I think this whole thing is a big storm in a teacup. People are using their words (well vocal sounds at least) to express their feelings. No one is getting beaten up, shot, tortured or murdered. No one is being intimidated out of their house, school or church. No one is having pipe bombs or condoms of urine thrown at them.

If someone does not agree with a government or its actions then any peaceful protest whether it is of the anthem, flag or visit by ministers is entirely legitimate. Those who have a problem with these forms of peaceful protest are no better than the thought police from 1984.

Jim Boyce has done nothing for Northern Ureland football - the sooner he is thrown out the better. This is yet another example of Boyce's stupidity

I am getting a distinct whiff of spin here - Boyce was suggesting single anthem for all teams at FIFI and UEAFA matches. This is not another "Danny Boy" story. And while I'm at it the Welsh disrespected the NI anthem at the Cardiff fixture.

As the team in reality represents the IFA it is for the IFA to decide. Getting rid of the British anthem would help efforts to get nationalists to support the team.

After all the purpose of an anthem is to unite not divide. GSTQ certainly fails that test. But then how many people are really interested in a united Northern Ireland.

Please, please, please, please not Danny Boy. That dirge will keep everyone at home.

'Because of what happened in Wales when their supporters booed our national anthem, I was hoping our fans would not react to that.'

It's a bit confusing, but weren't the Welsh booing their own national anthem?

This proposal from the IFA will be treated with respect by FIFA and summarily thrown in the plastic Adidas endorsed bin.

What nonsense the Welsh did not disrespect the NI national anthem, Boyce used "our". They disrespected (?) the UK national anthem - which being Welsh is their perogative. Just as I a Scot would not support it for the obvious reasons.

The nub of issue is that he is suggesting all countries ditch their anthems because uniquely(there may be others) England and NI are the anachronisms of international football - plying their trade under some other anthem.

Please, please, please, please not Danny Boy. That dirge will keep everyone at home.

Agreed. And nothing by Phil Coulter. I propose "Bright Side of the Road" by Van Morrison

Let's enjoy it while we can
Won't you help me sing my song
From the dark end of the street
To the bright side of the road.

This is a more or less routine occurance throughout the world of football. Northern Ireland is in actual fact the exception. That's partly down to people here having an exaggerated reverence for their own symbols. They therefore assume that other nations place a similar importance on their own. Therefore, when the UK national anthem is disrespected some fans feel the most effective way of hitting back is similar retaliation. Actually most Welsh I spoke to weren't terribly bothered.

I'd like to see a new anthem and I'd be fairly happy with Danny Boy, which is certainly not a dirge. Azerbaijan have had the best anthem recently at Windsor Park strangely enough.

'which is certainly not a dirge.'

Indeed, written by an Englishman, although its suitability on the basis of singability (sp) has been mentioned.

"I propose "Bright Side of the Road" by Van Morrison"

deja vu :)

slug

I'm determined to get it in somewhere.

Why not a classical tune, something like Prokofiev's Montagues and Capulets.
I might suggest it to the IRFU, it's a good rousing tune

bum BUM bum BUM bum BUM bum BUM
bum babum babum babum babum babum babum buuuuuuum
babum babum babum babum babum babum bum!
du du du dududududududu dudududududu...

"bum BUM bum BUM bum BUM bum BUM
bum babum babum babum babum babum babum buuuuuuum
babum babum babum babum babum babum bum!
du du du dududududududu dudududududu..."

Isn't that Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet? GOod tune.

I think you'd need to change the words though.

national anthems, national competitions, parades highlighting national identity etc

Fodder for the bigots?

‘Fodder for the bigots?’

So you wouldn’t mind if it were

A./ The Soldiers song
B./ The Sash my Father wore

What about 'Alternative Ulster' by SLF ;o)

It has to be something written by somebody from NI (and whose surname is not Coulter).

For pure singability I would plump for Teenage Kicks or Girl From Mars or Screamager.

In an ideal world it would be Knives by Therapy? with the immortal chorus of "I'm gonna get drunk, come back and f*$k you up"

Slug
"sn't that Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet?"

Yeah, it's from Romeo & Juliet.
The words are fine, easy to rememebr :)

How, oh how, oh how do you respond to a story about Jim Boyce without playing the man!!!

As already mentioned, its not the Danny Boy argument - which I think the Kop summed up very well at the match after it was last mooted - "you can stick your Danny Boy up your ar*e" I think was the exact quote.

What Boyce wants is the same anthem for everyone in the entire world!!!!! Not that old Jimbo has an overinflated sense of his own importance of course, he just thinks he can speak for everyone on the planet.

