Anti-British Xenophobia and Hatred in Ireland

"We will slags dem on de beaches, we will slags dem on de landing grounds, we will slags dem in de fields and in de streets we will slags dem in de hills we will always slag dem and dey will like it" -- Michael Collins, 1921, an innocent, hearty quote later regurgitated in cold blood by Winston Churchill.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951367#Comment_117951367

As opposed to putting them in handbags under pub tables?

Samuel T. Cogley

In fairness I haven't read the thread only the OP. I've lived here 20 years and have had anti-British sentiment used in anger against me a total of once by some harmless bint in the Dundrum Shopping Centre. Ironic given the west-britishness of some of the people that live out that direction.

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950798#Comment_117950798

Wow, 2 of you on one forum. What are chances of that.

I haeat da englissh dey have dun nutting ever, not like de irish

lawred2

General anti British sentiment certainly exists for the state and it's various apparatus

But for a British person resident in Ireland? On a personal level; It's practically non existent.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951587#Comment_117951587

You may not realise that your talking to an Englishman, lived there for the first 25 years of my life. I am talking about my experience and my deep knowledge of my own people.

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951234#Comment_117951234

They were first country to " give us a dig out" financially in 2008. Ireland hardly had enough money to turn on the street lights. 8 billion, is that enough 💷💷💷

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951610#Comment_117951610

I think you'll find we gave the whole of Europe including the UK a bail out by nationalizing the bank debt.

BobHopeless

Make no mistake about it there are a considerable amount of people delighted to see the UK suffer for leaving the EU which is pretty thick tbh. A bad UK economy will not be good for us.

indioblack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951360#Comment_117951360

It would be a bit difficult as I have no relatives among the nationalities you mentioned. Neither generalisations or cliches. Just memories from encounters there.

Certainly not intended to be either critical or particularly serious.

Your post adds nothing useful.

Galwayguy35

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951526#Comment_117951526

Doubt you will find anyone who thinks bombing a pub full of people was right but if we are talking about atrocities committed against innocent people the numbers murdered by the British during their illegal occupation of Ireland far outnumber the amount the IRA killed.

Also worth remembering the biggest loss of life on the Island was committed by the Loyalists in Dublin And Monaghan who were aided by security forces who pledged allegience the British state.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951526#Comment_117951526

You never did explain what the difference is to the victim, where the bomb was or came from.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951671#Comment_117951671

Do you think the situation in the North would have improved for the Nationalists without the armed struggle and the peace deal that resulted from it ?

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951671#Comment_117951671

British Aerospace weaponry and rockets keep a hundred thousand British Jobs going, I suppose that's the difference.

Junkyard Tom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951633#Comment_117951633

It's very much in our interests for GB to be stable. Also, on a purely human level, it's the regular British person paying the price for the incompetence of the elite/ruling classes who won't feel any pain.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951691#Comment_117951691

You only have to look at the behaviour of the British and those who identify as British to understand nothing would have changed. They still think they are living in the era of Sunningdale or even earlier for some of the more belligerent.

They need to get it into their heads that the Irish are not lying down again.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951671#Comment_117951671

Well obviously, the bomb under a pub table is economic warfare done in the name of human rights whereas carrying out a UN sanctioned mission is an act of terror.

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951632#Comment_117951632

Paying your debts is a bail out 🤔🤔

Strazdas

I think you'll find all of the contempt is reserved for the right wing English nationalists, aka Brexiteers, such as Johnson, Farage, Patel etc.

Does anyone hate Sir John Major in Ireland? Keir Starmer? Gina Miller?

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951776#Comment_117951776

Yeh, I'm sure the innocent victims (how many fell to British acts one wonders?) would appreciate you saying that up there on the high moral ground.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951776#Comment_117951776

1/10

Try harder.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951449#Comment_117951449

Irish people. Ireland.

who did you think the “we” was.

Yeh. We need to grow up. Anyway the dislike of NATO has been historically anti British (I think).

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952080#Comment_117952080

I'd suggest the dislike of NATO might even be anti-American. The Left in Ireland have always strongly opposed the US's wars of intervention and probably think of NATO in those terms.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952111#Comment_117952111

It’s not just the left. The majority support neutrality. Non alignment. I don’t, but I’d prefer we joined an EU army rather than NATO

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951805#Comment_117951805

No paying the debts of publicly traded companies is.

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952351#Comment_117952351

And if those public limited companies failed who would end up compensating the government backed deposits.

Ah crumbs, the English in Ireland are as “good” as Irish, as it were. Allmrejinds me of Fawlyy Towers and the Germans.

