Comments on The Pensive Quill: The Wonka Theory of Everything

Westie, Pat is a good guy and was ahead of the p...

2009-06-28T18:55:24.519+01:00

Westie,

Pat is a good guy and was ahead of the pack in prison in realising that the armed campaign was going nowhere. He took a lot of flak for saying so. In my view he supports the strategy while at the same time knowing it will not deliver anything remotely republican. He seems to think it is the best thing on offer. I know when Richard’s book came out he and I had a brief conversation about on the road it and he felt Richard was wrong. But since then the evidence is there to add ballast to Richard’s claims and not much to his critics. I think we should have faith in our own reason and not in people. Pat has one view and Gerard Hodgins another. Which sort of cancels out any rule of thumb for following a hunger striker’s view on the matter. The issue can’t be settled by faith. I am not sure it can be settled at all. But from talking to a range of people and opinion formers the feeling I get is that there is a general view that Richard is not making it up and his critics have been less than persuasive in their responses. Apart from Morrison who has made a robust case? The narrative as we knew it has been thoroughly ruptured and will never be the same again. While believing O’Rawe all along I felt at the start there was an innocent explanation that would account for what he had to say. I am more sceptical today. And not because of anything the O’Rawe perspective has to say but down to the manner in which the other side has handled itself.

Talk another time

Anthony

Anthony Was at the annual Beechmount commemoratio...

2009-06-28T17:55:40.266+01:00

Anthony

Was at the annual Beechmount commemoration today and Pat Sheehan was the speaker.

Pat spoke very well as always and amidst his words, he defended the Republican Movement's Leadership as one which he fully supports. Having gone more than 30 days on hunger Strike when it thankfully ended, and having given so much to the cause, I tend to have more faith in people like him than I do in a lot of the 'Hate Sinn Féin Brigade', most of whom I never saw or heard of during the struggle. He also claims not to have heard anything about the issues now being raised in connection with deals that could have been done at anytime during the Fast?

I haven't read much into this myself so I am perhaps not qualified to say too much on it, but I do get a sense that the debate will not lead to a conclusive and certain conclusion as people have already made their minds up about what they wish to believe.

My personal wish is simply that the brave comrades are resting in peace and freedom whilst the debate rolls on.

Slán

Westie

2009-06-27T13:26:13.482+01:00

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Kate, it fits because the article is addressing th...

2009-06-25T22:06:48.843+01:00

Kate, it fits because the article is addressing the responses to the O'Rawe accusations and the documents that have emerged since that book came out. British strategy at the time of the hunger strikes was considerably different than it was under Blair even if the objective of neutralising republicanism as a threat was the same.

Jasus Krist!!! There is only one answer to this Wo...

2009-06-25T21:53:16.249+01:00

Jasus Krist!!!
There is only one answer to this Wonka factory of fruit and nuts.
Sarcasm !!!
The long war of the "Buttons."

Ah well it was a good laugh so SF get some credit for that.

The Never Ending story might a worked better!

yeah and Disney want to make a sequel to the kion ...

2009-06-25T16:20:07.549+01:00

yeah and Disney want to make a sequel to the kion king featuring the Sinn Fein leadership its called the lying bastards

I hear Sinn Fein is launching a new chocolate bar ...

2009-06-25T11:50:29.041+01:00

I hear Sinn Fein is launching a new chocolate bar called, ‘Party Faithful’. It’s thick and full of nuts!

2009-06-25T09:59:02.095+01:00

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