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Caoimhin O’Muraile  ☭ International Law -  Is There Such A Thing?

In simple terms the answer to this question is categorically No! But as usual these matters and questions cannot be answered in words of one syllable, it is not a pub quiz. What we are never told is ‘international law’ is not, even accepting the vagaries of the concept, law as we would know it. The misleadingly termed ‘international law’ is in fact a system of rules and principles which are intended to govern relations, conduct, and interactions between sovereign states, as well as international organisations and certain individuals. The aims of these collective rules and principles are to promote global order, peace, and cooperation, and operate largely through international consensus. 

There is no police force to uphold this so-called ‘international law’ and in recent years more and more countries have broken these unenforceable rules and principles. These countries include the USA, Israel, The United Kingdom, Russia, China and arguably in recent weeks Ukraine by bombing Russian civilian targets. The Ukrainians could be given a certain amount of latitude for their actions given the fact Russia has been blasting the fuck out of their cities over the last four years! The country who afford less consideration by the day for these principles is Israel. They may be following the lead given by Trump in the US who has made it clear he “cares nothing” for ‘international law’ meaning, as far as Tel Aviv are concerned, they too can do what the fuck they please in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank.

On 7th October 2023 Hamas attacked Israel under strange circumstances. Where were the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) when these incursions over the border happened? Conspicuous by their absence that is for sure but absent where? The attacks by Hamas should be condemned by all because it was civilians and civilians only who were targeted resulting in 1,195 Israeli and foreign nationals losing their lives and 251 being kidnapped. Not one military institution or economic centre was reportedly hit which if the attack was an act of war, Guerrilla War, then the prime targets should have been military, economic, political, and financial institutions. Because none of the targets included such institutions the attacks must be condemned. 

An Israeli response was expected and given the level of intelligence and the capabilities of Israeli special forces such a response could have been carried out with minimal Palestinian civilian casualties. The Israeli government in the Knesset decided against such a logical step which, if done clinically, could have taken out the Hamas leadership easily. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu decided to flatten the entire Gaza Strip, murdering up to now 72,000 + Palestinians. To carry out these acts of genocide the IDF used ordnance supplied by the USA and the UK. 

The hypocrites in Westminster condemned the Israeli attacks on civilians while at the same time allowing arms manufacturers to make a fortune through the sale of weapons to Israel. Should anybody question the British government they immediately fall behind the wall of ‘Israels right to defend herself’ which is the same line the Parliamentary opposition pedal. If pushed a little further by having it pointed out that Israeli actions are far greater than anything needed in self-defence they quickly run for their next line of cover, the 7th October Hamas attacks. 

However wrong the Hamas attacks may have been the Israeli actions in response have been, at best, well over the top and at worst an act of genocide in the same league, but perhaps for now a lower division, to the genocide enacted on Jewish people by the Nazis. Having turned Gaza into something akin to the Warsaw Ghetto all that is missing are the Death Camps and Netanyahu can be spoke of in the same breath as Himmler. The Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu is slowly turning global sympathies for the Jews over the Holocaust into anti-Semitic hate. I really hope that does not happen - the global neo-Nazis launching a hate campaign against Jewish people under the guise of supporting the Palestinians, support which should not be welcomed.

Aid has been denied the beleaguered Palestinians by the Israelis and any group who attempts to get assistance to the beleaguered people, food, medical supplies including baby formula, are physically prevented from doing so. On 19th May the Global Sumud Flotilla of unarmed civilian craft on its way to deliver aid to Gaza was intercepted and boarded by the IDF in international waters. This was a clear act of piracy - Bluebeard could not have given a more impressive performance and he was a Cutthroat Pirate - and against ‘international law’ and the ‘law of the sea’, equally unenforceable. 

The activists from the flotilla who were taken to a port in Israel have suffered similar treatment to that suffered by Jewish people before the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. Footage was posted on social media of captured activists being mistreated by Israeli soldiers. In one clip of the social media post shared on X, owned by Elon Musk, a masked soldier grabs a woman’s hair and pushes her violently towards the ground. The 37 second video was shared on X by Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Givr, who shouts: “Welcome to Israel! We are in charge here! We are the landlords and that is right” (Irish Daily Mirror 21st May). 

The actions of the National Security Minister caused Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, to express his disgust; to state he was “appalled at this shocking behaviour of Minister Ben-Givr towards illegally held members of the flotilla” (ibid). Of the 420 activists from the Flotilla 15 are Irish and it is believed the woman having her hair pulled and forced to the ground is Irish. Ben-Givr went on to say of the activists; “they came here full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now”. The Minister of National Security also intimated he wanted the activists given to him for the “terrorist prison”! Even the crook in charge in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, was uneasy with Ben-Givr’s behaviour and what it might do to Israel's image. He was not concerned with the wellbeing of the activist’s held hostage by Ben-Givr only the damage to Israels image! There have been reports of sexual assaults on women and various acts of violence by the IDF soldiers on activists. Some of the activists have since been flown to Istanbul in Turkey and relative safety.

On board one of the ships boarded was Dr Margaret Connolly, the sister of Twenty-Six-County President, Catherine Connolly. A GP, she was acting as a medic for the flotilla. When an SOS was sent to Greece from the flotilla the Greeks did fuck all to come to their assistance so afraid they must have been of the Israelis, backed by Trump. There was, rightly so, outrage in the Dail as Tanaiste, Simon Harris, continuously referenced ‘international law’ and Israel's breach of it. Dr Connolly’s husband, Declan, also on TV referred to this “clear breach of international law by Israel”. 

