Wednesday, January 18, 2006
British troops leaving North
"You anglo pigs and scottiesSent to colonize the North
You wave your bloody Union Jacks
And know what it's worth!
How dare you hold to ransom
A people proud and free
Keep Ireland for the Irish
Put the English back to sea!" - John Lennon
I am pleased at the news from RTE that British troop levels in Ireland's north are about to drop to their lowest level in 30 years.
A battalion from the Royal Welch Fusiliers, based in Bessbrook in south Armagh, are starting to pull out and will be gone before the end of the week.
Their departure will see troop levels fall below 9,000, lower than at any time since the beginning of the 1970s.
One of their key tasks has been the manning of hilltop border observation posts. Three have been demolished but five remain.
A British Ministry of Defence spokesman said today that soldiers from the Cheshire Regiment, based in Ballykinlar, Co Down would transfer to Bessbrook to man the remaining observation posts.
In the picture above you can see a Security watchtower at Crossmagen village, Armagh. Watchtowers like these and the British troops who man them are an ugly blot on Irish landscapes.
I can't fathom how horrible it must be for my compatriots in the north who have to endure all this.
The people of Armagh have to put up with these ghastly monstrous sights on a daily basis and have to hear the howlings of British Army helicopters flying over their heads. How great then it is to see the Royal Welch Fusiliers sent packing!
It shows how far we have come and it shows the great progress that has been made. Britishness is now respected in Ireland by the vast majority of people in the north so it would be nice if the people of the north could be respected by these wretched watchtowers and by having troops reduced even further.
This is news that both unionists and nationalists can welcome.
A British eyesore in lovely Armagh
How great it would be however to reach the day when ALL British troops are sent home and when their presence is no longer required.
Who knows, perhaps one day the Cheshire Regiment can ask for a nice big watchtower to be constructed in Cheshire and we can all observe how the locals react!
I don't think they'll warm to their presence too much though!
# posted by United Irelander @ 12:00 AM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
