STILL going on about james mcLean!

Merry's lastline, hopefully players with mclean's attitude will switch. NI neither needs nor wants bigots like mclean.

NIs support is littered with bigots (not all of course). James pointing this out does not make him a bigot. You will, of course, cling to it like an armless man clinging to a piece of wood with his teeth out at sea.

No pointing out that there aren't enough Catholics in the squad for his liking makes him a bigot

U14382:
In answer to your survey
1. NO
2. I presume you mean "Starry Plough". Your question is hypothetical therefore difficult to answer -- perhaps YES
3. NO
4. NO
5. It was obviously only an ELEMENT. The song I heard them singing was the Sash which I consider to be merely the Prod/Unionist equivalent to say, "Off to Dublin in the Green/Foggy Dew". I do NOT consider the Sash to be offensive/sectarian in any way, so I do not consider the singers to have been promoting "their backward ways". You can not have it both ways with these folk songs, branding one lot offensive and the other lot acceptable.
6. Very difficult to say. RC youngsters today in certain areas have been exposed to an extensive and relentless campaign of EXREP brainwashing of soviet era proportions. MaON and Big Pat did not have to go thru that. Moreover, community relations were much better during that period. Also, there is the factor of what would be the best career choice. The NI team of that time was much better than the ROI team so may have offered them more career wise.
7. YES, but only if they want to. I think the NI team should represent ALL the people of NI.
8. NO, I do not think Nationalists in general are being oversensitive, after all it is only a minority of them who have opted for the ROI so far. However, the ones that are voicing discomfort, eg McClean, I feel are being rather overly sensitive amongst other things. I personally represented Ireland at sport some years ago. In my particular sport at that time the pre-contest rituals were those of the ROI, ie. Tricolour/Soldier's Song. I did NOT view these as my flag/anthem. I knew they did NOT represent about 25% of the Irish people at that time. However, I did not see it as a big deal. I did not view the ritual as being sectarian or offensive. I just concentrated on the imminent contest and let the officials get on with it. It seems that guys like McClean are unwilling to extend a similar courtesy to the present NI match rituals. I think hes being rather immature and narrowminded.
9. YES, I would like to see the present NI match rituals changed so as to make them more inclusive. I would go for the attractive IFA flag(Keltic Cross on a green background) + The Enniskillen Dragoons, Minstrel Boy or Danny Boy. This would lower the risk of people either being genuinely alienated, or pretending to be so. In addition those who are uncomfortable about the status quo should perhaps question their own beliefs a bit more and reflect on the fact that if they wish to bring about any real change it will have to be brought about from within. They too will have to be "inclusive" in their own way. I should have thought that years of impotent abstentionist policies by a succession of old Nationalist leaders over many years would have taught Republicans by now that you cant influence the game if you refuse to take part!
10. NO, too messy and FIFA wouldnt wear it. I feel with a bit of compromise and foresight it would be possible to have an All Ireland soccer team as they have in rugby, boxing, etc, that is if people want it!

Reiner, u come across well usually on these boards but ur ander at 6. Above is quite frankly laughable.

Straight from the jim allister book of quotes

Belfast Celtic.

The reason for comments like that is because he cannot accept that people think different to him. He cannot get his head round it therefore it must be brainwashing.

I touched on lateral thinking in education elsewhere. This is a classic case of a lack of it.

Gibbo can you get your head around the fact that 52% of Catholics want to stay part of the UK lol.................

What I don't understand I why that 52% of Catholic don't suppory OWC lol.....................

Am I the only person who cringes at this 40 year old mans offerings?

BC + GIBBO:
On the contrary, I have no problem accepting that other people may have a different point of view than myself. I would say most people of my acquaitance would regard me as being a reasonably tolerant individual. I am in the fortunate position of being in contact with people of varied backgrounds right across our society. I am interested in my community and I am observant. I am of an age where I have been able to see things evolve over a period of years. I pay attention to what my eyes and ears tell me and I recognise the importance of being reasonably honest about certain important matters. I loathe politically flavoured bullshxt and I like to call things as I see them. Anyone with even a modicum of intelligence and insight can see perfectly well what a huge propaganda effort has been put in by the extreme Republicans over the last 40 years to rewrite history and distort events. The main focus of this effort has been their own communities. The resulting transformation in places like Derry has been immense! The EXREP effort throughout the ages has always been mainly of a propaganda type ever since they managed to con the people of the ROI into accepting violence as a method way back in 1917-19 even though it was never even alluded to in the SF manifesto of 1919 and about 90% of the population were totally against it! Im afraid boys the only people unable to accept or discern whats really going on round here are yourselves! A strange tribe with a penchant for fanaticsm and violence who are in TOTAL DENIAL and who completely refuse to even attempt to see the other fella's point of view. Who take a chauvinistic delight in being able to defend a philosophical position even when they know its wrong. A group who paradoxically over the years have become the biggest obstacle not only to a united Ireland football team, but also to a united Ireland per see. James Craig may have regarded the partition of Ireland as being temporary, he saw it lasting only a maximum of 50 years, but the EXREPs starting with Collins have made sure it has become much more lasting. A people whose creative instincts, feeble as they may be, are largely concentrated on reproducing their own backward attitude from generation to generation. The sort of phenomenon we expect to find more in the Middle East or the Balkans. rather than in relatively prosperous NW Europe. Such a situation does not argue well for the future of any of our children.

In conclusion, Mclean is an odious wee bigot who doesn't like the NI flag/anthem, but can't or won't offer an alternative.