It is true but the Dail, both government and opposition, know ‘international law’ is a figment of the imagination, it cannot be enforced. Perhaps the only country who could police this labyrinth of principles and agreements between states is the United States and they, like Israel, are the biggest criminals when it comes the breaking this illusive ‘international law’. 

All the parties in the Dail are crying about Israel's breach of these laws including the laws of the sea but what exactly are they going to do about it? The twenty-six-county administration do not want to upset the US, Israel's mates, because the government claim if they upset Trump, it will cost jobs. Of course this is bollocks because the US giants who base themselves in the Twenty-Six-Counties do so because profits are high, corporation tax low, and trade unionism virtually non-existent in the private sector. They are not interested who is in the White House or whether Dail Eireann is hitting back at Israel, providing the profits keep rolling in.

So, international law cannot be enforced because, among many reasons like whether it exists, those who may police such law are guilty themselves of breaking said law. The government in the Dail should stop harping on about ‘international law’ because they are starting to look foolish, fucking stupid in fact. They might as well talk of the laws of Narnia,wasting hours of Dail time speaking how to enforce this law in a land which does not exist! 

The Twenty-Six-County government could, if they wanted to, do something which has nothing to do with fairyland international law. They could, and should, enact the Occupied Territories Bill in its entirety and do it now. Not the diluted version which only includes banning trade in goods with illegal Israeli settlements. The Bill does not include trade in services and unless it does when it becomes an Act it will be far less effective in hitting Israel. Most trade with these settlements involves services which account for nearly ‘70% of trade volume’ and this 70% will not be included in the OTB. Trading in goods, leaving aside services, with Israeli occupied territories constitutes a minor fraction of the overall economic relationship amounting to around €685,000 annually. The excuses policymakers come up with for not including services in the OTB is the ‘complexity of monitoring and enforcing bans on digital service’s’. How difficult and complex can such a ban on services, digital or otherwise, be? On an average modern mobile phone, nothing too complicated, an unwanted text can be blocked so surely, with all the technology at their disposal, banning trade in services with Israeli occupied territories cannot be that difficult for those good and true people of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael! Or could the real reason be that profits in trading in services requires little labour and carry huge profits. Better to blame Israel's breach of ‘international law’ and hope nobody asks awkward questions, outside the Dail, about banning trade in services as part of the OTB which is toothless without these inclusions.

Israel must surely be brought to task over their actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Will they be tried for war crimes as were Goering and his gang at Nuremburg after the Second World War, and rightly so, for Nazi genocide against the Jewish people? The allies after the war allowed many leading Nazis after those at Nuremburg were tried and sentenced, to escape. In some cases the USA even gave them highly paid employment, wrote off their murderous past, and even made them heroes. Wernher von Braun was such an activist, scientist, and former Nazi party member who, despite his past, would be of use to the USA. Clause barbie, the Butcher of Lyon, was another brutal former SS man who escaped French justice for years courtesy of the USA. Given the track record of the US and UK in this department it would not be unreasonable to expect Netanyahu and his modern butchers to also walk free. It would be unwise to hold your breath waiting a different outcome, you may die of asphyxiation!!
     
Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist.
I

International Law

Ten links to a diverse range of opinion that might be of interest to TPQ readers. They are selected not to invite agreement but curiosity. Readers can submit links to pieces they find thought provoking.


Before We Conform, Or Condemn, Let Us At Least Be Curious


♜One recognizes one's course by discovering the paths that stray from it - Albert Camus♞ 

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Hundred And Eighty Five

 

A Morning Thought @ 3159

Jim Duffy ✍ The silence of almost all the devoted pro-neutrality activists, on the issue of Aughinish Alumina actively aiding Russia's military in its war in Ukraine, is striking.

Other than Senator Tom Clonan, who repeatedly condemns it, the silence is deafening - despite it being an unambiguous breach of Irish neutrality.

Not a word from Sinn Féin. Not a word from People Before Profit. Not a word from the Peace and Neutrality Alliance. Not a word from Catherine Connolly or Michael D Higgins. Their press releases draw a complete blank.

Yet the same people are always out giving interviews about non-existent plots to get Ireland into NATO - something that has no chance of occurring.

So why then the total silence on a Real live breach of Irish neutrality by an Irish company enabling Russia's illegal war, a war that breaches the UN charter and international law? Could it be that many of the Irish neutrality devotees are simply motivated by their end hate of The West, of NATO and everything else, but couldn't care less if neutrality breaches help Russia, and anti-Western countries?

Getting them to ever criticise Russia, or the USSR, or the Warsaw Pact, is like plucking hens' teeth. They will always bend over backwards to make excuses for Putin, or Stalin.

Some even justify the USSR's illegal occupation and annexation of the independent sovereign Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940 - an annexation that flowed from the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the USSR and Nazi Germany. They then say that "to secure peace" the three states should be handed back to Russian control, irrespective of the wishes of the peoples there.

The same people justify the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, just as they will justify the Russian invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 - always of course twisting the facts to inevitably blame The West and NATO. Even when citizens stage revolutions, some Irish neutrality devotees invariably blame The West for engineering a supposed coup - as if citizens have no right to control their own destiny.

Those same Irish neutrality devotees proclaim themselves "anti-imperialists" while cheering on and excusing the most imperialist state in Europe-Asia: Russia. It is a country that has spent attacking its neighbours repeatedly. There is hardly a single one of its neighbours it has not at some stage invaded.

