From Dogs of War to Palace Corgis

Martin McGuinness, deputy to Peter Robinson in the Stormont Executive, is to meet the British queen. It is no surprise. The back flip was telegraphed to everyone just after the visit by the British monarch to the South last year. Sinn Fein felt it was out of step with the general feeling of goodwill towards the British head of state. Some of those, bereft of foresight and initially hostile to the move immediately moved into Sammy Somersault mode and began outlining how their opposition to the ‘Queen of Sheep’ had been misjudged.  Big Brother it seems had been watching them and so sheepishly they set about the old doublethink routine.

While many republicans have been outraged by the move, I don’t even find it mildly upsetting, feeling the same as I would have had Gerry Fitt done likewise. British ministers meet British queens. Not much new there. As Mark Devenport of the BBC quipped after interviewing Gerry Adams republicans could at least claim to have one principle left – they would not be supporting England against the Italians in tonight’s game. Not much dignity salvaged there.

Whatever one thinks of Martin McGuinness as a British minister, it is indisputable that he is one. Maybe it is for strategic reasons or ones of naked careerist ambition but he is what he is.  That he was chief of staff of the IRA at the time it killed the Queen’s relative, Lord Louis Mountbatten, makes it a spicy feature story. But that’s about the height of it. Meeting the queen shows not how republicanism has advanced but rather how it has retreated and been boxed in by the situational logic of searching for respectability.   He is not meeting the queen like some other former guerrillas did: as a representative of a nation that had secured independence from the British. He is meeting her as a mere functionary in one of the lower echelons of her state’s, not an autonomous state’s, machinery.

Norman Tebbit, a member of the Thatcher cabinet who suffered grievously as a result of the IRA strike against  the heart of the British and Tory establishment in Brighton in 1984, reportedly smiled, rather than vented outrage, when asked about the meeting due to take place in Belfast’s Lyric Hall this Wednesday.  From a man with a vitriolic hatred for the IRA, it was telling. He compared McGuinness to the Danish king, Guthrum, whose army was heavily defeated by the English in 878.  Guthrum, a pagan, was brought to King Alfred of England, a Christian. Alfred offered him terms: be baptised a Christian. Tebbit commented, ‘we can have our doubts as to whether he understood fully the doctrine of Christianity... but he took the water.’

Republicanism bowing to monarchy might seem absurd. But it is quite some time since Sinn Fein could genuinely claim to be republican in any sense that resembled the republicanism of their war years. Like the pigs in Animal Farm they have become indistinguishable from the farmers they vowed to overthrow. Then there is the realpolitik of the situation which is: the British queen rules over Martin McGuinness as his queen and he her subject. He does not preside over her in his role as deputy minister to Peter Robinson, being a servant of the crown, a status his party has proved unable to do much about other than unconvincingly try to deny it. Sort of says something about the nature of the relationship between Britain and British Northern Ireland, where there is no joint authority, and where the British alone are sovereign.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Gerry Adams pretends that the event has nothing to do with the Jubilee. Just as he has a penchant for pretending about other things. There are few to believe him even if it is considered impolitic to always say so.

Seeking to play the moderate card Adams claimed the decision to have McGuinness meet the queen ‘reflects a confident, dynamic, forward looking Sinn Féin demonstrating our genuine desire to embrace our unionist neighbours.’  Will unionists see it that way? Unlikely if Cormac Lucey is right:

There was quite an extraordinary finding by an industrial tribunal in Northern Ireland this week. It found that there had been “a material bias against the appointment of candidates from a Protestant background” during Conor Murphy’s time as Belfast Minister of Regional Development. The finding of sectarian bias against a Sinn Féin minister is a colossal embarrassment for a party which styles itself “republican” and which has a formal “outreach programme” into the unionist and Protestant community. Those Protestants who responded to SF’s outreach programme must feel like right eejits.

Come forth from your graves
The H Block ten
And watch Sinn Fein bow
Just like Englishmen

40 comments:

  1. The bearded one stated that party members visited the relatives of some of those murdered by the crown forces to explain and gauge their opinion re meeting the commander in chief of brit forces here ie Lizzie, as per usual the opinion of those relatives meant sfa as the decision had already been made as far back as last year,in many ways it is proper for Martyboy to greet his boss after all she is the figurehead of the country that pays him and his cronies a handsome wage for doing little or nothing,indeed the hounds of Ulster have morphed into the queens wee corgis and they look every bit at home in their new role.

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  2. In Quebec, you will never see a nationalist politican shaking hands with the Queen, it would be the end of his career. Anthony if your book is reprint, the photo of the handshake should be on the cover,no title needed.

