Slugger O'Toole

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Latest comments from Mickhall (see all)

Mickhall has commented 635 times (3 in the last month).

1. Comment on Are the Sunday Mirror (and the Met) latest ‘target’ of Bangor con man, Mark Townley?
   on 4 June 2013 at 12:54 pm

   This fellow should enter politics, he would be amongst his own kind, I hear UKip are on the look out for new members who have a national profile

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2. Comment on Derry proposals for Colombian peace
   on 28 May 2013 at 11:49 am

   Land, Land Land

   As far as the insurgency in Colombia is concerned without large tracts of land being handed to the landless any peace process will be a sham, will the Colombian government truly go down that road, we will see, but it was the government who gave the nod to the present owners of such land, to steal much of it, and their military who backed these thieves up, or turned a blind eye to the right wing death squads when the peasants tried to argue back. Thus one cannot be over optimistic about the outcome.

   The one lesson I would learn from all of these peace processes and which most academics seem to ignore, Oslo, NI, SA, Sri Lanka, look beyond the media and political powder puffs and try not to be taken for a mug.

   Not easy for sure, but they all have one thing in common, the societal status quo remains in place, there is a lesson there surely?

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3. Comment on Bad news for Sweden as the social model slowly unravels…
   on 23 May 2013 at 11:26 pm

   “rebalancing of the social system”

   Mick

   So it was out of kilter was it? the most successful western nation needed ‘rebalancing’ like the average man needs a hole in their head.

   By the way Mick, the UK has never ‘embraced diversity…’ Most of such talk was hot air from ruling elites as cover for their own racism and class prejudice, Tell me which of the British institutions have a leadership which are ‘diverse” Parliament, police, British military, monarchy, City of London, BBC, MSM, Even the bloody fire service is not!

   As to the British government it is about as diverse as…, let me see, the pupils at Eton school, upper middle class to the core.

   The very essence of the UK makes a mockery of the word diversity.

   Still we cant complain as like paying tax, diversity is only for us little people.

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4. Comment on Adams’s extended RTE interview on political murder turns the southern clock right back for Sinn Fein…
   on 16 May 2013 at 11:10 am

   “however this was not typical of the British army as a whole”

   tmitch57

   The above simply highlights what a muddle we get into when we debate who and who is not a terrorist, the best analysis imo is still one man’s terrorist is anothers freedom fighter.

   Whilst it is certainly true that not all units of the British army engaged in terrorism, the same could be said of the Wehrmacht and indeed the IRA.

   However what can be said about all three, they all used terror as a military tactic and in soe cases a strategy. Especially in the British case during the dog days of the British Empire. Recent revelations which came out in a court case about its conduct in Kenya proves that amongst other abominations a mau mau suspect was murdered by being by being roasted on a spit as if they were a piece of meat.

   Where ever the British army gets its boots on the ground of some poor sods country brutality and torture accompanies it
   In recent years it has been the people of Iraq and Afghanistan who have suffered, forgive me for saying so, but the whole point of war is to inflict terror on the enemy and that includes the civilian population

   By the way I would recommend the book Cruel Britannia to get an understanding of how ‘our boys’ really behave.

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5. Comment on 55 Hours Part One: Sunday 5 July 1981
   on 14 May 2013 at 2:31 pm

   ‘Now if she was to give us the inside information… etc’

   Ulick

   Right on cue I see

   “agree on who to smear and who might be open to ‘an inducement”

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6. Comment on 55 Hours Part One: Sunday 5 July 1981
   on 14 May 2013 at 1:05 pm

   “There has been a strange dearth of responses from the usual sources”

   Sos

   Cor blimey mate, give the lads some time, they need to call a meeting, discuss the party line, agree on who to smear and who might be open to ‘an inducement’, make sure all are on side, then run everything by Gerry, then call another meeting to iron out the points he thought there “needed more movement on” and then get on line.

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7. Comment on Adams’s extended RTE interview on political murder turns the southern clock right back for Sinn Fein…
   on 1 May 2013 at 7:24 pm

   Babyface finlayson

   All the talking in the world was never going to bring the unionist elite and their English armourers to the table. I can go through all the stitch ups which were designed to maintain the status quo, and bar the nationalist working classes from the table.

   Free will is exactly what those who joined the IRA had and to suggest they did not is if I may say so extremely insulting. I am not saying they were right or wrong, but what I am suggesting is without their input the six counties would in all probability still be an undemocratic unionist swamp. For all its shortcomings no one can say today we will no tolerate any taigs about the place,

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8. Comment on Adams’s extended RTE interview on political murder turns the southern clock right back for Sinn Fein…
   on 1 May 2013 at 3:17 pm

   Tendentious balderdash.