Finland finally declared its independent from Russia in 1917 after the fall of the Tsar - after decades of brutal Russianisation policies under Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II. It has been recognised internationally as independent since 1918. Russia invaded it twice: in the Winter War and Continuation War. In 1948 it was forced to agree to a policy later named "Finlandization" (the process by which one powerful country makes a smaller neighbouring country refrain from opposing the former's foreign policy rules, while allowing it to keep its nominal independence and its own political system.)

Under it, the Soviet Union took effective control of its foreign and security policy - a period known in Finland as the 'period of national shame' or the 'period of national humiliation.' It finally regained its sovereignty in foreign and security policy in 1991 - and warns countries internationally never ever to repeat the mistake they made.

And yet, one hears some Irish neutrality advocates say that Russia has a "right" to enforce that again on Finland. I wonder would they say Britain has the right to take control of Irish foreign and security policy, or the US has a right to take control of Mexican and Cuban foreign and security policy, or is it only their beloved imperialist Russia that has that right?

When Putin after a century of independence asserted that Finland no right to be independent of Russia, I heard a number of Irish neutrality devotees actually justify his stance and say that the Finns had no right to their own sovereignty!!!

I have come to be cynical of so-called Irish neutrality, as so many of its most fanatical adherents are really just anti-wWestern pro-Russian apologists. I don't have a problem with real genuine neutrality, of the sort believed in by Senator Clonan - though some of the arguments he has made on the triple lock are factually wrong. He at least has a real concept of objective neutrality, not simply a neutrality that is anti-Western and pro-Russian.

That said, factually, the concept of being neutral as a means to stay out of war doesn't work. As neutrals all over found to their cost, if someone wants to attack you they will. Belgium discovered that twice, as did Luxembourg. So did the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in World War II. Sweden only avoided Nazi invasion by effectively collaborating with the Nazis and supplying them with critical minerals and a right to use its territory.

Of the other three neutrals in Europe - two, Ireland and the Vatican, were scheduled for invasion by the Nazis, but weren't invaded for reasons unconnected to their neutrality. Switzerland was protected by its geography as it was exceptionally difficult to conquer. No country in Europe avoided invasion by being neutral.

The 1907 Second Hague Convention supposedly protected neutrals who were signatories from attack by signatories in Article 1, which states "The territory of neutral Powers is inviolable." In fact it quickly turned out not to be worth the paper it was written on, and was just an unenforceable gentleman's promise. The convention was negotiated from 1904, signed in 1907, and came into force in 1910. It was broken in 1914, when one signatory, the German Second Reich, invaded two neutral signatories: Luxembourg on 2nd August 1914, and Belgium on 4th August 1914. There was no come back, other than the complaint "but you promised you wouldn't do that!" It had no enforcement mechanism.

Its weakness can be seen that countries invading neutrals have never even bothered formally leaving the convention before breaking it. It is that meaningless.

I am not arguing that Ireland should join NATO, or that it shouldn't. I am not arguing that Ireland should or should not be neutral. However it is important to know what neutrality is and what it isn't. Firstly, many of the loudest proponents of neutrality are really just the proverbial "useful idiots" who are supremely anti-West and pro-Moscow. They are not the spokespeople, much less the guardians, of real neutrality.

Secondly, history shows that neutrality is no protection from attack, as almost neutral in Europe, bar three, were attacked. Those three weren't attacked for reasons unconnected with their neutrality. All those attacked joined NATO when it was created, most at the beginning, a few later on.

Thirdly, contrary to myth, being neutral does not give a country a special independent status that makes it a centre for peace talks and negotiations. One of the most popular place for such negotiations is Norway. Norway was a founding member of NATO in 1949.

One negative with neutrality is that it gives countries a delusion of safety - where they think "we are neutral. No-one will attack us." Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all found that that is not the case. Ireland found out that it was potential target for invasion by the Nazis when it began intercepting Nazi communications in May 1940, and quickly made plans in Plan W for Britain to come to its aid if it was attacked. As soon as the Taoiseach requested aid, the British ambassador would send the code word 'pumpkins'. The Royal Navy and RAF would attack the Nazi troops landing between Wexford and Waterford by sea and air, while British troops would cross the border and travel south to attack Nazi troops on land, aiding Irish soldiers.

That delusion of safety may be why Ireland has a tiny spend on defence - despite defence being a core duty of every sovereign state. The average spend among neutrals in Europe on defence is 0.9% of GDP. Neutral Cyprus spends 1.8% of GDP. Austria aims to reach 1% of GDP by this year. Switzerland aims to reach 1% by 2030. Ireland spends a miniscule 0.2%. It isn't just the lowest among neutrals, and by far the lowest in Europe, its is third worst in the world. Only Mauritius and Haiti are lower.

Yes, GDP is an unhelpful measurement for Ireland. However, it is the standard one used internationally for defence comparisons. Even using others, Ireland is way off the minimum target it should be at, as a sovereign state.

And yes Ireland is a target. You cannot have critical underwater infrastructure that all of Europe depends on just off your coast and not be. You cannot have just three interconnectors, and face rolling nationwide power cuts if they are cut, and not be. And you cannot be a net contributor to the EU budget, where Putin has made clear the EU is a target, and you not be.

Whether it is neutral or in NATO is not the point (In reality there is no likelihood of Ireland, Austria or Switzerland joining NATO.) It is that if neutral, know what neutrality is and is not. It is not a protection from attack, as if a country wants to attack a neutral they always do. As a sovereign country you need to take your defence seriously, and you should be spending at least the average spend of neutrals on defence. Anything else is reckless.

