Caoimhin O’Muraile ☭ When Vladimir Putin decided to invade his neighbour, the Ukraine, under the perceived impression he was preventing NATO spreading their wings any further eastwards, he seriously miscalculated. 


Firstly, he did not take a serious look at his army’s fighting readiness which, if western reports are to be believed, is massively below par. Secondly, he forgot that modern Russia and her army are not the former Soviet Union and the fighting monolithic machine, the Soviet Red Army, which defeated the Nazis and held the USA and NATO in check for forty-five years. 

These miscalculations may have far more reaching consequences for Russia because, again if western reports are to be believed, the Russian Army are not impressing very many people with the hard work they are making of the Ukraine. He also miscalculated the fighting ability of the Ukrainian Army. Watching this closely are the USA and NATO and not only from a pro-Ukrainian angle. The USA, like the British before them as the top kids on the block, never fight a war unless they are sure they are going to win. This is a lesson learnt from their experiences in Vietnam. Like the British who did not like fighting enemies armed with anything more advanced than spears, the US take a similar view. Putin has done nothing to bolster the standing of the Russian armed forces in the Ukraine and the USA must now fancy their chances against them.

Perhaps the greatest error Putin made was forgetting that his Russia is not, nor ever will be, the USSR. He overlooked the Soviet Union consisted of Russia and fourteen more Soviet Socialist Republics, including the Ukraine. Troops from each of these republic’s comprised the Red Army. It is true Russia was the largest Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR but that is all it was, Ukraine was second in size. Fourth rate western historians when speaking of the Soviet Union and, in particular, the Second World War tend to refer to the Nazi invasion, Operation Barbarossa, as an invasion of Russia. It was not, it was an invasion of the USSR, including the Ukraine, and the fightback was a USSR fightback, not as they would have us believe, a Russian defence and fightback. The Ukraine provided some of the former Soviet Red Army’s elite regiments and undercover units. They fought the Nazis as part of the Red Army equally as much as did Russia, even though many Ukrainian civilians were pro-Nazi the Ukrainian regiments of the Soviet Army were certainly not. 

The fighting spirit and DNA of the Red Army is just as much, if not more so, part of the Ukrainian Army as that of the Russians. The Ukraine also supplied the Red Army during the Second World War with some fine commanders and Marshals who helped make up Georgy Zhukov’s Soviet General Staff which masterminded the downfall of the Third Reich in the east, paving the way for the Normandy Landings in the west. High ranking Ukrainian officers like Semyon Timoshenko who was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union (twice), Order of the Red Banner (five times), Order of the October Revolution, Order of Victory, and the Order of Lenin (five times). Rodion Malinovsky, Hero of the Soviet Union (twice), Marshal Yakov Fedorenko, Order of Lenin (four times), order of the Red Banner (twice) along with seven million Ukrainian soldiers who helped make up the Soviet Red Army. The fighting tradition of the Soviet Red Army is as much in the DNA of the Ukraine as that of Russia, perhaps Putin overlooked this minor detail! When the Red Army entered Berlin in 1945 the Ukrainian regiments were at the fore. Now, it appears, the independent Ukrainian Army are showing the same fighting spirit of those by gone Red Army days.

On 5th December 1941 the Red Army under Marshal Zhukov pushed the forces of the Third Reich back 200 miles from the gates of Moscow. Many Ukrainian troops took part in this fight, along with crack Soviet troops from Siberia and this was done despite of, not because of, Joe Stalin. During the 1930s Stalin had purged the Red Army of its leadership thus leaving a giant military vehicle with no driver. Zhukov and his General staff, which included Ukrainian officers, pulled things round, something the whole world, including the USA should breathe a sigh of relief for. From then on it was push and pull between the Nazis and the Soviets culminating in January 1943 with the Red Army victory at Stalingrad followed by the huge Soviet tank battle victory at Kurk later that year. Once again, the Soviet Army consisted of many ethnic groups of the USSR, including Ukrainians.

There is a blight on the Ukrainian forces though, and that is the presence of Nazi troops, the Azov Regiment in their ranks. This gang are openly and unashamedly Nazi and model themselves on the Das Reich Division of the Waffen SS. These people are an antithesis of all the Ukrainian regiments fought for in the Second World War and are a blight on the Ukrainian fightback. They give credence to Vladimir Putin’s other claim, apart from the initially understandable concern over NATOs eastwards expansion, and that is the Ukraine are harbouring Nazis. The presence of Azov who make no secret of their ideological and military position gives Putin’s claim credibility. What the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who claims Jewish extraction is doing allowing these Nazi troops in his army is open to serious question. Whether invasion was the correct way of handling this by Putin, particularly when his army was nowhere near match fitness is another question. The simple truth is, despite the rights and wrongs of Putin’s actions he is, again according to western reports if they can be believed, making hard work of the job. Perhaps because the Russians are fighting men whose fighting tradition is pretty much the same as their own!

