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Debate Should Twitter do more to protect its users from trolls?

While calling out abusive trolls, author and feminist Lindy West said the real reason she’s leaving Twitter is because Twitter itself refused to do anything substantial to protect its users.

Lindy West announced her departure from Twitter in a Guardian column this week, writing, “It is unusable for anyone but trolls, robots and dictators.” But West’s breaking point wasn’t the actual online bullies, it was Twitter’s refusal to stop them.

The white supremacist, anti-feminist, isolationist, transphobic ‘alt-right’ movement has been beta-testing its propaganda and intimidation machine on marginalised Twitter communities for years now – how much hate speech will bystanders ignore? When will Twitter intervene and start protecting its users?” she wrote.

But should Twitter do more to censor abuse on the platform? We ask two commentators to tell us their views.

YES. Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer

I joined Twitter back in 2009. It was all fields then; pastures full of hope, jokes grazing happily beside streams of information and potential.

I got to read stuff I mightn’t have stumbled across otherwise. I got to interact with people I might not have met under ordinary circumstances and established friendships that spilled into real life. It was fun.

Even in those early days, I had guidelines. No Twitter “debates”: the 140 character limit and public nature of it meant any nuance got lost. Pointless. And trolls? I mainly ignored trolls. For one thing, my follower count was low so I wasn’t getting many. I’d just block.

I used to reason that if you opened a door to even the most beautiful view a few slugs could get in. A few slugs were worth a great view, right? But what if the owner of the garden decided not to keep on top of the slugs? What if, when you opened the door, the view was obscured by the slimy feckers? That’s kind of how Twitter seems right now.

This week, Lindy West, one of my favourite troll-slayers, left Twitter. I hope she’ll be back, but I understand why she left. A comedy writer and feminist, founder of the #shoutyourabortion tag, and someone who stands up to fascism, she has been trolled unmercifully for years. In her excellent book Shrill, she recounts meeting the man who set up an account as her dead dad. It’s as enlightening as it is shocking.

West was expert at what she called “feeding the trolls til they explode”. When you are deluged with abuse (if you’re a woman, person of colour, or have a high follower count, you’re far more likely to be) you can’t just ignore it.

You block; they set up new accounts. Don’t engage? Silencing. It keeps coming. Quietly taking punches alone wears you down. So, I’ve decided to take a leaf out of her book.

I recently left Twitter for a few weeks. People said “That’s letting them win!” But leaving felt like power to me. You could pre-script a lot of the abuse – bless them, they’re pretty repetitive – and why stay where the banter’s boring?

But I missed my Twitter pals. I came back. I’m still assessing whether fun outweighs slugs but this time, without reservation, I share abuse. I shame, reply, ignore – whatever I feel like doing in the moment someone tweets it at me.

“Don’t give them oxygen. Block and report.” The people who say this mean well, but are never in the demographic for repeated, personal, gendered or racist abuse. They don’t understand. They’ve not sent numerous reports to Twitter, for what is clearly threatening language, and got the stock “this does not violate our terms” reply. You’re on your own, kid.

It seems there are no repercussions from the platform, no one reading the reports, unless they make the press. They say they’re making progress in tackling abuse and that may be your experience, but based on my own, I’m not convinced regular users matter to Twitter – especially now they’re set to be a presidential mouthpiece. Though, frankly, it almost seems unfair to single Twitter out when mainstream outlets are currently platforming “hilarious” racism and misogyny.

Basically, if your beloved local starts holding Hitler Youth meetings and Grab Women By The Pussy nights, you’re entitled to ask them not to. If they still want to hold them, fine. But they better know you’re looking for another pub. There are always pastures new.

NO. Lorraine Courtney is a journalist and very reluctant Tweeter.

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Sadly it’s kind of inevitable that when you create something like Twitter, however good your intentions, there are going to be some sad little people out there ready to subvert your good intentions and find a way to throw a spanner in the works.

This doesn’t mean that we should blame the platforms themselves necessarily. On a smaller scale, it’s just an every day proof that there is a lot of bad people lurking in our world. I wish there wasn’t but then I turn on the news and see their actions.

Lots of people, even those on the far left, would argue that even hateful speech deserves the opportunity to have a platform when others have the choice not to listen. Although Twitter’s definition of what constitutes one user’s abuse of another on its service is famously airy fairy, and its crude block and mute tools still put the onus on individuals to ensure their own experience, us users do generally have some control over what we are exposed to.

