Michael Ring wants to hand Ireland back to the Queen

Terrontress · 31-10-2010 11:50AM #1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11652926

An Irish politician has called for the return of British rule to Ireland.

Fine Gael TD Michael Ring said the Irish government should "hand back" the Republic to the Queen during a royal visit next year.

The County Mayo representative also suggested that the government should apologise to her for the "mess" they have made of the country.

Mr Ring made the comments during an economic debate at the Irish Parliament.

He said: "Now look at the mess we're in and look at the mess this country is in.

"Next year the Queen is talking about coming to Ireland for a state visit.

"Maybe we should say to the Queen when she comes 'you know, we have our own independence now, we'll hand you back the country and we'll apologise for the mess that we're after making of it.

"Because at least when they were running the country they didn't put it into the mess and the hock that we are in now."

Mr Ring, 57, was named "heckler of the year" by a magazine in 2006 for "effectively challenging the government with a unique style of street wit and lively heckling".

He is now being described as the Queen's "Lord of the Rings" by commentators in the Republic in the wake of his royalist comments.

It is more than 80 years since Irish independence was secured.

A spokeswoman for the Queen refused to comment on Mr Ring's statement.

She added: "The Queen wouldn't be saying anything about that."

I can't see anything about this elsewhere on the Politics forum so apologies if there is already an active thread.

I cannot believe that this man can be serious. Let's be honest, if it was the correct decision and the majority of people agreed with it, what good could the Queen do?

He seems to just be creating a soundbite to be vilified by the people who pay his wages.

TheMilkyPirate · 31-10-2010 11:52AM

It seems to be nothing more than a passing comment to me taken completely out of context by the media as usual.

I mean come on, He can't be serious.

Sulmac · 31-10-2010 12:01PM

Must have been a slow news day for the BBC.

He was clearly being tongue-in-cheek.

HarryPotter41 · 31-10-2010 12:02PM

Could we hand her back Michael Ring?

Amhran Nua · 31-10-2010 12:13PM

Going for the laugh or not, I'd take an extremely dim view of an elected representative proposing seccessionist or anti-state activities like this, in particular given the ham fisted train wreck that English rule was in Ireland and anywhere else they got involved.

Fire the chucklehead, and he can go work for the queen if she'll have him.

gurramok · 31-10-2010 12:15PM

Without taking him serious, if that event ever did happen you'd be guaranteed things would be alot worse.

Firehen · 31-10-2010 12:16PM

He's clearly not serious.

Still, he's giving his political opponents ammunition if they ever need to shoot him down.

HarryPotter41 · 31-10-2010 12:17PM

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Going for the laugh or not, I'd take an extremely dim view of an elected representative proposing seccessionist or anti-state activities like this, in particular given the ham fisted train wreck that English rule was in Ireland and anywhere else they got involved.

Fire the chucklehead, and he can go work for the queen if she'll have him.

Ah its Michael, ya have to let him go, we're used to his drunk man in the pub loose comments down here in Mayo.

Sulmac · 31-10-2010 12:18PM

Firehen wrote: »

Still, he's giving his political opponents ammunition if they ever need to shoot him down.

To be honest, his light-hearted aside has done nothing to damage our sovereignty compared to the debt crisis the current crowd have created.

MagicSean · 31-10-2010 12:25PM

Clearly he's joking. Or just plain stupid. Aren't the english €81 billion in a deficit this year. I'll take our crisis over theirs.

JonathanAnon · 31-10-2010 12:34PM

k_mac wrote: »

Clearly he's joking. Or just plain stupid. Aren't the english €81 billion in a deficit this year. I'll take our crisis over theirs.

Well per capita, it's still better than ours... Michael Ring was clearly just joking.. This article is a deliberate mis representation of his comments taken out of context... cynical..

HarryPotter41 · 31-10-2010 12:37PM

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Well per capita, it's still better than ours... Michael Ring was clearly just joking.. This article is a deliberate mis representation of his comments taken out of context... cynical..

Is it? Remember to any outside nation this is a senior opposition parliamentarian making this statement so they take it as a serious statement as they would any comment made in any other country by an equivalent. We know Michael Ring plays to the gallery, they don't.

galwayrush · 31-10-2010 12:39PM

I think the jokes on the BBC ...

HarryPotter41 · 31-10-2010 12:41PM

galwayrush wrote: »

I think the jokes on the BBC ...

Nah, the jokes on Mayo, thats our public representative.

Amhran Nua · 31-10-2010 12:41PM

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

Is it? Remember to any outside nation this is a senior opposition parliamentarian making this statement so they take it as a serious statement as they would any comment made in any other country by an equivalent. We know Michael Ring plays to the gallery, they don't.

Indeed, people have a tendency to lose their sense of humour about comments like this, and maybe rightly so. He should immediately issue an apology and clarification to be honest.

PatsytheNazi · 31-10-2010 12:43PM

Terrontress wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11652926

I can't see anything about this elsewhere on the Politics forum so apologies if there is already an active thread.

