AN AUSTRALIAN JOURNALIST asked a simple question on TV last night, and he got a simple answer.
Russell Barwick suggested on ESPN’s Pardon The Interuption yesterday that Ireland should join Team GB. But Irish sports fans soon informed him why he was wrong.
“Team GB has an enormous advantage over everyone else in the world because it’s four countries basically wrapped up into one,” Barwick told presenter Mark Champman, “that’s including the Isle of Man, Bermuda, the Falkland Islands and anywhere else they’ve taken over in the past 100 years.
“So why doesn’t the Republic of Ireland join up, given the fact that at the world cup of rugby, cricket and few other sports they all join up. And the reason I ask is there was a Republic of Ireland girl running today and she said it felt like a home crowd. And I’m thinking, well why isn’t it a home crowd?”
He continued: “They kiss and make up for the British Lions, they kiss and make up for the Six Nations. We, the rest of the world, can’t understand… it’s like a Hawaiian surfer not surfing for the USA. It’s not like Tasmanians say they don’t want to represent Australia.”
Today however, the Aussie presenter tweeted: ”Ok a million apologies to those I offended….. My initial question was Why does Ireland compete together in Rugby but not at Olympics? I found out myself and sorry again for offence as none was intended … God I hope Katie Taylor wins!!”
Watch last night’s PTI episode here>
He’s still a moron.
Australia…..isn’t that a province of New Zealand?
I just cannot take to Australians. Sorry to generalise based on fools like this, but after living there for a year I witnessed so many of these types of people. In General(not everybody), they are racist against pretty much everybody not Australian, homophobic, and extremely sexist. So glad my ancestord were not criminals sent to Australia insread of prison…oh i’d hate to see their reaction if that was spouted by one of our journalists!
And the know sweet FA about anything outside the country except for being extremely racist about a handful of boat people who try to sneak in. Been living here 4 years and its really just a massive hick town.
You equally make the case for Australia joining Team GB, both ludicrous suggestions.
*could
Queen Elizabeth is their head of state, she’s on their money and the union jack is on their flag, it make much more sense (but still not any) for Aus to join team GB…
Bermuda does not compete under Team GB, they have their own Olympic Committee. Seems team knowledge is not this guy’s strong suit…
Doen’t know what he’s talking about on a sporting or cultural level.
Quite ironic for someone from the British commonwealth saying this kind of thing. I could swear that’s a union jack in the corner of their flag.
And who’s their head of state again? Hint: you’ll find her image on the Aussie $5 note!!!
Union flag.
It’s only called the Union Jack when it’s on a ship.
Way to focus on the point there Sean
They call it the Union Jack themselves Sean. So, basically, who cares?
So what if they’re in the common wealth we would be better off rejoining if we weren’t so pathetically insecure about our own identity.. fact is we are indistinguishable from the English after you strip out the Gaa a few thousand indigenous Irish speakers and a chain of pretentious gaelscoileanna. We obsess over their football teams, lap up their pop culture and spend most of our money in their high street stores, we speak English, practise common law, copy their planning system, need I go on?? But heh we are fair raucous at sporting events and sing a mean ‘Spanish’ ole ole ole.
At least he back pedalled and apologised…
Cue mass outrage from those claiming its a disgrace yet watch towie, eastenders, geordie shore etc and follow premiership teams
Not even close to being the same thing.
Colm is right to an extent though, there is a certain irony in all of this. Forever trying to claim we’re not British, yet doomed to ape them in sport, language & culture.
By that measure, a significant number of Team GB should be playing for Team USA…
Whoa. Whoa. Its Tallafornia or nothing :P
@Colm Outstanding level of reasoning there Colm. You know, with an intellect like that, you could become Taoiseach one day.
What you watch on TV or which football team you support does not say anything about your nationality.
That is such a straw man argument. People are allowed like TV programs and football teams and still embrace their national independence. I like plenty of American shows, it doesn’t mean I would agree that Ireland should become another state in the US.
Gearóid writing in English about aping the English is hilarious. Ní bheadh sé chomh greannmhar má scríobh sé i nGaeilge é.
An-greannmhar cinnte, tá fhios agam! Ach níl a lán Gaeilge idir na daoine anseo.
Sorry… Are you two speaking Australian by any chance…..?
Bheadh ionadh oraibh.
Gearoid – The English language was forced upon us and I’m not hearing too many young people emulating what passes for English amongst the British teenager eg aks instead of ask, or the deplorable term “innit” which I assume translates as isn’t it. As for sport, we live in a globalised world and soccer is played all over the world. As for Rugby, it is believed to be derived from an old celtic ball game!!, and while we have a national cricket team it is still not considered to be popular.
