Seamus Martin Lord Professor Bew Woodrow Wilson (2) Manus O'Riordan Brendan Clifford Labour Comment

page 6 page 18 back page IRISH POLITICAL REVIEW April 2008 Vol.23, No.4 ISSN 0790-7672 and Northern Star incorporating Workers' Weekly Vol.22 No.4 ISSN 954-5891

Paisley And "British Government" A Right Wing Budget

The London Times advised Ulster Unionists a few weeks ago not to rock the Sinn Fein Speech by Mark Langhammer boat too hard. The Establishment of the British state wants peace in Limbo. It doesn't (Labour Party) on the Northern want old sores scratched or new sores inflicted. Northern Ireland has been cobbled Ireland Executive Budget and together again, and all concerned must put on their best parlour manners to make sure Investment Strategy, 2008-11, that . the cobbling holds. 20 March 2008 It is not a democratic state, but it is a condition of the 1998 Agreement that it should be pretended that it is a democratic state. But the pretence must be restrained. In debate with Cllr Ian Parsley The modern democracy is a party system of government in which there is all-out (Alliance Party) and conflict between the party in Office and the party in Opposition. This system of conflict Mark Bailey (Green Party) does not wreck the state because usually there is hardly anything at issue between the conflicting parties except the mere holding of Office. The parties occupy substantially The budget of the Power-Sharing the same ground and therefore they can do each other down without restraint without Executive—let's call it the Robinson destroying the state. If there were fundamental matters at issue between them, so that budget—is a right-wing budget. It has a change of government caused a change of social system, what we call democracy been proudly described as "right wing… would not work. and Unionist driven" by Iris Robinson Northern Ireland is neither a democracy nor a state. MLA and by Edwin Poots, both of the It is a variant of the British state, excluded by Britain from the political system of the DUP, who also taunted Republicans by state. adding "Sinn Fein are pleased to achieve Within this Northern Ireland system the ground of party division is not of a kind with an Equality Impact Assessment of the the party division in the rest of the state. It is a communal division signified by religion, budget—but we set the budget." not a policy division relating to the government of the state. Neither Iris Robinson, nor Edwin Poots In the old Stormont system, where the democratic principle of majority rule applied, is wrong. the Protestant community had to return a Unionist majority at every 6 County election As with every other Northern Ireland in order to remain under the British state. A 'swing' towards the Nationalist Party which budget, the Robinson Budget is gave it a majority at Stormont would have led to a transference of the region from the constrained within the limits of the Barnett UK to the Republic. A subsequent reverse swing would have taken it back to the UK. formula [which determines how much of It was no more possible to have the 6 Counties nipping to and fro between the two the UK tax pool goes to NI (and Scotland states than it was to have the British social system changing to and fro between capitalism also)]. It is very much about dividing up and socialism as fundamentally antagonistic Labour and Tory Parties took turns at the slice of cake given by the Treasury. If winning elections. the Blair mantra was "Education, education, education" we should not forget continued on page 2 continued on page 4

Appreciation was held there for nearly two years. for Cork Co. Council. At week-ends he When he was released from the Curragh gave grinds in commerce and Pádraig Ó he found it difficult to get a job. On his accountancy He was a brilliant teacher release he did not have a proper pair of and one of his ex-students told me at his Cuanacháin shoes and they gave him an old pair of funeral that "if you had Paddy as your army boots. Later that day on the Grand teacher you were sure of success". The news that Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin Parade in Cork he met an acquaintance had died suddenly in Cork on Sunday who said "Paddy that's a great pair of On the Sunday of his death he went March 2nd was a great shock to all who boots, where did you get them"? He to the monument on the Grand Parade knew him. Born on 11th January 1932 replied "a present from De Valera". to take note of the names on it, went to he was 76. He had a diploma in He eventually joined Udaras na his nearby office a short distance away, commerce and was a certified Gaeilge and served with distinction until came back out on to the street and accountant. He joined CIE for a short he retired at 65 in 1997. He was then collapsed. Some passers by helped him time and then worked for Cork Co. seconded to Gael Taca and was back into his office but he was dead Council. responsible for opening many Irish when the ambulances arrived. He died He was a member of Sinn Fein and language schools as well as promoting in the office where he had worked for so was interred in the Curragh in 1956. He all things Irish. He was also a translator long promoting the Irish language. It is

continued on page 3, column 2 himself we pressed the information on C O N T E N T S him in the lobbying of British party conferences in the 1980s and early 1990s. Paisley And 'British Government". Editorial 1 He indicated then that he did not wish to A Right-Wing Budget. Mark Langhammer 1 know that, which meant of course that he did know it but did not intend to let the Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin. Jack Moylett (an appreciation) 1 knowledge interfere with his career. BBC Readers' Letters: The Casement 'Black Diaries'. Roger Sawyer 3 journalists are carefully blinkered ideologues with disciplined eyes. A Martian Eye On Russia. Manus O'Riordan 6 Shorts from the Long Fellow (The Irish Woman; The Kenyan; The Scotsman; Paisley too knows that Northern Ireland is a place set apart. About 25 years ago he The Nepalese Boy; The American; The Irish Mahon) 9 adopted the policy of bringing it into the Social Partnership. Philip O'Connor; Manus O'Riordan 10 British system. He was talked out out of it by some powerful figures behind the Israel Flouts UN Resolutions. David Morrison 10 scenes, and reverted from 'integration' to 1916 Speeches In Co. Cork. Report 11 the Protestant/Catholic squabbling, which is the ground of Northern Ireland politics. Tibet. Conor Lynch (letter) 11 Since he once had the daring to propose Why History. T. O'Sullivan (report) 11 that the North of Ireland should be integrated with Britain, he knows that The Elections Of 1918, 1920 And 1921. Pat Muldowney 12 Ulster is not British but is only connected Does It Stack Up? Michael Stack (Boy Soldiers; Leaseholds; David Irving; with Britain in certain vital respects. University Funding; Environmental Terrorism) 15 In 1985, when John Hume gained his first great triumph, the Anglo-Irish Reactions To Paisley's Departure. Conor Lynch (Part 1) 16 Agreement, we responded by launching Lord Professor Bew And The Forging Of A Shared Past. Brendan Clifford 18 the CEC (Campaign for Equal Citizen- ship), which gathered considerable support Spies And Lies—Cui Bono? Julianne Herlihy (Part 2) 20 for a while. Hume got very angry with us, Editorial Digest. (Royal Irish Regiment; Saint Patrick's Day In Belfast . . . but he reckoned that we would fail because and in Dingle; Would You Wear An Easter Lily?; Prisoner Releases; Israel And the Unionists would submit to British Settlers; Simon Community; Outsourcing; Nice Little Earners) 24 pressure, would pull away from the campaign to democratise Ulster within Labour Comment, edited by Pat Maloney: the politics of the state, and would Woodrow Wilson: a lost soul in Paris withdraw to the enclave that Whitehall put them into in 1921. They backed down Northern Ireland politics is no more extremists in the Unionist movement and in 1921, he said, and agreed to operate a based on policy difference today than it the moderate extremists in the other camp. pseudo-state outside British politics, and was before 1972. But the old system in The extremist moderates had made Paisley he predicted that they would once again which, under a semblance of democracy, their bogeyman for 40 years—see the submit. And he was right. The submission there was a permanent party of government Irish Times, any date. Of course it was was made publicly by Frank Millar (wee and permanent party of opposition has awful that he should be the Unionist who Frankie), Secretary of the Unionist Party, been replaced with a system which allows made a settlement. But what they really who took a Unionist Party delegation to for no opposition but has all parties in the resented was that he let in Sinn Fein. Bad Downing Street, was told authoritatively government. though he was, he had a good side—he by Mrs. Thatcher that Northern Ireland This system was stabilised last year would die in the last ditch, rather than let would not be let into the British system of when Sinn Fein and the DUP became the Sinn Fein off the hook. And then, as soon politics and government, gave an angry major parties in their respective commun- as he became the dominant Unionist interview with the press when he came ities and Paisley agreed to operate the representative, he let Sinn Fein off the out, and went home and obeyed. system with Sinn Fein. hook. The Protestant community was disabled The self-proclaimed 'moderate' or The logic of the sniping at Paisley from in its political life by what happened in 'centre' parties, who had failed to make the backwoods of extreme moderation is those few years in the mid-1980s, and the anything resembling a settlement, then that intransigent Unionism should confront Catholic community was invigorated. We applied themselves to unsettling the Sinn intransigent anti-Partitionism in a political are almost tempted to say that a kind of Fein/DUP settlement, and they egged on wasteland. The Times did not want a revolution happened during the past twenty discontented elements within Paisley's return to that state of affairs. Apparently years which transferred Northern Ireland party who wanted to keep on paying off the Irish Times did. from Limbo to Purgatory. old scores. The good Lord Fitt used to say that Paisley was interviewed by BBC *** there is no such thing as a good Unionist journalist Andrew Marr. As reported in or a liberal Unionist, only a Unionist. the Irish News of March 10th, he said he Ed Moloney has published a book called Adjectives don't matter. A Unionist is a had smashed Sinn Fein by driving it into Paisley: From Demagogue To Democrat. Unionist is Unionist when the matter in politics: "I did smash them because I took It is a bewildering title. Demagoguery is question is Irish nationalism. The only away their main plank. Their main plank the characteristic mode of democratic difference is one of manner. And, as there was that they would not recognise the discourse. Just listen to Question Time in is no accounting for taste, there may be British government. Now they are in part either Westminster or the Dail. some who prefer Trimble's manner to of the British government." Lord Bew reviewed it in the Irish Times Paisley's. Marr did not press the matter. He (15 March) under the title Paisley And The campaign against Paisley was fed knows very well that Northern Ireland is a The Provos: Inextricably Linked? Why from two opposite sources—the extreme place set apart. If he did not see it for the coy question mark? Paisley and the 2 Provos are the current representatives of the Protestant and Catholic communities LETTERS TO THE EDITOR · LETTERS TO THE EDITOR· LETTERS TO THE EDITOR· in the Northern Ireland system in which they were irresponsibly thrown together by the rulers of the British state and deprived of the political medium which The Casement 'Black Diaries' would have enabled them to be anything An Overlong Controversy In Outline (Part 3) other than intimate antagonists. You have been kind enough to allow me to answer the various adverse criticisms made *** in your columns relating to my alleged failure 'to engage meaningfully and fully with the forgery thesis'. But your correspondent is not convinced that 'following all the leads I The Irish Times (Tom Fewer) marked could in the Noyes-McHugh-Mackey archive' would be a fruitful process, although he the 90th anniversary of the death of John does not know what those leads were. Apart from anything else, names, addresses and Redmond during the month (25th March). telephone numbers led me to all sorts of helpful living witnesses and their sources. It told us that "After Parnell's affair with Obviously I could fill a lengthy volume with all that. I should be grateful if you would Katherine O'Shea the Irish Parliamentary allow me to outline in brief just one trail which I followed. Party all but disintegrated because of The first step was to approach Richard Crossman who, as British Director of Political internal bickering and the influence of the Warfare against the Enemy and Satellites or as Assistant Chief of the Psychological Catholic Church". In fact it was the Warfare Division of SHAEF might have been expected to know something about the English Protestant Nonconformist activities of his predecessors in the First World War. He advised me to approach Sefton influence in the Liberal Party that made an Delmer, the Daily Express correspondent who had been a 'Director of Special Operations' issue of the evidence given in the O'Shea during the Second World War; also Donald McLachlan, who had held various divorce case and demanded the resignation propaganda posts which came loosely under the heading 'Naval Intelligence'. of Parnell as a condition of maintaining Sefton Delmer, amidst some useful leads, wrote the following frivolous suggestion: the Home Rule alliance. The affair with "If you are mad keen to establish that the diaries were a forgery why not got someone Kitty O'Shea—an English upper class lady to forge a page or two rather badly—and then say that this was a 'first proof' subsequently —was well known in the Party long before rejected for the more perfect article now accepted as genuine. That is what dear Dr Goebbels would have done." the divorce action, and neither the Party nor the Catholic Bishops made anything Donald McLachlan's leads, which complemented Delmer's, were very helpful. of it in the first instance. The split in the Thanks to him I was able to get my foot in the Cabinet Office, where I obtained an Party came about when Gladstone said he introduction to a 'professional' forger. I had better not name him but what followed would have to drop Home Rule if Parnell brought home to me that, just as one man's traitor is another man's patriot, a forger can continued as leader. William O'Brien be a genuine hero: that is if his talents are employed to save lives. Forgers of the Second suggested that Parnell should stand down World War spent much of their time producing fake printed matter to enable brave as leader in Parliament for the time being, individuals to escape the attentions of the Gestapo. Inevitably the degree of the forger's while continuing Party Chairman. Parnell bravery often depended upon the location in which he had to work. refused to consider any compromise. He I won't go on for ever, but I was able to elicit responses from individuals attached to demanded blind obedience from the Party, Room 40 (Naval Intelligence), the body which monitored Casement's movements during and a breaking of the Home Rule alliance his collaboration with Germany. One of them commented: "the Intelligence Division with the Liberals. When he failed to get was very large, spread over a number of rooms—room 40 came to be used as a sort of this he set about breaking the Party in the Generic title after the war". country, and indulging in revolutionary That's enough, I hope. My efforts to get my findings aired meant that I had to try ten posturing, with Redmond as his loyal publishers before anyone was happy to take me on. apostle. Roger Sawyer Then the Irish Times says: "Some credit for the Land act of 1903 must be given to Redmond". In fact that Party under Redmond's leadership tried to Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin persuade the tenant-farmers that the Land continued Act was a Landlord/Tory swindle to rob so sad, as he was in great health. It seems He was a special person and is deeply them of their savings. This led to a split in he had a massive heart attack. mourned by his loving wife Noirín and the Party. The supporters of the Act, led children Deirdre, Colm, Ciarán, Fergus by William O'Brien (who was also its He was also a great help to the Roger and Brian. architect, along with Ulster Protestant Casement Foundation. Raising funds was Jack Moylett tenant righter T.W. Russell), led its his specialty. Whenever the foundation implementation against Redmondite need an injection of cash Paddy rallied to opposition, and contested the 1910 the cause and raised what was necessary. Editorial Note: Election in opposition to the Redmondites. He attended all of our Symposiums and Any readers who attended spoke at many of them. launches of the Aubane Historical Then the Irish Times slips us into the His latest interest was in Casement's Society in Cork city will remember Great War, never telling us what it was time in Germany. He forged links with Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin, both as about, but saying that "Asquith… and local History associations in Zossen and Chairman and from radio broadcasts. Redmond… were anything but other parts of Germany that had a memory He will be missed. warmongers, but they were shocked by of Casement. Incidentally, the Irish Times did the atrocities committed by the Germans He contributed many articles to a wide not see fit to mark Pádraig's passing. in Belgium". But of course Asquith range of publications. I particularly liked But we are sure that is no surprise to declared war, with Redmond's support, his occasional Irishman's Diary in the any readers who have followed that before the Germans had any opportunity Irish Times. paper's curious obituaries policy. to commit atrocities.

