The organised rage of Martin McGuinness

Mick Hall who describes himself as being from "the European Union" has a blog called Organized Rage. It appears to be a socialist blog, which is fair enough. His modus operandi is stated thus: "Organized Rage looks at life from the perspective of the working classes and the dispossessed. It covers politics and life throughout the European Union and the wider world; and rages against injustice wherever it may be found. Organized Rage attempt's [sic] to play a small role in encouraging people to fight back against oppressive, intolerant and unaccountable governments and their agencies."

Again, that's all very well. I wonder though, how much attention people like Mick Hall give to those working class people whose lives are affected by 'organised rage' and the injustices they suffer as a result.

Trawling (or "trolling" if you prefer a negative viewpoint) through the Internet, Hall's post about Martin McGuinness a few months back caught my eye, and I was encouraged to add a comment in response to his article and the other comments. Here is my comment in full (with annotated links):

Well this is all very nice that a discussion about where on the political graph the various terrorist groups (specifically in this case, the Republican ones) lie, giving labels to them and wondering which ones may or may not fit into line with your own personal brands of politics, has taken place.

Meanwhile, policemen, soldiers and civilians - our fellow countrymen - are being threatened, endangered, injured, maimed and killed.

But sure that's nothing compared to the Evil Brits and their Evil campaign of propaganda of some two hundred or more years ago mentioned by some here.

After all, if someone insulted me, on an individual basis, by describing me as ape-like and uncivilised, why it would be perfectly understandable if I then planted a bomb underneath the person's car. Wouldn't it? Or, to continue the analogy, underneath the cars of his employees or colleagues.

It's good fun to poke fun at a country you don't like, such as Northern Ireland, using derogatory phrases popular with extreme Republicans, such as "statelet".

While you do that of course, you ignore the fact that the people (and by that, I mean a majority) support that state and desired this new administration - as ratified by a referendum in that country.

It's a fair point to note McGuinness and Sinn Féin's apparent hypocrisy.

But when it comes down to it, no matter what label you place on these organisations who terrorise the people (shall we go for 'terrorists' here, or the more dreamy and romantic 'freedom-fighters'?), no matter what the label - Marxist, Trotskyist or my own personal favourite, fascist - they are still guilty of murder and plotting to murder our neighbours, friends, colleagues and relatives.

What were their crimes, these victims? In the case of the soldiers and policeman murdered not so far back this year, it was a career choice. The policeman, particularly, chose to join the police because he had an interest in defeating crime and, to paraphrase, to 'protect the innocent'.

He undoubtedly didn't care that he was "one of Betty's" civil servants and probably didn't even consider it as being relevant.

Whatever one may think of McGuinness, or Adams, they are at least on the surface, currently doing the right thing.

Murder, whether it has popular support or not, is still murder. Popular support doesn't make it any more right. Lack of popular support doesn't make it any less right. Political slants do not make it any more right.

The right thing to do, if your goal is a united Ireland, socialist or otherwise, is to attempt to persuade the people to consider it by argument and discussion - not by holding a gun to their temples (pun fully intended).

Likewise, for the Unionists, the right thing to do is also to persuade the people that a united Kingdom (or a united British republic, if you like) is the best option. Again, by argument and discussion.

The only thing 'physical force Republicanism' (such a namby-pamby, newspeak phrase) is ever going to foster or achieve is alienation, hatred and distrust.

It's a simple equation. So simple that I would tend to consider cartoons depicting not we Irish in general, but specifically Irish terrorists (Republican or Loyalist) as low-brow ape-like creatures as being accurate.

Just today, a woman was injured in yet another attempt to murder a policeman. Thankfully, her injuries do not seem to be of a serious nature, but it could just as easily have ended a life.

What has been achieved? Quite simply, more publicity for the murderers, more alienation, more fear (or terror) and more distrust.

McGuinness continued to Do The Right Thing by suggesting the perpetrators are "living in cloud cuckoo land."

While it's a travesty that McGuinness hadn't come to that realisation decades ago himself, he must be supported by anyone who supports sustained political discourse as opposed to the terrorism and murder of the people of the "statelet" and beyond.