Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,897
Alex, I think you must have been very sheltered from the outside world at that time or very blinkered. The Irish were the enemy in many peoples eyes, the British did not know if some of their Irish friends were sleeping terrorists.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Indeed, Jan. And it is a fact that not all people were anti-Irish, but the popular view was negative, fed, as always, by the tabloids. Muslims are bearing that brunt at the moment - copping the negativity generated by their fellows at their expense.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
Jan - you make a good point.
I was in Birmingham at the time of the pub bombings and that night is was the last night of a course I was on, staying in Erdington, a Brum suburb. We tossed a coin that evening to decide, as a group, whether to pop into the City centre and go to The Talk of The Town pub or stay in the local we had used in Erdington. We stayed in Erdington. When we arrived back at the digs in which we were staying the landlady was frantic with worry and relief to see us because two pubs, including the Talk of The Town, were bombed by the IRA.
The next day we travelled through Brum to the station to come home and we heard about innocent Irish people being chased and beaten up there.
Yes Islamist terrorism must not be allowed to be translated into a hatred and bad treatment of all muslims. Doing that will just play into the hands of the extremists allowing them to gain more traction and support. The extremists are a minority we must remember that. Sadly some people do not..... It would help though if more muslims were to integrate more into our society and not promote cultural differences.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Me blinkered Jan! I lived in North Camp and Dover, and there were Irish teachers and pupils at school too. Oh, and our class teacher was Irish, in Dover! Several times in Dover when walking home from my friend's house everyone had to stop because of a bomb-scare and a cordoned off area.
No, Jan, I NEVER heard one word against the Irish.
I've got the impression some people are trying to delete my memory and re-programme me with something I never saw or witnessed.
Bern, you mention hatred against the Muslims in Britain. What hatred??? Perhaps you and I live in two different worlds! Sorry, Bern, but I have never seen anyone in Britain spit at a foreign person or call them names.
I shall stick to my version, unless of-course you can prove to me that the people of Hampshire and Kent are different to other English people. Perhaps where you lived, Bern and Jan, in England, the people are different, although I doubt it, but in the counties where I have been at home I never experienced any of this hatred.
Ah well!
"Bern, you mention hatred against the Muslims in Britain. What hatred??? Perhaps you and I live in two different worlds!" For once Alex we agree.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
I think hatred is going too far, except among certain extremists in the Hindu community. It's more fear, suspicion, ignorance and a reluctance to leave one's own comfort zone which drive people's behaviour.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Alexander.
One holiday I will never forget was in Loret de mar, Spain. I noticed a young couple the same age us me and my wife, I can remember them not joining in and me being me I poked my nose in and tried to get them to join us. To cut a long story short, they were from Belfast and were frightened to talk, not just to talk to anybody but just to talk because they thought that their broad accent would draw attention to themselves and people would give them trouble, following an incident that hapened on the plane over to Spain.
I asked them to join us and he cried.
We had a great week and kept in touch for a long time after.
They never said what happened on the plane and I never asked but they were considering flying back home, that's how intimidated they felt.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Gary, as far back as I can remember, anyone causing insult or offence on a plane would be reported by the crew to the authorities at the next airport and arrested.
My knowledge of the facts is that the Northern Irish, when meeting each other abroad, were always friendly and helpful to one another no matter which community they belonged to.
Now can someone explain to me why in Dover we had some Irish teachers at school, from Eire, and we all liked them as much as all the other teachers?
And why is it that in London I walked past Irish pubs, and went to Irish shops, where the signs outside said: Irish Shop?
No-one came in and harangued the Irish inside.
There is a lot of talk flying around here on this thread that doesn't correspond to any reality.
I think I forgot to mention the many Irish football players who played in English teams.
The more I think of it, the more incredible this all becomes.
As said... we lived in two different worlds.
Fortunate me! I lived in the happier...
I am glad for you Alexander. Genuinely.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
ALEXANDER;
I think JAN is correct you have it appears led a very sheltered life.
Without doubt when the I.R.A. were heavily bombing innocent people, there were tensions, and a misunderstood of hatred for irish persons
very similar are some peoples outlook should they sit on a bus/plane
close to someone who may be muslim
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i do not see hatred in modern britain on any great scale, a few idiots of all types that are generally ridiculed.
i remember after 9/11 a bangla deshi bloke came into the pub sporting a knuckle duster, apparently he was afraid of reprisals for being brown.
i explained to him about living in ilford, every race and religion under the sun and never any trouble.
we always had hate merchants in the shopping centre on a saturday, they were too thick to realise that we were all too intent on making a living to get involved in such rubbish.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,707
Cloud bloody cuckoo land
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Keith!
Hundreds of British soldiers have fallen in Afghanistan, many more have been wounded, and yet the British Army takes pride in stating that they are there to help the Afghans.
Although I feel our soldiers should not be there, I do not doubt for one instant that their intentions are to help Afghan people. So where is the hatred towards the Afghans? It's not there, Keith. There is none. People here don't hate the Afghans.
What you say about misunderstood hatred against the Irish in the decades 1970-90 is simply not true!
Also that about sitting next to Muslims on a plane or a bus is sheer fantasy.
In London and other British cities, Muslims travel on buses and trains and there is no fear among other people of being blown up.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,897
Alexander, you are blinkered.
Nobody has said there is hatred towards the Afghans.
The Irish populace WERE DOUBTED especially after the London bombings, I do not remember anyone on this thread saying the Irish were hated.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
I know, Jan. But my point is, how could there have been hatred against the Irish? The British soldiers in Antrim and Ulster were officially there to protect the Catholics against any discrimination, at least that is what they said at the start. Hence my comparison to Afghanistan.
If what Keith wrote were true, surely this mentality would reflect in today's situation, and people in Britain would be hating Afghans, and yet there are many Afghans living in Britain, and no-one shouts hatred at them.
If Keith writes a book about British history and British sentiments, I'll also write one to counter it and give an opposite version
Chaps, give it up..........
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,897
Ok Bern I will retire gracefully, too much of an uphill struggle.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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And no potential to achieve!!!
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Alexander.
I was not agreeing or disagreeing with you.
I was relating a true event, that happened on a holiday that I went on.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
jan;
i did(Or you did)try to explain to alexander but we both failed
without doubt in those I.R.A. if you were irish(my mums irish) people did doubt you(well some did)
just like very recently a muslim on a plane with a briefcase went to go into his briefcase and other passengers started to move away from him.
The chap was probably a nice geezer, but these misunderstandings are out there.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS