Ógra Shinn Féin Launch New Recruitment Poster

[Nimrod]

Just came across this now, nice poster:

http://******************************************************************************.blogspot.com/2007/ ... tment.html

What are the other youth wing posters like?

Yeah, Brits out and all that.

What century is that from?

Why dont they just be more honest and say Northern Irish unionists out.

Well heres a little secret..............they aint going nowhere.

Sooner they actually understand that, the sooner we can stop going around in circles.

And the sooner SF will not be seen as two faced liars who say unionists have nothing to fear, when we all really know what 'Brits out' actually means is ethnic cleansing.


Still it gives the UVF and UDA a reason to justify their weaponry.

[cain1798]

It's a pretty good poster. I'd have a preference for a picture of Ógra active on a socio-economic issue (Shell to Sea, road safety, suicide) that they have campaigned on with the Brits Out poster but that's a small quibble.

Pidge: I think the use of environmental is a bit of a catch-all in the way that very few people are 'anti-environment'. But in fairness to Ógra they've been more active than any other youth wing on the Rossport issue, which is primarily an environmental one and they have similar positions to the Green party on things like incineration and so on.

Ard-T: James Connolly has been claimed by every left-wing formation in Ireland at one time or another with varying degrees of veracity. FF claimed him at one point in the 20s but gave up. Some people use his name and image to give their organisation a bit of 'revolutionary credibility'. Some because they believe in and support the political ideas he espoused and wrote about. Some because they're socialists and Connolly was a socialist even if they don't quite understand what they mean when they describe themselves as such, or the particular aspects of socialism Connolly supported, which changed over his career as he honed his thinking.

Connolly was never a member of Sinn Féin, though he had good to reasonable relations with the party and its members (Remember at the time Sinn Féin was not even a republicanparty as such). Connolly was though one of the signatories to the 1916 Proclamation, seen as the basic, fundamental ideological text for Sinn Féin and for Ógra Shinn Féin.

The fight over 'historical icons' is a bit of an obsession with the left and with republicanism. It's not something that excites me a lot although I find the debates about who is the true inheritor of Marx deeply entertaining and I get irritated when people, including SFers try to rewrite history. But the appeal of Connolly for many is that what he wrote about and thought is still relevant today, far more relevant than the thoughts of any other political thinker of his day. I can honestly say they changed my entire political outlook.

[Ard-Taoiseach]

Ard-T: James Connolly has been claimed by every left-wing formation in Ireland at one time or another with varying degrees of veracity. FF claimed him at one point in the 20s but gave up. Some people use his name and image to give their organisation a bit of 'revolutionary credibility'. Some because they believe in and support the political ideas he espoused and wrote about. Some because they're socialists and Connolly was a socialist even if they don't understand what they're talking about.

Connolly was never a member of Sinn Féin, though he had good to reasonable relations with the party and its members (Remember at the time Sinn Féin was not even a republicanparty as such). Connolly was though one of the signatories to the 1916 Proclamation, seen as the basic, fundamental ideological text for Sinn Féin and for Ógra Shinn Féin.

Yes, I was puzzled about Connolly being on an OSF poster. It seems to me like Young Fine Gael putting Dev on their posters, my point being that Connolly is linked with the Labour Party. Why can't OSF put Arthur Griffith on the poster?

[Nimrod]

Because Griffith was an ethno-nationalist, monarchist and anti-semite.

These are SFs origins.

[Ard-Taoiseach]

Because Griffith was an ethno-nationalist, monarchist and anti-semite.

These are SFs origins.

Well, it would be more correct, there are many SF luminaries from the 10s 20s and 30s. Why can't OSF use them for the historical slant?

[cain1798]

It seems to me like Young Fine Gael putting Dev on their posters, my point being that Connolly is linked with the Labour Party. Why can't OSF put Arthur Griffith on the poster?

Nimrod is half-right (About 50% higher than normal) in that everything he says about Griffith is true, three of a number of reasons why although the party would not dream of denying Griffith founded the party, like many I'd prefer if it had been someone else.

Griffith, along with Collins and O'Higgins was seen as a hero to Fine Gael for many years, may still be for all I know. He was likewise, and for the same reasons, loathed by republicans.

Add to that, Griffith signed and supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which Sinn Féin opposed. To be honest, I'm more than a little taken aback anyone would be genuinely surprised to see Connolly on republican material considering he's been a staple on such for decades, a frequent reference point in party speeches and often referred to by Shinners on this site.

I'm surprised you're surprised is what I'm saying.

[Tomáis Joad]

Since when is it racist to demand the evacuation of a foreign military oppressor from your country.

"Brits out" means british army out.

I'm sure most of you are stirring it and know this all to well but for anyone less informed than you, it says brits out because "british army and government structures and personnel leave our country now" just isnt as easy to chant or fit on a banner.

Same way as when we say "Drugs out" we dont mean all pharmaceuticals or chemists should leave, we mean drugdealing scum get out of our community. Its pretty simple

[Nimrod]

Since when is it racist to demand the evacuation of a foreign military oppressor from your country.

"Brits out" means british army out.

I'm sure most of you are stirring it and know this all to well but for anyone less informed than you, it says brits out because "british army and government structures and personnel leave our country now" just isnt as easy to chant or fit on a banner.

Same way as when we say "Drugs out" we dont mean all pharmaceuticals or chemists should leave, we mean drugdealing scum get out of our community. Its pretty simple

It can be intrepreted against those who identify themselves as British.

Especially as you are the political wing of an org that on occasions deliberately targeted Protestants, Kingsmill etc.

If I wrote Asians out in Folkestone would I get away with claiming er actually I mean the Gurkhas.....Dont think so.


If you had a brain you would drop the Brits out antagonistic stuff and maybe say building a new Ireland where all Irish traditions and culture is welcome.

[LordWestBritofKingstown]

You forgot to add not just benders and ethnic minorites.