3 part of it! Richard Murphy (2) shows that the UK A Right Wing Budget To be fair, the leverage and scope for loses some £25-33 billions in tax avoidance continued Peter Robinson (even were he minded to by large corporate businesses and super do so) to effect movement away from this wealthy individuals. Based on the standard that the Robinson edict will be "Barnett, failed UK economic model is limited. anticipated share, under Barnett, this could Barnett, Barnett" By way of contrast, it is worth saying add between £0.71 billion and £0.94 billion The Budget, Investment Strategy and that the inflexible, unproductive, 'ossified' into Northern Ireland's coffers. Neither Programme for Government (PfG, Prog- economies of "old Europe" are bringing in Peter Robinson, the DUP nor Sinn Fein ramme for Government) was welcomed by trade surpluses. The German economy, have anything at all to say about this the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which Gordon Brown never tires of heaping staggering loss of income to the local the Institute of Directors (IoD), the scorn upon, has the biggest trade surplus in Treasury! Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the world! Japan's last year trade surplus Why the silence? by all and sundry in the media. It was was over £50bn. France, the Scandinavian One of the largest companies present in agreed unanimously by all 4 parties in the countries, and even Italy returned trade Northern Ireland is Tesco's. We spend an Executive Committee—the DUP and Sinn surpluses. estimated £1 of every £3 in groceries at Fein of course, but also the UUP more They all live within their means or better. Tesco's and about £1 in every £8 of total grudgingly (on grounds that they did the income. Yet Tesco's are fit to boast that it "heavy lifting" in the last administration). Public Services: I have argued elsewhere their duty to their shareholders to bilk the Bizarrely, the SDLP Assembly group (3) that the mantra that the Public sector is Treasury to the tune of over £1 billion per opposed the budget on the floor of the "crowding out" the private sector is annum through a network of complex Assembly, but assented in Executive! spurious; and that the 3% Efficiency financial vehicles in offshore havens! There is nothing in the budget that could Savings is a tactic borrowed straight from A gigantic fraud has been committed by not and would not have been undertaken by HM Treasury's Gershon Review. Northern the financial elite, with the tax burden shifted New Labour, and nothing in it to worry Ireland is heavily reliant on the public to PAYE taxpayers. This sort of slash 'n Gordon Brown or Alastair Darling. It is sector, but public services are increasingly burn, Gangster Capitalism is more brazen written firmly within a free market, neo- "marketised", that is, run on private sector than anything the UDA were ever liberal orthodoxy. It talks of compounded, lines, with cost minimisation, Compulsory responsible for, on a scale unimagined by year on year "efficiency savings", talks Competitive Tendering (CCT), "best the Andre Shoukris, the Johnny Adairs, and down the public sector as "oversized", sets value", VFM (value for money), out- the Jackie McDonalds. It would be enough out 23 Public Service Agreements (PSAs), sourcing, and efficiency gains—the public to make Harry Enfield's "loadsamoney" proposes the sale of significant public assets, sector equivalent of shareholder value. And character blush! and hitches a vast capital expenditure to an the tactic of "balkanizing" the public sector aggressive privatisation and marketisation into 23 PSAs, all target-driven and micro- The Celtic Tiger: Second, the "Celtic Tiger" programme. managed, is the embodiment of the 'control development is about very much more than The difficulty for Northern Ireland in freakery' endemic in HM Treasury —the the "stroke" of low Corporation Tax—and proposing a "budget for business" or a same culture, I gather, to be found in Peter the four Executive parties lack a coherent budget to "kickstart the economy" is that Robinson's Castlereagh Council and, by understanding of this. 'our wee province' forms part of a wider UK now—I would guess—within the Perhaps the best account of the Celtic economy which relies heavily on the Department of Finance & Personnel (DFP) Tiger is contained within Tim Hastings, performance of the City of London, on as well. PSA balkanization also represents Brian Sheehan and Padraig Yeates account, housing speculation, on Government the opposite of a "joined up" public service Saving The Future (4). The IoDs, CBIs, borrowing and spending, on vacuous ethos. FSBs and all the Executive parties need to consumerism and vast individual consumer understand the mix of factors which shaped borrowing, on the availability of both easy, CORPORATION TAX: SILVER BULLET? the Celtic Tiger. These include: regulation-lite credit and on the availability Apart from Conor Murphy's useful * 1st, Massive infrastructural investment of low-cost consumer goods from around measure to allow the publicly-owned ports facilitated by transfers from the EU the world. a degree of commercial freedom, the only negotiated by Haughey and landed in In today's economy, the United King- significant economic proposal from the the time of Reynolds' Government. dom as a whole—in the words of many a Executive has been to harmonise * 2nd, The negotiation of a series of Chief Constable—lives a lifestyle "well Corporation Tax rates with the Republic beyond its visible means". The UK is, of Ireland rate of 12.5%. Prompted by national partnership agreements— allegedly, the 4th largest economy in the economists such as Mike Smyth and finance powerful corporatist arrangements borrowed consciously from the German world, yet it is remarkably unproductive. and banking interests such as Sir George The UK makes very little, manufactures Quigley, this has been the sole "silver Mitbestimmung (co-determination) very little; grows very little; and extracts bullet" economic approach agreed between system—between trades unions, employers and Government. This or mines very little. In 2006, there was a the parties. The proposal was slapped down £60 billion deficit in visible trade in goods by Sir David Varney's review. The naivety effectively providing a de facto incomes (ie stuff we make). This deficit is, of this approach, however, is a shocking policy and industrial relations stability as the basis of economic policy apparently, to made up to a degree from reflection on the bankruptcy of communal, "invisibles"—the result of a vibrant Protestant Vs Catholic politics, and wholly * 3rd, The positive effect of new techno- financial services sector! The health of the misunderstands the position on two counts. logy for a geographically peripheral City of London is of paramount importance island to the UK Governments—a financial centre Tax Justice: First, very few of the big * 4th, Efforts to attract targeted sectors of that even the International Monetary Fund corporates (let alone super wealthy FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) notably has described as a tax haven. individuals) pay a fair tax contribution, in new technology and the bio-medical This is all well described in Larry Elliott with over one third of the "Top 700" sector. and Dan Atkinson's book, Fantasy Island companies paying no tax at all! Paying at * 5th, An agreed education strategy, with (1) which I would recommend to you. The 12.5% would be a shocking state of affairs a structured and targeted county system UK economy is not remotely productive, for these serial anti-social scroungers. The of vocational education and good and Northern Ireland is the least productive staggering recent report by tax specialist regional technical colleges 4 * 6th, Nimble and focused government, The Office of the First Minister and change in the marketisation of our public not least through the Department of the Deputy First Minister has more employees services and a diminution of the public Taoiseach than George Bush's White House, and ten sphere. If we are honest with ourselves, there was times more than Alex Salmond's equivalent PFI consortia and tendering companies a patriotic aspect to the Celtic Tiger too. I Department in Scotland! Nothing tackles remain ever alert for opportunities to rip off recall the then SIPTU leader, Bill Attley the cost of segregation. The "Shared the public purse. The recent revelations of saying that the social partners got together Future" Action Plan was "noted". the National Audit Office in Great Britain "to save the country"! We in the Labour No measures have been taken to pro- indicate that PFI companies routinely Party should be big enough to admit that the mote the 'green' economy. The German overcharge for 'extras'. Changing a socket three core elements making the "Celtic Tiger" achievement of vast job creation and invest- or a door handle can cost a king's ransom. roar have been the national development ment in low carbon technologies has not This is inevitable in 25- or 30-year long ideology of Fianna Fail, the effects of been looked at by Mr. Robinson—but is contracts, where the service contractor has Catholic social teaching, and the social coming within the mainstream of the public sector "over a barrel". Only last democratic instinct of a Trade Union Government thinking in the Republic under month, the Guardian 'outed' the latest movement which saw itself as the industrial the influence of Green Party's Eamon Ryan. sophisticated off-shore tax avoidance wing of the national movement. There was a Fianna Fail were not behind the door in measures of PFI consortia on capital gains desire of all three components to "leapfrog" stealing ideas from the German system of (5). And all this following on the spectacle Britain and reconnect fundamentally with Mitbestimmung (co-determination); they won't of the Inland Revenue—yes, the Inland Europe. There has been some rowing back be shy to steal German ideas on the green Revenue—offloading its buildings estate to from the "leapfrog to Europe" strategy since economy either. And with over 200,000 a company, Mapeley, registered in the tax Haughey. And it is noticeable, too, that the Euro investment pledged to energy-related haven of Bermuda! Mapeley, it should be more adversarial instincts of the British- research over the next 5 years, Ireland— noted, was a bidder in the notorious Northern based Trade Unions are at the core of from a low base —is now set to seriously Ireland "family silver" sell off—Workforce opposition to Partnership within the Trade promote a low-carbon economy. We'll see 2010. Peter Robinson is entirely relaxed Union movement. incentives to develop low energy transport; with 'Casino Capitalism'—relaxed about this we'll see energy-efficient building sort of financial gangsterism and so, it seems, regulations; we'll see a growing are his partners in Government. THE PRODUCTIVE ECONOMY With 12.5% Corporation Tax binned, and commitment to bio-fuels in public transport off the agenda, the Robinson budget provides and we'll see the promotion of a shift In the final analysis, this Robinson budget no alternatives to support the development towards energy crops in farming. is a budget of communal political parties of a manufacturing or productive economy. But not in Northern Ireland, where even unused to social and political economy. It is No Industrial Planning Boards or Tri-partite an Environmental Protection Agency has the budget of politicians out of their depth, arrangements are in place to stimulate long- been too much for the DUP. and with no concept of the sort of rip-off term, strategic planning. There are some Instead, the Robinson budget has looked merchants, international tax dodgers, and supply side measures to support "STEM" to the Casino Capitalism of the "British slash and burn thieves swarming to and subjects within Higher Education—that is Way"—the "funny money" spivery; the picking over the bones of the "new Northern Science, Technology, Engineering & "smoke and mirrors" of private finance. Ireland". Mathematics —but vocational training is a The relaxed way in which Peter Robinson straightforward 'read across' from England's has embraced PFI (Private Finance References failed Leitch Report. For instance, the Initiative: under which public services are (1) Fantasy Island: Waking up to the incredible Jobskills programme so badly slated in the farmed out to private capital), and the economic, political and social illusions of the Blair legacy: Larry Elliott and Dan Atkinson; PAC (Public Accounts Committee of the shadowy Strategic Investment Board is instructive. Mr. Robinson has approved Constable 2007; www.constablerobinson.com House of Commons)in 1995 has been ISBN 978-1-84529-605-6 the Workforce 2010 initiative—a vast repackaged as an "Apprenticeship" system (2) The Mission Billions: The UK Tax Gap, retaining all the previous failed Government estate hand-over to the private Richard Murphy (Director of Tax Research components—and the Apprenticeship sector; these buildings will be leased back LLP www.taxresearch.org.uk ) for the Trades system will—as sure as night follows day— over a 25 year period and—here's the Union Council, www.tuc.org.uk 2008, ISBN end up back at the PAC, charged with high sting—at the end of the contract, the private 978-1-85006-814-3 drop-out rates, poor levels of completion, sector will own the buildings. It's like (3) Mark Langhammer, Speech to the UNITE low employer involvement, no tri-partite taking out a 25 year mortgage, except that (TGWU) Regional Conference, November sectoral planning, and funding-driven you don't get to own the house you've paid 2007; www.labour.ie/northernireland programme run by poorly tendered for! (4) Saving the Future: How Social Partnership processes. It's all so depressingly predictable. The Balmoral High School escapade is shaped Ireland's economic success: Tim Nothing in the budget tackles vastly over- a prime example, where a school built in Hastings, Brian Sheehan & Padraig Yeates; Blackhall Publishing, Dublin 2007 bureaucratic governance—the ridiculous 2003 on a 25-year contract will close this (5) Guardian Finance Section: Scheme to save spectacle of 11 Departments on top of 108 year. No post-project evaluation has taken place; the taxpayer will pay £400,000 a taxpayers money that became a tax avoidance MLAs double and treble jobbing, state scheme: Tuesday March 4th 2008 funding of up to a thousand political jobs, year until 2026/27 for a school that has many filled by political spouses and relatives. long since closed, to a total of £9.2 million; * The breakdown of public funding received by Although the 26 Councils will reduce to 11, no lessons have been learnt—yet Minister the Robinson family for 2007-08 won't be known some 460 Councillors will be retained—a Robinson is set to charge straight ahead for some time, but the figure will be higher than huge over-provision. with a vast capital programme along private that for 2006-07. Mr Robinson is now a Minister It should be noted that Peter Robinson finance lines, led by the nose by the (of Finance), with Mrs Robinson holding a and his family have benefited to the tune of Strategic Investment Board. This shadowy, remunerated Stormont Committee Chairmanship (of the Health Committee), and with MLA office close to half a million pounds in 2006-07 unaccountable Board is the 'attack dog' of the marketisation agenda. Set up as a running costs have increased by around £20,000 from the public purse from tax funded per member. Within their allowances, the Robin- political salaries and allowances in respect company with private sector imperatives, sons employ all three of their children, plus a of their Council, Assembly and Westmin- all Permanent Secretaries are legally daughter-in-law. ster roles. And the Finance Minister's family obliged to "take advice" from the SIB. And The Labour Party 'take' is set to rise in 2007-08.* this "advice" will, over time, see a step- www.labour.ie/northernireland 5 relevant CPSU representative on matters of mutual interest in the area of mass Book Review communications media … Iskra does have a very talented team behind it. Gerry A Martian Eye On Russia Gregg, the principle (sic) mover behind the project, is a Senior Producer/Director Seamus Martin is a decent man and he Seamus has now made that childhood with Irish television's most influential has decided to behave decently towards memory public and tells the story of his programme 'Today Tonight' … Eoghan Harris is a veteran television producer. those who on a personal level behaved father's vote as follows: He has won many awards for his strident decently towards him during the course of "In one particular election, Michael films …" his journalistic career, even to the point of O'Riordan stood as a candidate for the unconvincingly giving them the benefit of Irish Workers' League, the name under 'Iskra' Harris had particularly taken the doubt on a number of key issues. For which Irish communists then stood. Canon exception to a Moscow report from Martin such reasons, these memoirs of the former Troy announced from his pulpit that that had been published on 26th July 1991. Irish Times correspondent in Moscow may anyone who voted for 'Red O'Riordan' would go 'straight to hell'. To my ten- As Martin relates: prove disappointing to some readers, "Then there was a plenum of the already well informed by this journal of a year-old mind the admonition was taken literally. If you voted for O'Riordan you Communist Party to draw up a new catalogue of exposures of the likes of would literally go straight to hell and you programme. There was a number of drafts, long-time Irish Times Trust Supremo wouldn't even have to die first. It was a but one of them appeared to move the Major Tom McDowell and current Editor great cause of worry, therefore, when my party in a social-democratic direction and Geraldine Kennedy. It is true that Martin father told me he was going to vote for this was given prominence in the Western does not skimp in presenting the details of O'Riordan. To hear, however, that Dad media. I took issue with this, in the any story to which he turns his attention. was going to vote for O'Riordan and knowledge that the Leningrad party boss, What can, however, be questioned are therefore would go straight to hell as soon Leonid Gidaspov, an extreme hardliner, some of his conclusions. He does indeed as he marked his ballot paper gave me had stated he supported a draft that was some sleepless nights. But when the likely to be successful. My article drew reproduce in full the October 1969 report the ire of the Irish commentator Eoghan from UK Ambassador Gilchrist to his dreaded descent to the abyss did not take place, my belief in the hereafter took a bit Harris, who launched a virulent attack on masters in London concerning McDowell's of shaking." my journalism on radio. The Communist offer of his services to the UK Government, Party was now social democratic, he said, but he then follows with McDowell's denial As far as subsequent left-wing politics and that was that. Harris had been in of how he had described the the patriotic were concerned, Martin himself went on social-democratic mode at the time, but Editor Douglas Gageby and his own to have a local level involvement in the he soon got over that. He also sent a long rambling missive to Conor Brady, sug- unconvincing whitewash of the former: Workers' Party from 1986 until early 1991: "It seems obvious that the term 'white gesting that I change my name to Seamus nigger' was Gilchrist's and certainly not "I left the party before that split took Martian , as I was not living on this planet. I asked Conor to run the missive McDowell's." place and before I became Moscow correspondent of the Irish Times. I had no unchanged and to allow me to reply by What should, in fact, be obvious is that personal animus against anyone in the saying that Harris should now change his the very opposite is the case. One has only Workers' Party, but there was a great deal name to Eoghan Harass. In the end, Conor to read the exact text of Gilchrist's letter to of friction between various individuals felt it better not to run the letter and in any see clearly that this was not how Gilchrist and groupings, which made me feel quite event I felt completely justified very soon himself had described Gageby, but is his uncomfortable. Pat Rabbitte, by the way, afterwards when Harris's 'social demo- report of how Major McDowell had so gave me an interesting piece of advice. crats' launched a botched coup d'etat in an categorically described him. Of the current He told me that I should never join the attempt to bring the USSR back to its old Editor, Martin also writes: "Geraldine Labour Party, as the internal machinations Stalinist ways." Kennedy had been a colleague since the there would drive me crazy. 1980s. She supported me very strongly "Pat later became the leader of the Among Martin's Moscow anecdotes is Labour Party and resigned after the 2007 also the following: when I was under pressure in the old general election. His advice in retrospect "Pyotr Nilovich Guverov's father was Sunday Tribune and I welcomed her seems ironic, but I took it." appointment as the first woman editor of Neil Goold Verschoyle, an Anglo- the Irish Times." But one is then forced to Irishman from County Donegal who had But Martin continued to be harassed by lived and worked in Russia before resort to reading between the lines of his one particular erstwhile WP Muscovite returning to Ireland. Pyotr's name was a criticism of that paper's return to what zealot who would attempt to get the then concoction that attempted to represent Martin, as a disciple of Gageby, describes Editor, Conor Brady, to silence him. One his father's name in phonetic Russian. as the 'Anglosphere' in foreign coverage, can therefore understand Martin's pleasure Neil became Nil, thus the patronymic to realise that it is Kennedy who must be in filing a report for the Irish Times on Nilovich, the first two syllables of Goold held responsible. 16th December 1992 in which he revealed and Verschoyle were joined together as Gu and Ver, and the Russian suffix Ov Seamus Martin's memoir—entitled a letter dated 1st July 1986 from the Workers' Party to the Secretary of the was added to make up the surname Good Times And Bad: From The Coombe Guverov. He was a gentle soul but totally To The Kremlin—was launched this Central Committee, International Depart- devoted to Communist Party work, which February by his brother, the Catholic ment, Communist Party of the Soviet took up a great deal of his time. No one Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. Union, stating, inter alia: was more surprised than I when he jumped When Seamus had been writing my father's "As part of this struggle some members from the Communist Party to a party run obituary in May 2006, he let me into what of the Workers' Party recently formed by the famous eye surgeon Vyacheslav was at that stage still a private family Iskra Productions … an independent film Fyodorov. This political grouping espoused strong neo-liberal economic story. Some weeks later, however, when company based in Dublin … Iskra Productions is a Marxist film-making views and was similar to the Progressive encountering his brother at a social enterprise which commands this party's Democrats in Ireland. It was the sort of function, I could not resist the temptation full support… We hope you can fraternally political leap that even Eoghan Harris to mischievously thank a somewhat assist this undertaking by entering might find daunting." embarrassed but nonetheless polite discussions with representatives of our Archbishop for his own father's vote! But Party and Iskra Productions and the While giving credit to Boris Yeltsin for 6 standing up to the attempted coup of August man became a chelnok, a shuttle. Krysha, embassy. But when the Taoiseach said at 1991, Martin is, however, also at pains to the Russian word for 'roof', took on a new the beginning of his address that he had differentiate himself from the prevailing meaning to become the name for your learned of a third explosion, this time in Western media perspective: local mafia boss, who might get things an apartment block in a provincial town, done for you at a price. Many words were a number of journalists got up and left in "It should be stated here that there had copied almost directly from English. A order to get onto the story as quickly as been a group of reporters which had businessman became a biznesmyen and a they could." become little more than a claque of cheer- businesswoman a biznesmyenka, and in "The Taoiseach's visit did, however, leaders for Boris Yeltsin. Some of them some cases the words biznesmyen and give me an advantage over some of my had even fallen for the idea that stories of Krysha were interchangeable. Living with international colleagues: as the only Irish Yeltsin's fondness for alcohol were an hyperinflation led to disaster for many newspaperman in town, I was admitted to invention of the KGB … But Gorbachev Russians, but only to adjustments in the Russian White House where he was had returned to a very different Moscow lifestyle for us foreigners . . ." meeting the then Russian prime minister, from the one he had left. The power base "Some citizens, however were very Vladimir Putin. I asked Mr. Putin about had shifted from him and the liberals within much out of the ordinary. These men the latest developments on the bombings the Communist Party to Yeltsin and his included Boris Abramovich Berezovsky, and he replied immediately that there was supporters. This was dramatically Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky and evidence of Chechen involvement. What demonstrated some days later when Yeltsin Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich. Each struck me most of all was his obvious publicly humiliated Gorbachev in front of man made his billions in a different way anger at what had happened. Vladimir the parliament and the entire Soviet Union and fate was kind to some and cruel to Putin was not the sort of man who showed via the TV networks. This was a different others. Berezovsky now lives in a mansion his emotions openly. The one consistent Yeltsin from the one we had seen up to in Surrey, Abramovich owns Chelsea criticism of him that one heard from now. His body language as well as his Football Club and Khodorkovsky inhabits ordinary Russians was that he appeared to words were those of a bully. His swagger a small cold cell in prison. Berezovsky be something of a cold fish. On this on the tank on the first day of the coup had started out on the road to immense wealth occasion, however, he was almost in a become the swagger of a browbeater." by opening a chain of car dealerships. rage. He has been accused by enemies in Acquisition followed acquisition and the West—notably those close to the Martin goes on to describe the demise of included the Avtovaz automobile plant, exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky—of the Soviet Union as follows: which produced three-quarters of a million having staged the bombings in order to "The red flag came down and the old cars a year; Channel 1 television; the resume Russia's war against the Chechens. Tsarist tricolour was raised over the Aeroflot airline; the newspaper Nezavis- His behaviour on that day was not that of Kremlin at midnight on New Year's Eve, imaya Gazeta; and some other valuable a man who had calmly laid such an evil and 1992 appeared to offer hope of dramatic bits and pieces. His wealth brought him plan." into the company of those in political change for the better. It was, however, to Martin had already acquired a contempt be one of the most difficult years Russia power and he became a strong influence was to undergo since the end of the Second on Yeltsin's administration, largely for Berezovsky when the latter had been World War… The year began under the through his links with Yeltsin's daughter, 'cock-o-the-walk' in Yeltsin's entourage. direction of Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, Tatyana Dyachenko …" Somewhat tongue-in-cheek he writes: who promised an instant free market that "In order to raise money for the state, "Another American, Paul Klebnikov, would sweep away the old system and Chubais came up with the 'loans for shares' the editor of the Russian edition of Forbes usher in a period of prosperity for all. It scheme. By this, the Government raised magazine, wrote extremely unfavourable didn't work out that way. The first move money from the banks by auctioning off things about Boris Berezovsky and was was to free prices…The result was the state's assets—especially the country's gunned to death outside his office. Mr. increased prices all round, and by the end vast natural resources in oil, gas and Berezovsky, needless to say, had no hand of the year inflation had hit 2,500 percent. metals—as collateral for loans. The result or part in the killing but took no action to It was quite an experience living under of the scheme was that a small number of clear his name against such untrue such conditions, but of course as a foreign financial operators who were well allegations." resident life was much easier than it was connected with the government of Boris for ordinary Russians. I use the word Yeltsin got their hands on the state's most Martin sums up his Russian experience 'ordinary' here, for there were other important resources at ludicrously low as follows: Russians who did not feel the pinch when prices. In effect Russia gave away its "And then there was Russia, a country inflation bit into the wages and pensions of natural wealth and made a group of men whose people and traditions I have learned the masses. Those immune from inflation's who were already rich and powerful, to love. I covered Russia for the Irish worst effects included Prime Minister immensely wealthy and powerful beyond Times for Yeltsin's entire presidency and Gaidar and the most of the other 'reformers', their wildest dreams". for a great part of Putin's. I also served as led by Anatoly Chubais…" Following his departure as the resident an international observer for the "Almost instantly the elderly women of Moscow correspondent Martin did, Organisation for Security and Co- Moscow and other cities took to the streets. operation in Europe at the Duma and They didn't organise protest marches or however, revisit in later years: presidential elections. Russia is returning anything as radical as that. Instead, they "On one of my subsequent trips back to to its position as a great country. Conse- lined up in the pedestrian underpasses to Moscow some terrible events took place. quently, the opposition to its leadership sell their belongings to passers-by. The Two major apartment blocks were bombed has begun to grow more vociferous. If a space outside the children's department in the middle of the night. The first one at new cold war is developing it has emanated store Detsky Mir suddenly turned into the distant suburb of Pechantniki appeared from the West. Vladimir Putin is no something resembling an oriental bazaar, at first to have been damaged by a gas Western-style liberal and has been where thousands gathered daily to buy and explosion; but when another block on excoriated by the political establishment, sell. Money was scarce and dwindling in Kashirskoye Chausee was blown up, especially in the Anglo-Saxon confines value. In order to survive, the great mass of thoughts turned to sabotage. As it turned of the United States and the UK." the people was forced to sell its belongings out, An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was due "I look back to the Yeltsin era as one of on the street. Historians have described to visit after the second explosion, so it destruction. Boris Yeltsin was probably similar scenes from the early days of the was a particularly busy time. There was a the right man to destroy what remained of Soviet Union, when 'bag men' travelled breakfast briefing that Bertie gave to a the communist system. He was the wrong from place to place by train to sell goods group of international journalists in the man to build something in its place. that were reasonably plentiful in one city Metropol Hotel. That it was well attended Vladimir Putin inherited a country that to the inhabitants of another town where by representatives of the leading world was in a shambles and—helped, admit- the goods were scarce. New words began newspapers and agencies was a tribute to tedly, by rising energy prices—he has to enter the vocabulary. The new-age bag the organisation put in place by the brought stability and a modicum of 7 prosperity to Russia. Yeltsin was lionised western countries for recognising Kosovo, "With more than 69% of the electorate by Western leaders and Putin excoriated and is directly associated with the heavy- turning out to vote, and with Medvedev by them for his record on press freedom. handed Gazprom diplomacy in eastern receiving 70.2% of these, amounting to Statistics show a different picture. From Europe, all reflecting the aggressive even nearly 52 million votes, there can be no the time that the Soviet Union came to an bullying assertion of Russian interests and question that he is the popular choice of the end at midnight on 31 December 1991 standing that Putin has come to represent". Russian people. Some, of course, have until the time of writing this book, forty- cried foul—notably two of the losing three journalists have been killed in Russia Seamus Martin had never been starry- candidates, Gennady Zyuganov of the in the course of their duty. Of these, thirty- eyed about any aspect of Russian life or Communist Party, who garnered just short one died in seven years of Boris Nikolaye- history. All the more reason, then, to be of 19% (13 million votes),and Vladimir vich Yeltin's presidency and twelve over grateful that he has not completely hung up Zhirinovsky, who can only be described as the same space of time under the presidency his boots but has in fact gone on to directly the candidate of the 'raving right'. Both of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin." report from Moscow on those same Russian men spoke of 'irregularities' without being elections in the columns of the Irish any more specific and said they would It is to Douglas Gageby that Martin Examiner. On March 3rd he reported: contest the election results in the courts. gives credit for having radically altered "From the Chukotka Peninsula, just With such a massive gap between them foreign news coverage by the Irish media: across the Bering Straits from the former and Medvedev it would take more than mere 'irregularities' to persuade the courts "Foreign coverage had long been an Russian colony of Alaska, all the way that the result should be overturned." item that distinguished the Irish Times across to the Kaliningrad enclave on the "Perhaps the most vociferous protester from other newspapers in Ireland. For Baltic Sea, Russians went to the polls to against the Putin administration and the decades after independence, Irish elect a new president yesterday. The new election of Dmitri Medvedev has been the newspapers had relied on British sources president will be Dmitry Medvedev, the former world chess champion Gary for their view of the outside world. Other 42-year-old anointed successor of the Kasparov. Badly treated by the police and countries also relied on British sources for incumbent Vladimir Putin, who received security forces, Kasparov had been given their views on Ireland. Attempts had been 69.4% of the vote, according to exit polls… a great deal of publicity by western media made to overcome this dependence. The Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist sources. It should be stressed that his Irish News Agency was set up in the 1950s Party of the Russian Federation (with popular support is minimal and had he to provide a view of Ireland through what 17.2%) and Vladimir Zhirinovsky (with stood for election he might have finished had become known as the 'paper wall'. 11.4%) of the Liberal Democratic Party - around the same mark as the fourth candi- Douglas Gageby had worked there with which is not in the slightest measure Liberal date, Andrei Bogdanov, who got 1.2% and Conor Cruise O'Brien, and when he or Democratic - trailed in behind him, with around 950,000 votes. While he makes became editor of the Irish Times he the country's leading Freemason Andrei valid points strongly and with conviction attempted to provide a more international Bogdanov limping in last of the four there ware a number of reasons why voters view of world affairs. He commissioned contenders with a mere 1.8%..." do not support Kasparov. Not least amongst the news service of Agence France Presse "At the first polling station I called at these is that his Drugaya Rossiya (Another to counterbalance the British-angled yesterday, there was a steady stream of Russia) movement has compromised itself coverage provided by Reuters, and he voters going through a metal detector on in the eyes of moderate voters by its also appointed Fergus Pyle as the paper's their way in to vote. The voting procedure Faustian alliance with the National first foreign correspondent." in Russia is quite strict compared to that in Ireland. All voters must produce their Bolshevik party of writer Eduard Limonov. And for all his kind words whenever passports to prove their identity. They These activists, mainly young neo-nazi mentioning Geraldine Kennedy by name, then sign against their entry on the register skinheads, are no credit to the anti-Putin he is contemptuous of her editorial before being given their ballot papers. In and anti-Medvedev cause. Even the term responsibility for reversing Gageby's Moscow yesterday, voters participated not National Bolshevik has the ring of National approach: only in the presidential poll but also in Socialist about it. While there is no evidence of National Bolshevik involvement, up to "The decision to save a small amount of municipal elections… I have attended half a dozen elections in Russia since the 16 racist murders have taken place in Russia money by dropping the service from already this year with skinheads as the Agence France Presse (AFP) caused, in adoption of the current constitution in 1993. In general the voting procedures main culprits. It should also be remembered my view, a diminution of the paper's that Russians have never had democracy foreign coverage. It was Douglas Gageby and the counting of votes have been completely above board. The real problem in the sense of that experienced in the west. who bought the AFP service in in the first Human rights infringements, such as the place as a balance against Reuters' for democracy has been the extreme bias of the media, especially state TV stations, breaking up of protest meetings and the concentration on what has become known dominance of mass media, are regarded as the 'Anglosphere'. I don't know who for the Kremlin's candidate. It was like this in the Yeltsin era, with little or no lightly by a people who have suffered far decided to drop AFP, but whoever it was greater abuses in the past." could not have had the breadth of vision criticism from the west. It continues to be nor the journalistic acumen of Gageby, so today under a barrage of censure from the western sources." In the concluding paragraph of his who was perhaps the paper's greatest memoir Seamus Martin, with considerable editor." On March 4th Martin further reported: justification, sums up as follows: Madam's own prissy editorial this March "The Head of the Council of Europe "My coverage, particularly that from 1 concerning the Russian elections could observer mission, Andreas Gross, declared Russia, was criticised fiercely by both not have been in greater contrast with that the Russian presidential election was Eoghan Harris and the Phoenix editor, Martin's sense of perspective: neither free nor fair, but broadly reflected Paddy Prenderville, so I feel I must have "On Sunday the Russian people will the will of the people. The Council of been doing something right." participate in the 'democratic' coronation Europe was the only western organisation of a new president, Dmitry Medvedev, to to send a mission to these elections. The And, to borrow from both the language succeed Vladimir Putin. Voters in this OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions, used by Harris in attempting to have the republic of 140 million, a major nuclear the main and most comprehensive western previous Irish Times Editor clamp down power with the world's largest hydrocarbon monitoring organisation, refused to send on Martin and that used by Martin himself reserves, will transfer power for only the an observation team because of restrictions in implicit criticism of the present editor, it second time since the demise of the Soviet imposed by the Russian authorities. can indeed be said that the reportage Vladimir Churov, the flamboyant Head of Union by formally ratifying Mr Putin's produced by the Martian eye on Russia has anointed choice after a distinctly one-sided Central Election Commission (TsIK), election campaign… On the international responded to calls for greater transparency proved itself to be streets ahead of anything stage, however, continuity will be the order with the words: 'What should I do? Should emerging from the Anglosphere. of the day. Medvedev has castigated I make TsIK members work naked?'..." Manus O'Riordan 8 film made about his lifestyle. legislation. Like Kevin Myers with Samantha It was no accident that Spitzer was Power, the defenders were unable to decide named and shamed. Specific private whether to denounce the film for revealing interests were served by it . . . speaking Shorts what it did or to defend what was revealed. of which . . . from Eoghan Harris at first appeared to see nothing wrong with O'Searcaigh's sexual THE IRISH MAHON the Long Fellow relationships with young poor Nepalese When did the Mahon Tribunal begin? men. He compared it to Socrates's Was it with (the) Flood or before then? relationships. (It was only in an interview The English historian Edward Gibbon THE IRISH WOMAN on Morning Ireland (12.3.08) that Harris described it in the fourth century AD: Irish born Samantha Power was forced admitted after repeated questioning that "In the practice of the Bar these men to resign her position as unpaid advisor to what O'Searcaigh did was wrong). considered reason as the instrument of Barack Obama's presidential campaign In the following week's Sunday dispute; they interpreted the laws because she called Hillary Clinton a Independent (16.3.08) he denounced the according to the dictates of private "monster" in an interview with the programme-makers for not blanking out interest; and the same pernicious habits Scotsman newspaper. the faces of the Nepalese youths, which might still adhere to their characters in the public administration of the state. This must have been a disappointment implies that something more shameful than Greek philosophy had occurred. The The honour of a liberal profession has to The Irish Times, which has given her indeed been vindicated by ancient and and her recent book extensive coverage. expression on the faces of the Nepalese modern advocates, who have filled the She was also the main speaker at the youths just after they left O'Searcaigh's most important stations with pure inaugural Hubert Butler lecture, chaired abode was the most powerful aspect of the integrity and consummate wisdom; but by Fintan O'Toole, where she took the documentary. When the poet's defenders in the decline of Roman jurisprudence opportunity to expound on America's are reduced to broadcasting technicalities the ordinary promotion of lawyers was imperial role in the world. it is obvious which side has lost the pregnant with mischief and disgrace… argument. The splendid and popular class was filled with the advocates who filled the THE KENYAN The defenders had raised the white flag Forum with the sound of their turgid Curiously, ex Irish Times columnist early on when they accused those who criticised O'Searcaigh's exploitative and loquacious rhetoric. Careless of Kevin Myers leapt to Power's defence in fame and of justice, they are described his Irish Independent column (14.3.08). behaviour of being homophobic. But for the most part as ignorant and Myers's position was that Power's belonging to a minority group does not rapacious guides who conducted their description of Clinton was accurate, indeed exempt a person from criticism. And clients through a maze of expense, of "veered a little on the side of flattery", but Quentin Fotterell an Irish Times journalist, delay, and of disappointment, from she had also the right to prevent the who happens to be gay, was most indignant whence, after a tedious series of years, Scotsman journalist from publishing this at Harris's attempt to enlist the Gay they were at length dismissed when accurate and flattering view! community in support of O'Searcaigh (see their patience and fortune were almost How these neo-conservatives hate Morning Ireland, 12.3.08). exhausted" (The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire). Hillary Clinton! Even a Black is preferable Harris's failure to mobilise the Gay to Clinton. Of course, only a certain community to support O'Searcaigh was In the 21st century Grainne Carruth, a type of Black is acceptable to neo- reminiscent of his failure to enlist the secretary on £66 a week in 1994, was conservatives. Colin Powell's people were Protestant community to support his anti- bullied for two days by millionaire from Jamaica and Obama's father was national agenda. barristers. Des O'Neill threatened her with from Kenya. But Jesse Jackson's ancestors a €300,000 fine and jail of up to two years were slaves in the USA. THE AMERICAN if she "wilfully" told an "untruth". When The business of sex as a commodity is, she insisted that she did not recall making THE SCOTSMAN of course, distasteful. The payment by any sterling lodgements on behalf of The Editor of the Scotsman was invited New York Governor Elliot Spitzer of Ahern, O'Neill asked this extraordinary on RTE radio to explain himself. He denied $4,300 to a prostitute in a Washington question: that Power was speaking off the record. hotel room was not his finest hour. But "Why is it that you did not contact Power agreed to have an on-the-record unlike O'Searcaigh he did not invite the Mr Ahern in the interim in relation to interview with the newspaper because she media to examine his lifestyle. Nor did he these matters, which are of crucial was promoting her book. In the course of pretend that what he was doing was importance to you and to your family?" the interview she said some unpleasant virtuous. And it is difficult to think of the (The Irish Times, 21.3.08). things about Clinton and subsequently prostitute as an innocent victim. By all So Ms Carruth is not only obliged to stated that those comments were off-the- accounts she is likely to become a very remember the details of transactions of 14 record. wealthy woman out of this affair. years ago, but must question the Taoiseach But that does not qualify as "off-the- It is very unusual for the clients of about them! And this is not only important record". If it did, interviewees would be prostitutes to be named, never mind for herself, but also her family. granted editorial control of everything charged. One might agree or disagree Miriam Lord of The Irish Times that was published about them. with that policy, but the question arises suggested that Ahern should come forward why was Spitzer named in this case. and confess his crimes in order to save THE NEPALESE BOY Spitzer was a supporter of much greater Carruth from her ordeal. In other words Perhaps Cathal O'Searcaigh wishes that regulation of financial institutions in order the Tribunal is perfectly entitled to hold he had editorial control of the Fairytale of to prevent irresponsible lending and other Carruth hostage in order to bring a guilty Kathmandu documentary. sharp practices such as "securitisation" or verdict against the Taoiseach of the It is unclear whether O'Searcaigh broke the selling on of worthless loans around country?! any Irish or Nepalese laws. In normal the world. This was in conflict with Bush's The lawyers have lost the run of circumstances what O'Searcaigh did would "regulators" who are actually trying to themselves. If Ahern does not close the therefore be a private matter. But it ceased prevent States such as New York from Tribunals down at the earliest opportunity, to be such when he consented to have a implementing consumer protection he will have deserved his fate. 9 Fianna Fail and Social Partnership adapted successfully to the challenge of the European Single Market, in large Social Partnership And Fine Gael part due to social partnership." That same Taoiseach had previously —Defending a Great The following letter appeared in the Irish Examiner of 3rd March pronounced that "social partnership is Diarmaid Ferriter has drawn attention patriotism", adding that "it has worked for Achievement everyone, for competitiveness of the Social Partnership is the bedrock of the to the argument advanced by Niamh Puirséil. historian of the Labour Party, economy, for both short-term needs of real modern Ireland. It made our prosperity that "social partnership could have become people and for the long-term needs of the possible by replacing the British model of economy". confrontational social relations with a a reality much earlier if Fine Gael had not been so hostile to trade unions when in No, these were not the words of a uniquely Irish version of problem solving, government in the 1980s" (February 21). Fianna Fáil Taoiseach. but of a Fine Gael conflict resolution and forward planning one. It was none other than that self-same in the interests of Irish society. It was Whether or not such social partnership can continue to meet the future needs of John Bruton who was to articulate such a developed on the basis of Scandinavian, Irish workers—in respect of both the considered judgement when addressing German and other successful European both the IMPACT Conference in May models of social cooperation and industrial quantity and quality of job creation and the required improvement in living 1996 and, beforehand, the ICTU democracy. Its initiator was Charles J. standards—is, of course, an issue yet to be Conference in July 1995. John Bruton Haughey, and it was greatly deepened also went on to praise the outgoing ICTU under the political leadership of Bertie determined through the democratic structures and procedures of the trade President, Phil Flynn, in the following Ahern. It is one of the finest products of union movement. But it is doubtful if terms: "His commitment to making the the Fianna Fail and Irish trade union social partnership work was more than traditions. The Partnership Agreements— national debate has been advanced by the statement on February 11 from the Deputy could reasonably be expected of any which are often toughly negotiated—are Leader of Fine Gael, Richard Bruton TD, human being—a demonstration of regularly endorsed by large majorities of practical patriotism." ordinary trade union members, not to where he snipes at our movement by describing social partnership as "a process Padraig Yeates, co-author of "Saving mention companies and small firms, dominated by producer interests" and "a the Future: How Social Partnership Shaped farmers and the community sector. Ireland's Economic Success", recorded It is now under attack, with Richard cosy arrangement among insiders". There is indeed a disappointing sense how, at that 1995 Conference, "the Bruton saying it has "lost its way", that the of deja vu to all of this. For it was John Taoiseach, Mr. Bruton, admitted to being Dail has been "emasculated" by it, that a late convert to the concept of social "changes made by the present Taoiseach Bruton, in his Leader's address to the Fine Gael Ard-Fheis in May 1994, who had partnership. He paid tribute to the Irish have spawned Byzantine institutional Congress of Trade Unions for its complexity" and that the whole thing now long ago used similar language to denounce social partnership as "this cosy contribution to making it work, despite needs to be replaced by a mass of some criticism in his own ranks". It was consumerist interest group representation. consensus" with "insider-type policies, of the kind favoured by Fianna Fáil and John Bruton himself who drew attention Back to the future! Labour". to the following fact: "My experience of There is no doubt that, if the Irish social partnership started out as one of Times succeeds in its attempt to emasculate A contrasting evaluation was, however, to be offered by a subsequent Taoiseach in scepticism". So it was that ICTU the position of the present Taoiseach, the the following statement: Conference delegates, including myself, assaults on this unique achievement of heard that last Fine Gael Taoiseach go on Fianna Fail and the unions will become "National agreements have been key social institutions in creating Ireland's to candidly admit to us all, in three very more concerted and ambitious. Fianna outstanding performance. The State has simple words: "I was wrong!" Fail politicians have a duty to defend one of their party's greatest historic Israel flouts UN resolutions had no 'weapons of mass destruction'. achievements. In recent days, Israel has announced its The following letter appeared in the intention to build a further 530 settlements For a review of the history of social Belfast Telegraph, 14th March 2008 partnership in Ireland in all its aspects, on the West Bank, with a further 200 to including the key vital ingredient of Five years ago the US/UK invaded follow. This action is in violation of UN courageous and independent political Iraq, ostensibly because of its failure to Security Council resolutions 446, 452 and leadership, see my article, Lifting the give up its 'weapons of mass destruction' 465. The US/UK is not threatening Boats: Partnership and Progress in 'Tiger' as demanded by UN Security Council economic or military sanctions against Ireland, in the most recent issue (Winter resolutions. Israel. 2007-08) of free online journal Dublin For over a decade prior to that, Iraq had Why is Israel being treated differently? Review of Books, at www.drb.ie been subject to severe economic sanctions David Morrison, Irish Palestine Philip O'Connor to enforce these resolutions. In fact, Iraq Solidarity Campaign, Belfast