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  3. I think everyone is being a bit hard on Lady Martine of The Bog and Sir Gerry of The Twenty Faces. You have to look at the big picture, about securing a United Ireland (this is what they told a group of Queen Féin supporters last week). While the rest of us can't think further than next week, G&M can see as far as 100 years from now. Thank god we have such visionaries. We should all be on our knees in adulation ( a bit like Lady Martine when he/she meets Lizzy).

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  4. could i suggest deputy mc guinness requests of the queen if she has any recollection of signing a royal prerogative of mercy for marian price.

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  5. Mrs Merkl runs the 26 counties! Hodgson, out of ideas , time to head back to the Danish league.

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  6. Hodgie recently we sent Lizzie a letter to Buck house informing her of the carelessness of her servants in losing a document with her moniker on it,we told her if she could bring a new one with her when she comes for her heads down bums up soiree up at the subsidised cafe on the hill we could nip up and collect it, but strangely enough to date we have not had a reply, mind you I havent had one from John Larkin, or Paul Maskey either it seems to me that Marian is a bit of a no no in certain circles.

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  7. "This meeting is therefore a meeting of equals. Our leader Martin McGuinness is equal to everyone else at that meeting next week." - Percy Pompous

    no end to the bollix

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  8. How can an Irish politican be on equal terms with the queen when she will not allow him the equal right that she has granted to herself? Which is that Ireland does not rule part of Britain.

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  9. Anthony its a meeting of two queens ..one a leechy royal...the other a traitorous drama queen...one who applauds the actions of her armed wing the other who denys any knowledge of hers..both arrogant with the blood of innocent victims dripping from their callous free hands..one wears nice dresses the other dress,s nice, both subsidised by the working class of which both queens have risen well above..

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  10. Martyboy says he made the decision to shake the hand of Liz the brit,and heres me thinking the ard chomhairle made such decisions,

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  11. Lord Tebbit, former Conservative Party chairman and Brighton bomb survivor

    "I assume he's accepted the world as it is, and the sovereignty of Her Majesty over Northern Ireland."

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18557029

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  12. Be careful out there. The SF heavy squad are knocking on doors. Seems they don't like anyone exposing their dirty deeds. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18582056

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  13. There's a photo doing the rounds of the Queen's own Shinner, McGuinness posing while seated at a monument to Derry's Dead Volunteers on Sunday.

    Stunts like that might keep the sheep happy before he betrays those buried there. However quite a few, like myself, are seriously questioning when did this betrayal really begin...

    In other words how the hell did the most senior IRA member for 3 decades avoid internment, supergrass trails and even assassination attempts?

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  14. Dixie.

    Just think back to all the secret meetings with MI5, and the request for himself and Adams to be released, which they were, I am Just an ordinary bloke who has made up my own mind that not only (never been in the RA Adams) and Mc Guinness, but others very close to them were, and , still are, BRITISH AGENTS, now Dannyboy Morrison has jumped on the bandwagon stating, This is a very good thing, ffs He was the first one to shake the hand of royalty , he shook the hand of prince charles at a music festival, but not much was said about that. The sheep need to take there blinkers off, or, they will fall at every fence. Too many spies and agents within, I keep asking myself, how did all those bombs explode prematurely, They put together by well train people, so the only logical explanation is, they were taken by an agent(s) to there handler(s) and were compromised, then i say to myself, the only person(s) who could do that would be the maker of those devices, or , the transporter to a safe house for collection by the unit selected to plant the device. All this should be on record by P.I.R.A. , or should I say Adams and Co. The list is endless, I also keep asking myself, Why did the Brits Name SCAP, it was the People newspaper who 1st broke the story 1st Feb 2004, but who leaked the story to the People Newspaper?,MI5/MI6/SB/SF, I believe it was was leaked to keep there top people safe ; The Top Echelon of PSF.

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  15. As DFM Martin must fulfill his duties as not to do so would leave him exposed to the hardline unionists in the DUP. Sinn Fein will achieve a new level of respectability with this meeting particularly in the south where the party is seeking to break new ground electorally. That it causes deep hurt to some families who have suffered at the hands of the British state is a minor cause of concern to Gerry and the Peacemakers. Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves.

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  16. ALEC "rule Britannia" ..and in Marians case Britannia waves the rules

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  17. Martyboy said that when I shake the queens hand I am shaking hands with every unionist,and Martyboy you will be sticking two fingers in the face of every family who suffered at the hands of same unionists,and thats a lot of people...

