Commemorating And Remonstrating

 Tyrone republican Sean Mallory muses over recent nonsenses. 
 
 
.....It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
Isn't it ironic
Don't you think?....

Alanis Morissette - Ironic Lyrics
 
 
The upcoming 1916 Easter Rising commemoration seems to have thrown up a particular dilemma of how to commemorate without the need to remonstrate against our new neighbour - Britain. Especially since we have entered in to a golden age of co-operation and neighbourliness even though Britain’s relatives are still camped in Ireland’s garden and refusing to move!

Nonetheless, a particular predicament that Irish Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys, whose grandfather signed Carson’s Covenant and in so doing committed treason against the same enemy as those of the Rising, has the task of resolving this perplexing enigma of British history but who would have it, is attempting to resolve it by tying it in with the Battle of the Somme. 

Minister Humphreys describes herself as a Protestant and an Ulsterwoman and who is a proud Irish republican. It seems treason does run in the family!

In her response to what the solution could be the Minister defined her role as one where: “I see my job to ensure that their stories are told in an inclusive and respectful way."

Which usually adds up to some form of revisionism of Irish history where Ireland’s colonial masters are portrayed as being wronged! And in turn will justify her campers up North.

A ‘respectful way’ best reciprocated by British Unionism in its understanding of the Easter Rising as expressed by Jim Allister of the TUV as "some foreign old grubby rebellion".

The Irish minister added: The entire State programme is anchored in respectful commemoration. It does not seek to be triumphalist or divisive." Like her erstwhile Ulster brethren when they take to the streets to remind their catholic neighbours of a battle that took place several hundred years ago – without triumphalism or divisiveness on show!

The minister said that when she spoke of republicanism, she was speaking of it "in its truest sense; equality, fraternity and liberty". 

Surely words that belong to a tricolour of a different hue and who also felt the caring hand of Britain shortly after their revolution! 

With calls of ‘inclusiveness’ focusing on those brave British soldiers and civilians murdered by these reprobates not to be forgotten but that they are commemorated also but with a little more emphasis on them rather than on Pearse and the boys!. 

Just as Britain commemorated the thousands of German civilians it massacred in the RAF bombing of Dresden and Hamburg by erecting a statue to ‘Bomber’ Harris for his great leadership of bomber command during World War Two. No doubt a tribute that even today the German people from these two cities are closely affiliated with and whose pride of this neighbourly relationship is displayed on their road signs informing the visitor that their city is twinned with London!

Speaking of past empires a recent survey by Yougov, who’s findings were released to the public around Tuesday 19th January 2016, found that 43% of respondents thought ‘generally speaking’ that the British Empire was a good thing. 19% didn’t and the rest could be bothered answering!

A survey that Yasmin Alibhai-Brown takes to task, Independent 25th January 2016, by writing that only those who never knew what the empire was or meant to those on its receiving end could ever take this view. She states that this failure to understand the misery inflicted on the indigenous peoples of Britain’s past colonies was because Britain as a nation has never honestly assessed it’s past. She goes on to give examples of Britain’s past brutality in her colonies in Africa and India but fails to mention Ireland (good neighbour syndrome) and finishes by advocating a more open and honest approach to Britain’s past than that which is presented now.

Perhaps Ms Alibhai-Brown should realise that an honest assessment of Britain’s past colonial history would not just lead to a more genuine and forthright understanding but most likely to the international court for crimes against humanity! 

Although to be fair, the Department of Education, a cross party committee and that old Israeli stalwart Sir Eric Pickles, is calling for more teachers to be trained in teaching of the Holocaust as the publicity surrounding Israel’s neo-nazi genocidal attacks on the Palestinians is having a detrimental effect on international support.

Special focus will be on educating the youth of Britain on how a State was able to justify the organisation of State apparatus to sanction and commit murder and genocide....Germany that is not Israel...and certainly no mention is to be made of the State cover-ups of State sanctioned murders in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which brings us back to Minister Humphreys.

And so, why Minister Humphreys didn't see it as her job to "assess the motivations of the men and women caught up in those tumultuous events” is quite baffling as that is going to prove a spoiler to the story of how and why.

But logic dictates that the only conclusion she could come to would not portray her new neighbour in any form of acceptable neighbourliness behaviour.

Elsewhere, Britain continues to decry against Putin and Russia for their state sanctioned murder of that Russian Lundy - Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. Allegations that Putin simply dismisses with total contempt for the ‘little Islanders’ and although murder is murder is murder, one can’t help that Britain has waxed its brass neck on this call!
 
Jihadi John has been officially acknowledged as dead by ISIS/Daesh and unlike his Jihadi mates, those responsible for Paris, who have re-appeared in a recent video making threats against Britain, more specifically John Bercow the Speaker of the House of Commons, a known international target of all global terrorist organisations, Jihadi John will not be doing a Lazarus and making any more videos outlining his thoughts on the future of the West!