In the distant past I have come across what could be, by modern standards, described as racism against the Irish. Most of it was pure fear, after all there were active IRA folk about in all guides female as well as male, younger and somewhat older etc. I always tried my best to resssure people in UK I was not at all to be feared and I worked on it. Generally in friendly rural Scotland people were really cool, relaxed and curious!

Hate racism, though. that’s not born out of pure instantaneous survival.

Bigus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951610#Comment_117951610

I think you’ll find if you check out the facts they were actually really digging out themselves via Bank of Scotland and NatWest / ulster bank and getting us to pay the interest, and not accepting early repayment to continue to screw us unlike the countries that really helped.

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952381#Comment_117952381

They raised the deposits from up to 20k to up to 100k, to reassure the markets and indirectly help save the European banking system. I would call that the Irish government helping to bail out the financial system not the other way around. They had no legal obligation to do so.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951671#Comment_117951671

Fun Fact 1:

If we are counting victims, then the PIRA was the number 1 perpetrator of murder that created victims.

Fun Fact 2:

The PIRA killed more under 18-year-old than anyone else.

Fun Fact 3:

The PIRA killed more under 12-year-old (children) than anyone else.

So, if your concern is for all victims including children, perhaps your disdain should be for the group that created the most victims? The PIRA?

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951610#Comment_117951610

And then when we asked to pay it back early they told us to take a hike, yeah great "friends".....

Shao Kahn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951836#Comment_117951836

I just hate rubbish politicians and leaders, end of, full stop.

And sadly, in these modern times we're living in, their numbers are legion across the board. Regardless of political persuasion.

But you can tell many people are not attacking some of these people based purely on what they see as bad decisions. There is that incessant need to go after the "other side". Left attacking right, and vice versa. People wanting desperately to identify themselves in a particular ideological tribe, and paint themselves as nothing like those "others" over there, with their backwards views etc.

We have some terrible politicians of our own in this country. But they get a free pass from certain people, because they happen to be a member of their particular tribe. Take Leo Varadkar as just one example. Here is an idiot, who seriously said (with a straight face), that he planned to double Ireland's population within the next 30-40 years. This is despite the fact, that we can't adequately take care of or properly house the population we actually have. This is the sort of hair-brained nonsense that should be called out by every intelligent free thinking person. But it doesn't - if he's on your ideological team, you give him a free pass and watch as he pilots the good ship Ireland spectacularly into the rocks!

Gobsh!tes like Varadkar shouldn't be in charge of a bingo hall, never mind a country.

But at least when we're floundering shipwrecked on those jagged rocks, you can console yourself with the silly notion that "your team" won and those horrible "others" lost. It's dumb, and I'll never really fathom why so many people get pulled in by this kind of stuff. I'll call out a bad idea where I see it, and recognize a good idea wherever and by whomever it comes - regardless of what team you claim to be on, or what agenda you think you're pushing.

To me, this way of behaving is counter-productive to society and a sign of someone who really shows themselves to be largely an unthinking tribalistic type of person. It's all just a big game where you win/lose. Points to be scored, and enemies to be vanquished. But we should not be enemies.

If you really need an adversary so badly in your life, why not pick something like cancer? Cancer hates all of us equally, and attacks us all indiscriminately. It cares not for your silly little tribalistic left/right games! ;)

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952586#Comment_117952586

I think if the discussion is about the British and the Irish - the figures are stark.

How many innocent people do you reckon have been killed by the British mark in the pursuit of their aims around the world?

The amount killed on this island by the IRA etc pale into insignificance even if set against the number killed during the British occupation/colonisation/friendly visit to educate and enlighten us with their civility and morals or whatever you want to call it.

The British are not finished killing either as they build shiny new weapons to ride shotgun for their 'special friend' who won't even give them a trade deal.

dudley72

So we are down with the British bashing.....

In reality, and I have said this many times, we are closer to our British cousins than ever. In Northern Ireland we have no border to speak of, more & more people live in north and working South and via versa. We holiday in the North and our Northern cousins holiday in the Republic. The relationship is growing and the only issue is the politcial parties in the North are still stuck in the 80 with the "us v them" attitude which of course a shrinking minority still display on both sides of the border. During the covid pandemic and the issues in the North loads of people crossed the border to get treatment in the HSE and none got turned away which is exactly how it should be.

In regards to the mainland we work together, in some cases live together and continue to build bridges. Yes again you have some who look down on the Irish, usual some English and the same people will look down on the Scottish and Welsh. So it is hardly worth even discussing about them.

Some people will always be stuck in the past, best to ignore and move on. In the majority and especially in business we are now equals and in some cases we are the superiors, we just need to continue growing like we are already and ignore the people stuck in the past. They will never change.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952679#Comment_117952679

The people of Ireland are dealing with the 'latest' very much in the present machinations of the British. They would destroy this country and our place in the EU (which we chose) if they got their way.