It wouldnt be either that he just looooooves the sound of his own voice. (also, anyone notice how Jimbo was the last person to leave the field at the end of the England game - he was running around waving at the fans like he had just knocked in a hat-trick.)

Boyce is a buffoon. And the near hysteria about the booing on Saturday is ridiculous.

People are dying in earthquake wreckage in another part of the same planet - and cretins here are getting uptight because a few people decided it would be a bit of a lark to be impolite at a football match???

Get over it. And go home Jim your time is up.

Maybe its time for norn iron to be kicked out of International football for the simple fact its not an independent country.
Norn Iron are just a regional team within the UK and one unlike Wales and Scotland without any common identity or nationality and one unlike Wales and Scotland have the population refuse to acknowledge or support.

GSTQ is played because norn iron fans see themselves solely as British unlike Wales and Scotland who aspire to nationhood in their own rights.

Apetty little team with petty little supporters all wishing to be nothing more than the subjects of a foreign Queen!

Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood?

"Apetty little team with petty little supporters all wishing to be nothing more than the subjects of a foreign Queen!"

To be honest "open eyed" - that was just about as narrow-minded and unhelpful a post as I have ever read on the subject - do you have any thing remotely positive to offer the discussion other than requesting the disbandment of my and many others international football team because you and your ilk don't like the national anthem or our "regional status"? One might just call your comments "petty" open eyed! BTW: I love the way you danced about with the goal posts to avoid any other "UK regional areas" being subject to your guidelines - good to see such even-handedness.

after all that i reckon contenders are bright side of road and two tribes....can we have a vote?

How about The Mountains of Mourne?

There is only one answer- a proven winner on the international stage -

All Kinds of Everything by Dana.

White riot by The Clash!!!!

That`ll suit both sides.

I wouldn’t worry about it lads.

It’ll be academic after the warmongering Free State launch an invasion of the Unfree state, which should occur as soon as the in cahoots Bertie and Tony finalise the logistics.

Free Lyric sheets to Amhran na Bhfiann will be available for all!*

*perhaps someone can then teach me the lyrics!

Why bother with the whole anthem nonsense altogether? If it must be kept then a nice Corporate anthem a la the film Rollerball. eg NIs latest defeat being prefaced by "I'm lovin it" cortesy of McDonalds with a hefty cash donation to help youth football development.

Danny Boy?! There's worse things the Windsor Park masses could be inflicted with
Through the Barricades by Spandau Ballet or Belfast by Boney M anyone? No didn't think so.

Atrocity Exhibition by Joy Division would have a certain aptness to it though...

Hi Open Eyed,

"Norn Iron are just a regional team within the UK and one unlike Wales and Scotland without any common identity or nationality and one unlike Wales and Scotland have the population refuse to acknowledge or support."

So, if there ever was a UI should the UI team being thrown out as well on the same grounds?
"No common identity or nationality"
and a sizeable
"population refuse to acknowledge or support."

I'd suggest "Going Nowhere" by Therapy for obvious reasons...

I think some of the posters here are missing the woods for the trees in Boycie's comments. He knows rightly that there is no prospect of FIFA or UEFA dropping national anthems because of a few twits in Windsor Park.

I think the real point here is that he is publicly flying a kite for NI dropping GSTQ, because he knows that his anti-sectarianism campaign is a joke until the policy changes.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 'no-anthems' argument that only applies to Windsor Park - blaming the 'unique conditions' that apply here. That'll be the stop-gap until they come up with something that can be said to represent everyone who lives here.

I think Jim is often smarter than he sounds.

As much as the 'Two Tribes' etc etc might be an amusing suggestion - lets not be parochial, after all Jimbo Boyce isnt. This isnt just about a new anthem for Northern Ireland apparently the IFA want a WORLD anthem.

Next stop for Jim apparently is the ending of all war and preventing hunger and disease.

Why the feck cant he start with making sure there are enough burger vans inside the gates at the Midgely Pk entrance to Windsor Pk on a match day so that your entire half time (plus about 5 mins either side of it) aren't taken up by queueing to get something to eat!!!

Maybe, just maybe when he gets that sorted out then I might listen to his drivel about wanting the whole world to hold hands and sing the same song.

Cranberries - Zombie

What about the wheels on the bus or the theme for the muppet show :)

Boyce is a buffoon. And the near hysteria about the booing on Saturday is ridiculous.

People are dying in earthquake wreckage in another part of the same planet - and cretins here are getting uptight because a few people decided it would be a bit of a lark to be impolite at a football match???

Get over it. And go home Jim your time is up.

