Corbyn and IRA

[TheGentleMoose]

AIBU to ask that someone please explain how he is allowed to lead a party after this?

"It can be disclosed that for seven years running, while the IRA “armed struggle” was at its height, Mr Corbyn attended and spoke at official republican commemorations to honour dead IRA terrorists, IRA “prisoners of war” and the active “soldiers of the IRA.”

The official programme for the 1988 event, held one week after the IRA murdered three British servicemen in the Netherlands, states that “force of arms is the only method capable of bringing about a free and united Socialist Ireland.” Mr Corbyn used the event to attack the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the precursor of the peace process."

Taken from a Telegraph article. I was unaware his support of the IRA was this involved until this morning.

[FlaviaAlbia]

Because no one in English politics really gives a toss about Northern Ireland and Ireland.

See also Brexit and border issues.

[MoreThanUs]

YAAbsolutelyNBU.

I do not get this at all. My family are from NI, living in England after coming over here to find work. We just can't understand why people would think this was okay. It is appalling.

[TheGentleMoose]

"See also Brexit and border issues." What does this have to do with terrorism??

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

YANBU and as someone who has a friend whose DM was killed by an IRA bombing and my friend herself has serious life changing injuries from another, it is one of my red lines.

[UrsulaPandress]

Erm.

[petitepeach]

I think most people with an ounce of common sense can see exactly what he is...... Or at least I hope they do.....

I don't think he has a hope in hell of being elected.... I can only imagine the damage that would be the outcome..... He has some pretty horrific leanings hidden under his leftie veneer..... Makes me shudder.

[FlaviaAlbia]

You know NI and Ireland have a soft border? And now England and Wales voted to else the EU they have to come up with a solution?

Fun.

[Livelovebehappy]

This alone should mean a Tory landslide on June 8th. But I suspect some labour supporters will happily overlook this issue in their determination to get him into number 10 I'm afraid.

[Jupitar]

Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa after being called a terrorist for years, although I notice he's now referred to as a revolutionary.

If they're now digging up IRA stuff on Corbyn they're obviously getting really worried about him winning.

[Fruitcorner123]

You do realise the telegraph hate Corbyn though so I would do more research. In what capacity did he attend?

I would like to hear the quote in which he attacks the peace process FOR bringing about peace and not just attacking some of the methods used.

Having sympathies for what a group stands for is not the same as endorsing violence. You have quoted the right wing newspaper not Jeremy Corbyn himself.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

If they're now digging up IRA stuff on Corbyn they're obviously getting really worried about him winning.

Back in the real world......

Also if I was being generous, it was extremly thoughtless to bring them into the HoP a matter of weeks after people were killed and MPs families had life changing injuries.

[TheGentleMoose]

@Fruitcorner123 Yes, I do - however that doesn't change the fact that he engaged with and supported terrorists.

@Jupitar - are you comparing the reasons why Corbyn has been labelled a terrorist to reasons why Nelson Mandela was?

[Penfold007]

This information has been in the public domain for almost 30 years. It makes him no better or worse than the late Martin McGuinness or Gerry Adams.

[LadySalmakia]

Re: Brexit and terror issues - basically, part of the Good Friday agreement is that there must be no border restrictions between NI and Eire. Which is fine because we're in tbf EU so at the moment it's a free border.

But when we leave the EU what happens? Very few leave voters appear to have known about this and surprise surprise no one had a plan for dealing with it so we might end up breaking the Good Friday agreement and reigniting the Troubles.

[studentquery]

When he was elected as party leader DH and I had a discussion about him being an IRA sympathiser. So it's not new info, maybe just reaching more people now...and I wonder why that is.

Northern Ireland is just cast aside in everything. As a PP said, no one gives a fuck about the fact that Brexit has truly left NI in the shit. A country that was trying to move through peace, that was trying to rebuild itself. Then Brexit happens, the leader of the opposition is an IRA sympathiser and most people don't even give a second thought to where any of it leaves NI.

The assembly has collapsed in Stormont and they were trying to sort that out but that had to go on hold because Theresa called a GE. Again, never mind the chaos in NI, we will do what we want when we want, fuck all the not for profits that are having to take LOANS to stay running because no one is administering their funding. Fuck all the chaos that not having a local government creates. FGS its a disgrace.

[Jupitar]

are you comparing the reasons why Corbyn has been labelled a terrorist to reasons why Nelson Mandela was?

Nope, because neither of them are terrorists because neither have planted bombs or killed anyone.

[gamerwidow]

I don't agree with terrorism it's never ok to bomb or hurt civilians. It should be remembered though that the British governments actions in NI at the time were also pretty repellent and very few leading politicians on either side came out of the troubles untarnished. It isn't a proud period of British history.

[Edsheeranalbumparty]

I don't know........

The only.way peace came about in NI in the end was by 'engaging with terrorists'. If everyone everyone had taken Thatcher's stance, then there would be far more dead and injured on all sides now. Although I am dubious about Corbyn/McDonnells grand claims of how integral they were in bringing peace. It seems more like they just happened to agree with the political agenda of the IRA which, given the history, wasn't an unreasonable agenda in itself.

Agree that no one in England gives a fuck about NI.

[gamerwidow]

Brexit is a huge threat to the peace deal in NI though and Jeremy Corbyn did not do enough to campaign against it which is the bigger worry imo.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

Although I am dubious about Corbyn/McDonnells grand claims of how integral they were in bringing peace.

This. There has been a lot written about not allowing them to rewrite history.

[Grimbles]

Tbh, I'm more concerned with our current government cosying up to the regime in Saudi, the regime that is responsible for the spread of Islamic terrorism and bankrolls IS.

[mummymeister]

On every thread on here saying "vote corbyn hes not really that bad is he" I always remind people of his terrorist sympathies. How much more did he do that is unknown as of yet I wonder.

because I do care about NI and the situation that brexit puts the peace deal into and the fact that the country is in turmoil at the moment with no government.

those of us who lived through the troubles or have family connections to them, never ever want to go back to those times again.

I'm only sorry that the people of NI feel forgotten.

[FlaviaAlbia]

Call me a cynic but I suspect given the OP's ignorance of the effect of Brexit on NI that Corbyn's support for the IRA is more about him Being A Bad Person than any interest in NI politics.

[Edsheeranalbumparty]

Brexit is a huge threat to the peace deal in NI though and Jeremy Corbyn did not do enough to campaign against it which is the bigger worry imo.

Yes, but Corbyn probably does not actually care about the people of NI, it's just that 'The Struggle' gave him a nice opportunity to indulge in some good old rebellious political activism, which we all know is his very favourite thing.

[WinnieFosterTether]

Flavia yy I agree.
Also interested in OP's view on the Iraq War; the UK's history of arms' sales and their complicity in ignoring the Rwandan genocide.