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10 A new war on independence is being He encourages anti-Chinese feelings and Report of Speeches fought—without guns—a war of actions. But when things start to get out of independence of ideas and stating the plain hand, he washes his hands of those facts of the Rising and original War of responsible. Further, neither he or you or Commemorating 1916 Independence. The facts are on the side of anyone else has chosen to explain the those who applaud the Rising and the war. Tibetan attacks on Muslims in neighbouring Millstreet Let's aim to ensure that, by the time of the provinces. 100th anniversary, the virtues of the 1916 Conor Lynch Jack Lane welcomed the opportunity will be fully and enthusiastically commemorated by all. to address the Easter Rising commemor- Report ation in Millstreet. [Irish Political Review reporter] All nations have events to commemor- Why History? ate the founding of their states and some Elsewhere In Cork I think it was on Sunday January 13th last do it with great pride and gusto such as the Tom Meaney, a former Fianna Fáil TD I was laid up in bed with a bad cold and as a French and the Americans. The Easter and Minister of State, said "There is not a result listened to Newstalk FMs history Rising deserves to be commemorated nation in the world that does not celebrate programme Talking History. It goes out on likewise. its independence day, the anniversaries of Sunday nights at 7.00pm. It was January 13th It was successful initially in the way it great victories and great events in their and the subject of the show was "Ireland and hindered recruiting for WWI and saved history, and that is what we are doing here the First World War". The regular presenters thousands of lives. today". are Patrick Geoghegan and Lindsey Earner- It helped expose the propaganda lie Mr. Meaney, speaking at a FF-organised Byrne. about 'the freedom of small nations' of that commemoration beside the Republican There were a number of guests. One War. It brought the case for Irish Plot in Gouldshill Cemetery, said people character, I think it was Dermot Meleady, independence to the forefront of affairs. should be proud of the men and women of who sometimes writes letters to the Irish Time. It was overwhelmingly sanctioned by 1916. Michael Meade, chairman of He said a striking thing. This man claimed that the electorate in 1918 and subsequently. It Thomas Davis FF Cumann, placed a the Church very much supported the war helped found an independent state that has wreath on the plot. effort at the start because the Germans were had an unbroken democratic tradition, "raping Nuns in Belgium". This nonsense was avoiding dictatorship of the left, right or Sinn Féin commemorated the Rising let go by the presenter and the other guests as centre. It has also avoided war and people with wreath-laying ceremonies at Mallow if it were as incontestable a fact as that the title are clearly not happy with efforts to get Bridge and at the Republican Plot in of the Russian head of state in those times was the state participating in aggressive wars Gouldshill Cemetery where Thomas Davis "the Czar". against other countries. Pipe Band members also rendered The show tended to be pro-Redmondite It led to the independence that has honours. though not wildly so. There was no explanation enabled the country to be redirected from of the links between WWI and the Rising or being simply a supplier of cheap goods Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was urged— what the deeper motives of the rebels were. and cheap labour to other markets. by Cllr Frank O'Flynn, FF National A smart-alecky character rang in to The more independence we have had, Executive at a FF commemoration at the challenge why people took an interest in history the better off we have become. Republican Plot in Kilcrumper Cemetery, at all. The presenter answered to the effect that Despite these causes for celebration, Fermoy—to ensure the remains of the otherwise the programme would not be the Easter Rising commemorations are executed patriot Thomas Kent be removed broadcast and he would have nothing to do. It muted affairs. In fact in recent years the from their burial place within the ground looked like he had no real idea why people Rising is more criticised than lauded as is of Cork Prison and re-interred in should take a serious interest in history himself. the War of Independence that followed it. consecrated ground in accordance with T. O'Sullivan 7th March 2008 This is most peculiar. It was initiated the wishes of his family. in sections of academia and if it remained [Irish Examiner, 25.3.08] confined to that world, it would be of no great concern. But negative attitudes Tibet towards these events now pervade the The following was submitted on 21st media as well as academia and large March to the Irish Times. It has not sections of the political class. appeared, the paper preferring to feature It was personified by the Peter Hart anti-China letters approach as applied to the war in West Recent events in Tibet have been Cork where he used every technique portrayed in your editorial and letters imaginable—including interviewing the column as a conflict between Tibetan dead—to discredit the Volunteers and their protesters seeking independence or achievements. RTE has followed suit as autonomy and the Chinese authorities. was shown in the programme on Coola- You and many of your readers fail to crease last October. comment on the fact that the protests took Currently the President, Taoiseach and the form of attacks on Chinese people and other politicians discredit the Rising by businesses. A case could be made for comparing it with the Somme and giving intimidating what are perceived as planters the impression that the Irish people who into leaving Tibet, but that case has not fought in both were fighting for the same been made. I assume that, with Northern purpose. Nothing could be further from Ireland and Israel in mind, such a case will the truth. The Rising was for national not be made. It is therefore unreasonable liberation—the Somme was was for to condemn the Chinese authorities for imperial aggression; the Rising was not a clamping down on the protesters and bloodbath—the Somme was; the Somme protecting the Chinese civilians. was based on lies—the Rising was not. The role of the Dalai Lama is despicable. 11 point of view, the constituencies in which Review: The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916-1923 by Michael the Sinn Féin success should be primarily Laffan, Cambridge University Press, 1999 assessed are those within the borders of the twenty six counties of the present-day The Elections Of 1918, 1920 And 1921 Irish Republic. The result in that case is: Michael Laffan is a revisionist academic Laffan describes how the British Sinn Féin 69, Nationalists 2, Unionists historian in University College, Dublin. authorities used force against the Sinn 2 (Trinity College and Dublin Rathmines). The title of his book is a reference to The Féin election campaign—breaking up One of the two Nationalist victories was Resurrection Of Hungary, written by Sinn election meetings, imprisonment of party in East Donegal, where Cardinal Logue Féin's founder Arthur Griffith in 1904. activists, seizure of election material, and had negotiated an agreed anti-Unionist His study of the Sinn Féin party began as so on. The electorate was 75 per cent of candidate, so it was effectively uncontested an MA thesis under the supervision of T. the adult population, where previously it by Sinn Féin. The other Nationalist victory Desmond Williams. had been 31 per cent. In a breach with the was in the Redmondite stronghold of Laffan's view of the 1916-23 period is practice of the Nationalist Party of John Waterford City, where Captain Willie that a "revolution" was accomplished in Redmond, the only unionist constituencies Redmond won by a relatively narrow Ireland by extremists, but a degree of left uncontested by Sinn Féin were North margin of 4915 votes against Sinn Féin's continuity with the past was maintained Down and Trinity College. Sinn Féin 4431. So on the Irish side of the future by "moderates" within the Sinn Féin party nominated three women as candidates— border, Sinn Féin had practically a clean who re-asserted themselves against the Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington turned down sweep. violent militarists who, by a freak combin- the nomination, while Countess And in the North: Unionists 24, Sinn ation of circumstances, had dominated Markievicz was elected. The party insisted Féin 4, Nationalists 4. events and had driven forward their that candidates in Irish-speaking areas "revolution … which was reined in, at would themselves be Irish speakers. The Dáil met thirteen times from least in part, by an organized expression Almost all its candidates had been in jail. January until September 1919 when it was of mass civilian opinion. … The party outlawed. After that, until the Elections of helped win over and marginalize the Many of the Nationalist MPs had May 1921, it convened eight times. In radicals, the 'real' (and unrepresentative) obtained their seats without electoral such circumstances, rather than legislation, revolutionaries". Laffan makes great play contest, and withdrew in the face of the its work consisted of supervision of the of the 1922 Election results, as providing electoral challenge by Sinn Féin. The Government Departments. The Cabinet the evidence that Irish democracy (the Labour Party had been founded in 1912 and Government Departments worked out Irish Parliamentary Party traditionals, in and had contributed to the Rising in the of various offices and hideouts around combination with moderates in Sinn Féin form of Connolly and the Citizen Army. Dublin, and like the Dáil, operated under and other parties) reined in violent, Electorally, it had contested only one by- constant threat of capture. The Cabinet revolutionary Republicanism. Election, according to Laffan He also says met 102 times between April 1919 and Laffan seems quite blind to the world- that in 1918 it was torn between its northern July 1921. scale revolutionary upheaval, destruction unionist members and its nationalist and slaughter in which Ireland was members. Sinn Féin members of the Irish THE 1920 LOCAL ELECTIONS implicated by the militarism of the Imperial Transport and General Workers Union Local Government had been under the Government, causing total alienation of were able to bring their influence to bear control of the Nationalist Party for twenty mainstream Irish opinion which, like the to prevent Labour from running years. By 1920 no local elections had been independence movement as a whole, was candidates. held for six years, and they were overdue. democratically-inclined, reform-minded The outcome was vital to both the Irish in a 'conservative' way, and largely non- The 1918 Election was contested by Government and the British power. 'revolutionary'. 187 candidates—77 Sinn Féin, 56 Proportional Representation was Laffan includes useful accounts of the Nationalist, 35 Unionist, 6 independent introduced by the British Government to 1918 General Election, the Local Elections nationalist, 4 independent unionist, 8 replace the first-past-the-post system, in of 1920, and the 1921 General Elections Ulster Labour, and 1 independent. the hope of reducing the impact of Sinn to the Dáil, Stormont and the Parliament Sinn Féin won 73 seats, the Unionists Féin. The Sinn Féin election programme of Southern Ireland. The latter two won 26 seats, and the Nationalists 6. Sinn for the Local Elections included a demand parliaments had been set up by the 1920 Féin fought 37 straight fights with the for efficient and honest administration, British Partition Act. The Dáil was set up Nationalists and won 35 of them. The appointments based on merit, open by the majority Sinn Féin elected Unionists won two seats in the south— competitive examinations for all clerical representatives following the 1918 Trinity College and Rathmines. The posts, improvements in health services Election. Laffan does not even attempt to Nationalists clocked up only two victories and in the provision of housing, and a reconcile his theory with these expressions in direct contests with Sinn Féin—Joe policy of spending the rates within Ireland of "mass civilian opinion". Devlin in Belfast (Falls), and Willie on goods produced under Trade Union Redmond in a narrow victory in the conditions. The Sinn Féin party was THE 1918 ELECTION Nationalist stronghold of Waterford city. outlawed at this stage. The 1918 Sinn Féin election manifesto The latter was one of only two Nationalist The elections were in two phases: City was for the creation of an Irish Republic, seats won in the twenty-six counties. The and Town Council Elections were held in withdrawal from participation in the other was Donegal East. January, county or rural council Elections Westminster Parliament, and the were in June. In January Sinn Féin won establishment of an Irish constituent It can be reasonably argued that 550 seats, Labour 394, Unionists 355, assembly or Dáil. According to Laffan the Partition was an accomplished fact on the Nationalists 238, independents 161, and manifesto committed the party to using ground after the successful armed revolt municipal reformers 108. "any and every means available to render of the Unionists against the British 43 women were elected, 28 of whom impotent the power of England to hold Government in 1912, in resistance to the were Sinn Féin. In Belfast City Council, Ireland in subjection by military force or implementation of the policy of John the Unionists won 35 sets (a loss of 15), otherwise". Redmond's Nationalist Party. From that Labour 12, Sinn Féin 5, Nationalists 5. 12 Derry city elected 19 unionists, 10 Sinn The 52 seats for the Northern Ireland Case For The League of Nations in Six Féin, 10 nationalist, and 1 independent parliament were contested by 77 Days Of The Irish Republic, by L.G. nationalist, and got its first Catholic mayor. candidates—40 Unionists, 20 Sinn Féin, Redmond-Howard, Aubane Historical In Dublin Corporation Sinn Féin won 42 12 Nationalists, 4 independent Labour, Society 2006). out of 80 seats, in Cork 30 out of 56, in and 1 independent. Eight of the 20 SF Laffan argues that the independence Limerick 26 out of 40, in Waterford 19 out candidates were in jail, and 4 on the run. movement was driven by an unrepresent- of 40, in Galway 10 out of 24. The turnout was 89 per cent. All 40 of the ative, extremist faction. Unionists were elected, and the Nation- Proportional Representation reduced alists and Sinn Féin won 6 seats each. On the one hand, it is true that there was the numbers of Sinn Féin representatives Three of the Sinn Féin victories were in massive interference with the electoral elected. But outside the four north-eastern Fermanagh and Tyrone where the anti- process—disruption of meetings, debate counties (in which the unionist councils Unionist vote was 54.7 per cent. In Belfast and free speech, and violence against can- seceded from the all-Ireland General the Nationalists and Sinn Féin won 23 per didates: that is, by the Imperial authorities. Council of County Councils), the newly- cent of the vote and got 6 per cent of the Against that there was an almost pacifist elected councils recognized the authority seats. Overall, Sinn Féin won 20.4 per movement of antipathy and opposition to of Dáil Éireann and implemented its cent of the first preferences to the the overwhelming slide into violence and policies, even though, in doing so, they Nationalists 11.9 per cent. death on an unprecedented scale which lost 15 per cent of their revenue. engulfed Ireland. This was the campaign LAFFAN ON REPUBLICANISM of passive resistance organized by Sinn Laffan says there is little surviving evidence of the conduct of the County and Laffan's thesis is that violent Republican Féin against the British efforts to shovel Rural Council and Boards of Guardians extremism prevailed until a democratic Irish people in their tens of thousands into tendency subdued it in the 1922 Treaty the Western Front butchery for nefarious Elections in June, even though the electorate was three times larger than for Election. But his argument does not stand imperial purposes. the January elections. Many candidates up to scrutiny. And when the November 1918 Prior to its party convention of October Elections were held the British were returned without a contest, the main party was banned, and censorship was 1917, Sinn Féin was nominally a Government stepped up its censorship, strict. Of the 263 County Council seats in monarchist party with an interest in the imprisonment of candidates, and violent Austria-Hungary relationship, and in interference in the electoral process. Munster and Connacht, Sinn Féin won 258 and its Labour ally 5; in Leinster Sinn economic and cultural self-sufficiency. Féin won 192, Labour 37 and others 24; in Hungary had been subordinated to Austria. But this is not how revisionists such as After a Hungarian language revival Laffan see it. For example, here is the Ulster the Unionists won 81, Sinn Féin 79, Nationalists 26, and Labour and movement followed by a failed military Wikipedia entry: independents 2 each. rising in 1848, Austria tried successively, "The correct interpretation of the but without success, policies of repression results of the 1918 general election has and conciliation. In 1867 Hungary been the subject of some controversy. THE 1921 GENERAL ELECTIONS obtained, without any further armed action This is because Sinn Féin treated the Britain's Government of Ireland Act of result as a unilateral mandate from the 1920 envisaged parliaments of Northern or rebellion, a sovereign parliament within what became known, in consequence, as Irish people, to immediately set about Ireland and Southern Ireland, and General establishing an independent, all-Ireland Elections were called to elect these. Austria-Hungary. This development was the model aspired to by Sinn Féin initially. state, and to initiate an undeclared war The pressure on Sinn Féin from the of separation from Great Britain while A second example was to hand. British authorities was fierce. The South- totally ignoring the unresolved Ulster ern Irish Parliament of the Partition Act Norway's ally Denmark was crippled in and Unionist situation. However, the was to have 128 seats, which was more the Napoleonic Wars when Copenhagen party's Democratic Programme did not was shelled by Britain and its fleet than the number of Irish non-Unionists promise the electorate a war, just a 32- elected in the Westminster Election of destroyed. So in January 1814, Norway county Irish Republic. Further, its election Manifesto sought a place for 1918. became subject to Sweden. The Norwegians became increasingly Ireland at the peace conference, which Sinn Féin participated in the elections dissatisfied and, after a plebiscite of the could not be expected on launching a in order to elect members, not to the new war." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Parliaments of Northern and Southern voters of Norway on October 26 1903, Norwegian sovereignty was accepted and Irish_general_election%2C_1918) Ireland, but to the Dáil assembly created by the Sinn Féin representatives from the acknowledged by Sweden. The Sinn Féin election manifesto 1918 Elections to Westminster. So the Here was another European model for undertook to seek independence by second Dáil would be considerably bigger national self-determination by peaceful whatever means were necessary. The than the first. means. Also, questions of national self- Democratic Programme was produced by In the twenty six counties to be determination in Europe were to be the Dáil when it convened after the represented in the Parliament of Southern addressed and resolved in a post-Great elections. The post-Rising Sinn Féin party Ireland—now the territory of the Republic War international conference in which an was produced from Griffith's Dual —every constituency was uncontested. adjudication of the British-Irish question Monarchy party—which itself had no The Sinn Féin nominees (47 of whom could be sought. This was not an unrealistic electoral successes; from the All-for- were in jail and 52 on the run) won 124 scenario in view of the ideology promoted Ireland League, which espoused a policy seats, and 4 independent unionists were during the Great War and of President of conciliation towards Unionists and had returned for Trinity College. Wilson's 14 Points. How was Irish a string of electoral successes against the It was easier this time round for Sinn nationalism to know that these were empty Redmond Home Rulers; from the Irish Féin and the Nationalist Party to agree an promises? It was only through testing the Republican Brotherhood, which had electoral strategy in the Northern six waters by sending representatives to organized the Rising; and from the Gaelic counties, since, under Proportional Versailles that this was established. Even League. Representation, an election pact only John Redmond's nephew was enthusiastic required transfers of preferences. Both about the appeal to the Peace Conference 1918 VERDICT ON THE RISING parties agreed on a policy of self- and wrote a pamphlet setting out arguments The British Imperial authorities weren't determination for Ireland. to be put to the conference. (See Irish much interested in promoting democracy 13 in the 1918 Election. Most of the Sinn the British connection had NOT become Labour 17, Farmers 7, Independents 10. Féin candidates in 1918 were veterans of more attractive than it had been in the So pro-Treaty Sinn Féin was a minority the Rising, most were ex-prisoners, and Elections of 1918, 1920 and 1921. (45 per cent) of the new assembly. many were in jail when elected. The character of British power, and To appreciate the result, suppose that a resistance to it, was described by John It cannot be assumed that the outlook of party of H-Block prisoners and ex- Redmond in the Mansion House, 4th those voters who elected the 27 per cent of prisoners had contested every constituency September 1907: representatives who were not in either in the Twenty-Six Counties in 1981, "We demand this self-government wing of Sinn Féin can be identified with proudly displaying their insignia of the as a right. For us the Act of Union has pro-Treaty Sinn Féin. Many people could Dirty Protest and the Hunger Strikes and no binding or moral force. … Resistance not bring themselves to take sides in the celebrating the Volunteers who died in the to the Act of Union will always remain split, and opted out of the Sinn Féin camp. Armed Struggle and then won an for us, as long as that Act lasts, a sacred In the years following, various combin- overwhelming majority. duty; and the methods of resistance will ations emerged, and the combination The 1918 result was not just a mandate remain for us merely a question of which emerged from pro-Treaty Sinn Féin for independence. The Rising was just expediency. There are men today, lost power and influence, while the anti- perfectly honourable and honest men, over two years earlier and the candidates for whose convictions I have the utmost Treatyites became the dominant party. were barely out of jail and boasted of their respect, who think that the method we Pat Muldowney involvement in the Rising. The electorate ought to adopt is force of arms. Such could have punished these people for what resistance I say here, as I have said they did, or at least put them on very short more than once on the floor of the Does leash, with a warning against any similar House of Commons, would be perfectly adventures in future. It was not that the justifiable if it were possible. But it is it electorate was unaware of the outlook and not, under present circumstances, Stack purpose of the Sinn Féin candidates. The possible, and I thank God there are result shows that, in addition to a mandate other means at our hands." (Quoted in up? Six Days of the Irish Republic, by L.G. for independence, the electorate gave a Redmond-Howard, Aubane Historical Boy Soldiers In a former article, I brought massive electoral endorsement to the Society, 2006.) Rising itself. reader's attention to the fact of a play As to the Ulster question, negotiations Redmond was saying this before his being made called Boy Soldier by in good faith between the British 1910 Election victory. So it could be argued playwright Ben Hennessy. What struck Government and the Irish elected that those elections provided a mandate me at the time was the fact that the whole representatives could have produced either for armed resistance to the British power cast had gone out and spent three days in of two reasonable outcomes different from if and when this was feasible, and when Flanders and immediately I wondered who what the British Government put in place the Redmondite policy had failed—as it paid for that trip and what on earth they there—Ulster to be part of the Irish state had by 1914. were doing there? Now 'Red Kettle Theatre with the British Government given a right In early 1922, Michael Collins declared Company' has issued a handsome flyer of oversight of the Protestant interest; or plausibly, and perhaps realistically, that with a sepia-pictured young actor posing to be part of the British state with the Irish the British were prepared to use the as the dead 14 year old John Condon who Government having a corresponding right overwhelming military force at their had been massacred in the battle of Ypres of oversight of the Ulster Catholic interest. disposal if the Irish did not submit to the on 24th May 1915. How in the middle of But Britain was not interested in Treaty. such battles they were able to say when he negotiating with the elected represent- So the 1922 Elections were not a free died is quite a feat don't you think? But atives; the eventual Treaty was not granted and fair opportunity for people to vote to there was more—apparently—the heel of in good faith but dictated under threat of choose an independent republic or British his boot with his tag number was sent back immediate and terrible war; and the second Dominion status. The vote was at gunpoint. to his family as a memento of his death. of the two settlements was only eventually There was a believable threat that Britain Anyone even vaguely familiar with this arrived at after eighty years and much would wage a war similar to the war industrial type slaughter would know that unnecessary turmoil and death. against the Boers—but with the addition other soldiers picked up boots. (It was The Local Elections of 1920, held under of the new and well-tried armaments of even shown in a scene in the recent English the Proportional Representation system, planes, tanks and poison gas. propaganda film Atonement because the produced proportionately fewer Sinn Féin Furthermore, up to a few days before basic equipment was so bad that young representatives. But the independence the Elections of June 1922, the pro- and lads scavenged what they needed from the mandate was strengthened rather than anti-Treaty factions of Sinn Féin had dead, horrible as it is to acknowledge it.) weakened, because the new and more agreed to contest the Elections as a single And tags on boots in WW1: now that is a heterogeneous local assemblies transferred party, but with a small majority of pro- first for me! What Sir Basil Thompson their allegiance from the British Govern- Treaty Sinn Féin candidates, correspond- called "the Kaiser's war" was mud, gore ment to the Dáil. ing to the Treaty vote in the Second Dáil. and death. As a writer wrote in to the Irish Under a British ultimatum, Collins broke Mail on 12th October, 2006: "Messines Ridge was World War 1's LAFFAN ON THE 1922 ELECTIONS this agreement at the last moment. So the Laffan maintains that 1922 was when issues to be decided by the vote were Hiroshima. Ten thousand Germans confused. As was the status of the assembly were carbonised when the British the moderate majority reined in electorally detonated more than 600 tonnes of the unrepresentative Republican extremists. to be elected. explosives under their trenches. If any But this argument is not tenable either. The new assembly was, in British and ceremony is to be held there, it should The Treaty was dictated under the plausible in Treaty terms, the Parliament of Southern be a peace ceremony". threat of immediate and terrible war, and Ireland legislated for by Britain in the Boy Soldier was underwritten by Fas, was accepted by a small majority of the 1920 Government of Ireland Act; and, in Waterford City Council, Arts Council of Second Dáil—but not because a moderate Irish terms, the Third Dáil—successor to Ireland, and a local Hire firm called Clem majority preferred the status of British the assembly established out of the 1918 Jacob. It toured extensively all over Ireland Dominion over independent republic. Election. The election results were Sinn and it glorified the lad's fate and was as After several years of Black and Tan terror, Féin 94 (pro-Treaty 58, anti-Treaty 36), propagandistic a work as any Britain could 14 hope to make. And then we have a very bracing article in the Daily Irish transparency and are full to the brim of American films such as Blood Diamond Mail, 10th March 2008, in which that nepotism. Just find an university wife/ (five Academy Award Nominations) most conservative of commentators Dr. partner who is not working in the library/ showing us the brutality of boy soldiers at Mark Dooley headlined his article this administration while their other halves work in today's conflict zones in the most "David Irving is a buffoon but banning are in the statutory lecturing departments. exploited poorer parts of Africa. Is this him is what Stalin would have done". And They are still without an outside body what we have as a nation become? he accepted in his opening statement: "In who can be called to arbitrate on exam saying what follows, I know I risk results. Everyone knows that, while it is in Leaseholds The GPO story and Bertie alienating my Jewish friends. But say it I the Statute of the universities that only Ahern seemed too preposterous at first to must: it is disgraceful that the historian statutory lecturers mark exam papers, in take any notice of and then it seemed to David Irving has been prevented from fact lecturers who in some cases have yet really take off. It is about the most sacred participating in a debate on free speech at to complete their own Ph.D mark the Irish national monument, the GPO, being University College Cork tonight." He then student's papers. How dare they? turned into a huge development, shopping went on to make the usual disclaimers that History has become an international mall, apartments and the usual building he is "one of the Irish media's most joke. The professors publish (meaning the fripperies of celtic tiger Ireland. This of outspoken supporters of Israel". But still tax-funded university press) books with course would be too disastrous to imagine he thought it a bad day for Irish democracy such titles as: Ireland The Lost Decade in —but for property speculators there is when "a mischievous ragbag of the 1950's, I mean who are they kidding? nothing they wouldn't touch. Apparently hypocrites" could pull a "stunning victory Certainly not the people anymore and the architects Foster & Partners of London for our homegrown fascists, defined as politicians know this. While university have been retained to apply for planning those who notice the splinter in their staff eat in their subsidised restaurants, permission. But Bertie is in a bit of a neighbours eye, and who then bash him their children will not even have to pay pickle as the State has been paying ground over the head with the beam in their own". fees. How fair is that to the likes of Finglas, rent all these years and therefore our And in an Oxford Union debate, or the awful other estates that breed young position could be legally challenged. It November 26th, 2007, Irving gives his who can only assess structure in their lives seems that we have not taken ownership own account of the way he was treated by by going to prison. No wonder these of this great national asset but there are the 'hostiles' and how he considered "the children give the one fingered salute when lots of cases of the 100 year ground rent word chaotic, reject it for shambolic the they are being taken off by the gardai. English ownership scheme coming out of way the function was allowed by the scum the woodwork. One only had to think for to dictate events to that degree" Environmental Terrorism On the 4th example of the Jephsons in Mallow and (Documents on the International March, 2008 on the RTE Six o'Clock their pursuit of their legal rights which Campaign for Real History). But look at News, there was a farmer, a very poor could end up costing the State millions. the back of, say, Irving's The War Path, West Coast farmer and his sheep were One of the Jephsons was Personal Equerry Hitler's Germany 1933-1939 (Papermac. lambing. The weather was atrocious, but to Princess Diana for seven years till she London. 