⏩ Jim Duffy is a writer-historian.

Aughinish Alumina 🪶 Not A Word

Pádraig Drummond ✊ I can’t stand seeing people weaponise one murder against another, like human life is some kind of political scoreboard.


 To me, every innocent life taken by violence is a tragedy, and every family left behind deserves dignity, truth, and justice, not to have their grief turned into ammunition for arguments online.

What frustrates me is watching people pick and choose whose humanity they recognise based on race, religion, nationality, or whatever side of a debate someone falls on.
 
Too many people are more interested in winning arguments than in showing basic compassion. They’ll speak loudly about one victim while dismissing another, as if empathy should come with conditions attached.

I refuse to think that way. I don’t believe justice is selective, and I don’t believe grief should be politicised to divide ordinary people against each other. One murder does not erase another. One family’s pain does not cancel out someone else’s suffering.

For me, solidarity means recognising the humanity in all oppressed and marginalised people, even when it’s inconvenient or unpopular.
 
It means refusing to dehumanise others just because the internet, the media, or political tribalism tells us to. I’m tired of seeing people use tragedy to score points instead of standing together against hatred, racism, violence, and division.

The dead deserve dignity. Their loved ones deserve justice. And people need to stop treating human suffering like it’s something to exploit for attention, ideology, or validation.

May Alex Coughlan & Yves Sakila rest in eternal peace, and may their families see justice.

⏩Pádraig Drummond is an anti-racism activist.

Stop Weaponising Murder

John Crawley ✍ We gather here to honour the memory of Volunteer George McBrearty, who, 45 years ago this month, was killed in action alongside his friend and comrade, Volunteer Charles ‘Pop’ Maguire.

1981 was a pivotal year in the struggle for full Irish freedom. It was the year of the hunger strikes. By Thursday, 28 May 1981, the day George and Pop were killed in action, Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Ray McCreesh and Patsy O’Hara had already died. George and Pop would never know that six more IRA and INLA volunteers would starve themselves to death in resisting the British criminalisation of our freedom struggle.

George McBrearty fought and died as a proud volunteer in the Irish Republican Army. He believed, and had every right to expect, that the term ‘Republican’ was not merely a suggestion but a resolute statement of intent.

There are former comrades of George McBrearty who would have us believe that, had he lived, he would probably, like them, have moved on. By ‘move on,’ they mean ‘move away.’ Away from Wolfe Tone’s call for the Irish people to abolish the memory of all past dissension and to substitute the common name of Irishman in place of the denominations of Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter. That George would have moved on to new ground carefully prepared by the British government over the course of a decades-long counter-insurgency campaign. That George would now be extolling a United Ireland rooted in British/Irish identity politics. That he would no longer refer to Ireland as our country, but think only in terms of ‘This Island’. ‘Our country’, after all, is one nation. ‘This island’ is a geographic fragment containing two nations. That George would have internalised the conditions, parameters, and political architecture of the United Ireland demanded by Britain, should it ever come to pass, and would hope one day to proclaim victory by maintaining that’s what we were fighting for all along. Perhaps George would have entered Stormont and transitioned from a 23-year-old Irish revolutionary in May 1981 to a 69-year-old British government pensioner in May 2026, while boasting to anyone who would listen about his ‘journey’.

George’s family, who loved him most and knew him best, know that George would never have been swayed by the pacification propaganda of misguided men and women who call themselves Republicans yet work daily to undermine the authentic aims and objectives of Irish republicanism. That is, to break the connection with England and to forge a joint civic identity as Irish citizens, oblivious of ethnic or sectarian distinctions. Differences that would become incidental in a genuine Republic remain fundamental in their ‘New’ Ireland, which is predicated on the old divisions.

No one can say with certainty what IRA volunteer George McBrearty would have believed today had he lived. But we know what he believed when he was killed on active service.

George believed in the aims and objectives of the IRA as it existed at the time. Long before it had transitioned from the cutting edge of the Irish Republic into a decommissioned party militia. The army in which he was a brave, dynamic, and dedicated combatant. The army that pledged never to desist until the announcement of a British declaration of intent to withdraw from Ireland. George’s IRA acknowledged that Unionists are pro-British for deep historical reasons that cannot be glibly dismissed, but are not the British presence and must not be made so. It recognised the British presence as Britain's jurisdictional claim to Ireland and the civil and military apparatus that gives it effect. That’s the British presence George fought and died to resist.

George was shot dead by armed employees of the British government, determined to maintain British rule in this part of Ireland. Did George fight and die to reform British rule? Of course not. He fought to end it. Those closest to him are in no doubt that George would never have rescinded his allegiance to the Republic by acknowledging the constitutional legitimacy of British rule in Westminster’s regional assembly at Stormont, nor would he have accepted that the Crown Constabulary, which protects and preserves it, rightfully retains a sole monopoly on the lawful use of force in this part of Ireland. George would never have encouraged Irish nationalists to become His Majesty’s constables and informers.

Republicans who criticise Pax Britannica are often asked, ‘What’s the alternative? The alternative to the two-nation Shared Island is the one-nation Republic. The alternative to embracing differences in national allegiances for the sake of peace is to end those differences for the sake of peace. Abraham Lincoln put this best while struggling to overcome divisions within his own Republic when he said ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’. Crucial to beginning a genuine process of national reconciliation is ending British jurisdiction in Ireland; this includes Britain’s entitlement to act on behalf of Ulster unionists in a future united Ireland.

