Ireland's defensive frailty exposed by Russian exercise

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118543368#Comment_118543368

Seriously, who's laughing at us .

Sarcasm

kippy

So nobody is laughing at us?

Great.

goldenmick

Don't panic.

Even as I write, reinforcements are on their way to the Emerald Isle.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118543048#Comment_118543048

The British and Americans love to laugh at aul paddy, that's not going to stop if we go spending billions on military equipment. If it makes sense for us to spend more on defense then we should. But only if it makes sense.

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118543561#Comment_118543561

It makes perfect sense, the military's been saying for ages what it actually needs to do its job, but it's political suicide. Can you imagine it?

"We shall double our defense budget from 1.1 to 2bn Euro to have a modicum of self-sufficiency in routine policing of our territory. Buy a radar. A ship with sonar and a helicopter etc."

"Monsters! That would mean instead of 22.2bn for health, 23.3bn for Social Protection and 9.2bn for education, they would only have 21.9bn, 23bn and 8.9bn respectively! Where are your priorities? And you expect us to vote for you again?" (Figures from Budget 2022 )

The problem is that defense is one of those things which does not tangibly affect the voter. Chuck more Euro into Irish Rail, and you can get a seat on DART during commuter hours. Chuck more Euro into the Gardai, and you'll get an extra patrol or two in your neighborhood. Putting it into defense just throws it down the drain. Until you realise you actually need a capability which doesn't exist.

zimmermania

First,what is proposed by Putins guys is legal according to the Irish government and this sort of stuff happens all the time in international waters.

If we or anyone else does not like then we can lobby to change the rules.

It will be forgotten about in a fortnight.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118543572#Comment_118543572

Your final paragraph made perfect sense until you got to the last sentence.

A tiny country like Ireland spunking literally billions of euro away on guns n' ammo on the off-chance that there's an invasion is an obscene waste of money. Ireland hasn't been invaded in hundreds of years, and if anyone invaded Ireland today it would kick off a World War that would literally be over in hours. It would be the national equivalent of some loser prepping for a zombie apocalypse. In other words a massive waste of time and money.

All this talk about "increasing our defence spending" in this thread is just big man fantasies by bored men. I think more people should just stick to Saving Private Ryan DVDs and paintball trips for their 50ths.

XsApollo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118543602#Comment_118543602

It is legal.

https://sites.tufts.edu/lawofthesea/chapter-4/

Who cares what some neoliberal ghoul on MSNBC thinks? That channel is Fox News level in terms of journalistic standards.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118543763#Comment_118543763

A lot of Irish people really get the hump if American or British media refer to Ireland with anything but glowing terms. They usually follow it up self-flagellating fantasies about Americans or Brits calling us "stupid Paddies" or something along those lines. Usually the original reference wasn't anywhere near as bilious as that but that demographic quiver like jelly and cry like little girls at the idea of anyone laughing at us.

These are the same people who want to emulate the Big Man military posturing of the US and the UK. They are frightened little men who want to be like the Big Tough Men in Afghanistan, and Iraq, and the Transformers films. Shoot first, ask questions later. Buy the T shirt.

I'm glad that they aren't representative of real life. One of the virtues of being Irish is that we have remained mostly uninfluenced of the macho posturing from the American military fellatist, bar the occasional idiotic thread such as this one.

Gatling

@CGI_Livia_Soprano if anyone invaded Ireland today it would kick off a World War that would literally be over in hours.

