Sunday, October 07, 2007
West Brits Out?
Trinity authorities instructed Ogra Shinn Fein recruiters to remove promotional posters that included the message “BRITS OUT” as it raised anti-British feeling. OSF has adopted the acronym defence, British Regiments, Informers, Troops and Soldiers, and attacked the “lingering existence of a pro-British psyche within the confines of Trinity”. However, the use of “west-Brits in Trinity” presumably none of whom of fit any of the four acronym groups somewhat undermines that defence.
Fair Deal @ 12:55 PM
Hah, and their Connolly poster has “anti-racist” on it. Where were they at the Burma rally anyway?
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 01:21 PMI’m a pretty moderate nationalist and I wish Ogra Sinn Fein would piss off and stop shit-stirring ALL THE BLOODY TIME.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 01:26 PMNot forgetting Magee!!
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 01:27 PMI’ve no doubt that most members of OSF sincerely mean “out” to the British Military- however this effect is often lost in the term “brits out” as it is an unspecific term.
I do not see any reference to West Brits on their site but would advise them to recalibrate the emphasis to “pro-brits” or “UK imperialists” in an effort to hit their specific target more accurately, thus avoiding the blow-back.
The old term “brits out” is used by unionists to make it look like republicans are aspiring to ethnic cleanse them from the north- if I was a unionist perhaps I would also use this opportune tactic as it leaves my enemies with explaining to do.
A better expression would be “Crown forces out”.
Propaganda and slogans are better used when the enemy ends up in the dock alone and not the sloganiser…
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 01:30 PMCTN, take a closer look at this image on their site
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 01:37 PMIt is still clearly quite racist as under equality law the perception counts towards determining discrimination towards other certain people.
Of course we are talking about a mythical group which OSF have concocted nonetheless the perception is that we all know what they tend for us to really mean.
It is so tiresome this old codswallop but I hope they keep it up as it will likely drive the party further to the exit door of Irish politics.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 01:53 PMThanx Nev,- whilst I didn’t see it I presumed something about “west brits” would be mentioned somewhere on their site and advised against the use of that term but that image is something else- talk about introspection and marginalising yourself with blinkered childishness.
Agree completely with DC this display will only damage them further in Dublin.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 02:01 PMOSF apparently did the same thing at QUB freshers day. It is interesting that OSF believe this is the right way to go in the light of current arrangements. What is even more interesting is that when students at Magee and QUB had a choice between OSF and FF this time, FF recruited far far more. Not one to always agree with DC but i believe he is right in saying that this will drive SF to the outer realm of normal equal politics.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 02:22 PMGood to see things haven’t changed in old Trinners, in my day Sinn Fein weren’t even allowed to organise, it was put to the vote and the Student Union rejected it overwhelmingly, then they tried to rename the JCR after some Provie doing time for plotting to murder someone, that was whacked out of the ball park too by a huge vote.
The students voting were not about to see their beloved Dublin campus be turned into some sort of Chucky theme park and given the ongoing murder campaign in the North at the time that was fair enough. SF didn’t get to mobilise there until they were properly house trained.
Proper order.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 02:36 PM‘Shinners are racist’ hardly a surprise. The whole nationalist movement is built on this sort of spite. And yes I mean the whole nationalist movement.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 02:51 PM“Brits Out” Where do they find these “Muppets” who stand at these stalls, these clowns have a leadership that signed an agreement that effectively ended any hope of Irish unity EVER with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which means that officially all residents of Northern Ireland shall officially be rocognised internationally as British.
The same leadership also accepted that all military actions against the British Army were in actual fact criminal acts of mindless violence when they signed up to “Mitchell”So when they say “Brits Out” do they mean they want rid of themselves, because Trinity would probably go for that.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 03:46 PMSo when can we expect the current leadership of Ogra to be replaced by more pliable respectable and non-idiotic types?
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 04:15 PMGaribaldy
Never because it is supported by SF and really shows SF’s true feelings on NI and politics in Ireland as a whole. As was witnessed at QUB by Gerry Kelly, the Junior Minister, turning up and supporting their stall.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 04:23 PMReminiscent of Wik from “The Young Ones”
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 04:25 PMTo think of all the time Sinn Fein spends delivering for Ireland’s future only to be so unappreciated by TCD.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 04:28 PMThere is a staggering contradiction between these OSF muppets and the SF official line of respecting the equal legitimacy of the Unionist and Nationalist traditions!
OSF seem to be going completely against the spirit of that - when they say “Brits Out” it really amounts to “Unionists Out” - and especially in the Trinity context it is particularly disturbing, given the small numbers of minority identity in the south (2-3% - maybe a little more in Trinity...)
I’m as proud to be Irish as anyone else, but like others in the south I’m also proud of the British dimensions to my Irishness - our islands history is complex!
