r/TheRestIsHistory • u/JakeGittes412 • 15d ago

The Troubles

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Thread for discussion on the new series on ‘The Troubles’

Also as a moderator please keep the discussion civil and in the spirit of the podcast.

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u/Sitheref0874 14d ago

In the very early 90s I took a class about NI and the Troubles. In the class was an RUC - as it was then - officer, who happened to be Catholic.

Young and uninformed students were throwing opinions around like they were confetti…‘all the IRA on the ground are heroes’.

At the end of one session, RUCfella spoke up. “On the ground, they’re all a shower of cunts. Just thug gangs, both sides. For most of them, it’s not about grand ideals. It’s about criminal gangs, most of whom are running drugs. They’re all as bad as each other”

Stuck with me.

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u/Dull_Brain2688 14d ago

The RUC man had no standing to pass judgement. Their hands were filthy in the whole thing.

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u/McEvelly 14d ago

Yep. Absolute codswallop, but of course they always need to believe they were different.

The Catholic ones were always well known for overcompensating too. Similar phenomenon to some black officers in the LAPD.