1983) and note the blurbs of he had to stay up all the night out on the sacked him. And the Duke of Devonshire praise from such notable English historians hill-side because, as he explained, a young is claiming his rights to the ground under as A.J.P. Taylor, Michael Ratcliffe, lamb could be dead within an hour of its the sea at Youghal Bay therefore stopping Professor Donald Watt, and the Guardian. birth if he wasn't there, because of the development of a marina and other eagles. It was an awful look at days that necessary resort amenities. It can be argued University Funding So the University many thought had gone forever. The next that it is high time that the State buy out Presidents, Dr. Hugh Brady, UCD, and item in the news that night had this writer the freehold leases of the GPO and other Dr. John Hegarty, TCD, want more practically screaming. Two eagles were claims but we are being held at ransom by funding from our Government. It is the found dead in Kerry. Now these eagles these English landlords. fact according to the Irish Times, 18th had been absent from Ireland for 100 March 2008, that all "seven universities in years and had been bought back to this country for €10,000 from Denmark—10 David Irving It is that time again to have the State now operate with a substantial that debate. Only of course it is never a budget deficit, totalling more than €25 of them and now this was the third one debate and everyone just goes through the million this year". Scotland and Denmark found dead. The Green Party politicians, Mr. Gormley (who never roughed it for a initial motions and then gives in to the are being getting "between two and three rancid calls for censorship. Except now times those available here and that student/ night's lambing up on a hill) called their Ireland is joining in the sport. UCC's staff ratio are now four times better than deaths "environmental terrorism" and warned the public that there was a fine of Philosoph Society recently invited him, Ireland". as reported in the Irish Examiner, 10th But what really have the universities €6,000 and a term of imprisonment. March 2008 under the headlines Holocaust done for us? All the major entrepreneurs, The only environmental terrorism was Denier and "controversial historian David from P.J. MacManus, John Magnier, bringing these long extinct eagles back to Irving, jailed for denying the Holocaust". Dermot Desmond, and Denis O'Brien on, this country. The picture that was unfortun- The title to be debated was "That this have never entered the halls of a university ately used for our benefit was one of the house believes free speech should be free and they lead our society in their own eagle launching down and catching with from restraint". fields and have (however much this is ease a fine salmon (rural people are not Given that in 1999, Irving was also decried in the media) brought astonishing allowed catch them anymore) and it looked invited to do the same but the college wealth to this country. To take one small very baletic. But these salmon were cancelled at the last minute due to the example, going through Kildare recently, spawning and were putting their eggs on large number of protesters—some six I was astonished at the many old crafts the river-bed gravel and therefore they hundred in all—who started scuffling with like blacksmiths, farriers, saddlers etc— were easy kills. This will have drastic the guardai. The thugs dictated who should all doing fine business and when I asked impact on our fishing industry that is speak and they won. Now UCC has them who was keeping them employed, already reeling due to—wait for it—lack distinguished itself by calling the whole they all said Coolmine Stud, the home of of stocks. Then a ranger—9-5pm—told thing off a second time at the last minute. international horse breeding. The us that, if a lamb was killed by an eagle, And the Irish media seemed to have agreed universities on the other hand, operate in that this was the best thing to do except for an old-boys/girls club; they offer no continued on page 16, column 1 15 most productive political activity that or Nationalist and building into the system The Talibans Of The North? people here could engage in was breeding of government checks and balances based (which was recommended to me as a on these designations. We now have a Young Unionist growing up in Co system of government in which seats on Simon Jenkins is a regular columnist in Fermanagh in the 50s by Harry West, a the executive are shared out amongst the The Guardian. He normally writes future leader of the Ulster Unionist Party). sectarian parties by a mathematical scathing (and intelligent) columns against I suggest that, had Glasgow or formula (and there is no opposition). New Labour’s foreign adventures in Liverpool been subjected to the perverse This system may be unusual, but it has Afghanistan and Iraq and aspects of its arrangements imposed upon Northern one significant advantage over the system domestic policy. Ireland in 1920, sectarian politics may imposed by Britain on Northern Ireland But on 7th March he had a column on have persisted there too. in 1920—the Catholic minority is no longer condemned to being ruled by the Northern Ireland, entitled Bigotry And The Good Friday Agreement has done nothing to undermine sectarian politics Protestant majority in perpetuity. Violence Made Paisley And Adams The David Morrison Taliban Of Europe. In it, he heaped abuse here. On the contrary, it has reinforced sectarian politics by insisting that political Irish Political Review, 25 March 2008 on Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams in a parties designate themselves as Unionist manner that has gone out of fashion in recent years. For example, he wrote of Paisley: "The man was a monster, a fanatic, a hangover from the middle ages. I remember wondering how on earth Britain Reactions To Paisley's Departure had allowed Ulster's constitution so to Part One fester as to have this man roaming the woods and hills of Ulster. One thing THE ENGLISH AND THE UNIONISTS says: "They say they brought peace to Britain does not do well is postcolonial On March 4th, Ian Paisley announced Northern Ireland—but delayed it so long partition. It creates a fertile breeding that he was to step down as First Minister that the peace is fragile and the land ground for the likes of Paisley, and his antagonist, Adams." in Stormont in May, earlier than expected traumatised. Jenkins isn't any old hack. though not that much earlier. The Irish He has been the voice of liberal England I offered the following letter to The News, the next day stated: "Mr Paisley's for many years. He continues: "Why do Guardian in response:- announcement comes just days after his rats float while good men sink? Readers Simon Jenkins' column "Bigotry and son Ian jnr was forced to resign as a junior may have exploded over the headline on violence made Paisley and Adams the minister following criticism over his links this page yesterday. It read 'A fascinating, Taliban of Europe: (March 7) doesn't to property developer Seymour Sweeney." gracious man', and crowned a eulogy on throw much light on what has made In other words following at least the whiff Northern Ireland's retiring first minister, Northern Ireland politics what it has been of corruption. Ian Paisley, written by his one-time since 1920. It's a pity in a way that the investigations bitterest foe, Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein/ Then, Britain imposed a perverse into Ian Og's affairs did not continue and IRA ." political system on Northern Ireland, were not more extensive. He was lobbying Referring to a Paisley meeting at which has made the development of non- on behalf of no end of businessmen and Stormont many years ago Jenkins says: sectarian politics, based on socio- other individuals in Antrim. But there has economic interest, next to impossible. "It was like watching a mad Celtic First, a devolved parliament was imposed been no evidence, though there have been druid blessing the Brythonic hordes before on Northern Ireland, which condemned many a hint and innuendo, that young Ian confronting the Roman army… The man the Catholic minority to being ruled by was on the take. In other words he was a was a monster, a fanatic, a hangover from the Protestant majority for the foreseeable good constituency representative. If he the middle ages… Unionist leaders from future. Second, Northern Ireland people was in the British Labour Party he could Terence O'Neill through Brian Faulkner were excluded from the party political have been making millions and there would to David Trimble struggled—some harder system of the UK, through which socio- than others—to reform Ulster's unequal have be no comeback. society… Adams and his collaborator, economic policy was determined for the What likes to portray itself as the UK as a whole, including Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness, destroyed Hume's moderate element in Ulster politics, the SDLP, and Paisley's histrionic - I spent about 15 years from 1977 onwards Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP and the trying (unsuccessfully) to get the Labour fundamentalism destroyed Trimble's Party to organise and contest elections in Irish News have given full vent to their unionism… These men eventually Northern Ireland. hatred of Paisley. Paisley, the anti-Fenian eliminated moderate leaders so that they In the light of this, it is hardly surprising bigot, has been given a new outing. The could claim moderation for themselves. that the sectarian character of Northern process of demonisation was taken even They smashed power-sharing so they Ireland politics persisted and elections at further across the water in the liberal could share power between themselves". all levels were primarily about counting imperialist Guardian. But, as so often And on he goes. His version of history Catholic and Protestant heads—and the these days, terminology has been turned is essentially the version of history of the on its head. The real sectarians are in the English establishment. Given that, it is as UUP, the SDLP and among the writers on concluded well for politicians in Northern Ireland to Stack the Irish News and The Guardian. be on their guard against destabilisation In the past The Guardian writers have by the agents of the British State. What the farmer would be compensated with portrayed all Irish as congenitally violent happened was not what was supposed to €300. And tell me how could one prove and fractious and Simon Hoggart has as happen, and that can spell trouble. that one's lamb had been killed by the good as admitted this. One of its regular bloody eagle? Think of the bureaucracy? cartoonists portrays Irish people as idiot Jenkins' moderates came out in force to And think of that poor hill farmer up there faces in a manner that would make a denounce Paisley. His sins were poured on the hills all night and he wouldn't be the nineteenth century editor of Punch blush. over. We were reminded that he had only one and for €300? Who is joking The headline over Simon Jenkins' article objected to the display of a tricolour in the who here? Tell that to the university in The Guardian (7.3.08) stated: Bigotry window of a Sinn Fein shop in 1964— Presidents. And Violence Made Paisley And Adams leading to two brutal attacks by the RUC Michael Stack The Taliban Of Europe. The sub-heading and to the Cromac Square riots. 16 That Paisley was a trouble maker there only be expressed publicly in the The fact is that Paisley secured the can be no denying. But the man who sent knowledge that no one in the media was support of the unionist population and in the police was the saintly Prime Minister likely to be brazen enough to question it. delivered a functioning Executive. The of Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill. Paisley governed competently and with a UUP could not do this. At the recent O'Neill was also the Prime Minister who good deal of flair for one year. He leaves Dromore By-election (see March Irish turned his uniformed thugs against the behind him a functioning set up—whether Political Review) the slogan of Empey's Civil Rights marchers on October 5th one likes it or not. Trimble did not govern Party was No Surrender. As for splitting 1968, and among the many who were at all, competently or otherwise. He unionism, Paisley's groups were pretty beaten up was John Hume. opposed the Good Friday Agreement until marginal when the unionists were already Brian Faulkner did make an effort at Tony Blair told him that decommissioning busy tearing themselves apart through, power-sharing (which O'Neill did not). of weapons was part of the deal—and among others, the Vanguard Party. Since The Sunningdale Agreement led to a even then he blocked its implementation it lost its monopoly of power in 1970 the Power-Sharing executive at Stormont with at every turn. He is no doubt right that Unionist Party has had no idea what to do the SDLP. (He had previously offered Blair lied to him about the DUP. He lied with itself—with the possible exception them Committee Chairmanships but they to him also about weapons—though with of a brief period under Brian Faulkner— walked out of the Parliament, or whatever the plaudits that were to follow from the and much good it did anyone who dared it was called.) Paisley the trouble-maker Agreement, it also suited Trimble's follow Faulkner. organised protests and virtually no one purpose to believe Blair's lies. Briefly, following the Anglo-Irish turned up. The arrangement broke down The Good Friday Agreement laid down Agreement in 1985, a number of unionists, after the Irish Government in a Court case that the parties to it should do all they including MPs, seemed to favour getting re-asserted the claim of the North which it could to get the IRA and the Protestant rid of the Party altogether and encouraging had apparently set aside during Groups to get rid of weapons. Only Sinn the British parties to extend themselves to negotiations with Brian Faulkner, and then Fein did this and did it successfully. The the North. These people were threatened the SDLP and the Free State Government Ulster Unionists did not lift a finger to get with denouncement as traitors to the refused to either postpone/abandon the such as the UVF and the UDA to disarm. Unionist Family and most of them backed Council of Ireland element in the And they are still armed. down. In other words they were not so Agreement or delete the articles of the (Blair always lied, with or without much unionists when it came down to it as Constitution which claimed sovereignty reason. He seems to think that lying is sectarian Protestants. And that has been over the North. very clever.) the Ulster Unionist Party ever since. The result was the very disciplined Paisley has claimed that his greatest Ulster Workers' Council strike. Gerry Fitt Trimble's wander down memory lane achievement has been to tie the Provos wanted to continue governing regardless to illustrate Paisley's negativity is straying into the political fabric of a Northern by means of the British Army. Faulkner, into dangerous territory. It is only a few Ireland separate from the South. He is no being a fairly reasonable man, decided to years ago that he danced his jig with doubt right—at least for the foreseeable collapse the Arrangements with Fitt still Paisley at Drumcree, when they secured future. The great achievement of the wanting to govern without him. In the the right of Orangemen to march through Provos is that they have smashed the South the inflexible Government was led Catholic areas and annoy the Fenians. Unionist establishment to bits and forever. by another Saint, Garret Fitzgerald, and The Orange Order has gone to hell in a The combined Ulster Unionist Party, the Minister responsible for dealings with handcart and the Drumcree men are about Ulster Unionist Council and the Orange the North was Conor Cruise O'Brien— the worst of them. Their hero was Billy Order have lost power and will never quoted favourably by Jenkins in his article. Wright, leader of the Loyalist Volunteer regain it. It seems that this is OK with Force, a group which, alongside British Paisley. He was never part of the Unionist And now to that paragon of virtue, the soldiers, killed more non-combatant power structure anyway and never showed Nobel Peace Prize winner, David Trimble. Catholics than anyone else, including the any inclination to be part of it. The likes Here he is in the Belfast Telegraph on 13th Shankill Butchers. And while we are of Trimble and Empey are very cross March: delving into the past with Mr. Trimble, it about this. They can hardly blame the "It was obvious at the last General should be remembered that he was deputy IRA—that would give the Republicans Election that the DUP were not being, to Reg Empey when the latter was too much credit. So they are taking it out shall we say, transparent in their canvass… Chairman of the fascist Vanguard Party. on Paisley—for all the good that will do I told people on the doorstep that Ian Mr. Empey is now the leader of the them. Paisley was about to do a deal with Sinn Ulster Unionist Party. On 6th March this Next month I will deal with the Fein—a deal that would be the identical former acolyte of Bill Craig gave his Party nationalist reaction to the departure of Ian twin of the Good Friday Agreement… members in Derry the benefit of his views Paisley, as well as looking at what it is that Tony Blair made promises that he never he has represented all these years. (Since kept, that Paisley and DUP would be on Paisley. These were reprinted next day in the Belfast News Letter: Roy Garland publishes in the Irish News, sidelined… It has to be said that Ian though a member of the UUP, his views Paisley has had quite an influence on "Don't be surprised by my unwilling- will also be considered then.) Northern Ireland politics over the past ness to heap too much praise on either Ian four decades—from the 'O'Neill Must Paisley or the DUP. After 37 years of Conor Lynch Go' phase to the 'Trimble Out' era. Most putting the boot into us at every of it ,however, has been negative, and opportunity, the DUP has, in effect, come Look Up when he was called upon to be positive, full circle and returned to our territory and he failed to measure up. I lasted four our policies. They split unionism down Athol Books years as First Minister. He lasted one. the middle. They did irreparable damage And I would ask a final question—would to the image of unionism at our greatest on the Internet Terence O'Neill have shared power with moments of crisis. They left us to carry the IRA while he was Prime Minister of the burdens and take the risks alone. And www.atholbooks.org Northern Ireland? I leave that one hanging for what? For nothing more than the in the air." trappings of office and because they didn't You will find plenty to read; have a clue what else to do! When all is you can look over the Catalogue, This confused gibberish may be excused said and done, they didn't even have the or explained by sour grapes. But it could courage of their own convictions." and order publications 17 I assume that O'Brien, under the shock of events in 1969, of which the eruption of the two-nations theory was one, hastily Lord Professor Bew revised his ideas and discarded the colon And The Forging Of A Shared Past view, but refused to associate himself with the two nations view because he was Lord Bew concludes his account of century had some blurred edges in their intent on making a political career. There Irish history with a statement by Foreign relations with each other. In life there are was also the consideration that he was the Minister Dermot Ahern, "we can no longer always blurred edges. The conflict might originating creative mind of the progres- have two histories, separate and in be 'nuanced' by focussing on the blurred sive middle class and could not be seen to conflict"; and with a comment that "the edges. By concentrating hard on the be moving onto ground laid out by Taoiseach was right to say that “without blurred edges, and writing extensively peasants, which Jack Lane and myself a shared past” we cannot have a shared and obscurely about them, one can dismiss indisputably were. (The word is inaccurate future" (Ireland: The Politics Of Enmity from the mind the substance of which they but I use it as it is used.) 1789-2006, Oxford University Press 2007, are the edges. The nuance then becomes p581). the substance for the carefully-directed I next heard the criticism of insufficient mind. And then of course the nuance can nuance from Lord Bew and his colleague The practical meaning of this is that be nuanced. Professor Patterson. They were both very false history must be forged for a political much associated with Athol St. from 1970 purpose. Actual history is the history of Meanwhile, down the road from the to 1972. A little magazine called The Two conflict between three distinct social University—less than five minutes' walk Nations was set up and it was given to groups. If it must be written as something at a leisurely pace—life went merrily on them to edit. After a while they began to else, then it becomes something else and as if the word nuance had never been complain that the two nations idea was not ceases to be history. Many attempts have thought of. sufficiently nuanced. We said to them: So nuance it! For my part, I would have been been made to devise false histories and I think it was from Conor Cruise O'Brien impose them on the populace for a glad to be shot of Belfast politics, leaving that I first heard the word nuance used in these up-and-coming academics to take benevolent purpose—the purpose of criticism of my crudely substantial ideas establishing perpetual peace on sentiment- over these ideas that I had started, giving about the North. I never met him, but them whatever subtle development it was al foundations. Intellectuals (operatives people in Dublin gave him some of my in the Ideological State apparatus) can felt they needed. But it turned out that 'two nations' pamphlets around 1970, what they wanted was that the subtlety make some headway in that direction if thinking that they fitted in with things he supported by the authoritarian power of should be produced for them and presented was beginning to say. He found my ideas to them ready made. That was something the state. It was the nightmare of the insufficiently nuanced: they did not take United States in the 1950s that Bolshevism, I either couldn't or wouldn't do. As to account of interesting interconnections. which it was I can say nothing. The or Maoism, was skilled at doing this, so it Therefore he would have nothing to do set about elaborating that skill for its own relationship of couldn't and wouldn't in a with them. But it came to my notice matter like this is authentically subtle and purposes. Pavlov claimed that he laid recently that, when a French intellectual bare the human soul in the laboratory in interconnected. The limits of possibility wrote to him asking him to recommend sometimes influence the will in a way that the form of the conditional reflex. The something that would help to make sense United States in the Cold War had a big erases the differences between couldn't of the bewildering Irish situation, what he and wouldn't. Pavlovian operation going. But the human recommended was my crude two-nations factor that proved most effective against pamphlets, with not a nuance in sight. Soviet culture was raw Catholic funda- Anyhow it was left up to the future mentalism in Poland, Islamic fundament- Of course O'Brien himself was an Professor and the future Lord Professor to alism in Afghanistan, and Solzhenitsyn's interesting interconnection, as a Catholic nuance the two nations in the Two Nations revival of Orthodoxy within the Soviet anti-Partitionist propagandist who married