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The Weird Thing About The Irish

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sp1814 | 01:02 Wed 18th Mar 2009 | News
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Not sure whether this is an appropriate question for the news section, but here goes...

I've just been out in Covent Garden celebrating St Patrick's Day with a few Irish mates, and a few 'fake Irish mates' (the ones who suddenly discover they have family in Cork who remain dormant for the rest of year)...and something became glaringly obvious..

...the Irish can celebrate St. Patrick's Day and include people like me who is black and sticks a temporary 'O' with an apostrophe onto his surname for and evening to celebrate with them.

Furthermore, looking around the West End of London, I saw black, Scots, Americans, Chinese and Asians celebrating alongside the Irish in the same way that they do with the lefties at the Notting Hill Carnival.

So the question is - can there ever be an inclusive St George's Day, in the same way that the Carnival is, and St Patrick's Day is, and the Mardi Gras is?

Why can't moderate Brits wrestle the idea of a St. George's Day celebration away from the far right?
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Good fun this


You will slip up soon ?
Question Author
Booldawg

Not quite - what I mean is...celebrate St. George's Day and make it an open house celebration.

I wasn't suggesting in any way that non-English hate the English.

Furthermore, Englishness now crosses dozens of different racial borders. As long as it doesn't become an exclusive event, no-one could possibly have an issue with it.

Apart from the far right.
You have forget to mention the BNP scum that might Hijack it

Question Author
troutater

But they wouldn't dare.

They'd be so heavily out-numbered by moderates and non-whites, they'd give up and sneak back to their flats...

...probably to feast on doner kebabs whilst reading The Star (very sloooooowly).
Some may have a Union Flag and not the St george Flag ?


How would one tell ?


Time for Jake ?


Don;t forget to switch ?
best thread of the day btw SP!
BNP might hijack it??

Get a grip

When the BNP have a march half the time they struggle to get 50 there
Great question. I have irish parents that never really went on about paddys day but you're right, Boston, London, Sidney...the list is endless. I think it down to attitude and a class system that we have in the UK. The irish tend to give an impression of everything being ok even whens it not but the Brits will question...' is this right, how much would this cost or even end up in fight. History tells us that the famine which Britian gave Ireland no help meant that they had no choice but escape to the USA ( poor souls who died on the way) and therefore spread the word on how wicked the Brits were. Again we had ( or have still) the Northern Ireland issue in which could have been avoided and the events of Bloody Sunday in which in my view was the day the real IRA was born have not helped matters.
I'm not Britain Bashing in fact we do turn a blind eye to some events, you mentioned the Carnival in Notting Hill. If this level of crime ( which does spoil it) was to take place at a football match every year it would be banned but the Police cannot be seen to be racist and therefore let it go.
Talking of football, I have seen England play away and Ireland play away in Europe and both sets of fans drink and party. When confronted by opposing supporters guess who throws bottles and fights and who invites them over to join them - I think you know the answer
Question Author
Booldawg

Thank you - and for that you obviously get three stars.
Booldawg only 2 stars ?



You changed that quickly
Question Author
Fish The Mod

We're getting a little off the subject, but the number of arrests made at the NHC, compared to the numbers attending (approx 1million each year) is surprisingly small.

2004 saw 71 arrests, and 2003 saw 94.

Couldn't find any newer figures...

If you grouped together 1million footie fans over a couple of days, I'm sure the figure wouldn't be significantly lower.
We have a serious image problem

i think it is you jake-the-peg that has the serious image problem. Can't you make your mind up if you are British or not because you are constantly slagging us off?

The difference is that Irelands battle have just been with the British

Then what's all this about when until recently they were regulary blowing the sh*t out of each other?

Regarding the 3 photos you attached, I couldn't see the point, take the one of the presumably British person being carried in a type of open sedan chair.I presume that at the time this photo was taken this was the standard mode of transporting persons around.

When you are abroad don't you just hop into a taxi driven by a native of the particular country you happen to be in? Or would you in your bent idealistic world consider that you was somehow making a slave out of the driver, by getting him to drive you around?

Cont.
-- answer removed --
I truly beleive the lack of St. Georges celebrations is merely a by-product of the erosion of sense of community amongst the white brits. I hardly know my neighbours, theres always a sense of mistrust and petty competition fuelled by the need to get on in life, keep ourselves to ourselves and selfishly feather our own nests. I dont think its anything to do with lefty councils, right wing football fans or immigration.

SP1814 probably witnessed St. Patricks day at the best place in England to celebrate it whereby more of an event is made of it. Comparing what happens in London to a small town in England is like comparing NYE in Trafalgar Sqaure to NYE at a working mens club in some corridor town in Dorset.

Largely St Patricks day in England is a Brewery sponsored event heavily backed by Guiness to sell more pints. Like Valentines day, Mothers Day et al. Lets all don the daft oversized furry green Guiness Irish hat and find yet another excuse to get hammered!
We have fought wars in Iraq, Afghanistan (twice), Europe, Suez, North Africa generally, Palestine, India, The Far East, Kenya, South Africa...

Well yes maybe we have, but so has many other nations of the World. Also fighting along side us have been the Irish regiments and forces from many other countries.

Incidently Afghanistan is not a British war, It is a NATO war, and we just happen to be one of the countries belonging to NATO.

So please do not continue to put down your fellow country men. (that is if they are indeed your fellow country men)
sp1814

Please feel free to join in any St George's celebrations, you don't have to wait for a formal invitation, neither can we force you to attend.

It is just the same as at 'The Proms' how many black faces does one see there?

There is no notice on the door of the Albert Hall forbidding blacks. the same can be said for almost any English event, be them, our carnival parades, or welcoming home our soldiers etc. Yet it is not very often one sees any blacks at these events.

No the ethnic communities are just not prepared to integrate themselves into our customs, yet being the tolerant nation that we are, we are only to eager to join in with others.
It's not often you see a pensioner at the UK Urban Music Awards.

Is that a lack of patrotism?
Question Author
anotheoldgit

Could it be that you rarely see black faces at the Proms because black people aren't particularly into classical music?

That's not a very pertinent point to make.

Furthermore, how can I join in any St. George's Day celebrations?

There aren't any!!!

Also - welcoming home soldiers? Not sure if there have been any parades through largely ethnic communities. Can you think of any?

You can't complain about there not being any black faces when the parade is in Peterborough or Carlisle.

Some very poorly thought-out arguments there.

But back to my original point - why on earth why there blacks, Asians, Chinese and whites out last night?

If your argument is that blacks shun 'white events', why on Earth are the Irish events an exception?

Doesn't make any sense, does it?
sp1814

No the real reason is that blacks are not prepared to integrate, full stop, it's a racist thing. Unless one is prepared to join in with the 'black culture' then tough. Anyway some think that if they get too close to us, they may lose their race card weapon.

Furthermore, how can I join in any St. George's Day celebrations?</i.

There aren't any!!!

'WRONG!!!!! there are many up and down the country.

Also - welcoming home soldiers? Not sure if there have been any parades through largely ethnic communities. Can you think of any?

Luton springs to mind, followed by Whitehall London every November.

If your argument is that blacks shun 'white events',

No my argument is that blacks shun 'English' events.

Some very poorly thought-out 'counter' arguments there.

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