Britain was awarded no right to represent Ulster unionists in the three Ulster counties incorporated into the Free State in 1922. Many of these unionists in Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal had signed the Ulster Covenant and were as loyal to the Crown in their day as their brethren a mile up the road in Fermanagh or Tyrone are today. Many still attend Orange Lodges and Orange marches. Yet, they are now equal and valued citizens of the Irish State and, since the Ireland Act 1949, have no claim to British citizenship or a British passport.

Until we end the British government's interference in our country, we cannot begin to repair the damage done to our national cohesion. In the meantime, Britain will continue to encourage, manipulate, and co-opt as many Irish citizens as possible into becoming willing accomplices in Ireland’s constitutional divisions along broadly sectarian lines.

We are continually cautioned to protect the Peace Process. Peace is not a process; it is an established fact. Pacification, on the other hand, is a process that occurs when an armed campaign is defeated or contained, but the root cause of violence remains intact. For the Brits, pacification is a systematic programme of military and political efforts to defeat an insurgency and achieve a desired result. In this case, to achieve normalisation, Ulsterisation (particularly police primacy), an end to armed resistance to British rule, and, crucially, an end to Irish Republicanism as a credible philosophy and a viable alternative.

The alternative to pacification is not war; it is peace. The real peace that can only occur when the root cause of conflict is addressed and not continually kicked down the road to be resuscitated in future constitutional arrangements that bake in the differences carefully fostered by an alien government which had divided a minority from the majority in the past.

The 1918 General Election was the last time the British government would permit the national will to be tested in an Ireland comprising one political unit. They will never encourage an Irish unity that transcends the sectarian divide. How we achieve a national democracy within an All-Ireland republic remains an aspiration that challenges republicans today.

Despite the difficulties Republicans face and the resources arrayed against us by both jurisdictions in Ireland, the roots of the national flower run too deep to die. They may lie dormant for a generation or two, but they invariably spring to life again. We must work politically to achieve that reawakening.

We remember Volunteer George McBrearty and his comrade Volunteer Pop Maguire with pride. We remember the heroic hunger strikers who died and were dying for Ireland, as George and Pop lay riddled with British Army bullets at the bottom of Southway.

We remember all the men and women commemorated by this magnificent memorial who contributed so much to the struggle for Irish freedom. To the Volunteers killed in action, to those who died from other causes, to the brave Derry citizens who contributed to the struggle in any way, however big or small, and to all those who remain unconquered and unconquerable, we salute you and pledge our everlasting admiration and gratitude for your courage and patriotism.

Up the Republic!
 
John Crawley is a former IRA volunteer and author of The Yank.

Volunteer George McBrearty, 24 May 2026

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Hundred And Eighty Four

 

A Morning Thought @ 3158

Gary Robertson ⚽ It’s been an odd week here at Robertson Towers. 

Struck down by the lurgy and having taken to what I assumed was my death bed. So whilst the upcoming Scottish cup final really should have been the focus of attention it was clear I had been struck by the plague and was suffering greatly in only a way men can understand.
 
By Friday I began to feel much better and with the sympathetic and encouraging words of my son ringing in my ears - “Da no one is phoning a priest you’ve got a bug that’s all.” I managed to drag myself from what I assumed was my death bed, Lazarus style, onto my feet and I swear I heard angels sing as I did, plant myself in front of the TV. Trust me dear reader the struggle is real. Some may say I’m a tad melodramatic but better it is to err on the side of caution in my opinion. I am after all but a man and we men know that whatever ails the fairer sex we always get ten times worse.
 
So by Saturday I was as close to being a functioning human being as I’m likely to be and prepared myself for the match that was to come.
 
On paper a match up between Celtic (SPL champions) and Dunfermline of the Championship at first glance wouldn’t, even for a cup final, get the blood racing. The subplots made for a fascinating afternoon.
 
As already mentioned in last weeks column the financial implications for Rangers with a Dunfermline victory were massive, add in the “Will it won’t it” be Martin O’Neill's last ever match in charge and what looks almost certainly to be Daizen Maedas last match in a Celtic shirt?On top of this Neil Lennon facing up to his old boss, there was much more than a trophy at stake.
 
As I wrote on Bluesky at half time “that was the fastest 45 mins in football I can remember in over 40 years” and it was, a blur.
 
The scoring was opened in the 18th minute by, who else, but Maeda himself. From that point onward any thoughts of conspiracy quickly evaporated and on the 35th minute the much maligned Arne Engels shot from distance to make it a comfortable 2-0 at the break.
 
The second half and Dunfermline came out fighting, but again it was the Celts who increased their lead through super sub Kelechi Ihenancho in the 72nd min before Dunfermline did, as so many teams seem to do these days, scored their obligatory goal against the fragile Fenian defence. But by now in the 80th minute fortunately it was too little and too late. Celtic rattled a little, perhaps, still had as Neil Lennon put it himself “far more quality” and saw the club bag themselves a double.
 
As the cameras panned the celebrating crowds many banners and flags were on show and whilst we had the usual mix of Irish & Palestinian flags a few caught my eye in particular.
 
Flags in memory of IRA volunteer and hunger striker Raymond McCreesh and INLA volunteer and hunger striker Patsy O’Hara just two days after the 45th anniversary of their passing flown by young men - whose ages were comparable to those of these brave, selfless volunteers - again reminds us that when we are all lost to time their memories will live on. As they should be.
 
Another banner “Eternal rest Óglach Sean Clinton” remembering the volunteer who battled both the Brits and illness until his passing on April 30th 2026 was again, in my opinion (others may disagree) a lovely touch and tribute.
 
