Sinn Fein to meet the Queen

Eggy Baby!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18552221

Mr Adams said the decision was a "significant initiative, involving major political and symbolic challenges for Irish republicanism".

However, he said it reflected Sinn Fein's "genuine desire to embrace our unionist neighbours".

Following a special meeting of the Sinn Fein leadership, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness will, next week, meet Elizabeth II at a charity reception in Belfast.

Probably more symbolic than anything, it does however represent a major shift in the doctrine of the party.

Bluetonic

Didn't she die in 2002? (The Queen Mother?)

blahfckingblah

the queen mothers dead

Eggy Baby!

:P

Ignore that. Was a mistake and I can't change the name of the thread unfortunately!

EDIT: Or maybe I can.

Sunnyisland

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056679277 Here already.

DeBrugha

Why do Irish people say ''the Queen'' still??

It sounds like that she is your queen when you say that.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

because no one gives a **** about the queen of holland?

Kinski

Haha, Kevin Myers' head must be exploding - even Martin McGuinness gets to meet the Queen, while nobody in the British establishment seems to give a **** that Myers exists. This whole "normalisation" of relations process must be giving a lot of WestBrit types a painful reality-check.

MadsL

DeBrugha wrote: »

Why do Irish people say ''the Queen'' still??

It sounds like that she is your queen when you say that.

Because in the context of an official duty of the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland she is "the Queen".

And she is useful when the property speculation goes tits up.

Nodin

MadsL wrote: »

......

And she is useful when the property speculation goes tits up.

You've lost me with that one...

round tower huntsman

i dont see the big deal. psf already support the presence of her army in ireland. they support her police and law in ireland. they draw a wage from her coffers. why wouldnt the queen meet on of her loyal employees?

he'd have met her long ago only for they know it will piss of the growing number of dissillusioned grassroots. i suspect thats why the handshake will be behind closed doors. sure the dissos still loving rolling out the pic of mcguinness standing shoulder to shoulder with the queens police and political reps to call irish insurgents "traitors" after the masserene job. pic of him cap tipping her royal highness would be disso gold.

kippy

At this stage it's literally SF looking out for their own interests. At this point in time there are a lot of Irish voters who will soften their feelings on SF if this happens leading to more voting for them and an SF lead country withing 5-10 years.

Terrontress

DeBrugha wrote: »

Why do Irish people say ''the Queen'' still??

It sounds like that she is your queen when you say that.

Because they are attempting to communicate. And when they say "The Queen" everyone understands what they mean.

Terrontress

round tower huntsman wrote: »

i dont see the big deal. psf already support the presence of her army in ireland. they support her police and law in ireland. they draw a wage from her coffers. why wouldnt the queen meet on of her loyal employees?

he'd have met her long ago only for they know it will piss of the growing number of dissillusioned grassroots. i suspect thats why the handshake will be behind closed doors. sure the dissos still loving rolling out the pic of mcguinness standing shoulder to shoulder with the queens police and political reps to call irish insurgents "traitors" after the masserene job. pic of him cap tipping her royal highness would be disso gold.

If Sinn Fein are an all Ireland party, as they claim to be, then they cannot appeal to the views of Northerners in isolation.

The recent visit of the queen has shown the more populous part of Ireland to be in favour of good relations with the royal family so why should a party, which claims to be attempting to embrace democracy, not mirror public opinion?

Sunnyisland

Terrontress wrote: »

If Sinn Fein are an all Ireland party, as they claim to be, then they cannot appeal to the views of Northerners in isolation.

The recent visit of the queen has shown the more populous part of Ireland to be in favour of good relations with the royal family so why should a party, which claims to be attempting to embrace democracy, not mirror public opinion?

But they surely have to take there opinions into very careful consideration,What they don't want is some sort of Nationalist backlash from the dissidents who have more support here than is acknowledged from the media,SF in the republican/nationalist community still walk a fine line.

MadsL

Nodin wrote: »

You've lost me with that one...

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/priory-hall-residents-welcome-quashing-of-mcfeely-bankruptcy-status-in-uk-555577.html

Former hunger striker hides behind the Queen's skirt when it comes to declaring bankruptcy and claims Ireland is a 'foreign jurisdiction'.

