James McLean scum or dead right

James McLean has been slated on Twitter and other social media after he turned away during the British Anthem of God save the Queen.

"Scum" one tweet read and that's the nicest tweet out of the vile abuse he received.

McLean who also refuses to wear a poppy "as it would be disrespectful to the innocent dead of the troubles" was told to **** off back to Ireland in another foul tweet.








Is McLean right to stick to his beliefs or should he be ostracised for his actions?

I think he should be applauded ( he has family members who were killed by the british paratroop regiment)

If he was black or a jew and he did the same thing to a white supremacist or Nazi anthem he'd be lauded as "brave" "a hero" etc.

 

Surely he's under no obligation to respect that ****

 

You'd think not but if I recall correctly Wigan suspended him for refusing a shirt with a poppy. Sunderland let him off but made public they asked him to wear it and now this with WBA who knows what will happen

 

He has every right to be a ****, it's not hurting any one, is it?

 

Why is he being a "****" though ? Why not he has every right to his own beliefs instead of being labelled a **** ?

 

He should be wearing the poppy to thank all the Brits who sacrificed their lives so the ****ing pussy Irish didn't have to

 

Nice bait ... I won't bite though. If that's what you really think then you've issues tbh.

 

Not really, Ireland stayed "neutral" during WW2 - if McLean wants to piss on those that took a stand against fascist scum then that's his right, but taking an abject stand against wearing a poppy makes him a bit of a ****. And that's just my view.

 

Mweh, I have mixed feelings on separate issues here.

A poppy is voluntary and as such no employer should make you wear one or criticise you if you don't. If you make your reasons for doing so (or not) public this is your right in an open society; as is the right of others to base their opinion of you on your words and actions as well as expressing it as long as they dont break existing laws...

The same goes for the national anthem. As long as you dont disrupt proceedings then there is no problem. Being turned around head down didn't disturb the national anthem being played. But again, you're making your political opinions clear in a country you rely on for your income....don't whine if others in that country hold you in contempt. I believe he's actually behaving more respectfully there than some F1 drivers for example who dance around and wave in someone else's anthem..

Your comparison is erronious Hash as Hes working in the country he considers his enemy so the correct comparison would be if an English black man had moved to work in apartheid era south Africa and decided to make his anti apartheid opinions public.... Most would question why go there in the first place?

There could well be people in those grounds who served in the BA or had relatives die in mainland attacks by republicans who feel they dont need there noses rubbed in it in their own country...You view him differently but then you live in his country not theirs by choice. He has chosen to live in theirs.

My opinion is he clearly doesn't hold his political beliefs above his economic so I find it all a bit childish. Protest should come at a sacrifice...like say refusing to play in the UK for example? Plenty of other countries as a professional footballer to ply his trade.

Except the good thing about the one he chose to live and work in is it allows you to make these little demonstrations without much consequence as he well knows.

He does it so he can be cheered back home in the pub by his more bitter mates and avoid being called a sell out....

 

Or quite simply he doesnt hold a truck with British people in general, but has a grievance with the British Army and the Queen as head of that army.

I dont have any problem with British people but ive been at sporting events (boxing and rugby) where ive not stood up for GSTQ.

 

Absolutely spot on. The stupid **** narrowed down the entirety of remembrance to his personal view on British troops in NI. He's not brave at all, he's just a petty, narrow minded, bigoted, prick

 

Whereas I tend to stand as gesture of respect for other national anthems when I'm in that position. I don't feel it's a betrayal of my country to do so as I'm confident in my beliefs and identity. If there's a national anthem that represents a country I find that unpalatable it's unlikely I'll be in it...

He has a problem with the Queen lol, why? She is a decorative head of state and Head of British armed forces. It's the various UK govts that made strategic decisions including those that lead to his relatives dying (on face value as I can't remember the circumstances: I'm assuming it was Bloody Sunday as you mentioned Para's?)

And as I say..if he wants to express some strongly held views against the British Govt, why would he deliberately choose a career that is based in England where he knowingly pays taxes to those govts and so indirectly to that army? he has a choice surely denying those govts Money is more of a stand than the direction you face during some music? I'm fairly sure the British Govt cares more about the money lol... He clearly doesn't feel strongly enough about the issue to move to another country or worse get paid a lot less elsewhere doing something different?

Which is why I think his actions are a little immature. You believe something or you don't. he's talking a good game but not at any actual cost to himself.

He's also in the entertainment industry..he's paid to entertain the crowd he's in front of not insult their beliefs. If he was a comedian or singer who went round English clubs making his distaste for their cultural traditions so visably clear he'd not get much work...

 

Maybe he was backing the brits by showing his disdain for an anthem that is all about long live the Nazi.

Frank i agree on the point of why play in England and indirectly pay the very crowd he is dead set against. Its a bit half hearted alright.

 

It's a difficult one but all I see is McLean making a peaceful gesture/stance against something he feels strongly about. He should be allowed to do it. He may be right, he may be wrong. But that isnt really the point is it, the fact is there's no compulsion on anyone to sing the national anthem or wear a poppy, and nor should there be. I choose to wear a poppy but I honestly dont understand why anyone would want to hurl abuse at someone for not doing so.

I remember Benjamin Zephaniah turning down an OBE bcos to him it signified a reference the old British Empire and the imprrial attrocities committed during it. If that's something he feels strongly enough about to stand by his principles (whether I agree with it or not) fair play to him. Move on.

 

The point is that it's an empty gesture that he knows will attract media coverage and then the kind of abuse that he's taken on social media.

Frank has nailed it on this thread, if he genuinely feels the way he does then do something about it, starting with moving out of the country that is supposedly your enemy........but he won't do that will he? As he loves the money he's earning over here, instead he'll just continue with his insulting empty gestures. He's a ****ing tit.

 

You're over simplifying the politics behind Ireland's stand on neutrality S_R.

Winston Churchill asked De Valera for permission for allied ships and planes to berth/land at Irish ports and airfields during WWII, he was told Ireland would forgo its neutrality if Britain handed over the six counties of Ulster still under British rule, when he asked the question in the house of Commons he was warned by Unionist MPs that there'd be a civil war in Ireland if any attempt was made to relinquish Britain's claim of sovereignty in Ulster, Churchill and his cabinet took the threat seriously......so Ireland stayed neutral.

 

So basically the Irish tried to get the Brits to give land to join the fight against the nazis? Admirable. It was your duty to fight and you didn't. We have many black marks in our history, yet Ireland staying neutral in ww2 will always be one of the stains on your history.

 

To give land ? To give back the 6 counties of Ulster you mean. They didnt ask for 3 hectares outside Barnsley.

A stain on our history ? For officially not getting into a war. The stain is how we werent actually neutral and smuggled many a british soldier back over the border instead of arresting them.

 

I don't understand though how trying to bargain with us should effect Ireland's decision to stay neutral. It wasn't our war, it was everyone's duty to stop the nazis.

 

Not really mate. Who decided on that rule? You and Frank? He can choose to demonstrate his feelings in a peaceful way any way he wants. The point is it is not compulsory to perform the national anthem and not compulsory to wear the poppy. Whether he's right or not to do so is immaterial. The real irony here is that the armed forces who died (particularly in the two great wars) did so, so that people could have that choice. To hurl abuse and villify someone, or force them not to have that choice, flies in the face of that and is an afront to those who fought and died as much as not singing the anthem.