Gusty Spence
6
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6
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Search complete. 6 mentions across 6 episodes found for "Gusty Spence".
Oct 18, 2026
Tommy SandsGUEST
And it was very special.
Tommy SandsGUEST
People like Gusty Spence and the UVF people were there, Sinn Féin people, of course, were there.
Tommy SandsGUEST
They all had to be there.
Tommy SandsGUEST
And well, it was, I think, we don't know if it helped or not, but I know we The politicians went back in and Seamus Mallon said afterwards that it did affect things
Niall DonaldGUEST
So if you look back at the, the leaders of loyalism during the Troubles, uh, people like David Ervine, um, you know, who, who would've been, uh, you know, been in the UVF and would've served time as a UVF prisoner.
Niall DonaldGUEST
They grew up in an era where, you know, when they spoke, I mean, they were, you know, it was very moving to hear them talk, or even Gusty Spence.
Niall DonaldGUEST
They would talk about the devastation caused by their communities, the things that happened as being, you know, as being unbearable, and that, um, you know, they suffered through the Troubles.
Niall DonaldGUEST
I mean, their friends were killed.
Thomas777GUEST
And you had these militias just spontaneously forming, you know.
Thomas777GUEST
So they began approaching, you know, guys like Gusty Spence, you know, who was indispensable in the recreation of the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1966.
Thomas777GUEST
Spence had served in combat in Greece with the British Army.
Thomas777GUEST
Okay.
ThomasGUEST
Like, what they did was they looked at what, they looked at what was already developing on the ground, you know, in, uh, you know, the, the, the sectarian war on the street, where, like, literal battle lines were being established between, you know, sectarian living s- uh, like, between living spaces based on sectarian criteria, and you had these militias just spontaneously forming.
ThomasGUEST
You know, so they began approaching, you know, guys like Gusty Spence, you know, who was indispensable in, um, the cr- the, the re- the recreation of the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1966.
ThomasGUEST
Spence had served in combat in Greece with the British Army, okay? Um, the UVF was always kind of the scherpfunkt of loyalism.
ThomasGUEST
You know, the UDA was this kind of like mass vigilante movement, which wasn't outlawed until '92.
Thomas777GUEST
I feel very strongly about that.
Thomas777GUEST
Not just because I'm old and cantankerous, but You know, this is, you know, Gusty Spence always made the point, and obviously, I mean, he was talking about very serious partisan activity.
Thomas777GUEST
I'm not suggesting people take on those kinds of commitments and break, you know, and break the law and stuff.
Thomas777GUEST
But something one can extrapolate from what Spence was talking about is, like, you've got to learn how to answer the question, like, why am I here, you know, And why am I doing what I'm doing? And why am I committed to these things? You've got to be a white man about this.
ThomasGUEST
I don't blame Normies for not understanding these distinctions, but people who spend time in genuine distant spaces and can't grasp this, they, they either need to kind of educate themselves or move on.
ThomasGUEST
Cause it's, we're not here to, we're not, we're not here to spoon feed them knowledge like they're little kids or something, you know? Um, and I feel very strongly about that, you know, not just because I'm old and cantankerous, but you know, this is, um, you know, Gusty Spence always made the point.
ThomasGUEST
And obviously, I mean, he was talking about very serious, um, um, partisan activity.
ThomasGUEST
I'm not suggesting people take on those kinds of commitments and break, you know, and break the law and stuff.