Ann, the traditional nationalist narrative tells us that the English language was “forced on us”, while this is a true to an extent, the fact is that many Irish people simply turned their backs on the language because they considered it backward and associated with poverty. This inferiority complex is common amongst colonized peoples. Minor dialectical differences are not really an issue, more so the speaking of English as the dominant language. Regarding globalisation, this is in essence a form of cultural imperialism and largely anglo-american in character. Indigenous cultures are largely being replaced with this dominant gloablised culture, which is associated with wealth, prosperity and power. The link below sums up the basis of my argument somewhat.
http://www.politics.ie/forum/culture-community/55008-do-we-still-have-post-colonial-inferiority-complex.html
True, but Barwick is a test.
Any opportunity to hammer him should be taken
Somebody should ask him if Australia would like to join New Zealand’s Olympic team. Aussie journalists are not covering themselves in glory this week.
Actually Australia and New Zealand have been considering merging for years, with 40% of Kiwis wanting to be part of Oz. I nearly fell off my chair when I read that, and that unusual fact might go some way to explain Barwick’s comments.
It’s not just his ignorance of history and politics, but perhaps some Auzzies and Kiwis’ tendency to be less nationalist, something we’d find hard to understand given our long acrimonious history with the British.
I find that very hard to believe! Every Kiwi i’ve met detests the Aussies and as for Australians not being nationalistic, have you never heard of “ozzie ozzie ozzie” or “the lucky country” or the myriad other jingoistic shite they come out with?
Been to Australia and was amazed at how many thought that Ireland was British.
Also lived in Holland for 7 years and the majority of people there thought I was English and did not understand the difference between the two, calling them German soon made them understand.
I find it amazing that people can not know these simple things.
People are idiots no matter where in the world you are!
It the same as when people still confuse Holland (a state within) with The Netherlands (the country).
Seans go bhfeiceann siad rud eicínt atá cosúil le lachan a siúlann mar lachann, labhrann mar lachann, agus síleann siad go lachan atá ann.
Yeah you can’t blame them I suppose! Gan dabht, ní labhram féin mar lachan, ní mar Sasanach ach oiread. Is í do theangasa í. Bain triail as.
Oh right, so he apologises after blocking every Irish person who tried to haul him up on it on Twitter….? Dope.
Aussies are the dumbest people I have ever met in my life..they live in a bubble and know nothing about other countries apart from there own,so don’t even take offence this guy is obviously another idiot..
Sweeping generalization = fail
what an idiot, this stuff is really offending
It’d be really offensive if it actually meant anything.
This is right up there with “WW2 bomber found on moon” story in the Sunday Sport in terms of what impact it has…
But he’s still got it wrong even when apologising, North and South combine in cricket, rugby….he’s still saying that Ireland and GB (not just the land attached up north) should join up…absolute tool he is.We are joined up with the North as well…look at Wayne McCullough,Conlon,Barnes all wearing the green
I wonder if Aborigines cringe at the fact their country is now prodimately populated by white idiots.
Easy for him to suggest it and they still kissing the Queen’s ass
And that’s why we call the your people Wallies!!
This coming from an Aussie, who’s countries head of state is the Queen of England
Another typical Aussie… got his head up his a***e… If they had brains they’d be dangerous!!
Serious education deficit.
Honestly, a moron.
Let’s just move on. He didn’t know what he was talking about.
Australians are the most arrogant and opinionated people when it comes to sport! Ask that moron what anthem he sings when his nation participate at international level? Fool
For the reecord it’s “British and IRISH Lions.” Although I wouldn’t expect much more coming from one of the Queen’s subjects.
It is obvious then that Australia and New Zealand should unite in sport.
Is that why one of the papers said Katie Taylor with great Britain?!! Grrrrr
Invasion of the Body Snatchers…. They’ll take all our best ……
Theycan try John…
Its his ignorance which is most offensive. I have heard Ulster Unionists calling for all of Ireland to be united within the UK, and while I obviously disagree, I am not offended because its a thought-out political position. This commentator however has clearly no knowledge of Irish or indeed British history.
I think it’d be no harm to let him now how you feel with a direct message to his twitter account @russbarwick…
Ass
God bless skippy!!
At least Skippy spoke more sense than this guy.
I thought I was the only one who understood Skippy, Patrick. What ward are you in? We must meet and compare notes. See you at first counselling session tomorrow… Ok?