Why would it kick off ww3 ,who do you think will be sending their sons and daughters to fight for us when we couldn't be bothered in the first place ,

We love our freedom , democracy and easy going lifestyle but only when you expect others to sacrifice on your behalf

cheezums

Not sure the fishermen have succeeded with their publicity stunt as no one is talking about their fishing grievances with the Irish government which was the whole point of their stunt. All they've suceeded in doing is making us look like a bunch of turf smoking simpletons to the entire world. The general global reaction is basically "awww look at them, so cute"

cheezums

Regarding the discussion of who would help us if we ever got invaded - the EU would be duty bound to defend us. And the US would definitely jump in, the Irish lobby is still strong over there.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544040#Comment_118544040

There'll be no need to send any sons and daughters: An attack on any EU nation would almost certainly lead to nuclear war and complete annihilation of organised society worldwide within hours.

monkeybutter

So is the problem here that people are laughing at us but we don't have the surveillance infrastructure to determine who is doing the laughing?

Why are people so against getting invaded? Sure they could unite the island, bring their own military infrastructure and maybe finally sort out the HSE and the courts (kangaroo) and build metro north

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544182#Comment_118544182

So we should have nuclear weapons ...

Makes sense if everyone is going to launch them we might as well get some payback before Armageddon I like your thinking on this

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544512#Comment_118544512

we'd most likely be one of the places to survive nuclear war due to most russians not being able to find us on the map not mind invade us

(With apologies to John Betjeman... the gist of some posts seems to be...)

Come Russian bombs to the Emerald Isle,

We've been suffering a while.

Your good work with the HSE

Must now proceed with urgent speed.

Come bomb our land to smithereens,

Destroy the RTE canteen.

Obliterate our methane cows,

We never liked them anyhow.

Vapourize us Vlad, today!

Annihilate without delay!

We will welcome you in the muddy trenches,

on the hilltops and boreens.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544533#Comment_118544533

The last time Russia fired cruise missiles into Syria to hit anti Assad forces ,they some how hit Iran instead ,

So I'd expect if they started flinging missles west they will hit us by accident of course ....

Which will end up with people posting Strongly worded posts on here blaming everyone else ..

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544512#Comment_118544512

Yeah man go for it. You should campaign to arm Ireland with nuclear weapons, you have my vote anyway!!

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544594#Comment_118544594

sez unnamed US officals iz it

This thread is like:

Poster 1: Ireland should buy a small bit of hardware to try and build limited resilience and self-reliance due to a very uncertain geopolitical future.

Poster 2: You're saying we should build our military up to be able to beat Russia. You're mad! Russia are not going to invade Ireland ye mad yoke. Steady on there you macho Rambo keyboard warrior type.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544809#Comment_118544809

Says Iranian government 😂

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544533#Comment_118544533

Unfortunately this is far from the case. Most, if not all European cities during a global nuclear war would be nuked at some stage.

To survive you'd have to be somewhere far away on the edge of a continent like Cape Town (added bonus of being protected by a mountain range!) or New Zealand somewhere.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544843#Comment_118544843

well we have to prepare for a specific threat, no one has been able to actually quantify what that might be, other can deafening poor old fungie with sonar for no particular reason

The geopolitical outlook is as stable as its been in 100 years, you are watching too much russia today

Shao Kahn

We're actually safer with people just laughing at us.

Nobody sees us as a threat, and nobody wants to mess with us because we're well liked. (not to mention completely irrelevant)

And that little stunt by our fishermen seems to have worked, as they've now apparently had a productive meeting with the Russian ambassador regarding guarantees about the safety of their fishing grounds. Probably a much better result than they would have gotten, had our navy sailed out to confront them in an aggressive manor.

All this BS talk of building up our military capabilities, is very much akin to that chap who goes into the gym to build up his arms and chest so he looks tough. But then every other meathead in the bar wants to fight him to prove how tough they are. It's a zero sum game, and we're far too small to be throwing our weight around like we're game for a fight.

I would argue that we're also capable of being much more intelligent than this too btw.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544866#Comment_118544866

the Iranian defense ministry said it was western propaganda

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544911#Comment_118544911

the only people who would be laughing would be the arms manufacturers

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544919#Comment_118544919

Of course they did ...

🤣

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118544988#Comment_118544988

which is the funny bit 🏄‍♂️

they are the Iranian government

who are your sources