Top politial milestones in your life?

Excluding events on this island, what were the political changes or events that you remember best, or had the most impact in your lifetime (if not necessarily on your life). For me it's

1. 9/11. Who doesn't remember where they were that day? Has had a pretty major impact on world politics since.

2. The Balkan Wars. It was as vicious as this continent has seen since WWII. Genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass rape, concentration camps, and all on the EU's doorstep.

3. Th fall of the Berlin Wall. Let's face it, from the Cuban Crisis to epic cinema like Spies Like Us, the Cold War dominated every waking hour for 30 or 40 years. And while we all heard of Gorbachev, Glasnost and Perestroika, O think the sight of the wall collapsing showed the world that a New World Order had arrived.

4. The Lebanese Civil War. For some reason, seemed to dominate news here like no other war in a foreign country. Maybe it was the ferocity of attacks on the US Marines, or French troops in the early 80s, or the gallantry of UNIFIL, but everyone in Ireland knew their Druze from their Hezbollah by the end of it all.

A Dub in Glasgo

In addition to the above

The release of Nelson Mandela, what joy that was

Zebra3

1) The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Brought about the demise of the USSR and the subsequent collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the rise of Islamic fundamentalists in that region through US support. You reap what you sow, eh?

2) Tiananmen Square-showed how evil some people can be yet still have the West licking their arses.

3) The end of Apartheid. Same as Tiananmen Square.

poddymackel

I remember the boycott of South African goods as my first political experience.

I came to realise that America was not what was portrayed on t.v. at about 14 years old.

The first political act I remember thinking "Maybe there's more than what they tell us" is Clinton's bombing of the former Yugoslavia.

AngelofFire

In my short political lifetime

1. 15th ammendment to the constitution: Dissolution of Marriage bill referendum being accepted

2.The Belfast Agreement

3.21st ammendment, abolition of the death penalty

4.The 25th ammendment (''protection of human life in pregnancy'') being rejected.

5.The release of the rossport 5.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote:

Excluding events on this island

AngelofFire wrote:

5.The release of the rossport 5.

Would have thought it merited a paragraph in the Connaught Tribune alright, but not much more...

mike65

Election of Mrs T 1979

Falklands War er conflict 1982

Collapse of communism esp Romanian revolution 1989-1991

Gulf War 1 1989 ("a country has just invaded a whole other country, f*ck me!")

Nelson Mandela release 1994

Sept 11 2001

Mike.

A Dub in Glasgo

I forgot one

The dumping of Thatcher from Dowing St

mike65

mike65 wrote:

Election of Mrs T 1979
Mike.

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

I forgot one

The dumping of Thatcher from Dowing St

Rofl



(never the twain shall meet)

mike65

Its not a question of never the twain but an important moment in political history in my lifetime! I was'nt a big fan but she sure was neccessary at the time (1979).

Mike.

ratboy

9/11, for the pure scale aof the impact it has had on the political landscape.

billy the squid

The boycott of south african goods was a big issue when I was young. I was living in Dublin at the time and remember the coverage of the Dunnes Stores protest about it.

The Ethiopian famine of the early eighties was another big political issue, which resulted in the whole Band Aid and Live Aid movements.

The election of 1992, which resulted in the country running on autopilot while the different TDs were quibbling over who would run the country. The election was held on 25th November 1992, It was a big day for me personally which is why the date stuck in my head.

The Eamon Casey and Annie Murphy affair was also a big story too as it really damaged the church in my opinion.

The introduction of the Euro. I remember being handed my first euro note on the day of its introduction at a 24 hour shop on the way home from a New years party. it was a €10 note and what I thought were really strange looking little coins. within 4 weeks everything you bought you were being ripped off for.

netwhizkid

In My short political life, the gulf war of 1990, I was very young but i heard the lamenting of high fuel costs, it also facilitated the change to Diesel in my household. The bombing of Slobadon milosevic in yougoslavia, and the airstrikes against iraq in 1999. The fact we spent a whole 3 dayss glued to the tv when Bill Clinton visited in a few years back, School was fun those three days. (I fiigure the tv would want armor plating if the presidnet was to visit now The election of Fianna Fail in 1997 was the saddest day in my political life, Regection of the nice treaty # 1 was a highlight, I will always hate Fianna Fail for having another referendum, What democracy waqs that. If no was our answer as it was, then my little community would not have the biggest influx of foreginers since the black and tans set up camp in the early teens and twenties of the last century. The majority left in coffins though.

netwhizkid

netwhizkid wrote:

The election of Fianna Fail in 1997 was the saddest day in my political life, Regection of the nice treaty # 1 was a highlight, I will always hate Fianna Fail for having another referendum, What democracy waqs that. If no was our answer as it was, then my little community would not have the biggest influx of foreginers since the black and tans set up camp in the early teens and twenties of the last century. The majority left in coffins though.

Netwhizkid, I know your hatred of FF is all consuming, and evidently only matched by your hatred for non nationals in your 'little community', but did you not read the...

Deleted User wrote:

Excluding events on this island

It was the very first line in the thread after all...

netwhizkid

Whoops my mistake, They were my political milestones. But for an Irish political milestone, i think that mass immigration into Ireland is a milestone, although it is not one that i particularly like. I think immigration should be limited and quotas issued but the open borders thing is ludicrous. I guess Saddam Hussein being toppled is a milestone although what happened between then and now, will be remember in a different light.

Memnoch

The invasion of Iraq is probably the most significant event in shaping my political opinion. Prior to that I had even supported the Bush administration's attack on Afganasthan. Oh god how i remember the heated debates with my girlfriend on top of the bus about that!

The attack on iraq though really made me open my eyes and truly question the nature of all things political for the first time.

AngelofFire

Would have thought it merited a paragraph in the Connaught Tribune alright, but not much more...

It was a great injustice against five men, who were standing up for their community.

tallus

Memnoch wrote:

The invasion of Iraq is probably the most significant event in shaping my political opinion. Prior to that I had even supported the Bush administration's attack on Afganasthan. Oh god how i remember the heated debates with my girlfriend on top of the bus about that!

The attack on iraq though really made me open my eyes and truly question the nature of all things political for the first time.

read anything by Noam Chomsky if you want a good account of US foreign policy over the years.

tallus

AngelofFire wrote:

It was a great injustice against five men, who were standing up for their community.

You have to hand it to them on principal alone. They stood up for what they believed in.
They had my support :-)

Memnoch

ya i read some stuff by Chomsky. After the iraq invasion I made it a point to go out and educate myself more about the issues. Chomsky is a great intellectual and he tears people to shreds in debates, not only he is incredibly smart but he really knows his material inside out, I guess it also helps that he happens to always be on the side of what's right :P

Meadows

i thought the euro and the eu idea and expansion was cool.

Cronus333

9/11. I don't need to say more.

But also the Madrid bombings because my uncle lives there and normally gets that train.

The Iraqi war

And last- for some reason- the fall of Milosovicv in Yugoslavia....