I know Twitter has a trolling problem, but apart from making humans not nasty, or altering the privacy settings on Twitter and removing the heart of what makes it unique and useful, it’s hard to know how to fight it.

Ultimately all of these sites have their dark sides, because they reflect the kind of people we are. Self-obsessed, cynical, restless. Occasionally brilliant and occasionally evil. You see it’s like Andy Warhol’s prediction coming true and now everyone can have a self-important opinion for 15 minutes.

I’m a journalist. I’m published online and people call me out on stuff all the time. Sometimes it’s deliberately hurtful; sometimes it makes sense. Occasionally it even changes my mind.

But Twitter, just like the Internet itself, can never and should never be policed in any meaningful way. Social media reveals to us base impulses, impulses that are sometimes ugly and aggressive. But unfortunately it’s only channeling what is already out there in the real world.

What do you think? Is Twitter too soft on online bullies and trolls? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Feb 12th 2025, 12:32 PM

    Aw, looks like aul’ Jack Murphy got the road. Thoughts and prayers.

    174
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    Mute thomas molloy
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:26 AM

    The British have a deep rooted presumption of superiority over the Irish that has religious, colonial and other aspects. They themselves are blind to this deep rooted characteristic but its harmful consequences are real.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:36 AM

    @thomas molloy: The harmful consequences of Anglophobia are also real.

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    Mute Niall Lappin
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:46 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: brits have Anglo phobia too since they’re ruled by foreign royal family

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    Mute Symon
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:24 AM

    @Niall Lappin: and populated by Pakistanis

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    Mute Symon
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:28 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: when the Brits wake up and realise 1) that they no longer rule the waves, and their colonialism has caused a multitude of problems, people will more willingly engage with them.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:57 AM

    @Symon: It doesn’t make sense to classify ‘them’ (any more than the Irish) as a single bloc with a single mindset. ‘They’ are a pretty diverse bunch, like ‘we’ are.

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    Mute The Firestarter
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    Feb 12th 2025, 11:04 AM

    @thomas molloy: Are you for real, I doubt most normal people in the UK think like that for one, or even give Ireland a second thought. I would hazard a guess from reading a lot of comments on here that we are the ones with the deep rooted hatred, living in the past, unable to move on.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Feb 12th 2025, 11:27 AM

    @The Firestarter: Living in the past could be an accusation levelled at them also, given their tendency to claim our most successful people constantly. More English people than you would think definitely have it in their locker, and not that deep below the surface either. Of course, the same can be said of people here against them. I find that one side is left off the hook with it a lot quicker than the other though. Source: Working for a UK company in a job where I was often telling people things they didn’t want to hear. The veneer of civility often went out the window at the slightest gripe.

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    Mute thomas molloy
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    Feb 12th 2025, 12:12 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Maybe you have a point there. An ingrained attitude unconsciously present towards a People would be a phobia.

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    Mute Paul
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    Feb 12th 2025, 1:15 PM

    @thomas molloy: what about reconciliation?
    People who live in the past like you dont bring peace.
    Dope

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    Mute thomas molloy
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    Feb 12th 2025, 1:37 PM

    @Paul: It is good that it drifts into the past. People who at present work for British companies and organisations need this to happen more than those who can just consider it an inconsequential theoretical matter.

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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:01 PM

    @thomas molloy: Maybe the Irish have a inferior complex to the British and are totally obsessed with the country and everything they do while the British people couldn’t care less about Ireland and the Irish people .

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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:11 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: That British people don’t care about Irish history and our imperial past . Our 300 yrs of service to the crown and the part we played in the British empire and how we profited from the empire . Forty percent of the British army made up of Irish infantry units in 1845 . The British couldn’t care less but Irish people are obsessed with telling other countries about what they did in the past because we have an inferior complex.

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    Mute Gerry Campbell
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:11 PM

    @thomas molloy: Plus one of them would surely try to ride her ,smart move young lady.

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    Mute Lulu
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:25 PM

    @Jack Moss: That’s because of their ignorance of other nations history and only their own “ watered down whitewashed “ version. The Irish never forget their history, the British never remember theirs!