Back to the football and amongst Maeda's tears as he waved his goodbyes to the fans who’d taken him to their hearts and who’d written himself in the lore of Celtic FC another nice moment when Neil Lennon raised Martin O’Neill's hand high in victory. That’s how losing should be done. With dignity and respect not storming off exiting stage left and spouting conspiracy theories. A touch of class from a true Celtic legend.
 
Well done Neil Lennon.

So what’s to look forward to?

So Monday the premiership play off between St Mirren and Partick Thistle - available across Sky Sports.

Saturday - An international friendly as Scotland face Curaçao available on BBC Scotland from 1pm


Sunday - Womens Scottish cup final between Celtic and Rangers a 2pm kick off again being shown on BBC Scotland.

Also Sunday we have Largs Thistle v Auchinleck Talbot in the Junior Scottish Cup final.

So there’s plenty to whet the appetite and keep us interested before World Cup 2026 starts.

Speaking of World Cups we’re all used to those god awful dirges that pass as Scotland anthems (granted there’s not been many for a while) but just this morning this gem landed in my Bluesky notifications from @Robin-Grimmond3

If we don’t adopt this as this year's anthem I’m done supporting Scotland. A more Scottish, Scottish anthem of 2026? Show me a better one …

Enjoy and until the World Cup kicks off ….



🐼 Gary Robertson is the TPQ Scottish football correspondent.

Are We Coming Home Yet Scotland?


Azar Majedi ★ writing on 10-April-2026.

The main loser: people and the society; the winner so far: the Islamic Republic!

As expected, this war has turned people’s lives upside down. Hundreds of deaths, including children and infants, the destruction of a large and important part of society’s infrastructure, energy, water, gas, oil, pharmaceuticals, railways, schools and universities, hospitals and medical centres, factories and historical sites; the spread of poverty, the threat of hunger and famine predicted for 45 million people, poisonous and deadly polluted air; these have been the results of six weeks of devastating war for the Iranian people.

Ironically, during this devastating war, the Islamic Republic has found itself in a stronger position in the eyes of the world and in relation to the people in Iran, despite the significant and fatal blows to its existence and the loss of dozens of important and decisive members of the regime, including Khamenei.

Balance of Power

Forty days after the start of the war, society is facing a bitter truth: the balance of power between the people and the regime has changed to a great extent to the detriment of the people and to the benefit of the Islamic Republic. The war that the pro-US/Israeli factions tried to portray as a war to liberate the people from the evil of the Islamic Republic and are still desperately trying to show it as the only way to liberation and salvation; (they must mean salvation in heaven!) has not only not weakened the regime in relation to the people, but has actually pushed the people back significantly.

People whose lives are daily in danger of total destruction, who have become poorer, with a horrible future of famine and water shortage ahead, are desperate and helpless, tired and weak to organise to take control of their future and to overthrow the Islamic regime. The revolution needs organisation, leadership, a clear strategy and action plan, and political and social awareness. Revolution is not a spontaneous rebellion. Rebellion can be ignited and quickly smothered. The flames of a revolution cannot be easily extinguished.

Up until the day of the first bombing, the Islamic regime’s rule seemed fragile. People had imposed significant setbacks on the regime. People had changed the balance of power in the fight against and confrontation with the regime to a great extent. An important push back which has an ideological significant is the de facto overthrow of the Hejab by the women’s liberation movement. Hejab is the logo; the banner of the Islamic Regime. This is an important victory. But in forty days the war threw the people back and took away the power they had gradually gained over years of struggle.


Seizing nationalism as a trump card

An important factor in strengthening the Islamic regime, both in relation to the people and society and internationally, is for it to appear as the representative of Iranian nationalism and the “ancient Iranian civilization.” The Islamic Republic, especially the state-reformists or the so-called national-Islamists, have made many efforts to seize the ideology of nationalism. Even Ahmadinejad tried to present himself as the standard-bearer of Cyrus and Darius. These games did not have much impact on society and were met with ridicule and mockery.

Nationalism has traditionally and historically been associated with the right-wing opposition, the former regime, and the monarchists. But this right-wing and fascist movement, which has begged Trump and Netanyahu in a filthy and disgusting way to bomb and destroy Iran, carried Israeli flags in its demonstrations, danced and stomped in joy at the bombing and killing of people, and chanted obscene slogans such as "Tank you Trump," "Tank you BB," who have threatened their opposition with torture, death and lynching as their father in crown has done, has been stripped of any credibility in the eyes of the world and the Iranian society as a representative of the "Iranian nation" and in the general political culture of "Iranian nationalism."

Their leader, Reza Pahlavi, who has been exposed by many commentators, even the right wing, as a Mossad agent (the reason for his three trips to Israel during this period must be seen as part of his mission), is devoid of any kind of credibility and reputation in the world's eyes and is known as a freeloader who enjoys a super luxurious life thanks to his parents' thefts. A corrupt man whose name appeared on Epstein's list; a stinking beast who, the power they had gradually gained over years of struggle from before the twelve-day war until today, has openly called on Trump and Netanyahu to bomb and destroy Iran. He has officially opposed the ceasefire, following Netanyahu. He has publicly and in the media begged Trump and Netanyahu to cancel the ceasefire and continue the bombing until complete destruction.