Terrontress

realies wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

If Sinn Fein are an all Ireland party, as they claim to be, then they cannot appeal to the views of Northerners in isolation.

The recent visit of the queen has shown the more populous part of Ireland to be in favour of good relations with the royal family so why should a party, which claims to be attempting to embrace democracy, not mirror public opinion?

But they surely have to take there opinions into very careful consideration,What they don't want is some sort of Nationalist backlash from the dissidents who have more support here than is acknowledged from the media,SF in the republican/nationalist community still walk a fine line.

Because the backlash would lead to a drop in support at the polls or because the dissidents will go out and murder a few more policemen?

If Sinn Fein want to normalise a 32 county view then they should strive to make what is normal in the 26 normal in the 6. And given the success of last year's royal visit then why not do the same in NI?

Sunnyisland

Terrontress wrote: »

Because the backlash would lead to a drop in support at the polls or because the dissidents will go out and murder a few more policemen?

If Sinn Fein want to normalise a 32 county view then they should strive to make what is normal in the 26 normal in the 6. And given the success of last year's royal visit then why not do the same in NI?

Both as imo there is a sizeable minority of nationalists who are/maybe getting disillusioned with the way SF are going,The last thing the people here need is another spilt or a rerun of the officials/provisions of the early 70,s.

allthedoyles

Don't like this news .........don't agree that they should meet , let alone shake hands .

Sunnyisland

allthedoyles wrote: »

Don't like this news .........don't agree that they should meet , let alone shake hands .

Why not ? Imo its a very positive step, Cant see one thing wrong with it,But as always I am open to other peoples opinions.Tell me why you think not.

junder

Anybody asked the queen wether or not she wants to meet mcgunniess

Sunnyisland

junder wrote: »

Anybody asked the queen whether or not she wants to meet mcguinness

I am sure there where lots of people asked before this announcement, Today's events where just for media and publicity purposes.

Dubhlinner

junder wrote: »

Anybody asked the queen wether or not she wants to meet mcgunniess

Apparently she was all for it. Mentioned in an article somewhere.

I wonder what unionists and loyalists will make of it. Dawn Purvis seemed positive but I expected some might be upset and see it as betrayal.

Eggy Baby!

DeBrugha wrote: »

Why do Irish people say ''the Queen'' still??

It sounds like that she is your queen when you say that.

She is my queen I'm a British sleeper agent.

It sounds more succinct than "the Queen of England".

man.about.town

don't be fooled by this wolf in sheeps clothing. martin mcguinness and the rest of sinn fein had their chance to shake the queens hand on her trip here in 2011. sinn fein refused and even cleansed the garden of rememberance after her visit.

they are only doing this now because we, the irish people shuinned them for it. they alienated themselves the decent people in this country that saw how the queen was dignified, respectful and gracious during her visit.

i do however, have respect for Michael Browne, the sinn fein mayor of cashel because he shook the queens hand. the party denounced him immediately.

lets not be fooled, sinn fein play reverse politics, this is in an attempt to win back the support they lost for there childish behavior in 2011.

guinnessdrinker

man.about.town wrote: »

lets not be fooled, sinn fein play reverse politics, this is in an attempt to win back the support they lost for there childish behavior in 2011.

I thought SF's support had increased since 2011?

thecommietommy

So what's left now, Ian Paisley meeting the Pope ?

The Waltzing Consumer

man.about.town wrote: »

don't be fooled by this wolf in sheeps clothing. martin mcguinness and the rest of sinn fein had their chance to shake the queens hand on her trip here in 2011. sinn fein refused and even cleansed the garden of rememberance after her visit.

they are only doing this now because we, the irish people shuinned them for it. they alienated themselves the decent people in this country that saw how the queen was dignified, respectful and gracious during her visit.

i do however, have respect for Michael Browne, the sinn fein mayor of cashel because he shook the queens hand. the party denounced him immediately.

lets not be fooled, sinn fein play reverse politics, this is in an attempt to win back the support they lost for there childish behavior in 2011.

Exactly! It's all a game, nothing about "moving on", all about the votes and the lost support. To me, it is authentic as any scene on the X-Factor.