The Russians are also using far-right wing minded troops in their armed forces. The private Wagner Group are, as far as I can see, an army within an army but under separate private control. Like the Waffen SS in Nazi Germany, who fought outside the control of the regular army, this gang are very similar in that respect. Unlike the Azov regiment they do not openly proclaim their Nazi allegiance but, nevertheless, do hold far right fascist opinions. The use of these so-called troops makes a mockery of Putin’s earlier claim to be de-Nazifying the region! I would like to see these two fascist groups blow the shit out of each other and everybody else, Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, go home.

Zelensky, for his part, is doing his utmost to involve NATO in this war. He demands more and more weapons from the west and the questions are; one, how long will Russia tolerate this supply by the west to the Ukraine? Two, what can they do about it conventionally? The answer to the second question, on evidence available, is not a lot. They are proving themselves well below the fighting capability needed and the capacity they were once thought to have. On the first question hangs a much more sinister solution. The Russian Army may not be giving a great account of themselves in the Ukraine, but Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons on the planet. Larger than that of the USA and, therefore NATO, and with an apparent madman with his finger on the button, who knows?!! It is, in all probability, this threat which prevents NATO going in on the side of the Ukraine putting troops in on the ground. NATO, like their boss, the USA, are reluctant to fight unless they are sure of victory. 

Russia is not Iraq, even a depleted Russia, or an Afghanistan where a bunch of religious nutters kicked the US out. It might not be as strong as the former Soviet Union, but neither is it an Iraq. Would Putin use his nuclear option should NATO involve themselves on the ground? Yes, I believe he would and that begs the question, is the Ukraine worth the destruction of the planet, including countries who have nothing to do with this conflict? Supplying the Ukraine with weapons, and making huge profits out of it, is one thing. Putting NATO troops in on the ground is something else. NATO and particularly the USA, without who the alliance is a shadow, must not put troops in on the ground. If Putin is as mad as the west make out then he would in all probability push the nuclear option!

In pursuit of encouraging NATO to become involved on the ground Zelensky claims Russia’s long-term aims will not stop at the Ukraine. He would have us believe, as would many second-rate western analysist, that Russia has eyes on Poland if Putin gets away with taking the Ukraine. This is highly unlikely but it suits the west’s narrative to go along with these claims to justify supplying Ukraine with more weapons and making a fortune! 

What NATO must not do, for reasons already touched on, is put troops on the ground inside Ukraine. Putin’s army is struggling in the Ukraine so invading Poland, a NATO member and therefore protected by treaty, would be ridiculous. Such folly would incur the wrath of the thirty NATO countries all bound by treaty to come to each other’s aid if invaded. If Putin cannot take the Ukraine what chance, apart from using nuclear weapons in which case nobody would win, has he got against thirty countries including the USA and Britain? I think Putin would settle for control of the Donbass region of East Ukraine. If I was a Ukrainian, would I give him it? No, I would not! If, as Russia claims, the vast majority of people in this region wish to join them in a larger Russia then, why not hold a referendum supervised by leading civil servants from Kenya, Tanzania and perhaps South Africa? Just a thought, it has been done before and that should settle the dispute once and for all. Are Putin’s calculations about which country the inhabitants of the Donbass wish to be a part of correct? One way to find out, referendum supervised by totally independent countries with no axe to grind. This is just an idea because one thing is certain, the present trajectory is going nowhere.

Finally, why are the Russian military finding it so difficult in the Ukraine? Leaving the threat of nuclear annihilation aside, the Russian Army have met an equally determined and better motivated force. Just as the Red Army were fighting against the Nazi invasion back in 1941, the Ukrainians are fighting a Russian invasion today. Defending forces, on their home ground so to speak, tend to put in that little bit extra because they are defending what is theirs. The Red Army fought to the bitter end against the Third Reich, and were victorious, and the Ukrainians will do likewise against the Russians on the same principle, defending the mother land.

Putin’s initial concerns about NATO expansion may have been well founded. The alliance has lied time and time again about expanding eastwards, but whether invasion as a first resort was the correct means of resolving the issue is more than questionable. As for Zelensky, I do not trust the man, I think he is a fraud and why is he allowing overtly Nazi troops in his army? Leaving these two clowns to one side, on the ground, the battlefield, it is the Ukrainians, less well armed than the Russian invaders, who are showing the fighting spirit of bygone days. It is they who appear to be scoring the victories simply because it is they who are defending what is theirs! As for the fears of NATO expansion first aired by Putin, the truth is he may have much more to fear from NATO expansion now than when he first set out on this venture. If Ukraine were not initially hell bent on joining the alliance you can bet your last quid they are now.

NATO themselves, knowing Russia’s concerns about them expanding further eastwards, and having lied so many times in the past, could have defused the situation. All they had to say was along the lines of; any application by Ukraine for NATO membership will be turned down. Even the British right-wing MP, Michael Gove, stated he would “not support” any application by Ukraine for NATO membership. If that was Putin’s major concern, which now looks questionable, that is all it would have taken to defuse the situation.

🖼 Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist

Why Are the Russian Military Finding It So Difficult in Ukraine?

Caoimhin O’Muraile ☭ When Vladimir Putin decided to invade his neighbour, the Ukraine, under the perceived impression he was preventing NATO spreading their wings any further eastwards, he seriously miscalculated. 


Firstly, he did not take a serious look at his army’s fighting readiness which, if western reports are to be believed, is massively below par. Secondly, he forgot that modern Russia and her army are not the former Soviet Union and the fighting monolithic machine, the Soviet Red Army, which defeated the Nazis and held the USA and NATO in check for forty-five years. 

These miscalculations may have far more reaching consequences for Russia because, again if western reports are to be believed, the Russian Army are not impressing very many people with the hard work they are making of the Ukraine. He also miscalculated the fighting ability of the Ukrainian Army. Watching this closely are the USA and NATO and not only from a pro-Ukrainian angle. The USA, like the British before them as the top kids on the block, never fight a war unless they are sure they are going to win. This is a lesson learnt from their experiences in Vietnam. Like the British who did not like fighting enemies armed with anything more advanced than spears, the US take a similar view. Putin has done nothing to bolster the standing of the Russian armed forces in the Ukraine and the USA must now fancy their chances against them.

Perhaps the greatest error Putin made was forgetting that his Russia is not, nor ever will be, the USSR. He overlooked the Soviet Union consisted of Russia and fourteen more Soviet Socialist Republics, including the Ukraine. Troops from each of these republic’s comprised the Red Army. It is true Russia was the largest Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR but that is all it was, Ukraine was second in size. Fourth rate western historians when speaking of the Soviet Union and, in particular, the Second World War tend to refer to the Nazi invasion, Operation Barbarossa, as an invasion of Russia. It was not, it was an invasion of the USSR, including the Ukraine, and the fightback was a USSR fightback, not as they would have us believe, a Russian defence and fightback. The Ukraine provided some of the former Soviet Red Army’s elite regiments and undercover units. They fought the Nazis as part of the Red Army equally as much as did Russia, even though many Ukrainian civilians were pro-Nazi the Ukrainian regiments of the Soviet Army were certainly not. 

The fighting spirit and DNA of the Red Army is just as much, if not more so, part of the Ukrainian Army as that of the Russians. The Ukraine also supplied the Red Army during the Second World War with some fine commanders and Marshals who helped make up Georgy Zhukov’s Soviet General Staff which masterminded the downfall of the Third Reich in the east, paving the way for the Normandy Landings in the west. High ranking Ukrainian officers like Semyon Timoshenko who was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union (twice), Order of the Red Banner (five times), Order of the October Revolution, Order of Victory, and the Order of Lenin (five times). Rodion Malinovsky, Hero of the Soviet Union (twice), Marshal Yakov Fedorenko, Order of Lenin (four times), order of the Red Banner (twice) along with seven million Ukrainian soldiers who helped make up the Soviet Red Army. The fighting tradition of the Soviet Red Army is as much in the DNA of the Ukraine as that of Russia, perhaps Putin overlooked this minor detail! When the Red Army entered Berlin in 1945 the Ukrainian regiments were at the fore. Now, it appears, the independent Ukrainian Army are showing the same fighting spirit of those by gone Red Army days.

