Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
26 August 2009
07:5028009#1
Edward Kennedy has died. He was the last of those absolutely famous and fabulous high achievers, the Kennedy brothers. The Kennedy clan still thrives on, but not in quite the same way, as that high glow high gloss era can probably never be achieved again by any one family.
The brothers were of course John F Kennedy, US President par excellence, and Robert F Kennedy, Attorney General, and Presidential hopeful/certainty. Both these brothers were shot dead in harrowing circumstances.
Edward's career in politics would have been regarded by any normal accounts as a great success, a career of high achievement if not quite high office. He was a highly succesful Senator for many years and though there were calls for him to seek Presidential nomination he always declined. Perhaps the loss of his two older brothers due to political violence played a part, but so did his unfortunate incidend at Chappaquidick bridge. His female companion died in an accident there and Edward left the scene fearing scandal and ruin. The incident came to light anyway, much to his degradation. But over time he recovered from that and forged a brilliant career. But he always suffered in the shadow of his more dynamic movie image brothers.
But the infamous Kennedy dalliances with women, mostly non marital, played its part in shaping the outcome of a possible presidential path. Death was never very far away. After all remember John F and Marilyn Munroe, remember the rumours about her death, and remember too the way she sizzled and sang "Happy Birthday Mr Presdient" all those years ago in a cling tight shimmering dress. That sent eyebrows heavenwards.
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
26 August 2009
07:5628010#2
This sad news follows the death of his sister a couple of weeks ago.The Kennedy Clan are having a hard time of it of late.Regardless of who he slept with he fought long (the third longest serving Senator of all time ) and hard for social reform.
The old joke was that they should never have impeached President Nixon but just let Teddy Kennedy drive him home.....
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
26 August 2009
08:3628015#3
He was no friend of Britain, for years he was an apologist for the IRA courting the votes of ignorant Irish Americans who viewed Northern Ireland through very distorted spectacles.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
26 August 2009
08:5328017#4
Barry
I heard a piece on the radio this morning of a speech he made imploring Americans to ensure that none of their money went to support the killing by either side in Northern Ireland.
Mark
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
26 August 2009
14:2628030#5
the episode was debaterable to say the least.
26 August 2009
17:0628038#6
I see the chinese whispers worked their magic around Teddy Kennedy in the UK, then. He supported irish Americans and the irish Unity cause, but was never a friend to terrorists. Like many Irish people, actually. It is perfectly possible, probably necessary, to support Irish unity as an Irishperson, without ever thinking terrorism is ok. I am Republican, not an IRA member.
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
26 August 2009
17:4928042#7
"Give Ireland back to the Irish"
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
26 August 2009
18:3028043#8
A sad loss, to lose the 'last' of the Kennedy Clan from a strong and interesting era in American politics which shaped the 'age' of 'Kennedyism'. This era encompassed to my mind civil rights, riots, the space race, the ich bien ein berliner speech (I am a sausage), cuban crisis, bay of pigs, vietnam war, assassination of both brothers, Martin Luther King the list goes on .......
I suppose it shaped my pre-teen years by taking in such a lot of foreign and civil news from such an interesting era. As Bern says he was pro-irish not Noraid/IRA, I suppose it depended on what papers/media you read or listened to, I made a point of reading the american/irish/english and other european papers to glean what other nations were saying about Edward Kennedy at that fragile time in our history. Senator Edward Kennedy R.I.P.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
26 August 2009
19:3228051#9
does anyone remember the famous impersonation fron gryff rhys jones?
something along the lines of,
"mah fellow americans, i have learned a lesson from chapaquiddick, a lesson that can be learmed by all americans.
that lesson is,(long pause), don't drive over narrow bridges when you are pi**ed out of your head.
26 August 2009
20:1228061#10
I'll second that BarryWS, RIP Teddy Kennedy.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
27 August 2009
01:3928077#11
Assuming Ted Kennedy died in bed with no cameras present, this will grant him the dubious distinction of having been the only one of the four brothers not to have died on TV. We are all familiar with the horrific film of the assassination of JFK in Dallas, and of the footage from the hotel kitchen passageway when Robert Kennedy was shot in L.A.
What is perhaps less well known is that the eldest brother, Joe Kennedy, died with cameras turning in 1944. He was a US Navy pilot who had volunteered for a special mission after completing his normal tour of duty. The Germans were constructing an immense concrete fortress at Mimoyecques in France to house an array of the V3 superguns intended to annihilate London. It had proved impregnable to the biggest bombs available to the allies.
It was planned to crash a remote controlled Liberator bomber packed with explosives into the structure. The plane took off from East Anglia with Joe Kennedy as the pilot and a technician as the co pilot. Once at flying height, an accompanying plane took control by radio with other aircraft filming the proceedings. The technician co pilot switched on the camera in the nose of the Liberator which would relay pictures back to enable precise final targeting and Joe Kennedy and the co pilot prepared to bale out before the plane reached the coast. At that point, the plane detonated prematurely and both were atomised.
http://www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htmGuest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
27 August 2009
06:5028078#12
I really do not share these eulogies of this man.
A simple Google search reveals the truth about his hatred for Britain.
He supported the IRA hunger strikers, he likened Northern Ireland to Vietnam with Britain being an occupying force, he told the Northern Irish Protestants to leave Ireland. He constantly spoke out in favour of Sien Fein and through his action encouraged Noraid who funded the IRA. He may not have (or at least there may be no evidence of) actively supported terrorism but his hatred of this country was plain to see.
He was also a sleezy second rater who flourished through nepotism inheriting his seat from his father (another Brit hater.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
27 August 2009
07:3228079#13
Ah now BarryW thats very sour creamish. I do not beleive he had a hatred for Britain at all, you are almost aligning him at Saddam Hussein level there which is somewhat over the top. We all have and had different views about different issues over that great exspanse of time that Edward Kennedy was a Senator. Any figure who has been in politics that length of time will not have "pleased all the people all the time". But you must take a general view of his life and his overall contribution, rather than single out one small item in his long list of contribution, otherwise the view gets horribly distorted. Heaven knows even my view on Ireland will be different to others on here Im sure. One persons view of who the bad guy is, is not necessarily anothers.
27 August 2009
09:1028082#14
BarryW, you are wrong. I supported the IRA hunger strikers - that doesn't make me a Brit-hater, it makes me someone able to see the political and philosophical realities as seperate from personal hatreds. Sinn Fein are a political party - to speak out in their support is a political right.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
27 August 2009
12:3228083#15
Bern and PaulB. We will have to disagree on this. Bern, it is not just his support for the hunger strikers (they had no sympathy from me), its his lifetime record of anti-British and pro-republican sentiment. He was a politician and like most had one eye on his voters and there were few votes among the dewey eyed Irish Americans for any pro-British attitudes. He may not have been an advocate of violence but the terrorists would have benefitted from much of what he said and did.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
27 August 2009
21:0428103#16
i am not sure that sinn fein in northern ireland are a legitimate political party.
mind you, they are in their own way.
their mp's never turn up at westminster but still claim the salaries and enormous expenses.
28 August 2009
06:1228113#17
Plus ca change...............