Re: Northern Ireland (was Re: Nanotech Restrictions)

From: Michael S. Lorrey (mike@datamann.com)
Date: Wed Apr 26 2000 - 10:52:15 MDT


Charlie Stross wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 26, 2000 at 12:08:27PM -0400, Michael S. Lorrey wrote:
> >
> > As for myself, a Catholic Scottish American whose family got relocated to Nova
> > Scotia from the Gordon's Highlands, I've got little or no sympathies for the
> > headaches the Protestant British have brought on themselves, while at the same
> > time I have no sympathies for the marxist ideology of most IRA members. Frankly
> > you deserve each other.
>
> Who is this "you" you're talking about, white man? I'm a Jewish Brit of
> Polish descent who lives in Scotland and votes for Scottish independence
> at every opportunity.

'You' as in the British (Ulster specifically or British as a nation to a lesser
extent). It was not pointed to you as an individual, as the context does not deal
with you as an individual. Perhaps if I said 'They'?

> And if you'd bothered reading up on the field you might have come across
> the interesting statistic that something like 85% of the GB population
> favours pulling the GB out of NI and letting the buggers kill each
> other ... stereotyping people by attributing the foreign policy of their
> government to them as personal opinion isn't exactly a good way of figuring
> out what's going on anywhere, is it? Or would you like me to blame you
> for Janet Reno's actions on the grounds that, being American, you must
> logically support her?

Its well understood that the PM's government is hamstrung by the Ulsterites much like
the Republicans are hamstrung by the fundamentalist anti-abortionists (or the Cuban
Americans, for that matter, in the present situation). However, contrary to your
statement above, you said earlier that most people didn't want to pull the British
Army out because they figure it would turn into another Kosovo in no time. Which is
it?



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