Michael Browne met the Britihs Queen and shook her hand and welcomed her because it was natural and civic and the right thing.

SF are doing it now because they have analysed, and polled and saw how stupid they looked and are now trying to make this some propaganda victory of their maturity.

How many times have we seen this with SF? They castigate and condemn so many people who are progressive, only to then a short time later do the exact same thing.

thebman

allthedoyles wrote: »

Don't like this news .........don't agree that they should meet , let alone shake hands .

Two people shaking hands, I know so controversial. :rolleyes:

Nodin

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Exactly! It's all a game, nothing about "moving on", all about the votes and the lost support. ......

You've evidence of this?

The Waltzing Consumer

Nodin wrote: »

You've evidence of this?

No offense Nodin, but SF have done this plenty of times before, they castigate some party or person who attempts to do something, then a short time later, do the exact same thing.

I don't think anyone in politics forum will argue that the number one objective of any party or politician is stay elected and in power and will change their minds based upon what they think will get them votes even if it is something, one year ago, thought was a terrible and premature act.

Nodin

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

No offense Nodin, but SF have done this plenty of times before, they castigate some party or person who attempts to do something, then a short time later, do the exact same thing.

I don't think anyone in politics forum will argue that the number one objective of any party or politician is stay elected and in power and will change their minds based upon what they think will get them votes even if it is something, one year ago, thought was a terrible and premature act.

So you've no evidence as regards your statement that its "all about the votes and the lost support".

The Waltzing Consumer

Nodin wrote: »

So you've no evidence as regards your statement that its "all about the votes and the lost support".

It's an opinion and I explained why I said it :rolleyes:

Lighten up, do you ask everyone who states an opinion to back it up with evidence?

Nodin

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

It's an opinion and I explained why I said it :rolleyes:

Lighten up, do you ask everyone who states an opinion to back it up with evidence?

Nearly, yes.

man.about.town

Nodin wrote: »

So you've no evidence as regards your statement that its "all about the votes and the lost support".

your insinuating that sinn fein didn't lose support over the debacle and you are looking for evidence. i know the polls say there gaining popularity, of course there gaining popularity, we're in the grips of a recession and there in the land of make believe, they oppose every cut and reduction that needs to be done, they have no clear guideline to ensuring our future of this country. people are desperate and in recessionary times people dont look at things logically, germany 70 yrs ago springs to mind.

heres a letter that was in ther independent a few months ago, sums it up for me

" fiscal fantasy
I keep checking to see is there a children's pantomime on in town, as I want to book the whole front row for the Sinn Fein party and several union leaders.

They all appear to have reverted back to their childhoods with their continuous use of the word 'No', and the innocent starry-eyed notion that there is a fairy godmother/Santa Claus/tooth fairy out there, in some mystical castle, waiting to hand the country a golden fortune when they stick their tongues out at the EU in our referendum at the end of May.

I feel they would would be better off reading about the wolf in 'Little Red Riding Hood'.

Aidan Hampson
Whitethorn Rise, Dublin 5"

Nodin

man.about.town wrote: »

your insinuating that sinn fein didn't lose support over the debacle and you are looking for evidence.

i know the polls say there gaining popularity, of course there gaining popularity, we're in the grips of a recession and there in the land of make believe, they oppose every cut and reduction that needs to be done, they have no clear guideline to ensuring our future of this country. people are desperate and in recessionary times people dont look at things logically, germany 70 yrs ago springs to mind.

.........................

So they didn't lose popularity then. That's what I thought.

nuac

SF should have met her when she was here last year.

They have been posturing long enough about it, and have milked it for all the publicity possible

Fenian Army

You have to laugh at anti republicans, they would berate him ifhe refused to meet her, and now they berate him for doing so.

Pkiernan

In fairness to the Queen, she is swallowing a lot of personal feelings in meeting one of the blokes that murdered her cousin.

Perhaps the rabid dissidents could be a little more open minded.

Sean Bateman

Let's not forget the other side if this...

An elderly lady whose husband's uncle was murdered by Sinn Fein / IRA is willing to meet and shake hands with a representative of said organisation.