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    Mute Joe Willis
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:30 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: how do UK residents claim Ireland most successful people? Just because some tabloid or the BBC say it in their newspapers, doesn’t mean it’s a representation of the entire Anglo population. When RTE posts absolute rubbish, does that represent the Irish people as a whole? Did it?

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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:32 PM

    @Lulu: The Irish don’t know their history. They spent the last 100 yrs rewriting their history into a 800 yr victim story . When it comes to colonialism the Irish were no different to the British. We were upto our necks in it . We don’t like to hear it . We can make history into anything we want because the British couldn’t care less about telling us about our real war mongering history.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:50 PM

    @Joe Willis: dId iT!? I obviously wasn’t speaking about every single english person. It’s a product of the colonial attitude still prevalent in many of their institutions and the general ignorance which a large portion of the populous have about the history of their closest neighbours. Christ, some lads on here get very sensitive about the slightest bit of criticism of the Brits. Don’t open a history book lads, you might have a breakdown.

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    Mute Martainn -p
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    Feb 14th 2025, 8:27 PM

    @thomas molloy: really ? I think certainly those recently educated are well aware of the role of the British in Ireland . It’s covered in the national curriculum. Many many British people are tied to Ireland and the Irish through family /employment /interest/travel.

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    Mute Martainn -p
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    Feb 14th 2025, 8:31 PM

    @Lulu: sorry to disappoint you but as the parent of 2 English senior school students , Ireland , the Irish colonialism and the troubles are more than adequately covered in the national curriculum

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    Mute J B
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:53 AM

    She’s must of seen Andrew walking round in his carpet creepers and fear set in.

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    Mute 58liamo
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    Feb 13th 2025, 10:29 PM

    @J B: ‘must of’ ..what language is that ?

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    Mute MN
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:58 AM

    Andy will be sneaking in to rooms after dark

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    Mute Tim Brennan
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:20 AM

    Amazing the Shinners still still going to Time Warp

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    Mute Eugene Burns
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:04 AM

    @Tim Brennan: Amazing that both the royal family and “the shinners” along with the vast majority of people on these islands have moved since the GFA, but we still have trolls on here stuck in a time warp.

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    Mute Eugene Burns
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:39 AM

    @Eugene Burns: …….moved on….

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    Mute Joe Willis
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:33 PM

    @Eugene Burns: The sinn fein apologists are out in full force defending their degenerate party.

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    Mute Tim Brennan
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    Feb 12th 2025, 7:28 PM

    @Eugene Burns: Fantastic and delusional the IRA as Gerry tells us they haven’t gone away you know and he should know. Oh sorry he was never a member.
    Kangaroo courts – can’t condemn Garda killers and worse they collect them from jails.

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    Mute Eugene Burns
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:14 PM

    @Tim Brennan: Thank you for proving my point. Can you point to a conflict anywhere that there wasn’t “spillover” trouble or incidents after deals/compromises were struck?
    Some conflicts take years to settle down after agreements.
    The GFA was late nineties and it has been pretty successful as far as violence is concerned.
    Don’t forget we signed an agreement with Britain to end violence and form the free state in December 1921.
    But over 50 years later, in the 1970′s, senior Fianna Fail people were still smuggling ship loads of ammunition to the IRA. And how did Fianna Fail discipline them? They promoted one of them to party leader and Taoiseach. Smuggling shipments of ammo, I’m sure you would agree is a lot more serious than collecting someone from jail.
    Anyway, the country and Britain moved on. They could have all buried their heads in the sand and dug in like you, but they choose not to. They kept going, eventually achieving peace, which we were all more than happy to vote to accept. Time to move on Tim. You can’t live in the past.

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    Mute Temp Stuff
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:57 AM

    Full English or Ulster Fry, it’s the little things.

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    Mute AnthonyK
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:07 AM

    She should have accepted it then, when having a nightcap with the King, explained Republicanism to him. I would say he would listen attentively. Might even be somewhat sympathetic.

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    Mute Joe Willis
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:33 PM

    @AnthonyK: He would touch her inappropriately

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    Mute Centreforward
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:02 PM

    Plenty of Sinn Fein members stayed in Royal residences” during the troubles

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    Mute Dan Murphy
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    Feb 12th 2025, 9:55 AM

    Could she not share the bed with Emma Little-Pengelly for cross community cohesion?