On 5th December 1941 the Red Army under Marshal Zhukov pushed the forces of the Third Reich back 200 miles from the gates of Moscow. Many Ukrainian troops took part in this fight, along with crack Soviet troops from Siberia and this was done despite of, not because of, Joe Stalin. During the 1930s Stalin had purged the Red Army of its leadership thus leaving a giant military vehicle with no driver. Zhukov and his General staff, which included Ukrainian officers, pulled things round, something the whole world, including the USA should breathe a sigh of relief for. From then on it was push and pull between the Nazis and the Soviets culminating in January 1943 with the Red Army victory at Stalingrad followed by the huge Soviet tank battle victory at Kurk later that year. Once again, the Soviet Army consisted of many ethnic groups of the USSR, including Ukrainians.

There is a blight on the Ukrainian forces though, and that is the presence of Nazi troops, the Azov Regiment in their ranks. This gang are openly and unashamedly Nazi and model themselves on the Das Reich Division of the Waffen SS. These people are an antithesis of all the Ukrainian regiments fought for in the Second World War and are a blight on the Ukrainian fightback. They give credence to Vladimir Putin’s other claim, apart from the initially understandable concern over NATOs eastwards expansion, and that is the Ukraine are harbouring Nazis. The presence of Azov who make no secret of their ideological and military position gives Putin’s claim credibility. What the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who claims Jewish extraction is doing allowing these Nazi troops in his army is open to serious question. Whether invasion was the correct way of handling this by Putin, particularly when his army was nowhere near match fitness is another question. The simple truth is, despite the rights and wrongs of Putin’s actions he is, again according to western reports if they can be believed, making hard work of the job. Perhaps because the Russians are fighting men whose fighting tradition is pretty much the same as their own!

The Russians are also using far-right wing minded troops in their armed forces. The private Wagner Group are, as far as I can see, an army within an army but under separate private control. Like the Waffen SS in Nazi Germany, who fought outside the control of the regular army, this gang are very similar in that respect. Unlike the Azov regiment they do not openly proclaim their Nazi allegiance but, nevertheless, do hold far right fascist opinions. The use of these so-called troops makes a mockery of Putin’s earlier claim to be de-Nazifying the region! I would like to see these two fascist groups blow the shit out of each other and everybody else, Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, go home.

Zelensky, for his part, is doing his utmost to involve NATO in this war. He demands more and more weapons from the west and the questions are; one, how long will Russia tolerate this supply by the west to the Ukraine? Two, what can they do about it conventionally? The answer to the second question, on evidence available, is not a lot. They are proving themselves well below the fighting capability needed and the capacity they were once thought to have. On the first question hangs a much more sinister solution. The Russian Army may not be giving a great account of themselves in the Ukraine, but Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons on the planet. Larger than that of the USA and, therefore NATO, and with an apparent madman with his finger on the button, who knows?!! It is, in all probability, this threat which prevents NATO going in on the side of the Ukraine putting troops in on the ground. NATO, like their boss, the USA, are reluctant to fight unless they are sure of victory. 

Russia is not Iraq, even a depleted Russia, or an Afghanistan where a bunch of religious nutters kicked the US out. It might not be as strong as the former Soviet Union, but neither is it an Iraq. Would Putin use his nuclear option should NATO involve themselves on the ground? Yes, I believe he would and that begs the question, is the Ukraine worth the destruction of the planet, including countries who have nothing to do with this conflict? Supplying the Ukraine with weapons, and making huge profits out of it, is one thing. Putting NATO troops in on the ground is something else. NATO and particularly the USA, without who the alliance is a shadow, must not put troops in on the ground. If Putin is as mad as the west make out then he would in all probability push the nuclear option!

In pursuit of encouraging NATO to become involved on the ground Zelensky claims Russia’s long-term aims will not stop at the Ukraine. He would have us believe, as would many second-rate western analysist, that Russia has eyes on Poland if Putin gets away with taking the Ukraine. This is highly unlikely but it suits the west’s narrative to go along with these claims to justify supplying Ukraine with more weapons and making a fortune! 

What NATO must not do, for reasons already touched on, is put troops on the ground inside Ukraine. Putin’s army is struggling in the Ukraine so invading Poland, a NATO member and therefore protected by treaty, would be ridiculous. Such folly would incur the wrath of the thirty NATO countries all bound by treaty to come to each other’s aid if invaded. If Putin cannot take the Ukraine what chance, apart from using nuclear weapons in which case nobody would win, has he got against thirty countries including the USA and Britain? I think Putin would settle for control of the Donbass region of East Ukraine. If I was a Ukrainian, would I give him it? No, I would not! If, as Russia claims, the vast majority of people in this region wish to join them in a larger Russia then, why not hold a referendum supervised by leading civil servants from Kenya, Tanzania and perhaps South Africa? Just a thought, it has been done before and that should settle the dispute once and for all. Are Putin’s calculations about which country the inhabitants of the Donbass wish to be a part of correct? One way to find out, referendum supervised by totally independent countries with no axe to grind. This is just an idea because one thing is certain, the present trajectory is going nowhere.