Very good John.
Tut,tut, tut..tut tut
What Skippy? There’s a bush fire in the Northern Territory?
Tut, tut, tut, tut…tuuuuuuuut, tut
And it’s spreading this way.
Tut. tut…what the f%&k do you think I have been saying. Moronic Ozzie!!!
Everybody take a chill pill.
Who cares what he says.
Don’t worry Russell after more scare tactics towards integration they’ll be running for Europe in 2016. God the irony.
Other rugby nations view the Lions as effectively a team GB. Hard to swallow here but that’s why this view is based on. You can’t jump up and down with the green flag one day and then walk around with your red Lions jersey the next expecting other nations to know the difference.
The Lions are just one sport, every four years and are not htat big a deal. Even still they are called the British and Irish Lions.
So what’s unusual about a journalist writing about something he knows nothing about?
Only for rugby some of these aussi morons wouldn’t even know there were other countries in the world
They slagged off Katie and the Irish fans earlier
Their not even good at rugby any more
I live in Australia, and I can tell you the level of idiocy I see here would far surpass any of your wildest dreams.
Not to generalise, but the country is basically comprised of several million Crocodile Dundees* who really have no interest in what’s happening beyond their borders, and actually beyond their individual states when it really comes down to it.
I have been asked what part of England Ireland is in, North or South. There is nothing you can tell these people, just step away before you are caught in the contagion of ignorance!
*joke
You’d wonder how a journalist could be so ignorant, both on a sporting and on a cultural level. ‘Expert analysis’ my foot! How does a moron like that even get on TV?!
Do people not understand Oz is populated by descendent’s of criminals sent there from Ireland and Britain, has no one seen Nothing To Declare security is so tight on Australia’s border’s to protect the rest of the world from escaping prisoners…
Ignorance is bliss. I don’t blame him a lot for not knowing Irish history, Ireland is after all a small country in the grand scheme of things (yet with a lot of heritage all over the world!), but I do blame him for talking about something he doesn’t know much about on international television.
I think the only way he would truly understand would be if we suggested Australia and New Zealand join together for the Olympics.
Such a moron.
i can see what he meant albeit it didn come out smelling of roses, why does ireland unite in rugby boxing cricket etc.. and irish rugby players play with the british and irish lion team whereas he just said the british lions but why do they join forces in things like that even, im happier than anyone that were independant but this is lost on me so i can see why foreigners wud be confused
Brian Ireland does not join up with “gb” or britian in any sport.(the British and Irish Lions is an exception, and some golf tournements , but their distinct) the island of Ireland plays as a whole in many sports including in the olympics Look at conlon last night he’s from belfast!!
Ireland and Great Britain have a Huge amount of history, I see how so many people make a mistake. So many people have asked and I never get offended.
That’s a very fair point. Believe it or not, Ireland is a small nation and not the absolute centre if the universe. Not everyone is familiar with our history, culture, or even location.
Probably a good idea actually. As long as we get to deliberately lose and sit around all day in the bar spending the lottery funds.
Ignorant Aussies Strike again. To them we are all Poms when their actually the original Poms, Bunch of lazy murdering thieves. Highly uneducated, untrained wasters! Wouldn’t work to keep themselves warm.
Apology accepted
We all hail from Africa.
which country had the union Jack on their flag, Australia or Ireland !!
The comparison would make more sense if he had looked a little further, over the Tasman Sea. Instead of saying “Tasmania” he should have said “New Zealand”. Then he might have understood what he was letting himself in for.
You know, if he had apologised properly, the Irish would have been happy. But this part…
“When fellow-presenter Mark Chapman tried to explain that the Republic of Ireland was actually a different country, Barwick remarked “IT”S NOTHING BUT AN IRISH JOKE”
NOTE: This part is left out in a number of reports from Australia …ie; The Age left it out….(Hummm)
This is the most insulting part in my opinion. The rest could have been put down to ignorance. But his attitude in his apology is appalling.
There we were all thinking that only the Yanks did not have a clue about history & geography. How dum are we Irish now?
Haha typical comments from an Aussie really, basing an opinion on his own ignorance. I’ve fond the majority of Austrialians I’ve spoken to think London’s a country and all historical knowledge centres around Anzac biscuits and Gallopili
Am amazed that idiot Aussie apologist Greg Moron is not posting on this making excuses for his compatriot. Where have you gone too Greg? We miss your searing intellect!
ironic, don’t think the Irish flag has a little GB one on it!