magazine. And they either couldn't or elite. These things made no sense in terms a well-connected Ulster Protestant. And wouldn't do it. So the magazine lapsed. of the conditioned reflex. his friend FitzGerald was another—his mother being an Ulster Presbyterian. But The bare recognition of national I once read a 19th century account of these interesting interconnections—these difference, however subtly expressed, Jewish history which said that the Jews blurred edges—exercised no discernible could have little effect of itself on easing were the product of a monotheist develop- influence on the conflict of the substances the antagonism. Displacing the antagon- ment within the Egyptian ruling class to which they were edges, either intellect- ism from the centre-ground of politics in which could not be consolidated within ually or by their physical presence. And 'the Northern Ireland state' required the Egyptian state. The Egyptian mono- when I published my crude two nations something else, and I went on to that. theist tendency therefore led a population analysis in The Economics Of Partition, of slaves in the desert where they were what O'Brien had in print was a description At the same time Professor and the indoctrinated for 40 years with a set of of the Ulster Protestants as colons. The Lord Professor told me that my notion of word was in general use at the time as the principles consolidated by means of books Marxism-Leninism was also insufficiently of invented history, before being launched name of the French settlers in Algeria who nuanced. As I took no account of on the conquest of Palestine. I don't know had rebelled against Algerian independ- Althusser, I really was not with it. So I what truth, if any, there is in that account. ence, had been broken by De Gaulle, and But that, and Pavlov's conditioned reflex, were destined to return home. As looked at Althusser, and decided to have are what spring to mind whenever I hear compared with "colon", my description of done with Marxism-Leninism. If it could talk of re-writing history for a benevolent the Ulster Protestants as a distinct Irish not live in a medium of Kant's philosophy, purpose. nationality was an excessively nuanced then I could not live with it. idea of them. O'Brien's colon was much The three conflicting communities of more in accordance with public feeling in At the time, the present duo of Professor which Ireland consisted since the Catholic Ireland then, and for many years and Lord Professor was a trio. The third Plantations and Conquests of the 17th after. was an English New Left academic called 18 Peter Gibbon. To save time and space I distance he joined the Stickies, under Kingsley—"poisoning the wells": referred to them as Patgibew. Gibbon whatever name they had at the time, and seems to have fallen away, so the entity is that he remained a Stickie until—— when? "I [Harris] was an ideologue doing now Bewpat. Until now, as far as I can tell. my best to wrap revisionism in an acceptable economic package. I didn't have Clifford's luxury of writing down Bewpat ceased to recognise me in 1973, The Stickies were an Irish agency of what I really thought. I wrote what I I think. That is, they were unable to see me the Soviet Communist Party. But Moscow thought I could get away with. The in the street. I took the hint and made it hedged its bets and recognised the Irish most I got away with is set out in the easy for them. Communist Party on equal terms with the Irish Industrial Revolution. It is not Stickies. The two were in sharp conflict what I believed, it is about 85% of what I believe. I would have liked to have In the mid-1970s I arranged for a with each other. Both looked to Moscow, gone further and repudiated more number of meetings to be held at the but there seems to have been more sense republican dogma" (Harris Letter to Students' Union of the University to and more independence of outlook in the Sean Swan, given in Sean Swan's discuss the shipyard expulsions of 1920 in CP than in the Stickies. I debated the Official Irish Republicanism 1962- the context of the war being fought in the North with Eoghan Harris and Eoin O 1972, p396). country, rather than merely as a unilateral Murchu in the early 1970s in Limerick. expression of Protestant bigotry. I thought Both were Stickies at the time. O Murchu (On one of the occasions when Bew Bewpat might turn up but they didn't. later joined the CP. He comments buttonholed in the 1990s—it was in the intelligibly about the realities of Irish newspaper library in Royal Avenue Then the trio published a book about affairs, while Harris emits stream of (Belfast) and he bought me a coffee in a Northern Ireland and were invited to a consciousness. So does Bew. They little coffee shop in a small department meeting of the Campaign for Labour Bewgle. store nearby which no longer exists—I Representation to explain their view of said something which made it click with things and say what they thought of the Harris elects Presidents and Taoiseachs, him that I was not engaged in forging history for any political purpose. He was CLR view. The duo came along and spent and he masterminded the invasion of Iraq shocked, and said something to the effect most of the time condemning BICO for with Chalabi—at at least he was there for that it was bizarre that I should be the last falling away from itself. They seemed to these rides. When Marjorie Mowlem was defender of 1916. In reply I said something see themselves as the true BICO. At the given the Northern Ireland job she about what the Empire was doing in 1916 time they were, I think, the second true announced that she was reading Bew in in the other war—a thing which is not BICO. Many others were to follow. preparation for it. Some years later, when even mentioned in his new book. What I Unfortunately that run of letters meant nominating Churchill as the greatest man could not understand was that he—who nothing to most of those present. of the Millennium she bewgled that he obviously read Athol St. publications more had to put the Black & Tans into Ireland to thoroughly than I did—should ever have Some time after that I happened to see save democracy. thought I was in the business of forging a run of letters that made no sense to me, history in the service of policy. MOPE. I think it was in a Workers' Party And now these two party comrades Brendan Clifford publication. The author was Bew (solo). of—whatever it is—levitate together: one The letters meant Most Oppressed People to the House of Lords and the other to the PS: The Lord Professor gives the party Ever. I gathered that one academic Senate. line on a recent dispute in his Oxford tendency held that either the Irish, or the University Press magnum opus: Northern Catholics, were the Most I forgot to mention that about 20 years Oppressed People Ever. Bew disagreed. I after Bew could no longer bear the "On 30 June 1921 a band of thirty had never thought about it, and have not uncouthness of my ideas he took to running armed men shot the two eldest sons of the Pearson household at Coolacrease, done so since, but on the spur of the into me again at every opportunity. I Cadamstown, Co. Offaly. Even as the moment it seemed to me that if there is tolerated him but could not take him murders were perpetrated, the IRA such a title the Irish must at least be a seriously. On one of these occasions he volunteers made assurances that this contender for it. said it was inconvenient for him that I had was not happening because the Pearsons not kept certain pamphlets from the early were Protestants—but could not I read Pattgibew's very Leninist book 1970s in print as it made it necessary for actually give a reason as to why it was on Northern Ireland, learned from it why him to photocopy them for his students. happening. The British tended to believe that this increase in attacks on my approach was wrong, and found that The Road To Partition was one of them. I loyalists—relatively soft targets—was they thought Lenin and Bukharin had the forget the name of the other. I don't think the IRA's means of sustaining military same idea of what Imperialism was. I ever re-read them, but I just knew after a pressure in a contest whose overall couple of years that they wouldn't do. military logic was going against the The next time I noticed Bew was when There are unbearable degrees of uncouth- IRA" (p416). he turned film reviewer for the purpose of ness even for me. I intended to re-make But after all these years he can still not condemning the Michael Collins film. I them but never got around to it. Then they feel sure that he has got it right when he learned then from a newspaper review were superseded by the Parliamentary disagrees with Athol Street, so he inserts that he had become an "ex-Marxist". I Sovereignty series. But it seemed that a footnote which mentions "Pat looked around to see if he had put the Bew matured into a real appreciation of Muldooney's" [sic] refutation of the Stickie "theory of the production of theory" into them. story of the Coolacrease incident in Church operation for the purpose of ceasing to be & State, Spring 2006, I Met Humbug On a Marxist, but as I could find nothing of And I now learn that his party colleague, The Way, which shows that the "murders" the kind I concluded that all that happened Harris, was really in agreement with me were executions carried out on the was that the Soviet Union had collapsed. even though he denounced me in a way authority of the elected government for that I could only describe with Cardinal military action by the Pearsons in support It seems that when he put Athol St. at a Newman's response to the Rev. of the unelected Imperial Power. 19 the right, there was the very generalised belief that the Bolshevik Revolution was the result of a Jewish conspiracy—Sir Spies and Lies—Cui Bono? Basil Thompson, head of CID, (that cold Part Two killer of Roger Casement, both the man "Neutrality and his reputation and he boasted about by Louis MacNeice it!) and Sir Winston Churchill were The neutral island facing the Atlantic, amongst those who subscribed to it." The neutral island is the heart of man, (Patriotism: The Making And Unmaking Are bitterly soft reminders of the beginnings Of British National Identity, ed. by Raphael That ended before the end began. Samuel, Vol. 2, Routledge, London, 1989). But Brendan Behan, at the age of Look into your heart, you will find a County Sligo, sixteen, who was certainly not going to A Knocknarea with for navel a cairn of stones, enlist in the army of the old enemy, instead You will find the shadow and sheen of a moleskin mountain chose to try some IRA activity in Britain. And a litter of chronicles and bones. But he was caught as soon as he landed in Look into your heart, you will find fermenting rivers, Liverpool—well forty-eight hours later Intricacies of gloom and glint, and was punched and beaten by the police. You will find such ducats of dream and great doubloons of ceremony It wasn't much better in Borstal and then As nobody today would mint. prison where the other prisoners beat him, not for neutrality, but for his republicanism But then look eastwards from your heart, there bulks which he admitted was "with reason". A continent, close, dark, as archetypal sin, What is odd about his gaol account is the While to the west off your own shores the mackerel absence of any mention of the War except Are fat—on the flesh of your kin." for one comment. And that had to do "with (Louis MacNeice, Selected Poems, Ed. By W.H. Auden, Faber, London. overcrowding because of the numbers of Jewish Polish refugees". He was deported "We have said good-bye for ever", de Valera, declared at Ennis, "to the day in which this country was a grazing ranch for feeding other people, a dumping-ground for the to Ireland in December 1941, where he manufactures of other people, and a country in which our own people were brought up was arrested the following year for the for export like cattle" attempted murder of two detectives and A speech by President Eamon de Valera in Ennis, Co. Clare, 1932. was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to fourteen years imprisonment. FINEST HOUR? the people than arming them. It is the First he was sent to Mountjoy gaol and in The fierceness of MacNeice's political sort of thing that happens when the 1943 to Arbour Hill Military Prison and attack on Ireland's position during the war local gentry and the chief constable are then finally he was interned in the Curragh is at complete odds with certain facts. far more afraid of ordinary Englishmen Military internment camp in June 1944 Before going on to MacNeice himself, it is than they are of Germans. A government until he was released in 1946 "in the important to state historically that the that represents propertied classes is general amnesty for republican prisoners" always terrified by the fear of British, and of course that old war-horse revolution… Clearing up the past before (That Neutral Island by Clair Wills, Faber Churchill, bore huge responsibility for the any war is an essential preliminary." & Faber, London, 2007). deaths of sailors who died in the War. The British navy during World War 2 suffered And Wintringham was not squeamish NAVAL MATTERS 45, 000 deaths at sea, of which two in about telling the truth because he stated But the huge death rate of British every three, that is about 30,000 died from that soldiering is a job and therefore it sailors—in comparison to their American needless exposure. The high rate of death follows that: "Killing is, after all, only counterparts was caused by the widespread was not caused by the lack of Irish ports work" (New Ways Of War by Tom use of Carley Rafts on naval vessels. These but by the criminal behaviour of neglect Wintringham, Penguin Books, London, were cheap to make and easy to stow— meted out to British servicemen by their 1940). usually in the form of seats on deck. They own Government, which our historians And creating the right sentiment for had proven to be lethal at life-saving at sea have yet to expose (though I wouldn't hold war is indeed necessary, so pumping out and this fact was well-known at the my breath there). It is not without issue propaganda and anti-alien sentiment is Admiralty. But the latter kept using them that before each of the two World Wars one of the first tricks of the trade. As instead of proper lifeboats. When a ship there was severe and growing Raphael Samuel recounts: sank, the Carley Rafts floated off and the dissatisfaction by the working class of "It was very much a force in 1940, crew clung on to the hand-ropes of the Great Britain and it was being exhibited England's 'finest hour', and not least of Rafts. An illusion of security that was more and more by riots and protests. While the elements in the national mobilisation particularly depraved. One by one the Churchill, Elizabeth Bowen and MacNeice of the time. One of its more curious by- crew succumbed to the sleep of hypo- wrote about their "good wars" it was on products was the mass internment of thermia and left go their hold on the ropes the backs of those who fought and died Jews, on the grounds that they might and sank beneath the waves. Some were (many of them Irish) but that is the way of prove Fifth Columnists for the Nazis. saved out of the sea by the poor Irish The blitz, too, seems to have fuelled coastal communities and those dead that economics. In a fine study of war, Tom hostility to the Jews, who were accused Wintringham wrote that: of hogging the shelters in the floated in were all given proper burials. At "Some rather absurd things are being underground stations. Even George one stage the Irish Government asked for done about shotguns at the moment Orwell, who had put his life on the line wood for the coffins from the British when this is written. In some country to fight fascism, and in later years was Government, as the coastal counties most areas they have been collected from the a notable philosemite, seems to have affected in Donegal and Mayo had precious farmers and country people for the succumbed to it." little, and were told "no" in no uncertain L.D.V. Then they have been taken to And Samuels uses extracts from terms. (There were burials of Germans, the nearest market town and locked up Dutch and others as well.) But reading in the police station or some other centre. Orwell's diary to show the evidence. And Frankly, this looks more like disarming of course Orwell wasn't the only one. "On MacNeice one would think that the Irish 20 caused their deaths and of course this was commerce, tourist agencies, banks and Trevor/Bowen Summer School, August handy propaganda. That scoundrel of academic bodies, libraries and 2007, if any of the locals had been aware Naval propaganda, the writer Nicholas missionary societies, the British War of this information and could have Monsarrat, especially in his novel The Graves Commission, …. the oil and enlightened us as to its accuracy.) Colonel Cruel Sea, wrote, as Robert Fisk noted: plantation companies of the Far East, Clements had a 400 acre estate and his "in so savage and damaging a manner crane manufactures and dredging step-cousins Catherine and Marcus were firms". after the war" such lies as to make even very kind to the boy in Cootehill. today any British Naval person fizz with Then there were the Royal Patriotic Then MacNeice went to Dublin and anger and reproach (which this writer Schools, saw his fellow writers at the famed Palace gave back in one explosive episode that "where all refugees from occupied Bar of Irish Times Editor Smyllie legend. left them red-faced and without say) and Europe and other enemy countries were He was looked after well and even told of here is just a taste of Monsarrat's tale: screened by the Security Services and a possible job offer at Trinity College (by then questioned for intelligence purposes." "But it was difficult to withhold one's his friend Walter Starkie, Professor of contempt from a country such as Ireland, This was work that inspired those who Romance languages there; later on in the whose battle this was and whose chances undertook to set it up: War, in 1940, Starkie was head of the of freedom and independence in the event "To find the substitute for the spy, British Council in Franco's Madrid which of a German victory were nil. The fact indeed someone informed in far greater should give pause to the London Review that Ireland was standing aside from the detail that most spies could be, was in of Books' recent attack on "fascist conflict at this moment posed, from the itself a satisfying experience; to know dictators" and those who worked with naval angle, special problems which that each carefully questioned and them!). MacNeice immediately applied affected, sometimes mortally, all sailors recorded contact was leading to others, that the network was approaching for the it and so he whiled away the time engaged in the Atlantic, and earned their until news came in January '40 that he particular loathing" (In Time Of War, by completeness, gave at least the feeling of Robert Fisk, Ireland, Ulster and the price power and purpose organised by the hadn't got the post. Now he was "tormented of neutrality 1939-45, Uni. of counter-offensives after 1942… Most by the ethical problems of war". While Pennsylvania Press, USA, 1983). remarkable of all was the way that secrecy, "many of his friends in England took the loyalty and trust were shown by thousands view that it was just power politics", after Yet Rear Admiral John Godfrey, CB, who felt they were doing their bit towards Poland fell, MacNeice felt he was faced in the infamous "Room 39 where staff was winning the war." with a "choice of evils" and he took fought for, promotions arranged, Britain's side. Now the city (which had And Godfrey assessed Ireland's expenditure justified, conduct defended" been so generous to him) became a target: neutrality with a skullduggery action that —and where the Director of Naval "Dublin was hardly worried by the Intelligence, Godfrey would direct the involved a chartered trawler "to poke around the western ports of Ireland to war; her old preoccupations were still her Fleet at sea with two men who were pivotal report enemy activities. This was before it preoccupations. The intelligentsia to its success. The first of these was continued their parties; their mutual malice Personal Assistant and former Reuter man, became clear early in the war that the was as effervescent as ever. There was Ian Fleming (creator of the James Bond Germans would respect Irish neutrality". still a pot of flowers in front of Matt The skipper and his crew were immediately franchise) and the other was Private Talbot's shrine. The potboy priests and Secretary Ted Merrett. Central role again, arrested by the Irish and "courteously the birds of prey were still the dominant following on from World War 1, was released through the British representative caste; the petty bureaucracy continued in Dublin" (Room 39 A study In Naval powerful and petty." given to Godfrey's "famous predecessor Sir Basil Thompson" whom Godfrey Intelligence by Donald McLachlan, But the dislike wasn't all one way and praised for— Atheneum, New York, 1968). One other MacNeice was "ridiculed by the Palace little nugget of information that this writer "To no one am I more indebted than Bar crowd", with the probably apocryphal Reggie Hall, the DNI (Director of Naval would like to add is that Ian Fleming was story of a row between the latter and the Intelligence) during the Kaiser's war. He another Dublin Ansbacher Bank name, in former which was immortalised by Patrick came to see me on 27th March 1939 and order to avoid paying tax in his native Kavanagh with this lovely couplet: offered me full access to his great store of Britain. knowledge and judgement on this strange "Let him go back and labour commodity, Intelligence, …. he realised MACNEICE For Faber and Faber" (Claire Wills). that I needed contacts and these he Louis MacNeice, Ulster poet and son produced in large quantities. It was of a Bishop (whose published sermons But first MacNeice went to America, through him that I met Sir Montague were the nightly reading for none other that other neutral place, and met with his Norman, the Governor of Barings, Olaf than twice Editor of the Irish Times, fellow poets, Auden and Isherwood whom Hambro, Chairman of Hambro's Bank Douglas Gageby) was actually in Galway many felt had turned their backs on their and the two Rothschild's, all of whom and then Dublin during 1939-40. home country at a time of peril. When he helped me in a variety of fruitful ways… MacNeice took some time off from his came back to London he searched for The Hall touch showed itself again when hated teaching job in Bedford College and work. And what war-work did our hero Godfrey assisted by Fleming, entertained engage in? Well, with his contacts, he was to dinner at the Savoy, [the] Chairman went to see his little six year old son Dan and representatives of Hambros Bank, (who was very neglected in the parental soon established at the BBC. He wrote a ICI, Lloyds Bank, Shell, Rhokana Corp., split—his mother having decamped three letter to the Director General (as one does) John Brown, Unilever, Samuels and Glyn years earlier to the US with a graduate and was called in for an interview and who Mills and Southern Railways with the student) in Cootehill in Co. Cavan. should it be but his old friend , E.A. object of creating a distinguished panel of MacNeice wanted to make sure his son (Archie) Harding, an Oxford intellectual patrons for the contact work. It worked!" was safe and so he thought neutral Ireland with strong left-wing sympathies, and they These men initiated the Contact was ideal for that reason. He had thought took to each other at once. Harding Registrar: originally of sending him to Bowen's Court believed passionately in the power of the "Why send a spy to get the facts we but Elizabeth Bowen herself warned him radio "to entertain, instruct, and persuade". need if someone in this country has "of strong pro-Axis sympathies in the He would seem to have persuaded them already?... Contacts included not Bowen's Court area", so Dan ended up MacNeice to reconsider his views on only individuals but also numerous staying with his cousins, the Clements. (It patriotism and propaganda. By the end of shipping companies, chambers of would have been very interesting for the the interview, the poet had agreed to try 21 his freelance hand and produce initial Ansbacher account; she had personal loans if Obama won, she would be in his scripts that would contribute to the national from Guinness & Mahon secured on a "cabinet". That too alerted me as anyone morale. The BBC, evidently pleased with deposit of funds from Guinness Mahon knows that an American President has "an these, now offered him a staff position, Cayman Trust. She also withdrew funds administration" not the "cabinet" of our "subject to satisfactory references and from GMCT's account in Guinness & democracies. Anyone familiar with 'positive vetting' by MI5" (which still Mahon. She had had to give up living in political electioneering would know too remains the case today). After his three England and she spiritedly (as it became that no one takes time out during the most month trial, MacNeice was offered his very difficult to get funds from the now important part of it—in this case the appointment (on a salary of £620 a year) alcoholic MacNeice who died in '63 when primaries—to go off to publicise a book. and "he worked there for the next twenty he was only fifty-six) went to live in (It has been decided by the editor of the years." During this time "there were a Kinsale and opened the Spinnaker Irish Political Review that a Profile of this number of other writers recruited for the Restaurant and lived there till 1978. She woman will be done in a future issue so BBC", among who were William Empson died in France in 1990.) enough about her till then.) and George Orwell. They all had to attend SAMANTHA, HUBERT AND DULANTY a six-week crash course on how to be a Those of us who were present for the But Hubert Butler—now that's another propagandist. They called it 'The Liar's Hubert Butler Conference in Kilkenny story. At the conference we were told by School', though MacNeice's biographer (reported in the Irish Political Review, his family that he left war-torn Paris and said there is no evidence of his subject December 2000), which had been co- came back to live with his wife Peggy, attending there. funded by the Irish Times and the British who was the sister of Tyrone Guthrie, at Council, will remember the line up of her family home—which is now the It is necessary to just look at the BBC literati/academics who were there to Anacarrig Writer's Centre in County itself and see it for what it was—and still sanctify their "own saint and liberal icon", Tyrone. One would have expected him to remains, as the Dr. Kelly affair tragically as Caroline Walsh, Literary Editor of the have gone to his old home Maidenhall, shows: Irish Times put it. That famous "revisionist Kilkenny, but his father still lived there "The BBC Charter was a careful retreat", as she called it, which was opened and there is more than a faint suggestion compromise among major parties by Roy Foster, had us all agog during a Q that the marriage may not have been to the designed to keep radio out of politics. It and A session when Jack Lane and Brendan old man's liking. It was only on the latter's guaranteed that while the BBC would not Clifford proposed to the panel, well-known death in 1941, that Hubert and his wife become the mouthpiece of a particular ideas that were central to Butler's ideology. came to Maidenhall where they lived for government, it would remain the creature, After much silence and faffing, Professor the rest of their lives. Now that is the albeit thinly insulated, of government. To be sure, an independent