Finally, why are the Russian military finding it so difficult in the Ukraine? Leaving the threat of nuclear annihilation aside, the Russian Army have met an equally determined and better motivated force. Just as the Red Army were fighting against the Nazi invasion back in 1941, the Ukrainians are fighting a Russian invasion today. Defending forces, on their home ground so to speak, tend to put in that little bit extra because they are defending what is theirs. The Red Army fought to the bitter end against the Third Reich, and were victorious, and the Ukrainians will do likewise against the Russians on the same principle, defending the mother land.

Putin’s initial concerns about NATO expansion may have been well founded. The alliance has lied time and time again about expanding eastwards, but whether invasion as a first resort was the correct means of resolving the issue is more than questionable. As for Zelensky, I do not trust the man, I think he is a fraud and why is he allowing overtly Nazi troops in his army? Leaving these two clowns to one side, on the ground, the battlefield, it is the Ukrainians, less well armed than the Russian invaders, who are showing the fighting spirit of bygone days. It is they who appear to be scoring the victories simply because it is they who are defending what is theirs! As for the fears of NATO expansion first aired by Putin, the truth is he may have much more to fear from NATO expansion now than when he first set out on this venture. If Ukraine were not initially hell bent on joining the alliance you can bet your last quid they are now.

NATO themselves, knowing Russia’s concerns about them expanding further eastwards, and having lied so many times in the past, could have defused the situation. All they had to say was along the lines of; any application by Ukraine for NATO membership will be turned down. Even the British right-wing MP, Michael Gove, stated he would “not support” any application by Ukraine for NATO membership. If that was Putin’s major concern, which now looks questionable, that is all it would have taken to defuse the situation.

🖼 Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist

18 comments:

  1. "...the British ... never fight a war unless they are sure they are going to win" except WWII, when we stood alone against Nazism, oh and The Falklands too.
    "... why not hold a referendum supervised by leading...." Nice to know you believe in partition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter, at least he's acknowledging a British victory..

      Delete
    2. The British did quite well during WW2 and the braver of their pilots during the Battle of Britain was something else when they were up against formidable opponent.
      But they were not up against a formidable opponent in the Falklands.
      The Argentine military was good at waging war on civilians but not much else. When the Pope intervened to dissuade Argentina and Chile from going to war in November 1978 he did the Argies a favour. The Chileans would have torn them apart.

      Delete
    3. AM
      "Quite well"? Tell that to the boys from Burma, North Africa, D-Day....
      "...not up against a formidable opponent in the Falklands" That operation was a massive gamble, considering the distance from home and the power of the Argie navy and air force. That it went so well was a minor miracle.

      Delete
    4. Peter - So you don't think they did quite well?

      The power of the Argie Navy and Airforce.

      They were considered useless - the Chileans were going to gut them. The British could have taken both Argentina and Chile together. Although why British soldiers should die to keep China British as John Cleese once quipped, leaves me slightly bemused. But than that's the Brits. We know what they are like, having butchered their way across the globe. You, a former member, to your credit have serious issues with their war crimes.

      Delete
  2. Excuse me Peter, you are again revising history. Britain never "stood alone" in WW II, they had the Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Indian troops. That is not a bad group of countries to have while "standing alone". Now, I don't care how Nazi Germany was beaten and, as it went, it was the USSR who played the major part in this defeat, including, as I alluded, the Ukraine. The Battle of Britain was also a great contributing factor in 1940 early in the conflict.

    What part of Britain you from, Pete,? You mentioned, "we stood alone" I thought you might be a Yorkshireman, or a Glawegion perhaps, Cardiff maybe?

    The referendum idea was only a suggestion and, lets face it, everything else is causing bloodshed and murder.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caoimhin
      The British Empire stood alone, ergo Britain stood alone. Your beloved Soviet Union was in a pact with Hitler, just like your beloved Irish republicans.
      I'm from the same part of Britain as you. We are all part of the British Isles, as you well know. Yorkshire, Glasgow and Cardiff are all in Great Britain, the largest of the British Isles, maybe that's where you are confused?
      So, to resolve an ethnic dispute you suggest a referendum? As I said, nice to know you believe in partition.

