Commonwealth games in Delhi?

[R1Geezer]

The Telegraph suggests that England and no doubt the other Home nations are considering pulling out for fear of terrorist attacks. Should we pull out or perhaps take a leaf out the book of these guys?
http://www.timesonlin...on/article1124356.ece

[R1Geezer]

sorry I'm not on planet ahmskunnt at the moment you are going to have to help me out, there!

[R1Geezer]

I read it, now you read the question and have a go at answering. What have special branch got to do with anything?

[R1Geezer]

funny, all those guys, "ringing", the team didn't seem to get in the way on the pitch.

"....suggest some kind of heroic defiance by the England rugby team" - well the whole Irish nation seemed think so and on the pitch they would have been easy pickings for snipers. - have you been to Lansdowne road?
what part of Scotland are you from?

Why must you always look for the na na nana na approach? Why not have a go at the actual question for a change? Should we go to Delhi?

[Seadragon]

Yeh the irony is lost on me as well. I read the article as one of 'heroic defiance', the 'Security' reference adds to the triumph of courage over fear that the team did not back out at all excluding 2 members who could have been likely IRA targets as said in the article. The Welsh and Scottish teams pulled out and it is a great line that in the difficult circumstances considering the furore at the time - 'We might not be the best, but at least we turned up.'

I liked that. Yeh very inspiring historical fact and on that basis England should not pull out of the Commonwealth Games - after all we have a reputation to hold?

[R1Geezer]

well said seadragon, I notice ahmskunnt has gone very quiet!

[R1Geezer]

what part of Scotland did you say you where from?

[Seadragon]

I'm sorry Ahms but I stand my ground here. I was not actually in the dark until your 21;22 post. I understand that you are also going to stand your ground but we have opposite interpretations here. You say 'if they had travelled unprotected..' I mean in what world does that ever happen considering the heightened and on going threat of terrorism at the time? It is at this point our interpretations differ.

Ireland pulled out citing security concerns followed by the Welsh. Players chose to travel - that was indeed a heroic decision and yet there was trepidation as is written in the article and fear and they didn't play as well as they would have done. So there wasn't exactly an atmosphere of safety whilst playing. So don't you think the fact that they went and played at all is heroic defiance of terrorism in sports at the time and that is what the article is alluding to? You probably don't. We will have to stick to two interpretations.

[Seadragon]

I think I figured out why our views or interpretations differ? In my opinion and I can't speak for Geezer, I am looking at the article in isolation, objectively whereas you, I think are reading the article - I wouldn't say with more knowledge - as the article directly relates to the question Geezer poses and can therefore be answered by anyone. But I suppose you came to the article with more subjectively? (Maybe the wrong word I don't know) Why?

You say that you would have been impressed had the game been played in Ulster and it was relatively peaceful at the time. I cannot answer that as a) I was a baby at the time (although you may in this respect simply know more about history here than I do) b) I am not really interested in football and c) sorry to say but the IRA stuff kind of passed me by. It was always in the news, Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams and that but I have never been to Ireland or know anyone Irish so its easy to turn the page or switch the tv over - as awful as that sounds. And I don't live in London.

Final point I do believe unless the facts of the article are wrong that you stand corrected as the 5th para states - 'In the 1972 championship Ireland had beaten France and England, both away, in their opening matches. With Scotland and Wales to come to Landsdowne Rd......' I suppose you could research it and correct the article, maybe it means that Ireland then came to Landsdowne to play the winner? I don't know how football works I only watch the World Cup and European Cup for the best looking guys. Sorry but their tans are nice.

[Seadragon]

P.S - I'm only talking about interpretation here not the issue of terrorism and the Commonwealth Games in particular, as my view is that if one acts in fear of an impending terrorist attack they would never ever board a plane for example, and that would be the end of Aviation as we know it. This is where the 'heroism' appears? And you may totally and utterly disagree with everything I say. I respect your opinion as you do mine.

[R1Geezer]

seadragon, it's 5 nations rugby, Ireland had home games against Scotland and Wales but those did not turn up and thus Ireland where denied a grand slam when they probably would have got one.

[Seadragon]

Oh there you go Geezer, not a rugby fan either. Thanks for the above compliment though.