Absolutely agree that we should build relationships but they have to be as equals and they have to be based on protecting our interests first and foremost.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952586#Comment_117952586

Great bunch of lads

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950679#Comment_117950679

Pretty much this in a nutshell... speaking to some lad the other day who voted for Brexit, and he says "I didn't know we had so many workers as delivery drivers and shop workers, English people won't work those jobs"

you could see his genuine shock at it all, I can't fathom the trust they put into politicians at times..... it's turning into the US too, a Red Vs Blue ....

At least we know if we just stick something on the side of a bus, it'll be believed

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952655#Comment_117952655

If you widen the net large enough you can make any argument you want, as the goalpost shifting is endless. In this context, we are talking about the North and the last conflict. Of course, you don't want to talk about all the children the PIRA murdered as it doesn't suit your argument or worldview.

dudley72

Lets not get ahead of ourselves with Brexit

Scotland and Northern Ireland wanted to stay

The overall vote was 51.9% in favour and the turnout was only 72%. The people got lied a lot to and in the middle of it all was Cambridge Analytica, which plenty of people have tried to hide at every stage.

Talk to the majority of business people and Brexit is a disaster and was a disaster from day 1. Most people expect the stay vote to walk it and you will find the 30% who didn't vote would be more in favour of stay. 90% of London for instance voted to stay. A huge percentage in Northern Britan(Sunderland/Newcastle) voted to leave in the belief the good old days of manufacturing would return.

Who can forget the bus with the XXbillion back into the NHS which the morning after the vote everyone said was a lie

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952716#Comment_117952716

Jaysus. What an utterly deluded and paranoid point of view. The British couldn't give two flying **** about Ireland at the best of times. Why would they want to 'destroy' this country? How and why would they destroy us?

Since 1921 they have had no inclination to invade us, unlike some nutjobs in Ireland who advocated the invasion of the UK. Imagine advocating the invasion of a NATO nuclear-powered country?

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951633#Comment_117951633

"Be great for the Irish to sit back and watch an English famine". - Frankie Boyle

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952679#Comment_117952679

Some people will always be stuck in the past, best to ignore and move on.

Some people are just dinosaurs when its come to the national issue. You have a cohort in every country. In Ireland, this cohort is made up of those who blame all their ills on 'da Brits' or the latest incarnation, 'the West Brits'.

These are the same folk how harbour anti-vax, racist, homophobic and xenophobic views. Paddy Holohan would be their pin-up.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952833#Comment_117952833

What's worse about it is, the lowest turn out was in the group it'll effect the most, 18-35 yo's, that said, it was also their biggest ever turn out in a vote at the time.

Within the first 2 years nearly 1 million people who voted yes were dead (I.e. would have swayed the vote to No, had they not voted)

it was the blue rinse crew who had a chip on their shoulder for the UK joining the EU in the first place, effectively ending the illusion of "The empire" once and for all, who voted for Brexit with no forethought on it's repercussions

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952586#Comment_117952586

Wasn't, according the the British state, the IRA and PIRA, absolutely riddled with British agents? Why did they allow these deaths to happen? Political gain?

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952827#Comment_117952827

Worldview of the Brits?? A great bunch of lads. Still at it all over the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_war_crimes

Sunny Disposition

The British get a bad rap because of the north, but it's a bit unfair. Sure, in a historical context they have been a disaster. But the English would love to be rid of it for at least 40-50 years and they look on unionism much as southerners do.

Anyway, English people are basically sound, much as Irish people. It is true that they don't have a huge understanding of their history. However a lot of Irish people don't either, Paddy was out conquering other countries in a British uniform. They joined the UK army for similiar reasons to their English peers.

Fandymo

The North, the concentration camps in South Africa, the war crimes in Iraq, the war crimes in Afghanistan, and on and on and on. Other than that a great bunch of lads.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952827#Comment_117952827

Wed are talking about attitudes to the British in Ireland mark. Sorry about that. If you want to try and divert that to a pet discussion go ahead. But it will be diversion.

BobHopeless

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952856#Comment_117952856

Wouldn't be great though that's the thing. Why should I want average Joe or Janes suffering because of the folly of their leaders.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117952629#Comment_117952629

no, the loan had to be repaid at the same time as the IMF loan, when the government repaid that, the British agreed to uncouple the UK loan so that the IMF could be paid off early, The loan was taken out on a fixed interest basis, so attracted early settlement fees if paid off early.

It wasn't a loan as such from the UK government, the UK just borrowed the money on Ireland's behalf at a time when Ireland was effectively shut off from the international money markets.