I cannot believe that this man can be serious. Let's be honest, if it was the correct decision and the majority of people agreed with it, what good could the Queen do?

He seems to just be creating a soundbite to be vilified by the people who pay his wages.

Excellent Terrontress, excellent. Sure what else could you expect from the party whose leader Bruton described the visit of Prince Charles was the "happiest day of his life"

Fine Gael should change their name to the " Conservative and Unionist Party of Eire " :pac:

mike65 · 31-10-2010 12:44PM

Gaybo said the same thing in the 80s - "lets hand it back and appologise for its condition" Just a quip, but one that underlines frustration about the hash made of independence maybe.

HarryPotter41 · 31-10-2010 12:46PM

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Indeed, people have a tendency to lose their sense of humour about comments like this, and maybe rightly so. He should immediately issue an apology and clarification to be honest.

If he starts apologising for every nonsensical comment he makes MidWest Radio will have to give him his own show to cover it.

jackbenimble · 31-10-2010 01:24PM

Ireland's currently ruled by The EU in every conceivable way, so what he said isn't really that controversial.

Bottle_of_Smoke · 31-10-2010 01:33PM

That's low of the BBC. He was clearly being sarcastic and they've made out it was necessary to contact the Royal family.

Very immature.

slimjimmc · 31-10-2010 06:34PM

jackbenimble wrote: »

Ireland's currently ruled by The EU in every conceivable way, so what he said isn't really that controversial.

If that is true (which is ain't 'cos the EU don't control our corporate tax policy or defence policy for example) then every EU member, including the UK, is likewise ruled by the EU, no?

Manach · 31-10-2010 07:19PM

Well under successive treaty's those powers have been abrigated to the EU. So a treaty vote which would bring us closer to the UK would also have the same effect.

jock101 · 31-10-2010 07:26PM

As if Britain would want us back:rolleyes:! As we did not win independence, they washed there hands of us in 1922:eek:! Rebelious, in fighting, ignorant crowd!:(

Einhard · 31-10-2010 08:26PM

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Indeed, people have a tendency to lose their sense of humour about comments like this, and maybe rightly so. He should immediately issue an apology and clarification to be honest.

Correction, some people do. Usually those who didn't have much of a sense of humour to begin with. It was a humorous quip, and one that got across a serious point at the same time.

PatsytheNazi wrote: »

Fine Gael should change their name to the " Conservative and Unionist Party of Eire " :pac:

Yes. Or perhaps people should view the comment with the same light-heartedness in which it was made.

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

If he starts apologising for every nonsensical comment he makes MidWest Radio will have to give him his own show to cover it.

It wasn't a gaffe. It was a bit of humour. I've often said the same thing in jest. People need to stop being so sensitive. It's as if we're looking for reasons to get our noses out of joint.

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

That's low of the BBC. He was clearly being sarcastic and they've made out it was necessary to contact the Royal family.

Very immature.

I think the BBC were in on the joke, which it more than can be said for many of the posters here. Hence their reference to Ring's title as best heckler in the Dail for 2006.

Jeez, people really need to lighten up a bit.

HarryPotter41 · 31-10-2010 08:31PM

Einhard wrote: »

It wasn't a gaffe. It was a bit of humour. I've often said the same thing in jest. People need to stop being so sensitive. It's as if we're looking for reasons to get our noses out of joint.

Never said it was a gaffe, said it was nonsensical, which he does in abundance, talk to some of his Fine Gael colleagues who he irritates with his nonsense.

proon4 · 31-10-2010 08:35PM

Well he is a blueshirt from the blueshirt party FG.Who were never too far away from the Queens Shilling

Einhard · 31-10-2010 08:35PM

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

Never said it was a gaffe, said it was nonsensical, which he does in abundance, talk to some of his Fine Gael colleagues who he irritates with his nonsense.

Yes, but it was deliberately nonsensical, which is what people seem to be overlooking. It was said to elicit a laugh, which it did, and also to get a more serious point across. Which, IMO, it did.

PeterIanStaker · 31-10-2010 08:36PM

Maybe he should get his head out of his ass and came up with solutions to the current mess instead of making throwaway comments that generate him a few hours publicity and would make Sindo hacks cream themselves.

Of course that wont happen, because it requires thought and effort.

jock101 · 31-10-2010 08:38PM

proon4 wrote: »

Well he is a blueshirt from the blueshirt party FG.Who were never too far away from the Queens Shilling

Where as the other crowd are never to far from thievery and corruption!:)

murphaph · 31-10-2010 08:40PM

proon4 wrote: »

Well he is a blueshirt from the blueshirt party FG.Who were never too far away from the Queens Shilling

Your civil war b0ll0x politics is part of the reason we are in the mess we are in now. I wish the fcuking lot of you would go away.

Einhard · 31-10-2010 08:51PM

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

Maybe he should get his head out of his ass and came up with solutions to the current mess instead of making throwaway comments that generate him a few hours publicity and would make Sindo hacks cream themselves.

Ummm, along with the hacks from the BBC it would seem. And the Irish Times. And the Examiner.

Michael Ring wants to hand Ireland back to the Queen

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