The Sands that shake the barley?
Steve McQueen, no less, is to make a film about Bobby Sands (or, more accurately, his hunger-strike death - some would say suicide - in 1981).
Sands, an active member of the IRA, was serving time for terrorist offences he didn't deny, and aim of the hunger strike was to persuade Margaret Thatcher's government to give convicted IRA offenders the status of "political prisoners", i.e. those imprisoned for their political beliefs, not their crimes. Tragically for them and their friends and families, he and ten colleagues died in this effort which did not succeed in its aims.
Like the IRA's many victims, the film will be shot in Northern Ireland.
posted by B.U. @ 7:42 p.m.
5 comments
5 Comments:
Really sad BU!
Bobby and his comrades were political prisoners. They gave their lives rather than allow themselves to be classified as criminals. They will still be remembered with reverence long after we are gone.
The whole tone of this post is really petty, something which I would not have associated with you up till now.
I've never bought the political prisoner argument for Loyalists or Republicans duly convicted of terrorist crimes, and I make no apology for it. People interned for political beliefs are/were a different matter of course.
Petty? I never promised to be cuddly. If you disagree with my view, register yours and bear with me as I bear with you. I won't rub anyone's face in it, but I ask you to accept the way I and mine see things. It's the future that counts, and I hope we can all be forgiving and patient about that.
The last line says it all.
I think you've summed up events pretty succinctly there BU. No sugarcoating and the closing comment puts it all into proper perspective.
gotta love that dark Norn Iron humour!!!
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