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    Mute Eugene Burns
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:07 AM

    @Jack Murphy: Maybe a good idea for all your troll accounts?

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    Mute Minnie Mouse
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:09 PM

    @Róisín Flemping Bunt-Himmler: WTF?

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:25 AM

    So the Windsors are doing B& B now., the times they are a changing. Michelle probably needed to meet her strictly unwelcome minders anyway, for debriefing, excuse the double entendre.
    As for offending the King, no doubt relief prevailed that he did not cause offence to British subjects who bear the family loss and disabilities suffered in the so called “troubles”.

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    Mute J B
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:31 AM

    @William Kelly: anderochrome for night cap.

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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Feb 12th 2025, 12:42 PM

    @William Kelly: Hmm, and yet Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael came from the IRA and yet this conveniently overlooked. You probably don’t have the intelligence to realise with the IRA still in existence, there would be no Sinn, just like Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who killed more Irish during the civil war between them is questionable, rivers of blood abd all that, oh, sorry, I forgot, the IRA in the early 20th century were acceptable despite there being np difference, sorry, other than thr fact that the north was ethnically cleansed and in the 20th century was a Protestant state but the south had a right to independence why? At this stage there wer no penal laws against Catholics so couldn’t exactly be said to be suffering under a sectarian state.

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    Mute Johnny Wilson
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    Feb 12th 2025, 8:52 PM

    @Brian D’Arcy: IRA at time of the War of Independence has zero in common with Provo thugs and criminals

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    Mute Minnie Mouse
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:11 PM

    @Brian D’Arcy: if you have a clear point to make…don’t be shy. Just make it. Stop drivelling.

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    Mute Alan
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    Feb 12th 2025, 11:25 AM

    It’s been a bad year for him health wise. I’m sure he wouldn’t have been looking forward to Nurse O ‘Neill bringing him his night cap in her Summers uniform. He got one bit of luck at least.

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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Feb 12th 2025, 12:43 PM

    @Alan: Talk about a comment that is completely unnecessary.

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    Mute Alan
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    Feb 12th 2025, 1:17 PM

    @Brian D’Arcy: think Andy

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    Mute Minnie Mouse
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:12 PM

    @Alan: Did your brain hurt when you spent hours composing that completely irrelevant comment?

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    Mute N Sweeney
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    Feb 12th 2025, 11:53 AM

    She should stay the night. Plant a tree or something

    7
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    Mute Jofus Soap
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    Feb 12th 2025, 4:05 PM

    Someone was saying the other day there that Emma Little-Pengelly’s mother is Emma Big-Pengelly.

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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    Feb 12th 2025, 12:56 PM

    She’ll miss out on Prince Andrew doing hi sighting rounds with a glass of wine

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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:19 PM

    SF/IRA objective during the troubles was to smash Stormont and remove British rule in Ireland . Today they are enforcing British rule from Stormont . The hinger strikers died for nothing . If you are going to voluntarily give your life for a cause or an organisation or even a country then you need to realise that cause or organisation or country may not exist in the future but you will be still dead . Maybe if SF they chose politics before violence then they would have probably achieved far more and 3500 people wouldn’t have needed to die .

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    Mute Lulu
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:32 PM

    @Jack Moss: Maybe if the Loyalist didn’t start the whole thing ………….

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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Feb 12th 2025, 2:36 PM

    @Lulu: Maybe if the 1916 riding didn’t happen then there would have been no war of independence or civil war . The island wouldn’t have be broken in two . The troubles would not have happened and Ireland today would be an independent 32 county country . The Republican violence thing denied Ireland its full independence.

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    Mute Michael Reilly
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    Feb 12th 2025, 8:32 PM

    @Lulu: Maybe if the Fir Bolgs & the Mna Bolgs hadn’t beaten up the Tuatha de Danann or visa versa.

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    Mute Lulu
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:02 PM

    @Jack Moss: Maybe if the British (English) didn’t start the Plantation of Ulster in 1609 …….

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    Mute Minnie Mouse
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:13 PM

    @Jack Moss: What?

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    Mute Thomas O'Brien
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    Feb 12th 2025, 10:01 AM

    And then there were none.

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    Mute SirMr
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    Feb 13th 2025, 10:25 PM

    Good stuff

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