands it will be Ok. As for N.M. I wonder how much the lives of the average non indigenous South African has improved over the last 20 years?
CM: all I was trying to say / ask is why so many English join in singing Rebel songs and even putting money in the tin on a day where those that don't like us celebrate in song `killing our troops?

[Garawa]

Probably because it goes back to my point about being ignorant to it all. Many might be early twenty-somethings on a usual "night out" that never experienced the bombings we endured. We get all antagonistic when we see the endless lies about how a Muslim person wanted Peppa Pig banned or how another was allowed to push in at a supermarket queue but ignore what ACTUALLY happened back in the 80s with a country next door.

[CadburyMan]

Not sure that many/any English folk do join in with the singing. Can't remember the last time I heard a rousing chorus of Kevin Barry.

Where I have a concern is that Ireland is a country invaded and colonised by England/Scotland and we are surprised that people still have the temerity to seek their "freedom". just because the takeover was back in the days of Cromwell there is no diminution of the ultimate goal of liberation from colonial rule

[Elgrande]

Based on that we should still hate the Italians and the Normans.