Board of Terence Brown, TCD finally yielded and version we were given both at the Governors made day-to-day policy and accepted, with qualifications, their thesis. Conference and in the book. Was it true? hired a director to carry it out. But as was But a general bad air fell upon the room Was it . . . ? as the builder said to the typical of all mass media in Britain, those and it seemed that the lads had intruded accountant leaving the Mahon Tribunal. in charge were so close to the into a very private ritual, though in fact it Clair Wills claims that Butler was in Establishment that direct censorship was had been touted as "open to the public" by England in 1939 and in leafy Hampstead rarely necessary: they censored the Irish Times. at that! From there he wrote to the Irish themselves…. The type of free-wheeling The Irish Political Review (July 2003) High Commissioner in London, Mr. John political coverage practised by the carried a review of the book of the Dulanty, and explained to him: American networks was impossible in conference (which was flagged in the Irish Britain." "I am a citizen of Eire. My home is in Times, under the heading 'Cultural icon Kilkenny. I want to offer my services for It, as Tom Nairn exposes, always acts and secular saint'). The book Unfinished war work and should value your advice." in the interest of the State. (Just compare Ireland: Essays On Hubert Butler edited He then gives his CV which included the difference with RTE, funded totally by Chris Agee was noted by the present being a "member of the Irish Co-ordinating by the tax-payer but which acts against writer as being censored as it excluded the Committee and was responsible for the the State's own interests and yet gets away very lively exchanges of the Q and A bringing of the first refugees from Vienna with what it does unless it affects one of session—especially the fine interventions and the initiation of the work in Ireland. I the elites' own, as a recent example has of Lane and Clifford. Time went on and speak well German and French, with a demonstrated.) then in 2007 during the Kilkenny Arts little practice would become good in Russian, less good in Serbo-Croatian…. I But whether he had training or not, he Festival the Irish Times went big on the have a very wide experience of European proved to be a great propagandist. "Mac fact that the Pulitzer Price-winning countries and people. I have written to Neice's love for America—eclipsed by 'a Samantha Power was giving the newly Mr. N. E. Cooper at the Home Office and sudden revulsion' in autumn 1941—re- inaugural Hubert Butler lecture. to someone at the War Office but I should emerged with her entry into the war and Not many of us knew who Power was naturally prefer greatly to work under my shines through his radio scripts of summer then but since her debut in Ireland, she own government if there is any opening for someone of my qualifications." and winter of 1942: 'Britain to America'… made an explosive foray into the present 'Salute to the US Army'…" (Louis US Presidential Democratic race on So it is puzzling that the War Office MacNeice by John Stallworthy, W.W. Barack Obama's side: calling Hilary would not have wanted such a gem. He Norton & Co, New York, 1995.) Actually Clinton "a monster" (which had to be had worked with the Kagran Gruppe, a there were a few other writers who were apologised for by the Obama people, we Quaker organisation who were bringing looking for jobs and it seems they really were told here). She was on every Irish out Christian Jews—though it did not didn't care as to who was their employer as News channel and as she was plugging limit its work to Christian Jews—his wife long as they got paid. her book, she certainly made capital of the remained at home in Tyrone. With no (There is an interesting footnote here, whole episode. But here is something offers, Butler then tried getting a job "with as reported in the Sunday Business Post, strange—while all the Irish news media the British censorship". Even Clair Wills 14th July, 2002. MacNeice's second wife were focussed on Power, I put through a finds this hard to understand but concludes and widow (though they had been call to an in-the-know political guy in pragmatically that "he simply needed estranged as he had taken up with an Washington and he had never heard of employment". Indeed. But where now actress called Mary Wimbush) Hedli her. And another thing that had suspicious "our liberal icon and secular saint"? No MacNeice, was named as having an tones to it was the oft-repeated claim that, wonder he and Brian Inglis had such an 22 intemperate correspondence when the A newly-issued biography, Joseph The British Council couldn't have latter took on highly risky RAF work and Walshe, Irish Foreign Policy 1922-1946 formulated it better as John Betjeman was the other became a "market gardener" by Aengus Nolan (Mercier Press, 2008), in the future to find out. with a preference for writing articles that couldn't come at a more opportune time as appeared only very seldom in publications. it intersected with my period of study. Walshe doesn't seem to have been While Dr. Nolan seemed at first to find it caught up in the Rising—which would INGLIS AND WILLIAMS hard to fathom that a civil servant of such seem to indicate a rather unrevolutionary But Inglis who returned to his Irish high rank could just jump from working nature—but that didn't stop Bowen from Times column after the war heard about a for the former Cumann na nGaedheal party commenting to her superiors that he had British Government Forces Grant scheme to working for de Valera, I cannot find "an (apparently) sinister past". Her and though at first turned down, he received "Walshe's lack of ideological uniformity" quotation marks around the word it once he mentioned his difficulties to difficult to understand. Democracy yields "apparently" would seem to suggest that Reggie Ross Williamson, the man who such results and it is the duty of the civil she knew she was repeating some gossip had replaced John Betjeman as 'Press servant to understand that and continue that she was not entirely sure of, but the Officer' in the British legation office. So working for whomever the people put in remark still calls her judgement into he did his post-graduate degree in Trinity power. question, in my opinion. In a close on "the history of the press in Ireland", But what Nolan and others really mean assessment of her work, I have found far with T.W. Moody agreeing to be his is that it was not just a change of a political too many examples of her personal supervisor. party in government, as the former prejudices clouding her evaluations. Eunan In the thriving Dublin of that time, Cosgravites had begun to think that they O'Halpin, the academic and Professor of Inglis met up with various people but one were the state and indeed acted as such. Modern History at Trinity, has written whom he really admired was Desmond So who was this Joseph Walshe whose two books on spying (and according to Williams, Professor of Modern History at career largely co-incided with the pro- Books Ireland March 2008, a third is due UCD. In 1944,Williams made a decision Treatyte party and whose attire rather out in April), with one having an to "return to history as a postgraduate repulsed Elizabeth Bowen who wrote introduction by no less a personage than student at Peterhouse, Cambridge", where untruthfully that "his person is uncouth". Sir Christopher Andrew, who is writing Herbert Butterfield, a Fellow of the College Though born to farming people in Co. the official in-house history of MI6, with and Professor of Modern History at the Tipperary, his life was very cosmopolitan. all that that implies. University, described him as one "of the At seventeen he entered the Jesuit order O'Halpin has given me hours of ablest and most promising students he had and two years later he was in Holland interesting reading. What I love about him personally encountered". "where he lived with French Jesuits, a is the way he sources the most important Williams got to know Michael number of whom had been forced into tit-bits of genuine information by just Oakeshott who worked for MI6 and was exile due to anti-clerical laws. While there, referring to "Private communication" or one of the founders of the CIA-backed he studied Philosophy and developed his even "Private information" while also magazine, Encounter (a link which, when linguistic skills before returning to Ireland sourcing very exactly most of his other it became public, disturbed a lot of its in 1910 to take up a teaching post in sources. This is simply inexcusable, if writers/contributors). Inglis goes on to Clongowes Wood Jesuit college" (Nolan, only because it could lead to various state that Williams "in his youth had been p13). abuses. How sure can one be of using what a fervent admirer of Hitler; secondment He left the Jesuits citing medical he has written if it comes with these self- from Peterhouse to the Allied Commission reasons. (There is some suspicion that he styled power strokes? One only has to , set up at the end of the war to edit the was something of the hypochondriac.) think of poor dear Peter Hart whom I German Foreign Ministry's documents, Anyway he studied Law at UCD and then can't help devilishly advising, that he had changed his views about Nazism but did a postgraduate degree in French. It should have done likewise and thus not about socialism. He was adept, though, was while he was in France, with his avoided sourcing the dead for his at concealing his own opinions", though friend Seán Murphy on holiday, that by interviews. Ah but such is academia today he worked unstintingly with Michael chance in Paris they met Seán T. O'Kelly, in Ireland. So when O'Halpin attributes a Oakeshott and others to "instil a maverick who had known Walshe as a student. powerful war-time role to Elizabeth brand of Toryism" which later became O'Kelly was in Paris to promote Irish Bowen, one has to be very cautious about identified with the "Peterhouse Mafia" freedom at the Versailles Peace such information. In this case though, he and which was embedded into journalism Conference, and he thought Walshe would cites the Liddell history, which text carries by the likes of Colin Welch, George Gale, make a good civil servant. As soon as he excisions and blanked out words and and Peregrine Worsthorne. got back to Ireland Walshe started work names. O'Halpin writes: Inglis became quite friendly with and it became quite the vocation for him. "Most importantly, the name of the Williams and spent Saturday evenings Sinn Fein had won the 1918 General head of SIS's wartime Irish section is with him and his friend Patrick Lynch, a Election and there was much to do. The blanked out, although the accompanying civil servant in the Department of the Department that he worked for was Foreign pronoun discloses the interesting fact that Taoiseach, and later to become Professor Affairs: de Valera understood its import- this was a woman working within Section of Economics and Chairman of Aer ance immediately and asked Under- V, the division of SIS responsible for counterintelligence. Who was this dark Lingus, at the Unicorn restaurant. Inglis Secretary Robert Brennan for weekly lady of the in-house histories?" then became involved with the Labour briefings. Dev issued the following He goes on to dramatically exclaim, Party and Conor Cruise O'Brien had his instructions and they bear witness to what "One plausible candidate is the Anglo- thesis published in Irish Historical Studies he was already focused on: Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen, whose which had negotiated a contract with Faber "Your duties will be to establish a known Irish work for the British Ministry & Faber. It turned out to become The general secretariat, and to maintain regular of Information could also have provided Story of Ireland and, as he confessed, it correspondence with our representatives cover for more secret activities. Whoever became his "launching pad" (Downstart: and with our friends in foreign countries, she was, her main Irish role is not clear: The autobiography of Brian Inglis, Chatto and to supply them with pamphlets and counter intelligence against Axis agents & Windus Ltd, London, 1990). statistics as a foundation for informative and sympathies was undoubtedly the articles upon Ireland. These should be, as principal function of the SIS organisation I pointed out, of a permanent rather than established in Dublin in June 1940, but JOSEPH WALSHE an ephemeral character". that tedious on the ground work was done 23 under the supervision of the British swaggering or aggressive thing. Just out the killings. passport control officer Captain children and teenagers enjoying The Simon Community is a housing Collinson" (Ireland And The Second themselves. It looked just natural. Not charity with hostels supplying 270 single World War: Politics, Society And long ago it would have been illegal. Remembrance , edited by Brian Girvin beds and 49 family rooms across 20 sites About twenty years or more ago the in Northern Ireland. It has refused and Geoffrey Roberts, Four Courts Press, BBC was interviewing people in East Dublin, 2000). employment as hostel wardens, after Frankly, my researches have found Belfast about their feelings of nationality. checking with the PSNI, to two men this to be totally unfounded. But Bowen They asked one Chinese man if he felt because they are ex-IRA prisoners. Sean was certainly active in Ireland and I will mostly Chinese or Irish. "I'm British", McConkey from Lenadoon in Belfast argue in the next article that she had to he responded. Well, on March 17th had already been selected and was later have a handler who was a well connected there were a lot of Chinese families rejected. Jervis Marks from Forkhill, Anglo-Irish woman, who left Ireland once walking around town with tricolours Co. Armagh had his application rejected. her career was over, and spent her attached to prams and pushchairs. The Court of Appeal in Belfast refused retirement in the England she so loved, as Saint Patrick's Day in Dingle was a further leave to appeal. But the men, did of course Elizabeth Bowen. But far more reflective affair. The parade com- through their lawyer, Karen Quinlivan, above Bowen was John Betjeman and of memorated the tradition of defiance from are going ahead with a petition to the course the professional spooks like the the days when Irish People were forbid- House of Lords. (Irish News. 13.3.08) Liddell brothers Guy and Cecil. den to assemble during the hours of Outsourcing has taken on a whole new Julianne Herlihy darkness. So the people rose before meaning in the North—particularly dawn and held their parade in the dark. where public funds are being directed Editorial Digest Would you wear an Easter Lily? This towards the private sector or where was the front page headline in the privatisation is on the agenda. The Irish The Royal Irish Regiment was reported Wicklow Times (19.3.08). Local News (10.3.08) gives details of where on by Radio Eireann's Good Morning politicians were asked the question and the people "running" the public services, Ireland programme on 14th March 2008. gave a variety of answers. This followed and being paid handsomely for their This was in the context of the Saint a campaign by the historian Joe jobs, actually live. Sean Campbell, Patrick's Day holidays. The Regiment McGowan, Chairman of the Markievicz Chairman of Construction Industry will celebrate the Saint's day and then go Committee, who said: "The British Training lives in Switzerland. Tony off to Afghanistan for six months. A people wear the poppy to honour their Watson, Chairman of the Strategic Corporal and a Lieutenant from the South fallen heroes and it is right that they Investment Board, lives in London. were asked about the Oath of Allegiance should. We Irish have a similar emblem. Veronica Palmer, Chairman of the to the Queen and more or less dismissed It is called the Easter Lily". Liz Mc Northern Ireland Transport and Holding it as of no significance. The Captain, a Manus was asked if she would wear the Company, responsible for the trains and Catholic from North Antrim, talked about Lily "even if it was a stick on one". She buses, lives in England. Also living in his family history in the British Army, said no and continued in her very Lady England is Chris Mellor, former head of his father in World War Two and his Wicklow way: "I have a nice silver the private Anglian Water, and Chairman grandfather in the Great War. He joined broach depicting a lily; I'll wear that of Northern Ireland Water. He won't be the military in the 70s but had to keep over the Easter". One cannot help lonely though. Half of the Board of quiet about it until recently. The wondering how many Easter Lilies— Northern Ireland Water also lives there. Lieutenant-Colonel, a plummy sticky or otherwise—were sold (never Sir Roy McNulty who lives in the English Englishman, claimed his family came mind how many years men spent in jail) West Midlands is Chairman of Ilex, from Ireland, and politics and religion to raise the funds which got Liz McManus responsible for regeneration in Derry. were left at the gate. He tried to give the and her colleagues where they are today. He is also Deputy Chairman of the impression that the RIR was some kind Olympic Delivery Authority and of the of Band of Brothers apart from politics. Prisoner releases. In the course of his Civil Aviation Authority. Of the eight There were no Ulster Protestants Guardian rant against Paisley and Adams members of the Northern Ireland interviewed, though they make up the (see article elsewhere in this Irish Authority for Utility Regulations, only bulk of the unit. Emphasis was on the Political Review), Simon Jenkins says: two live in the North. And on it goes. harp and shamrock insignia—Colonel "Blair's prisoner release turned more The talking may have been devolved, Tim Collins (George Bush's favourite terrorists and gangsters on to the streets but hardly the government. Who said soldier) was its commander in the of Britain than anything in modern "Brits Out"? invasion of Iraq. It is a very new history". 450 people were released— Nice Little Earners. Westminster MPs regiment, formed in 1992, mostly from 254 Republicans and 196 Loyalists. 159 can claim expenses for household goods the Ulster Defence Regiment, formerly had been serving life sentences. A total (on the grounds that their homes were the B-Specials, formerly (and to a great of 12 have had their licences revoked completely bare before they were elected extent latterly) the Ulster Volunteer and these include people like Michael ???). The amounts are based on prices at Force. Among its battle honours was the Stone who appear happier in jail. (Irish John Lewis. Examples are: bed £1,000, massacre of the Miami Showband near News 22.3.08) telly £750, food mixer £200, carpet £35 Newry in 1975. per square metre… Top of the list, in Israel & Settlers The media in Ireland Saint Patrick's Day in Belfast was a joint first place, from 647 MPs, are has reported that the Israeli Government dramatic example of how much things Nigel Dodds of the DUP and Alasdair decided to build 700 or more homes for have changed. There was a short official McDonnell of the SDLP, both claiming settlers in East Jerusalem as revenge for Council parade with lots of shamrocks £22,110. Mind you , most of the others the killing of six religious students. This and other green things. Also were groups are not far behind. Towards the bottom is not how the matter is being reported in from various communities—especially of the list are Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein Israel. Olmert is saying that this is part the Chinese. But it was the sight and the (478th) on £16,500, Sammy Wilson of of a long-standing plan. atmosphere of the whole of the city the DUP (505th) on £15,159, and the Arrest warrants have been issued for centre that impressed. It was a sea of relatively frugal Eddie McGrady of the family members of the man who carried green white and orange. Not a SDLP (542nd) on £11,709. 24 WILSON continued travelled by rail? What would happen "But economic forces moved the to the Suez Canal, the majority of whose conference, like players about a chess- shares were held by the British?" (p300). board. Boundary-lines were shifted to and everything to which they had been "But America's gesture to the Syrians include harbors, copper, oil, mineral accustomed; they often lived isolated had no influence on the Peace Confer- resources. Races were split, natural lives in distant places of the world. ence. As elsewhere, lands and peoples demarcations ignored. The imperialist They mobilized opinion for had been disposed of while the war was interests that had kept the world on imperialistic ends. Conservatives or in progress. The Sykes-Picot Treaty edge for thirty years before the war Liberals, the empire was their passion. had partitioned the Near East. In the were making a killing; they would end It was to be served, strengthened, carried partition the Arabs got nothing." (p302). the old controversies; would sanction on. Where the empire was in question "France took Syria, England Meso- their loot by treaty agreements; perhaps they were impervious to facts, blind to potamia. Palestine went to the Jews. rivet them by the League of Nations. obvious evils, untouched by argument. The Arabs had driven back the Turks The British Admiralty wanted oil; it As administrators they were intelligent and had perhaps saved the British had talked oil for years. British maritime and kindly—conceded nothing to self- Empire. Their sacrifices were ignored; prescience saw that oil was the fuel of government, nothing to the aspiration agreements were thrown to the winds to-morrow. The French steel trust of other people for liberty. England and and betraying friends took possession wanted a grip on coal and iron ore, to the empire were one; British citizenship of their ancient towns and countryside. gain command of the Continent and a distinction, like the Roman citizen- The Arabs rebelled; their rebellion was strip Germany of her war-making ship; to question the empire was to crushed by the same friends with power. Munition-makers were busy. question centuries of sacrifice, the aeroplanes and machine-guns." They were getting ready for the next renown of England's most distinguished war. men. This extraordinarily efficient LENIN AND WILSON "One evening at dinner a friend of organisation knew everything except "Lionel Steffens was interested in President Wilson's, a man thoroughly the suppressed wants of subject peoples; Russia; President Wilson had spoken conversant with the conference, said granted everything to subject peoples generously of Russia's right to have despondently: except political liberty. It was not revolutions if she saw fit. Lenin talked 'It is impossible to tell yet whether willing to dignify by discussion the Wilson's language as to self- the peace is being drafted by the questionings of others as to the sanctity determination and ending imperialism. international bankers or the munition- of England's imperial trust" (p297). The Prinkipo Conference was organized makers. It is not being drafted by "As I talked with these young men, as a friendly overture to Russia. It failed. America.' I reflected on the nature of English One day Steffens and I were with "America had no business at Paris. gentlemen and Oxford scholars—their William Bullitt, a liaison official, whose That was the outstanding thing about unwillingness, perfected by long business it was to keep the American which we almost all agreed. President practice into inability, to recognise mission informed as to what was going Wilson should have stayed at home. issues that touched their economic on. Bullitt had an engaging personality. We were amateurs, amateurs seeking interests. India, Egypt, Africa, He knew Europe, had been connected to right the world by moralistic appeals; Mesopotamia provided careers for the with the State Department during the we had fought as religious crusaders, younger sons of the aristocracy; Eng- war. Steffens suggested a mission to and, like Joshua, had expected the old land was crowded, trade undesirable, Russia, a mission that understood the world to fall at a trumpet-blast. Our the service of the state was their Bolshevik point of view, that could talk emotions were honest, the sacrifice opportunity. To end imperialism was to its language. Bullitt liked the idea and genuine, whole-hearted, but Europe end jobs, opportunities for preferment. dictated a memorandum about it to only smiled at our naivete" (The It was like suggesting abolishing the Colonel House. Two days later Bullitt Confessions of a Reformer, Frederic C. church to the clergy, the army to the asked Steffens if he would go to Russia Howe, 1925, p305). military caste, the navy to marines. with him; if so, could he be ready Men receive unwillingly ideas that immediately? The plan had been So what can we say about Woodrow destroy a livelihood; and vocal England approved by Colonel House; it was Wilson: that on practically every question is a unit in the protection of its privileged only necessary to get the sanction of with which he was faced during his career, sons—they would be left to starve if the Lloyd George. The next day that had he adopted the right attitude and the wrong colonial service were ended, they would been secured" (p303). methods. have to compromise their dignity in "I saw Bullitt and Steffens off. They There is no doubt that his Fourteen trade or emigrate as workers" (p298). went to London; from London by British Points were a definite influence in breaking aid they reached Russia. They were down the resistance of the Central Powers THE LABOUR PARTY sympathetically received by Lenin, and (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the "Even the Labour Party had a returned to Paris to make their report. confused veneration for the empire, a The mission had been successful. The Ottoman Empire), who looked to Wilson, veneration springing from tradition. Russians had acceded to the allied as it turned out, in vain, to enforce what he Oxford young men wanted our dough- memorandum; a rapprochement had propounded. boys to do their policing, to help protect seemed established; Russia was to come At Paris in March, 1919, he entirely economic interests that they dignified back into the family of nations. Bullitt betrayed the trust which the defeated as sacred. That was the objective of the and Steffens were elated. A great nations had placed in him. Had he kept to Armenian drive; America's duty was advance had been made toward himself, he might have used the weight of always being held before my eyes" international amity. For some reason or his authority on certain issues to ensure (p298). another they could not see the President. Lloyd George received Bullitt and the the adoption of broad principles of justice, instead he dived into a maelstrom of BAGHDAD AND SUEZ report, but later denied that he knew of the mission or had given his consent to committees, and was lost. Even his own "Allied opinion about the Baghdad American colleagues openly ridiculed him, Railway, which I had visualized as a it. No explanation for his change of great international highway to open up front was ever offered. That Lloyd by almost all he was regarded as a bloody a rich storehouse of lands, was that it George had approved of the mission nuisance. should be left to rust. It had done enough was obvious to all. It could not have left Pat Maloney damage already; completed, it would France, could not have landed in disturb the balance of power. What England, could not have secured NOTE: All underlining by Editor, conveyance to Russia but for British would happen to British shipping Labour Comment. interests if the freight of Europe aid and approval" (p303).

