To feel sorry for the Queen having to shake hands with that utter toerag Mcguinness?

[Callisto]

Former terrorist, responsible for killing goodness knows how many innocents, not to mention British troops and Lord Mountbatten (who the Queen was alledgedly very close to). McGuinness is a really nasty piece of work (who should be left to rot in prison for the rest of his days) and while I can see that we need to forgive and forget, it seems to go far above and beyond what we should expect the Queen to do.

Well said GothAnneGeddes

yeah, well done Prince Phillip, because racist, sexist extremely rich elderly princes are just the people we should look to on how to behave.

Pretty sure he's taken tea with Mugabe and Rajapaksa as well. But one has to be so choosy about which murderers one will stand near, doesn't one?

GlassRose, she shares responsibility too, as the head of state. Maybe it was difficult for him to shake the hand of someone who shares responsibility for deaths of people close to him?

Sorry now I'm going to use the word pathetic.

If they were both there in a purely professional capacity then of course shaking hands is the right thing to do.
On a personal level, it was a difficult thing for both of them.

Unfortunately noone can seperate and compartmentalise like that, so yes, I imagine both the queen and McGuinness had difficulties but it was important to do, and it means there is more progress being made,which can only be a good thing.

I wish they hadn't reported it on the news tbh

ME

It has wound me up beyond belief but I cannot write down here what I really think for fear of offending people.

My Grandad was Irish and his family and they were Church of Ireland. His parents sent my Grandad over to England before them and they followed later and Ireland was never mentioned again, EVER. I find it really sad and I still don't understand fully.

Exactly, Formerly. Both sides would have had difficulties, which is something these one-sided posters concerned for their dear old queen can't seem to grasp. there are at least two sides to every story.

My Great Grandfather was in the RIC before partition, he and his wife were forced from their home in Co. Mayo during the Civil War and had to move up to Cookstown. Could've been something vaguely similar happened to your folks, some pretty bad shit went down. On both sides.

Do you know, in 20 royal visits to N Ireland, yesterday was the first time she set foot in a Catholic church there?

I was very surprised to learn that.

I can see both sides of the story; however I do think it was a big ask of our 'dear old queen' (patronising or what?). And as per usual, she sailed through it.

You know, there seems to be a real royalist revival at the moment, with the royal wedding last year and the jubilee this year, everyone seems to have forgotten their discontent of previous times, esp after Diana's death. I don't think so many people would be so concerned if this happened ten years ago.

I agree with that Formerly, the Britsh royal family seem much more popular than they have in an age. I'd imagine they have a much slicker PR department at work these days than compared to say when Diana died.

Maybe there's someting about a recession that makes people want to cling to solid, traditional institutions.

flag waving and comfortable patriotism creates a feeling of sharing the problems, all in it together blitz spirit, what ho. Good times for yer Maj et al.

The Queen has had to shake hands with people far worse than Mcguinness , i am sure she carries antibac handwipes in her capacious handbag

PVanL I read that as penis waving. Nothing like a recession to encourage a bit of penis waving

I lost my Uncle in a bomb blast in NI, due to a UDA bomb. He was having a drink with a protestant.

It also killed a little boy playing outside the pub too. That's how bloody stupid it all was. My Dad was in shock for months.

UVF, sorry and it was two thirteen year old boys.

The Troubles were so much more than bombings and shootings. Though they were the worst.

Not being able to enter a shop or the city center without being searched.
Not letting on if your DH, for example, was in the police/prison service/army.
Planning your route so you didn't end up in the 'wrong area'.
Evacuations.
Being wary of new people.

Etc etc.

So many things.
My children have been spared all this I hope with all my heart the only Troubles they know are in their history class.

hmmmm ... a) soldier"s "for queen and country" oath >>> Sunday bloody sunday , quite a few peace (unarmed as it turned out) marchers killed that day , and what was it ?30 years before the authorities agreed it was well , murder , in so many words! you only HAVE to die, everything else really is optional !shaking hands included. considering her family turned their backs on their german relatives during the war(s) so"s not to upset the British population (upset their own nice little nest) those relatives who were slaughtered , bit rich being upset about a jolly to meet another "freedom" fighter(read nelson mandela), or all the rest of them, or read up some genuine history of why poppy day exists !

the queen moves in mysterious ways. i should imagine that after bing made to hold hands with tony blair to sing auld lang syne at the millenium, holding hands with a former enemy of the state would seem a privilege.

shaking hands, not holding. maybe they did hold hands. who knows...