I vividly remember my mum telling me as a kid that if anyone in school slagged me off by calling me a ‘west Brit’ I was to take it as a compliment, smile and say thank you!
Lest anyone misunderstand me, I really don’t mean that to be in any way disrespectful to nationalists at all - completelely the opposite!
I’m a proud Irish Republic citizen (as well as a proud UK citizen!) and like Dermot Ahern said a few weeks ago, the Good Friday Agreement respects the right of everybody on the island to be “Irish, or British, or Both”.
The Taoiseach in his speech at Westminster also explicitly referred to the Unionist tradition “on the island of Ireland”.
All in all I think the Republic has taken enormous strides towards embracing us ‘West Brits’ (or Irish-British, or Southern Unionists, or whatever!) - however small we are in number - as part of the modern multi-cultural, multi-ethnic mosaic of the Irish Republic.
All of which makes this outdated 1980s style ‘West Brits Out’ stance by OSF so confusing and out of tune with the spirit of the times - I remember in my time in Trinity the local OSF Cumann spoke up in favour of recognising the Trinity Unionist group and they even held joint debates together -
which strikes me as being far truer to the spirit of republicanism than this ‘west Brits out’ nonsense!Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 05:09 PM“"Brits Out” Where do they find these “Muppets” who stand at these stalls, these clowns have a leadership that signed an agreement that effectively ended any hope of Irish unity EVER with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement,”
Aye right, and I’m Santa.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 05:10 PMPS - I’m sure that as far as Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour, the Greens etc etc are concerned, the longer southern SF goes on trying to transplant this kind of very NI-centric, sectarian ‘west Brits out’ rhetoric into the republic the better!
Ironically there really is a gap on the spectrum to the ‘left of Labour’ thats almost begging to be filled by genuine socialist republicans…
Instead Trinity OSF seem to prefer bashing their fellow Irishmen with Anti-Irish slogans like ‘West Brits out’!
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 05:37 PMOh Christ. Anything on SF seems to produce endless reams of bollocks. All Youth wings of political groups are full of wingnuts. Look at the new SDLP Youth logo, or recent Young Unionist antics. The better ones will get it out of their system.
Now:
“effectively ended any hope of Irish unity EVER with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which means that officially all residents of Northern Ireland shall officially be rocognised internationally as British.”
Wrong. They signed an agreement that means that all residents here have to be recognized as Irish British or both, as is their preference, but the territory shall be recognized as British until a majority here states they want ti otherwise. Know of the scenarios are inevitable, and wishing hard and repeating it over and over won’t make it true.
There was precisely 0% prospect of a UI without a majority here wanting it before, anyway.
“What is even more interesting is that when students at Magee and QUB had a choice between OSF and FF this time, FF recruited far far more.”
Says FF. Are those people signing up for the freebies, or are they activists. they’d need to get their bloody organisation in order and to contest elections for any of us to find out.
“’Shinners are racist’ hardly a surprise. The whole nationalist movement is built on this sort of spite. And yes I mean the whole nationalist movement.”
Unionism is just British Nationalism. Also, fuck off if you have nothing sensible to say.
“I’m a proud Irish Republic citizen (as well as a proud UK citizen!) and like Dermot Ahern said a few weeks ago, the Good Friday Agreement respects the right of everybody on the island to be “Irish, or British, or Both”.”
Nope, only the six counties qualify for that choice. Bog standard person born in the 25 without link to Briatin? The only way your getting British citizenship is naturalisation.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:01 PMĂ“gra Shinn FĂ©in Congress ‘07 Video
Che Guevara’s 40th Anniversary Commemoration
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:14 PMWe have surely challenged censorship and now possess an open forum from which to engage into wider debate around all issues that will help us assess and debate the future of the Republican Struggle
Yet comments challenging The Ogra World View are routinely deleted from their blog.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:14 PMkensei
nice post at 07:01. Also wrong:
“Nope, only the six counties qualify for that choice. Bog standard person born in the 25 [sic]without link to Briatin? The only way your [sic] getting British citizenship is naturalisation”
Depends on when the “bog standard” person was born and of what parentage.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:29 PMKensai- Fair enough ya get all kindsa anoraks in these youth wings and even in the mainstream parties.
As for the rest- heard it all before- toodle pip…
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:30 PMMagee is an absolute joke the student accomodation at Duncreggan is a Republican infested den with Irish tricolours, IRA memorbellia etc on display in many of the communal areas. This is all by the Sinn Fein/IRA youth wing.
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:38 PM“Depends on when the “bog standard” person was born and of what parentage.”
I think the implication was absolutely clear - no British parentage, born within the 26. There is no automatic right to British citizenship, as there is with Irish citizenship in the North.
Must I spell absolutely everything out in <b>big bold letters?</i>
Posted by on Oct 07, 2007 @ 06:51 PM