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  18. Jesus they have done it now-lol-

    A new sign on the Black mountain this morning- ériu IS OUR QUEEN

    when the Queens flight goes past all she will make out is

    IS OUR QUEEN

    look charles-they love me

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  19. Just a wee aside;todays Vatican Times aka The Irish News carries a pic on page 14 of workmen painting out the very badly painted uff mural in Sandy Row, it is going to be replaced with a new mural of the dwarf king Billy. and the Housing Executive are paying for this.the more things change the more they stay the same it seems to me !

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  20. The bearded one said "the boys would have given her gracious majesty a 21 gun salute,,but her men made the boys give up their guns"so in true Monty Python style they will just clap their hands very loudly.......

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  21. You know that this visit by the head of Britains armed forces is a whole pile of crap when we witness the head of the catholic church in Ireland traipse though not reluctantly into the cathedral in Enniskillen,in his grovelling welcome to the queen of destruction and death he used the words peace and justice ,now hearing these words coming from a facilitator for paedophiles says to me that neither of them would know the true meaning of both.

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  22. I see that Lizzie is running around norn iorn in the same black landrover that Andyboy was in last year when he graced us with his presence here,and interrupted my day to whom I showed my disgust with a two finger salute when he passed me at the junction of Boucher rd and Stockmans lane..and I,d give lizzie and Martyboy the same if I was anywhere near the pair of them,

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  23. Mickeyboy the Blackmountain is a sight to see today no doubt a massive Tricolour with the legend Eiru is our queen ,its is absolutely outstanding,and a real classy way of getting the message across,unfortunately the psni/ruc dont agree,they have been using their helicopter to try and blow it off the mountain.you can view it on facebook..

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  24. Oh boy Lizzie would have loved the massive banner the 32csm hung over the side of Cuchulain house in the New Lodge,it seems to be away again some say the qsf removed it but I cant say for sure,hopefully it shall return tomorrow it like the Blackmountain banner says just what the republican community really think of a visit from the head of the brit armed forces, it surely is not going the way the two ejits who run qsf thought it would,

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  25. "When I say that ‘Brits out’ has been replaced with ‘Sinn Fein in,’ I really do mean it: for other than moving into Buckingham Palace and curling up like an old green corgi at the foot of the Queen’s bed, I’m not sure how much more Sinn Fein could do to indicate that their war has been lost and the surrender terms penned by the British."

    http://www.newsletter.co.uk/community/columnists/alex-kane-sinn-fein-woe-sealed-with-a-handshake-1-3986939

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  26. Marty-

    Seen the cop chopper on the facebook pictures- the p.s.n.i are not wise, they only have two helicopters and one of them is over this sign in the mountain whilst Queenie is in another town-
    security does not seem to be a top priority today-
    The societys are getting some P.R out of this- notice that there is talk of loyalists going tonight to try and take the flag and sign down
    but hopefully that is just big talk
    by them over the web-

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  27. AM, "no end to the bollix" lol

    Just watching the news, Liz meeting Sean Brady, absolutely sickening.
    Oppressor of the poor meets the oppressor of children, a right combination.

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  28. Queen Battenburgh to Mc Guinness

    Kneel before your Ruler, Martyboy Mc Guinness , I knight thee "Sir Dog of DERRY" city,may there walls forever be unionist, with your help They will be, thanks to you.
    You have well hoodwinked your poor followers , you shall be forever hounded by those you sold out, Arise Sir Dog , those fenians can wait another 700 years ,Now, begone and clean the dog kennels.

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  29. Trouble on the mountain, one supporter guarding the Giant Tricolour was injured by loyalist from ballygomartin, his injuries are not thought to be life threatening , There have since been minor disturbances in the Broadway area of west Belfast.

    A small number of petrol bombs have been thrown and a crowd of at least 100, mostly youths, threw stones and bottles at police land rovers near the Park Centre .

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18603574

    Lets hope he is OK, thats one massive tricolour, "Eiru" should have been twice the size of the words, "is our"

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  30. Loyalist thugs erect paramilitary flags outside catholic churches in Ballymena and Carrickfergus,a clear and blantant act of sectarianism and intimidation,Nigel Dodds dup mp response,not a dickeybird nor indeed any response from unionst political representatives,nationalists erect a tricolour on the black mountain,a loyalist mob of up to 100 thugs attack 4 men with hammers ,bars and hatchets leaving one man seriously injured, Nigel Dodds response he described the flag and the legend ÉIRU IS OUR QUEEN as offensive and asked the police to investigate whether a crime was committed, now I ask you can a Leopard change its spots.. and Mc Guinness wants to shake these hands !