25 WILSON continued "It helped one to understand British of British oil interests in Mesopotamia imperialism to talk with Colonel and Persia. I warmed to the theme of Lawrence… was Lawrence guarding financial imperialism and the necessity friends and with each other. The Arabia for the British? Was he one of of being rid of imperialistic exploiters documents show that England and the thousands of young men in the in order to have permanent peace. I felt France had pleaded with the King of the British foreign office who forget that they would help in solving the Near Hedjas to throw the Arab forces in with themselves to forward Britain's empire Eastern problem" (p295). the allied cause, and drive the Turks and protect her outposts from German from Arabia. or Russian penetration? Lawrence gave "WHITE MAN'S BURDEN" "The Arabs were promised their no hint. Neglectful of honors, indifferent "It astounded me to find that they freedom in exchange; England would to everything suggestive of personal scarcely knew the meaning of the words get out of Mesopotamia, France would aggrandizement, he seemed as detached “economic imperialism”. Imperialism get out of Syria; the whole of Arabia from the Occidental world as Feisal was not economic, it was a white man's was to be divided into three parts, to be himself. He spoke frankly about Britain burden. A sacred trust, undertaken for ruled by the three sons of the King of as he did about the French. The Arabs the well-being of peoples unfitted for the Hedjas—one of whom, Emir Feisal, had a culture of their own. They intended self-government . The war was in no was in Paris. Dignified, meditative, to keep it. He knew the Occident, knew way related to the conflict of financial richly turbaned, he was there to see that its unworthiness, knew that he would interests. Unfortunate things were done the compact was lived up to. But France have to fight for the things that had sometimes by business bounders— and England were unwilling to give up been promised his Arab friends by the true—but they did not influence the this rich territory. Scarcely was the ink Allies to bring them into the war. He Foreign Office. They flag followed the dry on their compact with the Arabs and Feisal gave one a sense of the Near investor, perhaps, but only because the when they negotiated with each other East, of its age, its sense of security, its investor was a British citizen who was the secret Sykes-Picot Treaty, under apartness. sacred wherever he ventured. This whose terms England was to retain "Arabia had been Arabia for thous- imperialism, which was not imperial- Mesopotamia, France was to keep Syria, ands of year. Empires had come and ism, must be carried to the end. It must and Russia take Armenia. Then the gone, conquerors had fought in turn for be carried by Anglo-Saxons, and Jews asked for Palestine, and Balfour, its possession. It had been the battle England was not longer able to carry it the gentleman-statesman, agreed on ground of millions; it had known almost alone. She had lost much of her best behalf of England that they should have every ambitious conqueror from Darius blood in the trenches; Oxford and it, although Palestine had already been to the Kaiser. Yet Arabia remained Cambridge, which recruited the Foreign promised to the Arabs and given to the Arabia; her customs, her culture, her Office, had been depleted of a French. And England, I soon found, habits were as they had been thousands generation of talent. The only country was reluctant to hand over Syria to of years ago" (p294). which could be trusted to share the France" (p292). "To Feisal, and in a sense to white man's burden was America; Lawrence as well, the Paris Peace America must help. She must carry it in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Conference was but a moment in a Armenia. There was the crux of that "The two most picturesque person- history that went back to the very origin sociable morning talk, as of others. ages in Paris were Prince Emir Feisal of man. America should take the mandate over and Colonel Thomas Lawrence. Feisal "Colonel Lawrence seemed to share Armenia. Propaganda to that end should was one of three sons of the King of my opinion of allied treachery. He even take root in my mind and be carried Hedjas. admitted my suggestion that England back to the President" (p296). "Feisal was accompanied by Colonel coveted Syria or wanted America to "“But”, I parried, “Armenia is a Thomas Lawrence. He too provided take it as a mandate. French occupation danger-spot. It is a buffer between copy for the press, such copy as it was of Syria meant control of the entrance Europe and Asia. The power that holds possible to extract from this reticent to Mesopotamia. Syria menaced the Armenia may have to defend the British friend and protector of the Sherif of Island of Cyprus and British control of Empire in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Mecca. Colonial Lawrence seemed but the Suez Canal. England did not want India—defend it against Turkey, central a handsome boy. He inspired spontan- France in Syria. She wanted it herself" Europe, certainly against revolutionary eous affection from every one who (p294). Russia. If we should take Armenia we came in contact with him. I have seen would need a huge military and naval "LORD MILNER'S MEN" Mr. Arthur Balfour approach him at the force; we might be embroiled with every "One evening a number of young Hotel Majestic as a father might power in Europe; certainly we would Englishmen visited me at the Hotel approach a son" (p293). be embroiled with the Turks and Arabs”. Chatham [in Paris]. They were Oxford "Lawrence was an Oxford man. After "“It looks to me”, I ended, “as if and Cambridge men, brilliant, friendly, graduation he disappeared in the America is to be asked to carry the bag; amiable. A few days later I was invited Arabian desert, where he lived with the to police Europe and remove from to breakfast with them. Arriving, I found Bedouin tribes, learned their language, England and France the burden of that I was at the house of Lloyd George; acquired their culture and understood protecting imperialistic ventures. You that Philip Kerr, my host, was Lloyd their wants. He was termed ‘The are asking us to assume the biggest, George's secretary. He and his Uncrowned King of the Arabs”." most dangerous, and costliest job of associates, Lionel Curtis, Arnold all”" (p296). A little like Iveagh House and the MI6 Toynbee, and others, were known as "The young men admitted the danger. contemporary, Michael Semple "The “Lord Milner's men”. They felt, as all Englishmen whom I Uncrowned King of the Afghans", well "They were editors of the periodical met seemed to feel, that America owed known as “The Round Table”, and had almost! a debt to England, much as did Canada, organized an imperial conference in Australia, and other colonies. We ought "When things were going badly with each of the British colonies. We talked the British in Arabia, Lawrence was to be proud to pay our debt to the about the Near East. They, too, were empire. That America was a colonial sought for by General Allenby, and interested in the subject. I took it for found in the library in Alexandria. He dependence, not yet a sovereign nation, granted that they were interested in seemed to be their fixed idea" (p296). was made a colonel in the British army, self-determination for peoples; that they he aided in organizing the Arabian "Before the war these men, especially understood, as a matter of course, the the Lord Milner group, had gone to forces, and commanded a machine-gun crimes committed by imperialistic battalion against the Turks in the desert Canada, Australia, and South Africa. adventurers in Egypt, Persia, Africa. I They gave up home, companionship, fighting from Egypt up along the talked about my discoveries of Palestine coast" (p293). conflicting treaties, about the activities continued on page 25

26 WILSON continued were wounded, it is estimated that 7.5 three continents. million Prisoners of War disappeared and "When the armistice was signed I the total casualties came to 37 million and felt that the international millennium if they were his allies, wrote the points this Oxford boffin reckons it was not a was at hand. The President's idealism down on a page of the world's history— shocking waste of human life and this had carried the world; his Fourteen and there they stood from one to view is endorsed by Max Hastings, John Points had been accepted; armies were fourteen—but when it came to the Peace to be disbanded, armaments scrapped, Keegan and Paul Johnson. imperialism ended. Self-determination Conference they moved the decimal And you can bet there is no fear of any point to the left, and his fourteen point was to be extended to all peoples, hates were not worth the paper on which they of these gentlemen being barred from were to be assuaged, and peace to reign. were written. Ireland was one of the addressing the students of University "I was ready to embrace a league of small nations; she asked nothing that College, Cork! nations, even a league to enforce peace. was outside the fourteen points. Any international arrangement that WILSON IN PARIS: Whoever else had forgotten the fourteen would prevent war was worth while. I points, Ireland had not" (Archbishop THE OBSERVATIONS OF believed that the negotiators at Paris Mannix, The Advocate Melbourne, FREDERIC C. HOWE wanted peace and were willing to make 29.7.1920). "Early in the war I wrote to the any sacrifices for it; that war was going President about the Near East. I was to be forever ended on earth. DID CAPITALIST intensely interested in that part of the "Such facts as did not fit in with my AMERICA HAVE A CHOICE? world which began with Constantinople enthusiastic visitation, I suppressed. I "On 28 November, 1916, the Federal and ended with Persia, including Egypt, found an explanation for wrongs that Reserve Board, the nearest agency the Syria, Mesopotamia, and the control of had been done at home in the end to be United States had to a central bank, had the Mediterranean. I felt that here was attained. America had almost lost her published a warning to its member the origin of the war, here was danger to own liberties—that was part of our banks, advising against the purchase of the British Empire, to France, and to sacrifice. Surely the President covenan- foreign treasury bills. By this stage of the allied cause. If Germany could split ted for his ideals in exchange for what the war Britain was spending about the Allies as she planned to do in the we had lost. His suppression of $250 million per month in the United Near East, the British Empire would be liberalism still raised unsatisfied States, both on its own behalf and on destroyed. My Anglo-Saxon instincts questioning, but of a new dispensation that of its allies. Much of it was devoted were strong enough to revolt at this. I for the world I did not permit myself to to supporting the sterling-dollar did not believe the war propaganda, did doubt. The men in Europe would be of exchange rate, in order to control the not accept the singleness of German one mind with him; war had all but price of American goods. It reflected a guilt. Still something within me was destroyed civilization, war should not dependence on American industry and aroused at the thought of German happen again. I was captivated by the on the American stock market which in ascendancy in the world" (The President's eloquence and thoroughly German minds both justified the Confessions of a Reformer, Frederic C. believed in his programme. I wanted to submarine campaign and undermined Howe, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925, have a part in it; a share in the settlement the United State's claim to be neutral. p284). of the Near Eastern problems. I wanted Britain and France had calculated on "In Paris, negotiating with French to be around when the hand of the spending $1,500 million in the United munition interests, I heard similar Western world should be lifted from States in the six-month period between discussions. The Baghdad Railway was the peoples of the Near East, the glories October 1916 and April 1917, and they in the diplomatic mind of Europe. of whose ancient civilization I dreamed anticipated funding five-sixths of it by France and England were endeavouring of seeing restored." (p288). borrowing in New York—in other to control it, or frustrate its completion. "George Creel urged on the President words by selling treasury bills. On 28 It was an acute international problem an unofficial appointment that would November the Federal Reserve Board for twenty years prior to the war. enable me to go to the Peace Conference. had been swayed by the views of one of "In correspondence with the One day he said to me: 'The President its members in particular, Paul Warburg, President I urged on him my conviction wants you to go to Paris.' There was a German by birth, who argued that the of the economic causes of the war; that something more about passport, funds, average American investor was too it was not the Kaiser, nor the Czar, but an assignment to be made when I should deeply dependent on an Entente imperialistic adventurers who had arrive. It was not very clear, but it [Britain, France and Russia] victory. driven their countries into conflict. meant definitely to me an opportunity Warburg believed that this over- Secret diplomacy, the conflict of to press my ideas about the Mediter- exposure should be wound down. What bankers, cessionaires in the Mediter- ranean. That was what I wanted." followed was better described as a crash: ranean, in Morocco, in south and central (p290). $1,000 million was wiped off the stock Africa, had brought on the cataclysm; market in a week. By 1 April, 1917, glacial-like aggregations of capital and SYRIA Britain had an overdraft in the United credit were responsible for the war. His President Wilson appointed Howe on a States of $358 million and was spending vision [President Wilson] of peace was Syrian mission— $75 million a week. The American entry only possible with imperialism ended "to ascertain the wishes of the Syrians to the war save the Entente—and and the world freed from the struggle themselves in regard to a mandatory" possibly some American speculators— over the control of backward countries, (p291). from bankruptcy" (The First World embroiling now one country, now "The secret treaties were placed at War—A New History, Hew Strachan, another. Permanent peace meant that my disposal by Colonel House and the Simon & Schuster, 2004). Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, and the English authorities, who seemingly Dardanelles should be Hew Strachan boasts of "Turning approved of the mission. There was no internationalized; the Baghdad Railway help to be had from the French, who did received wisdom about the war completely completed by an international on its head, he pays tribute to the men who not want the inquiry made. These secret consortium, so that Asiatic Turkey treaties, like others, had been kept from planned and executed the war, seeing it might again become as in ancient days President Wilson: it was claimed he not as a shocking waste of human life, but a great granary and storehouse of wheat knew nothing about them until his as a necessary conflict that utterly and cotton. I pictured the territory of arrival. They furnished astounding transformed the twentieth century." the old Roman Empire freed from revelations. Our allies, like Germany, imperialism and developed by inter- Eight and a half million humans were scrapped treaties—not with traditional national arrangement, with Constantin- enemies, but solemn agreements with killed in World War I, the greatest ople a free port and great cosmopolis, holocaust in human history—21 million serving as the distributing centre of continued on page 26 27 VOLUME 26 No. 4 CORK ISSN 0790-1712 Woodrow Wilson: A Lost Soul In Paris "It was determined that since victory, and all the bloodshed vain, if "most wicked and mischievous statement", Germany could not be beaten in fair the enemy were to retain after the war a a "monstrous perversion", which competition industrially, it must be chance of again beating in trade the "outraged decency" and "pained the beaten unfairly by organising a military rivals whom they failed to beat in war." loyalists". and naval conspiracy against her. British (Archbishop Daniel Mannix, However, the Melbourne daily, The methods and British capitalism might Melbourne, 1917). Age, goes to the heart of the truth about be inferior to German methods and German capitalism; German scientists Mannix created consternation amongst World War I: aided by German workers might be the Empire press in Australia, The Argus, "A Fact that stands out in flaming superior to British workers and tardy a Melbourne daily, in a leader stated: "It prominence before all eyes is that the British science, but the British fleet would be vain to attempt to argue with one present unprecedented military horrors was still superior to the German in who outrages decency by his monstrous are not . . . .for the vindication of any great human rights, but for class point of numbers and weight of artillery. perversions as Dr. Mannix does, with "Hence it was felt that if the German maintenance and the lust of human apparent enjoyment of the pain he inflicts" conquest" (The Age" leader, 4.3.1916). nation could be ringed round with armed (31.1.1917). foes upon its every frontier until the The Age itself supported these aims. British fleet could strike at its ocean- Yet, only months before, the Australian going commerce, then German compe- Prime Minister, Billy Hughes was lauded in the same press for stating: "The British Archbishop Mannix could never be tition would be crushed and the supre- forgiven for his role in the defeat of two macy of England in commerce ensured people recognise amongst the chief causes for another generation." (James of this war the desire of Germany to wrest Australian Conscription Referendums, Connolly, Irish Worker, 29th August from Britain her industrial and October, 1916; December, 1917. Despite 1914). commercial supremacy. We must kill the non-conscription, 330,000 troops were hope that still buoys Germany up" sent from Australia during World War I AUSTRALIA: (21.3.1916). out of a population of under Five Million. THE CONSCRIPTION REFERENDUMS "At the back of the war was the MANNIX IN 1916 AND 1917 struggle for the economic domination SAN FRANCISCO, 1920 If Connolly's voice went unheeded in of the world." (31.5.1916). 1914, in a little more than two years his "The people of the United States, he said, did not go into war for trade; they objective analysis became the focus of a Months later, when Archbishop Mannix did not go into the war for territory; major political battle in Australia at a time ventured to say the same thing, it was a they did not go into the war for annex- when the Entente (Britain, France and ations. They went into the war because Russia), least anticipated or required it! It they were convinced, or allowed was led by Archbishop Daniel Mannix of Subscribers to the magazine are regularly themselves to be convinced, that war Melbourne and late son of Rath Luirc offered special rates on other publications was to be the end of all wars; that the world was to be made free for demo- (Charleville), North County Cork. Irish Political Review is published by "They had heard much about the cracy, that every little nation and great causes of the war, and about the fight the IPR Group: write to— nation was to be set upon its feet, free to for the small nations. It was fortunate 14 New Comen Court, North Strand, work out its own destiny and to walk its for them that they were fighting on the Dublin 3, or own way without the menace of side of small nations. But, when all was PO Box 339, Belfast BT12 4GQ or aggression from more powerful said, and all concessions made, this PO Box 6589, London, N7 6SG, or neighbours. was like most wars—just an ordinary "Their purpose in going into the war trade war. As long as they could Labour Comment, was well expressed by one to whom at remember, Germany was capturing C/O Shandon St. P.O., Cork City. the time the whole world listened, but more of the world's trade than other Subscription by Post: whose name did not seem to be in the same honour in that assemblage that nations thought to be her due. The other 12 issues: £20, UK; nations, or some of them, had equal € 30, Ireland; € 35, Europe. night. He referred to President Wilson. opportunities, but they could not or They remembered how gladly the they did not, achieve the same success. Electronic Subscription: fourteen points were accepted at that "Even now, people were arranging € 15 / £12 for 12 issues critical time by those with whom he led how the vanquished nations—when (or € 1.30 / £1.10 per issue) the nation into alliance. They accepted his fourteen points; they would have they were vanquished—were to be You can also order both postal and crippled in their future trade. They told electronic subscriptions from: accepted 144 at the time. But his allies, us that the victory would be a barren www.atholbooks.org continued on page 27