[nathanbedford]

I was intrigued by your post in which you recite Great Britain's efforts in fighting communism and terrorism.

Some years ago I ran across an Irishman whom I believed to have been a NRA fugitive hiding in New Zealand. I was astonished at how bitterly Stalinist he was. Needless to say he was rabidly anti-American.

I assume you included the struggles in Northern Ireland to fall under the category "national terrorist" rather than "communist". But I'm curious to know if you believe there was strong communist taint to the IRA?

I confess that I'm culturally naïve in this subject, having had an aunt who actually donated to the IRA despite the fact that she was a typical American Irish Catholic, culturally conservative. Upper middle class, she was also staunchly Republican. I believe she would have been astonished to learn that the IRA had pronounced leftist tendencies.

Any insights?

[the scotsman]

Hi.

‘NRA’?...lol. I know there is a gun control lobby in the US,but really....lol.

Only joking.

Yes,the IRA was in the raly 70’s split in two: the ‘Provisional’ (or ‘Provos’ for short) whose ideology was mainly nationalist and the ‘Official’ IRA who ceased fighting in 1972 and became the Irish Workers Party, a hard leftist party.

But even the ‘Provos’ were quasi-Marxist. This of course was toned way down for their American ‘market’ most of whom as you said were conservative, so the romantic Irishism was played up.

And remember the three IRA men caught in Columbia working with the FARC guerillas just a couple of years ago?..’nuff said.

The IRA were far more Marxist and therefore anticapitalist and anti-american than people in the US realised. Frankly they didnt care about America other than your money...

[Rikstir]

In todays world your aunt would have gone to Belmarsh for 10 for financing and supporting terrorism. It might be cool, fun, ironic even, for you to recollect this, but your dollars were financing a stalinist/leninist terrorist group that killed Irish civvies, Irish security personnel, UK soldiers and UK civilians.

[Rikstir]

“having had an aunt who actually donated to the IRA”

Taking your words mate. Thats like a red rag to a bull when talking to an englishman.