Lemmy, it turns out was a Thatcher supporter, a ‘Little Englander’ and had a collection of Nazi memorabilia. While David Bowie, who committed paedophilia back in the 70’s but was not a predatory career paedo such as Glitter and Saville, should be remembered not for this little indiscretion but for his ‘art’ according to Fionola Meredith Belfast Telegraph 22/01/2016. So Roman Polanski should have no problem visiting here!

Jeb Bush blames his daughter’s drug ordeal on Mexicans...never mind the Afghanistan poppies his family helped cultivate or the likelihood that the only Mexican she is ever likely to have met is the Bush’s house maid and who was most likely an illegal immigrant on a below minimum wage!

And finally in this age of gender respect, Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith who has thrown his hat in to the ring in boycotting the Oscars because no black actors have been nominated...surely something that is judged on merit rather than skin colour, has been chosen as the new face of Louis Vuitton women’s wear. A decision that lead one pundit to remark that that’s nothing a swift boot in the ball bag would soon cure....to which I hasten to point out, just like Iris Robinson’s claim that psychiatric treatment can overcome homosexuality, there is absolutely no medical evidence to support this as a demarcation cure on gender issues! In fact contrary to popular belief the only impact this will have is to leave the recipient writhing in agony on the ground.

7 comments:

  1. So unonists are "campers"? Are we not Irish? Are only catholics Irish? Or to be truly Irish you must be anti-British? And then the author goes on to accuse others of being little islanders! I thought republicanism was supposed to be non-sectarian? We can all see through that lie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Peter,

    why would the view of a republican you feel is sectarian be more representative of republicanism for you than the view of a republican you don't find sectarian?

    Given that you recently felt that republicanism was totally fractious because of a republican debate on this blog, I would imagine it attenuates your current stance of presenting republicanism as one undifferentiated whole.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That rump republicanism is a fictionalised mess does not come into it as I am not "presenting republicanism as one undifferentiated whole". I am saying republicanism claims a core ideal that it is open for all people. So if Irish republicanism is for "Protestant, catholic and dissenter" why are no republicans condemning these articles and the crass language within? Republicanism likes to lord its lofty ideals and sneer at sectarian unionism, but the mass of evidence would suggest Irish republicans have no right to do such sneering as its own ranks are infected with sectarianism. I am of the opinion (and I may be wrong; I frequently am) that most republicans are as sectarian as unionists. For example, republican demands for justice never include justice for the victims of republicans.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Peter,

    I thought republicanism was supposed to be non-sectarian? We can all see through that lie.

    Which I take to mean republicanism is a lie in its claim to be non sectarian. Which is a statement lacking in any sense of differentiation. The statements does not target, some republicans, or strands of republicanism but republicanism per se.

    There are lots of things written on this blog that people opposed to them don't comment on: that goes for unionism, nationalism, religion, atheism, whatever. There has been countless attacks by republicans on sectarianism here, as well as quite a few sectarian assertions by republicans. You could also have said that few republicans come in shouting in support of Sean Mallory's articles. What their views on them are I don't know. But he makes his case and if you find it obnoxious then feel free to make your own case in response. Nothing you have ever submitted to this site has been suppressed.

    There is much attitudinal sectarianism within republicanism and there always has been. You are not really telling us anything we don't know.

    One good republican reason for dissenting from the GFA is that it made no effort to transcend sectarianism, merely embed it.

    That republican demands for justice do not extend to the victims of republicans is not sectarian in any religious sense. Many Catholics were victims of republicans and justice is not demanded for them either by republicans. Its called self interest, hypocrisy, double-standards, whatever you like. Sectarian is not a fitting description for it although I guess that is probably in the mix as well.



    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes I am saying rump republicanism is sectarian per se. There may be prods involved in the micro-groups and there may be non-sectarian members, but generally speaking it is at its core sectarian. Just like UKIP which claims to be non-racist and has black and asian members, everyone knows that it is fundamentally racist. I accept that rump republicanism is not one party (no chance of that!) but the analogy holds.

    I know I am not telling you anything you don't already know, but you publish an article that calls unionists "campers" that "won't go home" and no-one bats an eyelid. I felt I had to highlight this glaring hypocrisy and I thank you for letting me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Peter,

    you have failed to demonstrate that what you call rump republicanism is inherently sectarian. If by rump republicanism, you mean the only republicanism there is (working on the logic that the history of pro-treaty activists has not been a republican one) - one that opposes the GFA, then you fail to establish your case. It is based on the polemics of one person.

    We publish many articles, which reflect the view of the author who pens them and from which no wider generalisation can be inferred.

    Republicanism may indeed be sectarian. But you have not demonstrated it as such on the basis of what you have offered here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Have read over this excellent article a couple of times and still can't find the references to catholics or protestants that UDR Pete seems to have found. Would he secretly be Willie Frazer because he seems to be able to find the "ra's" hand in everything. Maybe he should remove the blinkers and see the truth in the piece which is obvious to anyone who wants to see it. This type of tunnel vision will do him no good.

    ReplyDelete