   Harry Flashman,

   I like the above as it best describes your futile attempt to give the Orange State a coat of democratic paint. I am not going to bother to trawl through the undemocratic manner the statelet came into existence, nor the sectarian way it was governed between 1922 and 69, or why the lid finally blew off.

   I will simply point out that today it would not be given house room in any democracy in north west Europe or beyond. It must be the only place which masquerades as a democracy yet has no political opposition within its main parliamentary chamber. Anyone with red democratic blood understands it is a sectarian stitch up designed to last until some bright spark in Whitehall comes up with a better option which will be acceptable to both communities. It was a stop gap measure designed to end the Provos war. Whether it will evolve into something more acceptable time alone will tell. there is always reunification, now that would be a radical option.

   Why an intelligent man would wish to defend such a mockney charade is beyond me. In 1969 the only options open to young working class nationalists, were emigration or open rebellion against the reactionary statelet they were born into. Unlike previous generations they were no longer prepared to live a life of second class drudgery, unemployment, etc.

   Being Ireland it was hardly surprising they reached out to the nearest vehicle which they felt might bring them some respite and not a little revenge, armed republicanism.

   Of course it would have been better if a more peaceful and viable political avenue was available to them, but it was not.

   How could it have been in an Ireland which just under five decades earlier had gained partial independence by the use of arms. Armed struggle was always going to be the only game in town, not least because the Unionist elites had always used brutality to maintain their power and privileges.

   These were not people who were going to introduce democratic change or give up their ascendancy after a chorus of the workers united will never be defeated.

   The only way this reactionary dross who ruled the Orange State were going to enter the democratic waters of the latter part of the 20th century was to be blown out of their reactionary slumbers.

   Dublin 1916 set the bench mark throughout the world for all anti imperialist struggles, and the young men and women of the north were never going to deny there own history.

   Of course it would have been better if their had been democratic avenues like which opened up in England, Scotland, Wales and other European nations after WW2, but there was none, and that is not the fault of the young people who became IRA volunteers.

   As to Ms O’Callaghan she is just one in a long line who have attempted to place Adams in the ducking stool, they come, they go and the only thing which remains the same is Mr Adams refusal to admit his IRA membership and why would he. To do so would bring the legal and political shutters down.

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9. Comment on Adams’s extended RTE interview on political murder turns the southern clock right back for Sinn Fein…
   on 30 April 2013 at 2:35 pm

   “I don’t think I am wrong in terms of how this plays for the party with the wider electorate.”

   Mick,

   When you write the wider electorate, who do you mean?

   Everyone in Ireland, including the dogs in the street know, and have always known Gerry was a senior member of the Provo’s since their inception.

   As John writes above, if the Irish media had given the same amount of coverage to the oppressive nature of the English state in Ireland and their clients within the orange state, the generation Adams belongs to may never have taken up arms, as there would have been democratic avenues open for them to express their political will. But hey, that is a whole different ball game.

   Mr Adam’s only mistake on this issue has been to deny his history, as it has enabled his and SF enemies to continue to poke him with this rather mildewed stick. He should have simply said nowt when first asked and replied think what you will pal, as far as membership of the IRA is concerned I have nothing to apologies for. Then left it at that and referred any future inquiries back to that statement. Of course the MSM would still gnaw away at this old bone but in time their teeth would fall out with age.

   But sadly, as lies are the common currency in the USA and UK’s political system, he felt he had no choice but to lie if he were to gain a US entry visa, which he believed was essential if the ‘peace process’ was to progress. This was a mistake on his part

   I would guess; no, I would bet my ever decreasing pension, today there is not a single SF voter, or potential voter, who, when deciding to vote for SF, would first factor in whether Gerry was ever a member of the IRA. Why because the very question in itself is ridiculous, as they already know the answer and I doubt it bothers them one iota.

   Harry,
   So the British army prior to 1922 never committed crimes against its own ‘subjects’ in Ireland? That is one hell of a blind spot mate

   Plus in England Peterloo? 1984 Miners strike? USA, war of independents, US army war on Indian nations after treaties were signed, French army in various situations including Algeria.

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10. Comment on Bedroom Tax aimed at the poor in London and SE will cost more in Northern reland
    on 8 April 2013 at 10:56 pm

    Mick

    You claim he bedroom tax was originally well intention designed to provide homes for people in most need. Without providing a scrap of evidence to back it up. Being the clever clogs you are, you know that is hog wash, and you also know you are defending the indefensible.

    If the Conservative coalition had any intention of prioritising housing need, they have the answer within their own hands, they would simply build more council and Housing Association homes; and in the process provide jobs for unemployed building workers.

    Thatcher started the attack on social housing and Cameron intends to finish it.

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