Nationalism is a bourgeois ideology, a deceptive lie to maintain the unity of the people behind the oppressive capitalist state. Nationalism is a winning card of the bourgeoisie to rally and keep the majority of the people behind it, especially in times of war and intensification of class-political differences. Nationalism is the best tool of the bourgeoisie and the ruling class to control and suppress society. But as far as these stooges are concerned, the bitter irony is that their masters, Israel and America, are rushing so recklessly and brutally to implement the project of the new Middle East and Greater Israel that there is not a shred of credibility left for this so-called opposition. They have been completely thrown out of the Iranian political scene. One of the losers of this war is this old fascist movement. Thus, the seat of the representative of Iranian nationalism has been vacated for the Islamic regime to occupy.

This fascist movement, ardent propagandist of war, has gone so far in admiring and serving the US and Israel that no one, whether on the right or the left, recognises them as anything other than servants and mercenaries. Internationally, in the eyes of the global left movement and among people who are against war and massacre, the Islamic Republic, which has not only resisted military aggression so far, but has also inflicted relatively large economic and military damage on Israel and the military bases and economic interests of the United States in the sheikhdoms, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, has become the representative of "Iran" and therefore Iranian nationalism. Thanks to the blessing of the war, the Islamic regime was able to conquer a position for which it had fought fruitlessly for years.


Becoming a "world power"; The Mask of "Civilization and Morality"

It is not known whether the Islamic regime will emerge from this war in one piece and in full power or wounded and scarred? Perhaps not at all and will be destroyed; Future will tell. But in the current situation, the Islamic regime has won this devastating war.

In the eyes of the world, the Islamic Republic has made several important advances. It should be borne in mind that a large population of the world has suffered from the crimes, bullying and plunder of the American and Western empires, spearheaded by Israel; their conscience has been tormented by the genocide of Israel/America and the West in the Middle East and Africa. These people, who belong to various political movements, feel joy and happiness when they see the American and Israeli forces being hit. This is a natural and spontaneous human reaction. One must bear in mind that, except for the mainstream media, all narratives and analyses of this war call America and Israel the aggressors and the cause of the war. The majority of the world wants America and Israel to lose this war.

Furthermore, in the complete absence of any left and progressive force in the region that stands against Israel and America, in a situation where all the governments in the region are stooges of US and Israel, the resistance of the Islamic regime against the attacks of US and Israel and its attacks on Israel and the military bases and economic resources of America in the sheikhdoms has enhanced the position and credibility of the Islamic regime. This does not apply only to the forces supporting the so-called Axis of Resistance, many movements and people who are tired of these crimes and bullying of the last few years and see the danger of the destruction of the world have risen to praise the Islamic Republic.

Those who have rebelled against Trump's insane and psychopathic rants and behaviour immediately look to the opposite pole. Unfortunately, this is the spontaneous reaction of most human beings.

It must be admitted that the world is in a very dangerous and decisive situation. Anger, anxiety and fear dominate the atmosphere. People's eyes are opening to the lies, corruption and filth that rule the world. The mass protest movement is vast but devoid of radical left leadership. The working class and socialist movements are weak, incoherent, and scattered. The world is at a turning point: on the one hand, the undisputed rise of fascism, and on the other, the formation of a mass movement of awareness and protest.

As far as the people of Iran are concerned, maintaining and building solidarity, forming circles of support, and trying to maintain hope must be at the heart of our activities. In these circumstances, maintaining physical and mental survival is the main goal. Maintaining vigilance and readiness to confront a dark scenario is vital. The current situation is a defensive one. If the people can cope with these difficult and exhausting conditions, they will be in a much stronger position against the Islamic Republic, and if it is replaced along the way by a regime change, people will be in a better position to confront that puppet regime.

⏩ Asar Majed is the Chairperson of Organisation for Women’s Liberation.

The Bitter Truths Of War

Barry Gilheany ⚽ So Leeds United survived the beginning of our third spell in the English Premier League with three matches to spare . . . 

. . . in fourteenth place and with a final points total of 47; a comfortable eight above the dotted line. There was even the remote possibility of qualification for European competition. That reward went to Sunderland who came up through the Championship play offs and defied the received laws of football gravity by qualifying for the Europa League through their seventh-place final spot. Their previous foray into European competition was the 1973-74 European Cup Winners Cup competition (don’t ask me how they qualified for it; Google the answer!). It is to be hoped that interaction with European football culture acts as some kind of educative experience for those Brexit voting Makems! On a more cautionary note, how will the Black Cats juggle the perils of Second Season Syndrome with participation in what can be a draining competition in terms of travel and squad demand.

To return to the matter at hand; the moment that Leeds fans could definitely start dancing and dining to the tune of “Staying Up! We Are Staying Up! came with that excruciating VAR deliberation at the London Stadium in stoppage time in the West Ham United v Arsenal encounter where the stakes could not have been higher for the Gunners at any rate. For had Raya, the Arsenal keeper, not been adjudged to have been impeded (on top of several apparent tugging of West Ham shirts) during the melee resulting from a corner in which Callum Wilson rifled home what would have been a Hammers’ equaliser, then their arithmetic advantage at the top of the Premiership would have dissolved leaving the path clear for Manchester City to sweep towards yet another title. By contrast the point that the Hammers would have been insufficient to avoid the inevitable drop which was confirmed on Sunday past. But history and the Gods shone on Arsenal (and by extension Leeds United) and the goal was chalked off and rightfully so if the issue was solely the arm which crossed the body of Raya. But the noun stress simply does not do justice to the collective agony endured by maybe millions glued to their television sets across the world. 