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  31. Marty.

    Nothing has changed except PSF, they are the ones who have changed there spots, I watched Mc Guinness shake the Commander in chief of british forces hand , he spoke to her with a massive grin on his face, Then he shook the Prince Philips hand, and martyboy was well chuffed with himself, peter robinson looked at him when he shook the queens hand and smiled, i just said to myself, he is thinking, "now we have you were we wanted, in a british run government. The loyalists in ballymena and carrickfergus will say they are covered under the flags and emblems act and get away with it, but they don't like our tricolour flying anywere. word going around that psni/ruc watched the attack on those 4 unarmed men and allowed the loyalist to walk of the mountain, same old 6 counties, now its well under John Bulls Tyranny.

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  32. Itsjustmacker it sure seems that way a cara mind you Phil the Greek couldnt get away from that "awful man" quick enough the camera doesnt lie.what else would you expect from the ruc/psni when it comes to loyalist thuggery..

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  33. .
    Anthony the shy and retiring lad that he is has asked me to launch this years TPQ,s ...WHAT HAPPENS NEXT..
    This annual competition challenges TPQ contributors to predict what the Next Big Ask will be in the drive to "MOVE ON" THE "Peace Process"....
    As usual no expense has been spared in acquiring the very very best of prizes...1st prize.
    ...A full collection of Willie Mc Crea,s golden hits....
    2nd prize..2 sets of WILLIE Mc Crea,s greatest hits........
    3rd prize The bearded ones book.....
    4th prize..all the bearded ones books.....
    To kick this years competition of I predict that Martyboy will call for a symbolic show of recognising the britishness of our fellow countrymen and to move the peace process on another big ask will be for the people of Garvaghy rd to facilitate a march down their rd by the lol which of course Martyboy and the Brussell model Martygirl will join in as republican loyalists...any its up to you folks to suggest a more imaginative Big Ask for qsf..

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  34. michaelhenry
    you can clearly make out what it says on the mountain, I cannot believe you are putting a different spin on it, how pathetic!
    I think like most Republicans, I would rather have spent the day on the Black Mountain than where your boss spent his.

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  35. Hats of to Martin Mc Guinness I always find it difficult to make small talk with old folk..especially when I,ve blown up their cousin....
    Frankie Boyle I love that man...

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  36. Bob Doh Brains wanted to sell his car so Gerry Itwasntme said to him in true qsf fashion "lie like fuck about the milage and turn the clock back ,you,ll get a better price for it"a few days later Gerry Itwasntme asked Bob Doh Brains how he got on and Bob said "DOH when I finished winding the clock back there was only 7000 miles on the clock so I decided to keep it doh!"

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  37. Itsjustmacker,

    Adams was released for the talks in 72. McGuinness was already out. I have never been persuaded of the argument that either of them were working as agents for the British. Although I think it is inevitable that the question will come up at times like this when we witness the slaughter of every sacred cow there ever was. At the same time we would be most unwise to rule out the role of agents in bringing about the defeat of the IRA. I believe Agents of Influence were key to this; their work is invidious but all the easier to hide.

    As for Morrison’s handshake with Charles, it was of no political consequence. It took place outside the framework that led to McGuiness being ‘presented’ to the queen.

    Scap was outed in 2003 not 2004.

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  38. AM.

    I know He was out, I miss quoted in that respect , Mc Guinness stipulated to the brits that talks could not commence until Adams was released and was Part of those talks (negotiations), The agents were put in by the brits since Mc Guinness and Adams first meeting with them. Its not, Who were/Are The Agents, Its how Many are still on board?, Agents are Lying, Manipulative, and Straight faced at both, and will name anyone as an informer to detract any hostile remarks aimed at them, also anyone doing so would in no uncertain terms, "Be Looked After". RE Morrison ,I'M sure charles ran to mummy and said, I have just spoken to the I.R.A. and shook his hand, He said they wanted to talk !!! ,you must meet them Mummy. Lol. I stand corrected on Scap.

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  39. Marty,

    ‘The bearded one stated that party members visited the relatives of some of those murdered by the crown forces to explain and gauge their opinion re meeting the commander in chief of Brit forces here...’

    Anyone still believe in Santa?

    The Angela Nelson narrative which you referred to sums up the experience for many who know the myth of consultation.

    André

    ‘In Quebec, you will never see a nationalist politician shaking hands with the Queen, it would be the end of his career. Anthony if your book is reprint, the photo of the handshake should be on the cover, no title needed.’

    Here it works as a career enhancer. Good idea for the book cover!

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