      Delete
  3. It cuts both ways -countries bordering on Russia have applied for NATO membership because of insecurity caused by Russia. Russia and NATO have always jockied for position with these countries. A third factor is the right of these same soveriegn states to self determination -if Ukraine wish to apply to join any international organistation then they are free to do so and do not need Russia's permission.

    It should also be remembered that Ukraine was a nuclear power and it gave up its nukes on assurance that it would be protected from Russian agression/invasion.

    In this case, Putin took careful aim and shot his own foot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thats true, Christy, and I am not saying Ukraine should be barred from applying for NATO membership. What I am suggesting, if NATO and the west are interested in stabalising a volatile situation they should turn that application down. Put self interests aside and calm things down. This situation could get very, very serious indeed for all of us. If the nuclear option is used then we're all fucked, except the governments and ruling classes, they have shelters. The rights and wrongs of the conflct will be meaningless if this happens.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not confused, Peter. Britain consists of England, Scotland, and Wales. The British Isles, so called, are a different entity. A UK passport does not say, a citizen of the British Isles, that would sound silly, it says "Great Britain and Northern Ireland," the latter not being part of Britain but in the UK, for now. I thought you might be a Yorkshireman or Glaswegion for some reason, or is it you may not be from Britain at all?

    As for the Nazi/Soviet pact, a disgrace, I agree, but perhaps the Poles, British and French should have taken the Soviet offer of one million men and artillery to stand with Polish, British and French troops in an anti- Nazi front on the Polish/German border. The offer, not wildley reported because of the embarasment not taking it later caused, came earlier in 1939.

    Perhaps you should read a little more on the subject then we can have another little chat.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caoimhin
      Indeed you are very confused. Britain is not England, Scotland, and Wales, that is GREAT Britain, the island. The OED definition of British is: 1. relating to Great Britain or the United Kingdom 2. the British Commonwealth or (formerly) the British Empire. Northern Ireland is both part of the UK and Commonwealth, therefore British. Are you trying to deny me my British identity?

      Delete
  6. Caoimhin, this is a great piece. The mention of India in the exchange between you and Peter made me think of the atrocities and mass murder inflicted on India by Britain. There is a fascinating literature out there about that. What Russia is doing in Ukraine is pretty mild by comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thats right Anthony, British atrocities in India were horrific as they were in swathes of sub-Saharan Africa. Historically only the murder machine of the Third Reich can put British horrors in the shadow. France and Belgium were no angels, neither were the Spanish. But up until 1933 and Hitler the Brits were top of the league.
    Peter mentioned the Malvinas/ Falklands, I remember a programme on in Yorkshire, Peters part of the world I wrongly thought, I think, a man boasting about his son cutting off "an Argies ears". Galtieries army were conscripted school kids, just out of school, up against the Paras who do not indentify between civillian and combatant. War crimes or what?

    No, Peter, I am not trying to deny you your British identity, which is more than many people in England do. I think you are foolish but that is your right, to people in England, and I now realise you are not from Yorkshire, you are Irish.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete
  8. No, Peter, you are making the rukes up, yet again, to suite yourself. A UK passport states, in idiot proof language, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and "Northern Ireland" which tells us the latter is separate from the former. Otherwise it would just say "Great Britain" as there would be no need to mention the six counties, "Northern Ireland" as an extra entity, an annex so to speak. Your British identity is false, but you are entitled to call yourself what you like, Martian if you want to.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course they are separate. Great Britain is an island with England, Scotland and Wales. Ireland is another island in the group of isles. It really is simple. I understand republicans are extremely confused over this. Some idiots, like you, say we are not British, while others say we are British "planters" and should go home LOL

      Delete
  9. This seems to be a pigtail pulling dispute.

    In terms of how people identify, if transgender is possible there seems no reason as to why trans nationality is not. In fact it seems much easier for somebody who was born in England to self identity as Irish than to make the transgender move. It sort of makes the debate about Irish or British nationality/identify something of an anachronism.
    Personally, in as far as it has any relevance, my primary identity is European.

    ReplyDelete
  10. True, mine is International. Nation and nation state mean little to me, "national liberation" is something different. Not to be confused with "chauvanistic" nationalism of fascism.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete
  11. My citizenship is EU
    My tribe/community affiliation is LUFC

    ReplyDelete