But I share with my TPQ fellow columnist Dr John Coulter his joy and delight at this long overdue Premiership title for Arsenal. They were worthy winners; their standard of football defies the “One-Nil to the Arsenal” stereotype and the resilience and camaraderie amongst the group that Mikel Arteta has instilled which has enabled them to transcend the heartbreak and frustration of three successive runners-up finishes is something to behold. Onwards and upwards to a first ever and long overdue European Champions League trophy this Saturday against another Sovereign Wealth asset, namely PSG or should that be Qatar. Should Arteta do what no Arsenal boss has done since the legendary Herbert Chapman in the 1930s and retain the title, then a place in the pantheon of football deities awaits.

After another diversion into serendipity, I wish to report real satisfaction at Daniel Farke’s personal achievements this season in securing post-promotion safety for the first time in his managerial career as well as piloting a club to his first Cup semi-final. His change of tactical formation at half time at the Etihad on 29th November 2025 when his team were staring down the barrel of a defeat to equal the 7-0 rout inflicted by Manchester City in November 2021 and he down the barrel of likely dismissal after a run of four successive losses which had dropped us into the relegation places has already gone down in Elland Road folklore. Once we had extricated ourselves from the bottom three, a return was never likely as we became a competitive force in the Premiership, becoming much harder to beat and playing a brand of exciting football exemplified by the resurrection of the career of the notoriously injury prone striker Dominic Calvdert-Lewin. 

The highlight of the season was a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford over a Manchester United side much revitalised by Michael Carrick who has just been made permanent Head Coach; the first such League win at the lair of what for most Leeds fans is the Auld Enemy since February 1981. Farke thus achieved what evaded other (relatively) high achieving Leeds managers such as Howard Wilkinson, Marcelo Bielsa, David O’Leary, and George Graham. That we could easily have been three or four up at half-time and at the Hill Dickenson stadium (Everton’s new gaff) and Villa Park vindicates our status in the top flight. That we didn’t see such matches out to a wholly successful conclusion is certainly an area of improvement for next season.

That victory at Old Trafford presaged the dash to safety which saw us take 14 points from an available 21 with just one defeat and one duck; the 3-0 loss at West Ham on Sunday past, a dead rubber for far more tragic reasons for the Hammers whose relegation was the grisly climax to the most egregious corporate failings in recent English football history since the financial implosion at Elland Road in the early noughties which consigned us to a sentence of sixteen years of exile from the Premiership after relegation in 2004. In close competition for the dunce’s cap have been the executives at Tottenham who contrived to engineer the near-death experience of avoiding relegation by two points. Their survival was secured by a stumble to a 1-0 win over victory over Everton; their first home win since 6th December.

It is for others to dissect the grim goings on at boardrooms in North and East London. While wishing to avoid Thersea May type hubris about “strong and stable” leadership, the Leeds owners, the 49ers Enterprises, have proved to be solid tillers of the soil, something which could not be said for the succession of post Ridsdale regimes which made Leeds United a byword for financial and organisational incompetence. It was a history that Daniel Farke was totally aware of, having taken over as manager in 2023 in the midst of a relegation battle that was in large part due to appalling decision making by the board headed by Andrea Radrizzani and the Director of Football Victor Orta including signings of unsuitable players with relegation clauses. Having had to rebuild the club in the midst of the inevitable departures from the club, Daniel has warned the board of the legacies of such dysfunctional corporate leadership and will work with the 49ers as a team. A really positive development has been the commencement of work to expand Elland Road to a capacity of 52,000 by the beginning of the 2030s.

It was a weekend that saw multiple departures and ends of eras. Pep Guardiola bade an emotional farewell to a Manchester City for whom he brought a trophy haul unimaginable in the days of “Cityitis” (we won’t mention the 115 charges which will end up at football’s version of the County Court) along with two icons of the Pep talk era – Bernardo de Silva and John Stones with a guard of honour for de Silva as he departed the Etihad in a substitution in the 71st minute. Two lynchpins of what was essentially the Klopp era at Anfield, Mo Salah (the best forward to have graced the top flight in my years of watching football) and Andy Robertson also departed to the sight of another guard of honour at their substitutions. 

Whether Arne Slot will be around to properly manage the transition from the age of “heavy metal” football is, to put it tentatively, up for speculation. Andoni Iraola left Bournemouth, having not just kept this most unlikely outpost of elite football in the Premiership but to the Europa League. Oliver Glasner left Crystal Palace having guided them to their first major trophy, the FA Cup in 2025, and to the final of the European Conference League this season. How successful will their respective successors be in ensuring the continuing renewal and regeneration of their clubs?

Lastly, as a native of County Tyrone I cannot sign off on this piece without paying tribute to Frank McGuigan, a Red Hand legend who sadly passed away at home in his native Ardboe on Sunday at the age of 71. A footballing but very self-effacing prodigy who captained Tyrone in their 1973 Ulster Football Final victory at the age of 19; he would surely have achieved more than his second Ulster medal in 1984 at the age of 30 which he won through a scintillating display of football skill had not life in the form of exile on the building sites of New York. A superstar of his era; Frank had to deal with tragedy and struggle in the form of a serious road traffic accident which ended his career and later a battle with alcoholism which he came out of the other end. In his recovery years, he passed on his wisdom and knowledge to the next generation of Ardboe GFC players including his three sons.

RIP Frank.

Marching on Together

⏩Barry Gilheany is a freelance writer, qualified counsellor and aspirant artist resident in Colchester where he took his PhD at the University of Essex. He is also a lifelong Leeds United supporter. 

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