Posted by: james orr at October 11, 2005 11:20 AM

This from the same buck eejit who was heartily endoring a loud 'No Surrender' during GTSQ the other day on 'atangledweb'
The time is up for your type..who in reality care little about Northern Ireland and it's supporters having an improving reputation in world football.

I wonder where all the critics of Jim Boyce were when he was arguing that his Irish league club-Cliftonville- were not sectarian in spite of the large number of its fans who seem to think the team play in green and white hoops and brought dozens of tricolours to Windsor park for league games against Linfield- that's right: the same Windsor park that is appaarently so far into jaffaland that no self respecting Roman Catholic would be safe going near it. He met the fans, appealed for no sectarianism and limited progress was made.

So, our critics say if NI fans are prejudiced, and the team not-ahem , quite top drawer, the team should be kicked out of football; and of course in the interests of consistency Cliftonville should also be wound up, and amalgamated with the neighbouring bigger and better side...er,Linfield.

And how about the smaller and poorer side in Glasgow folding while we're at. Glasgow United can play at Ibrox stadium and get by on half empty houses as all the fans from here stay at home.

Boyce is a limited but decent man, and trying to promote polite respectful behaviour among football fans is like trying to get the Irish Rugby team to perform swan Lake.

also-Noone seems to have mentioned the large tricolour in Cyprus adorned with comments about orangemen and Drumcree. I wonder why?

I see the reason for the confusion.
Tchaikovsky composed the Romeo and Juliet Overture, a fantastic piece of music. Prokofiev came along later and composed the Monatagues and Capulets, his 6th symphony, also a fantastic piece.

I see the fenians as Romeo, very much in love, trying desperately to woo their sweet love Juliet (the orangies) in fair verona (N.I) Johnny Adair is of course Mercutio, passions inflamed and unwilling to accept compromise. Alexis Reid-Goode is the poor Friar stuck in the middle trying to encourage the two sides to come to a compromise.

Tying in with another thread, will the orangies ever "put out" and allow lovestruck romeo access to their special lodge? Or will it be no surrender, not an inch?

Sorry to treat such an important topic in such a frivolous and facetious way. No wait, i'm not, its the only way to cope with such an onslaught of depressing nonsense as is NI politics.

I hereby authorise newton emerson to use my freshly minted double entendre "not an inch" to make low brow slurs about unionists in high places, possibly including paul berry. Perhaps it could be the latest slogan of Save Ulster from Sodomy - Not an Inch. I resile violently from any suggestion that anyone else has ever thought up this pun.

Back on topic, if unionists wish NI to belong equally to all its inhabitants then they will need to adopt more neutral symbols, sounds and images to represent it. I was overjoyed when NI beat england. As a natural republic supporter, i logically tell myself that i should also support NI, and would do so if only soccer wasn't such a boring game to watch, far inferior to rugby.

‘also-Noone seems to have mentioned the large tricolour in Cyprus adorned with comments about orangemen and Drumcree. I wonder why?’

Didn’t see it. I know you’re shy by nature, Darth, but let us know what it said.

On the road crossing theme,

"I used to walk in the shade,
with my blues on parade,
now I'm not afraid,
cos my road is crossed over and my troubles are over....

If my luck, never runs out,
I'll be rich as rockerfeller!
just direct my feet
to the sunny sunny side of the street"

easier to sing but asking for trouble?

...were not sectarian in spite of the large number of its fans who seem to think the team play in green and white hoops and brought dozens of tricolours to Windsor park for league games against Linfield

And that is sectarian, how?

"There is nothing as bad as standing in a stadium to hear continuous booing of a national anthem. It is a worrying trend and very disrespectful.

99% of countries do respect the opposing teams anthems.

Why change it because of the sad few

Getting back to changing the Ulster flag and/or removing that bloody red hand...

Fobo, you said "Yes as I'm sure there are half starved slaves constructing gas chambers as the flag of NI flutters over their heads. Or perhaps it is totally ridiculous to compare the Northern Ireland's flag to Nazi Germany's".

Is it so ridiculous?

Ever heard of the Ku Klux Klan? They made the confederate flag their own, and now the 2 are inseperable. Why do you think most US state governments have made concerted efforts to have it removed from public property?

What does it matter whether one died from gas poisoning or a bullet from the Red Hand Commandoes? Fobo, why don't you tell the parents and family of an innocent young man who was killed by red hand terror groups (i.e ALL loyalist papamilitary groups who have used the flag as thier logo) how different it all is. Why don't you tell them how one is any less brutal tha the other.

Just in case there is any confusion, I am proud to be British. I would rather have a new Ulster form of the Union Jack than something aligned with terror groups.