James McLean WBA racist National Anthem snub

There are generally three categories of opinion on this issue. First, is along the lines of "what a scumbag", "can't believe he is willing to take the Queen's shilling", "I'm deeply offended by his action", "Shot (sic) the disrespectful *******" etc. The second is "meh, silly boy for bringing this attention on himself", and the thirdly, "I agree with his antics".

I am firmly encamped in the second category.

For the record, I would not be impressed if something similar happened for the Irish anthem, or indeed any other anthem, but I would not lose a moments sleep over it and it really would not bother me at all. However, I am aware that there would be a certain section of the Irish population who would get their knickers in a tight twist if something similar happened with the Irish anthem, but I would class that as an over the top reaction for people who are too easily offended. I would think that it is a far more serious issue if a foreign diplomat or official carried on like this, but a young footballer? Silly, but so what?

 

I lived abroad for a while growing up and if I did this type of thing I'd rightly be... Oh wait, hang on, what am I talking about? This is totally different and far more complicated than that.

 

Blokes a grade a canute. You respect a nations anthem regardless of your political leanings, when you're representing a team a country, a company whatever. You;re expected to be an ambassador, not an arse.

 

Isn't it time we had an anthem that doesn't pay homage to royalty? (or God for that matter) .... Many other countries have switched to just music or have at least toned down the emotiveness of their lyric.

I don't rightly care who's head is on the pennies I spend down the market, truth be told I'd prefer the Euro anyway.

 

If you don't care, no problem keeping the Queen on the pennies then. Problem solved.

Gawd bless her Majesty

 

exactly .... could be anyone: Troy, Almen, Odion, I really don't mind.

 

Are you saying the Watford team is a bunch of Queen's?

 

Nope ... just better than royalty

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1972)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Helmand_Province_incident

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano

 

You misunderstood. He said innocent. Taliban insurgents, invading Argentinian forces and rioting IRA sympathisers hurling stones at the British army are not entirely innocent.

 

Then Kieran, how are they totally innocent?

All of them wanted me, (you too) as a UK citizen dead. Fair play to our armed services that it was them that got killed rather than me.

 

You too fan.....:yawn1::yawn1::yawn1:

Be a supporter of an enemy of the UK. I know where my loyalty lies.

 

i just disagree with the the idea that the people at bloody sunday deserved to die for throwing stones, and that in throwing those stones they were saying 'ẃe will kill phillipineorn and fan and if you don't stop us.'
by the same logic, you could say that ira/taliban bombs killing innocent british citizens were justifiable because they targeted sympathisers of the british army who wanted to murder them as 'insert country of choice/religin of choice' citizens. but of course, no matter how much you like being contrary and inflammatory, you would never make that argument (i hope)

(i also disagree with the interpretation that normal people in the argentinian army had any great desire to personally kill me in my capacity as a uk citizen. but that wasn't the reason i disliked your post)

 

i also don't like how you are equating having a degree of nuance in an opinion about bloody sunday with being a supporter of an enemy of the uk (which isn't even taking into account the nebulousness of the terms used)

but that's how you roll i guess

 

I am totally a supporter of the enemy of the UK. By disliking your post that grossly oversimplifies at best and totally misses the point at worst means that I think one side is 'innocent' and one side is 'guilty', clearly. It's all as simple as that.

This issue often brings out the worst in people and the worst arguments, so I'm just going to leave it here. Last time I engaged in even a vaguely emotive debate on here I ended up getting far too worked up about it, and probably didn't do anything productive.

I just want to say that the conflict is rarely as simple as anyone makes out. To talk about Bloody Sunday in the way you have shows you aren't considering all sides of the story. And that's normal, I'm sure I don't do as well as I could too. But for Christ's sake, "All of them wanted us dead" is ridiculous, and merely calling those on that march "Enemies of the UK"... I don't want to get angry or anything. It's just sad that everything's so black and white.

 

if you hate the uk so much, why dont you go live in afghanistan?

 

Depends whose face is on their banknotes really. If it's someone I don't like I'll have to go hungry... I don't want to be a hypocrite by spending money that features the likeness f someone whose position I don't agree with.

 

I never use £20 because I think Adam Smith is a twunt.

 

McClean is entitled to his viewpoint. He wants to see a united Ireland and doesn't wish to show any allegiance to the monarchy. Fair play to him. Neither do I. Those who regale against it seem to think everyone should think like them. In other words, they're acting like thought police. How silly and demanding.

I have no idea why the national anthem was played at this fixture. It wasn't an international. But that's the Yanks for you. McClean could simply have lowered his head rather than turning his back and making a big deal about it though. What currency he's paid in and where he chooses to live is completely irrelevant. He's paid by the Baggies, not UK plc.

If I hear 'all stand for the Queen', when the national anthem's about to be played, I remain seated. Plenty of people don't like that. Because they're lemmings. Some get quite aerated which is highly amusing. I don't wish to be disrespectful to Britain. I like most things about my country of birth. However, I wish to indicate a lack of respect for the royal family. I wasn't given a choice in electing them and they've done nothing to warrant my respect. I'll be damned if I'm going to show them any allegiance. I'd like to see the back of them all.

I'm a republican and proud of it. I guess James McClean is too.

 

Everyone is entitled to think, say and do what they like and hence why there will never be peace, ever, on this earth.

 

On the face of it, the FA punishment of this fella for making sectarian comments against McClean, doesn't seem entirely consistent with McClean's behaviour. Surely McClean is making a sectarian "comment" and far more public.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sp...use-aimed-West-Brom-winger-James-McClean.html

 

Believe he's previously refused to have a poppy on his football shirt

Bit of a think c**t if it's not to have occurred to him that he's disrespecting tens of thousands of his own countrymen who fought and died in WW1 and WW2

 

I among millions don't wear a poppy .... and it's got feckall to do with respect, WWII ended seventy fcking years ago.

 

This is it.

I actually have a lot of sympathy with the position he claims to be coming from. The British Army have had some disgraceful episodes down the years in Ireland, but attitudes like his are symptomatic of the bitter vicious circle that has made the peace process such a long and difficult journey that has affected generation after generation.

There comes a point where you have to stop being bitter at a nation of people for things that happened in the past, if you don't want to perpetuate old grievances and pass them on to people who could otherwise have no problem with each other.

 

Bit different to a poppy printed on a football shirt that your getting a pile of money to wear for 90 minutes

Thinks he's being clever but in reality he's pi55ing on the memory of 4,000 dead from the Republic of Ireland who rose above whatever hatred they had for the English to fight the Nazi evil

 

What has Katie Hopkins had to say on this? I need to know what she thinks before I can express my faux outrage which I have been told to think subliminally.