RTE LiveLine

Hate to play devils advocate on the subject of the Leb but a few things just struck me listening to the vets on there talking…

This is the same Liveline that had mammies on crying within the last year appealing to the Govt to bring their little boys home when the IDF were cynically targeting the UNIFIL bases and outposts?

If their peacekeeping duties were so effective, how did Hezbollah manage to build such an potent military presence in the South Lebanon area, often times right under the noses of the UNIFIL observers? (I know this echoes an IDF trope but it does warrant some examination nonetheless?)

In all fairness, should the mission of a UNIFIL peacekeeping force really be to build an orphanage for the locals. Very admirable and benovelent admittedly, and possibly some merit in trying to build positive relationships with some locals (They're a great bunch of lads them Paddies - back clap, back clap!) but how effective in real terms has been that whole aspect of their presence in keeping the different factions there from ripping each others heads off?

The harsh reality (and again I'm loath to echo Trump's perception on this) is that the UNIFIL mission is a UN funded (largely bankrolled by the US) real world military exposure for the Irish military with very little financial commitment from the Irish Government. For 47 years and more, successive Irish Governments have attempted to run the defence forces on a paltry shoestring and the only really meaningful (and admittedly lucrative opportunities) for members of the Irish Defence Forces have been through UN funded missions to Lebanon and other such postings. We've managed to build up an admirable reputation for logististics and administration (and the aforementioned tokenistic benovelant actions) in spite of rather than because of the states investment in our military capabilities. If/when we lose this, both the attractiveness and the operational capabilities/expertise in real world military situations will be drastically curtailed so much so than not only FG but FF and Lab may also be falling over themselves to abolish the triple lock so we can engage our troops in fending off the Russians in Eastern Ukraine.

Finally, hate to be cynical, but plenty of lovely gaffes built on the back of Leb tours all over Ireland, Relatively easy money for a few months in the sunshine, with a mostly outside possibility down the years of getting attacked by either the IDF or Hezbollah (with all due respect and sympathies to the families of the 47 fatalities, but compare that to the relative body count for Gaza or Eastern Ukraine, or even the horror and dismal failure and PTSD associated with the UN presence in the likes of Srebinitza and elsewhere in the Balkans back in the 1990's) and years later we can all (well all the lads anyway, not much room for the women of honour!) pin on our medals for meeting up for pints and golf, to exchange our war stories and bore the hell out of most anyone else within earshot.

Apologies for being so cynical, but just wanted to give it all a different perspective (and that it with the greatest of respect for our currently serving underpaid, and largely undervalued, members of our defence forces!)

The could even join the 21st century with video calls and upload all the episodes to a back catalogue too…

Sorry, was dreaming out loud

You spilled a lot of bile there, p.

I have great respect for a lad who can unload cart loads of bile in one post.

Well done……well done…..well done as the former doyen of the afternoon airwaves might say.