Or The Life of Brian"(Faulkner)I am growing increasingly convinced that Northern Ireland circa 1972 was actual Lebanon circa 1985, but with shitty weather.
meeting of UDI leadership
IRA HQ
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Or The Life of Brian"(Faulkner)I am growing increasingly convinced that Northern Ireland circa 1972 was actual Lebanon circa 1985, but with shitty weather.
Without question, though in a UDI situation I'd argue that it's going to be a lot closer than in OTL?
You did get sent to the nicest places, all on the Government's dime.I don't know about Lebanon 1985, but I do know about Beirut 1976.
Beirut 1976 was an order of magnitude, possibly 2 orders of magnitude, worse than Northern Ireland 1972. I was in both.
The TA is the Territorial Army, can't recollect if it had been merged with the Reservist as the TAVR (Territorial Army Volunteers and Reserve?) at that point. A less well equipped version of the US National Guard.What you are describing here isn't an insurrection or even political coup. If the TA (Territorial Army?) and perhaps even Regular Army units with mainly Northern Irish cadre are with the leaders of the insurrection, that describes a straight up Civil War. That makes a robust response out of London all the more critical (robust = RAF strikes on hostile bases and camps, with a fairly rapid, as in under a week, movement of heavy units from bases in England and Scotland via amphibious transport, the works).
Theres plenty of WTF elements in it, I mean I think at this stage you still have the Comet stuck in the Glen of Imaal (since DOD) didn’t pay for recovery vehicles so instead they left the tank where it broke down and unshipped the gun when they weren’t training until they finally decided to bury the tank after a kid broke his leg on it. The same DOD bought a squadron of comets (but not spares or rounds) and 1, just one transporter, imagine getting from the Curragh to the Glen for training... The panhards are only coming into service by 75 so the main armoured vehicles are still the WW2 ACs.Thanks for the feedback. I've learnt so much about Irish military history.
Currently reading BEIRUT RULES. Not gonna do the Atrocity Olympics thing, but boy, was Lebanon in 1985 helluva fucking BAD.I am growing increasingly convinced that Northern Ireland circa 1972 was actual Lebanon circa 1985, but with shitty weather.
You did get sent to the nicest places, all on the Government's dime.
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Some were really nice. Being taught to ski at Government expense in Arctic Norway (where I got to invade the Soviet Union all by myself); a couple of years in Nepal recruiting Gurkhas for the British Army (I never understood that one), training US Marines in Parris Island.You did get sent to the nicest places, all on the Government's dime.
😱😱😱
As I understand things both the "Real" IRA and Provos were politically somewhere between "Communist" and full out "Marxist" and envisioned their "Free Ireland" falling between Castro's Cuba and 1920 USSR on the economic/personal freedom scale (something that the overwhelming number of rather conservative American Irish-Catholics who provided both groups with materials and political support were blithely ignorant about).
now, now, the food's not as good either!I am growing increasingly convinced that Northern Ireland circa 1972 was actual Lebanon circa 1985, but with shitty weather.
I was also thinking the same. Going through all that (Northern Ireland, Falklands, Lebanon...) and to live to tell the tell.You did get sent to the nicest places, all on the Government's dime.
😱😱😱
That's not a bad analogy though the British army did have more control than the Lebanese authorities ever could have managed. Just not enough to eliminate paramilitary or mafia type gangs, to the extent there was a distinction between them by the 1980s.I am growing increasingly convinced that Northern Ireland circa 1972 was actual Lebanon circa 1985, but with shitty weather.
I went to a fancy French-style restaurant in Carrickfergus for a conference at the University of Ulster. I heard some of the people from Northern Ireland say after the meal that they were heading for McDonald's for a good feed after a meal as they were still hungry after the style french nouvelle cuisine. The quality of food was measured by the quantity.now, now, the food's not as good either!
What was up with the one-man invasion of the Soviet Union?Some were really nice. Being taught to ski at Government expense in Arctic Norway (where I got to invade the Soviet Union all by myself); a couple of years in Nepal recruiting Gurkhas for the British Army (I never understood that one), training US Marines in Parris Island.
On the other hand, two tours of Northern Ireland, three months in Beirut (Hotel Commodore) guarding a government person who said his name was Michael but probably wasn't, six months in Dhaka guarding the British Embassy during the period East Pakistan was changing its name to Bangladesh. They weren't so much fun.
Interesting times.
Heh,I went to a fancy French-style restaurant in Carrickfergus for a conference at the University of Ulster. I heard some of the people from Northern Ireland say after the meal that they were heading for McDonald's for a good feed after a meal as they were still hungry after the style french nouvelle cuisine. The quality of food was measured by the quantity.
Scotland reputation for food is not much better.
If it is not fried or comes from a tin it is not food. Scotland and Northern Ireland had the world highest rate of coronary heart disease when I lived there.
Briefly going the wrong way during artic training maybe?What was up with the one-man invasion of the Soviet Union?
Was that "government person" supposedly from the Foreign Office but likely to be from the S.I.S?Some were really nice. Being taught to ski at Government expense in Arctic Norway (where I got to invade the Soviet Union all by myself); a couple of years in Nepal recruiting Gurkhas for the British Army (I never understood that one), training US Marines in Parris Island.
On the other hand, two tours of Northern Ireland, three months in Beirut (Hotel Commodore) guarding a government person who said his name was Michael but probably wasn't, six months in Dhaka guarding the British Embassy during the period East Pakistan was changing its name to Bangladesh. They weren't so much fun.
Interesting times.
This was back in 1994.Heh,
(and yeah and yeah I know I'm being a bit mean, I know there's definately recent moves to try and make the best regional produce shine going on at the moment)
Cissies - my local Ayrshire chippy has as its speciality 'Blaggis and chips'. Blaggis being a mix of black pudding and haggis and then deep fried in batter.<snip>
If it is not fried or comes from a tin it is not food. Scotland and Northern Ireland had the world highest rate of coronary heart disease when I lived there.
Scotland land of the deep-fried pizza and mars bar.
Briefly going the wrong way during artic training maybe?