Republicans don't have a monopoly on suffering.

bee_keeper

Pkiernan wrote: »

In fairness to the Queen, she is swallowing a lot of personal feelings in meeting one of the blokes that murdered her cousin.

Perhaps the rabid dissidents could be a little more open minded.

mountbatton himself was no harmless old uncle , ask the punjabs , he lived by the sword most of his life

not defending the way the IRA murdered him btw

Eggy Baby!

Lighten up, do you ask everyone who states an opinion to back it up with evidence?

Obviously!

Sure I killed JFK and shot JR.

VinLieger

Fenian Army wrote: »

You have to laugh at anti republicans, they would berate him ifhe refused to meet her, and now they berate him for doing so.

Whats an anti republican? I support the Republic of Ireland and its democratically elected government and laws but i dont support Sinn Fein, im guessing from reading your posts you would call that being an anti republican but i cannot for the life of me understand how?

jonniebgood1

bee_keeper wrote: »

mountbatton himself was no harmless old uncle , ask the punjabs , he lived by the sword most of his life

not defending the way the IRA murdered him btw

His role in India was more a facilitator of change rather than enforced (which I take is implied with the 'lived by the sword' comment). The real damage done in India was by the partition of the country which was against Mountbattens early wishes. It was only when he realised that Ali Jinnah would not agree to a united India that he pursued the disasterous 2 state solution.

I think the IRA killed him because of his royal links rather than anything he had actually done.

jonniebgood1

Forgive an off topic post but has McGuinness met the family of the young boy who was killed in the boat with Mountbatten?

Sunnyisland

VLieger wrote: »

Whats an anti republican? I support the Republic of Ireland and its democratically elected government and laws but i don't support Sinn Fein, i'm guessing from reading your posts you would call that being an anti republican but i cannot for the life of me understand how?

That's only at soccer matches Even though FF still calls its self the republican party, Most people imo when talking/writing about Republicans in Ireland are more than likely talking about SF/IRA/RIRA etc

man.about.town

Nodin wrote: »

So they didn't lose popularity then. That's what I thought.

no, i dont know how clearer i can be but ill have a go. after may 2011 with the success of both visits (queen elizabeths/obamas). fine gael and labour both gained popularity, sinn fein lost popularity which im guessing was to do with the way they acted during the visits, plus all i could see was scumbags out at there protesting on there behalf, it certainly wasnt decent people!! anyway, its been over a year since then and what im trying to explain to you is that its obvious to me why sinn fein are gaining popularity because there in opposition and make believe land. they have no clear cut plan. its not hard for an opposition party to gain popularity in a recession!!!!!!!!!

Fenian Army

man.about.town wrote: »

no, i dont know how clearer i can be but ill have a go. after may 2011 with the success of both visits (queen elizabeths/obamas). fine gael and labour both gained popularity, sinn fein lost popularity which im guessing was to do with the way they acted during the visits, plus all i could see was scumbags out at there protesting on there behalf, it certainly wasnt decent people!! anyway, its been over a year since then and what im trying to explain to you is that its obvious to me why sinn fein are gaining popularity because there in opposition and make believe land. they have no clear cut plan. its not hard for an opposition party to gain popularity in a recession!!!!!!!!!

Rubbish.

SFs protest mainly consisted of releasing black balloons representing those killed in Dublin/Monaghan. Other republican groups had street protests, might be them you are thinking of.

Who are "decent people"?

man.about.town

Fenian Army wrote: »

Rubbish.

SFs protest mainly consisted of releasing black balloons representing those killed in Dublin/Monaghan. Other republican groups had street protests, might be them you are thinking of.

Who are "decent people"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mTKRWoJNQ

sinn fein youths protest, enough said...

Fenian Army

man.about.town wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mTKRWoJNQ

sinn fein youths protest, enough said...

They are not members of Sinn Féin republican youth. That flag burning has nothing to do with SF.


Try harder.

southsiderosie

man.about.town wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mTKRWoJNQ

sinn fein youths protest, enough said...

I don't see anything in that video to suggest that this has anything to do with Sinn Fein. I do, however, see an eirigi flag. Am I missing something?