Irish Political Review, November 2004
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IRISH ISSN 0790-7672 November 2004 The Irish Times: POLITICAL Gageby And McDowell Labour Organisation In Northern Ireland Volume 19 No 11 REVIEW "To Work Or Not ?" Incorporating Volume 18 Number 11 Labour Comment: Back Page The Northern Star Workers' Weekly ISSN 0954-5891 Warmongering Europe In . Crisis As the Irish Republican Army commits itself increasingly to a peace process, the Irish The Irish Times told us on the 28th Defence Force agitates for war. General Gerry MacMahon, a former Chief of Staff, October that Mr. Barroso’s decision to wants the Defence Force freed from “the UN mandate lack”, so that it can go to war (Irish delay ratification of his new Commission Times 20.10.04). UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan spent five days in Ireland pleading under the pressure from the European for the participation of the Irish Defence Force in a system of “hit squads” to be run by Parliament on 27th October was a “good the European Union for the United Nations where the UN cannot act. And John O’Shea, outcome to the EU Confrontation”. It belligerent head of GOAL, “an international humanitarian organisation”, urged the seemed a bit premature to even claim an Taoiseach to respond to Annan’s call, so that the UN Security Council, which is “hung outcome at that stage. The immediate up on national sovereignty”, could be circumvented (Irish Times 14.10.04). And the outcome is still to be known and the long- Irish Times naturally gives great publicity to these demands that Irish soldiers should term outcome is hardly knowable at this once again become active in international power politics, fighting for good causes around the world as they used to do when there was a real Regular Army in Ireland, the British stage. But for the Irish political class Army. The undermining of the concept of ‘national sovereignty’, a principle which kept whatever happens in Europe is a good the peace in Europe in the half century after World War II, also sits well with the agenda thing. Nowadays, the Irish political mind at the root of the Irish Times project. goes blank at the thought of Europe. Ducking and diving while the money So is Kofi Annan trying to set himself up as world dictator and to sideline the Security comes in is the order of the day and that’s Council into a talking shop? How can this be? The Secretary General derives his the beginning and the end of it. executive authority from the Security Council. If his scheme comes into effect, it can only be at the behest of the dominant power on the Security Council, the United States. If The only element that tries to bring Annan proceeds with this scheme and is not disabled, it can only be that he is acting as thought is Anthony Coughlan. He does so an agent of the United States. according to the guidelines set down by continued on page 2 the old Communist Party of Great Britain via his mentor Desmond Greaves in the 50s-60s and the British Eurosceptics, mainly Tories, of the 70s onwards. There is continuity and common ground from Communists to Conservatives in Britain on the issue of Europe and Coughlan is its agent in Ireland. That is why he never can really appeal to the Irish body politic. His conceptions are not organic to that body. This is the second defeat of the Commission by the Parliament and is clearly the second of many to come. The particular issues concerned do not matter. continued on page 6 Social Life in the Republic under new laws The Indonesian Government of that C O N T E N T S era had come to power in a military coup Page d’etat in 1965-6 in which a million people Warmongering. Editorial 1 were killed. Its leader, General Suharto, Europe In Crisis. Jack Lane 1 was one of the pillars of the Western segment of what is called the International Poem Addressed To Blair/Bush. Osama bin-Laden 3 Community. He governed the State well, An Cor Tuathail: Wee Black Danny. 7 by comparison with what has happened (Compiled by Pat Muldowney) since he was undermined. The country Tom Paulin And The Literati. Seán McGouran 7 was not riven by religious war, and a Just Business! John Martin on the Banking Scandals 8 degree of what might even be called prosperity was maintained by the method All-Ireland Labour In All-Ireland Politics. Joe Keenan 9 that later came to be called corruption. "State Funded Sectarianism And Pandering To Paramilitarism". Speech by Councillor Mark Langhammer 11 (General Suharto’s coup in Indonesia Gageby, McDowell And The Irish Times. John Martin 14 was instigated by the Americans and the Captain Kelly's Detractors. Letter from Seán McGouran 14 British. The British Ambassador, Sir Irish Establishment Steals The Presidency. Seán McGouran 16 Andrew Gilchrist, was closely involved. There was a strong Communist movement Peter Hart Responds. Report of Peter Hart & Niall Meehan on Kilmichael 18 in the country, which was massacred by A Right To Return ? Brendan Clifford 19 Suharto’s forces using the pretext that a The Clonbanin Column 20 coup was planned. Gilchrist was later Carryduff And 1798. Letter from Wilson John Haire 21 moved to Ireland, where he represented the Empire during the initial phase of the Labour Comment, edited by Pat Maloney: Arms importation saga in 1969. Major To Work Or Not ? by Bob Cotter Thomas McDowell, top dog of The Irish Times, was put in touch with Gilchrist Annan’s recent statement that the inva- action without a UN mandate. when he offered his services to Prime Minister Harold Wilson.) sion of Iraq was illegal was a piece of And General MacMahon tells a very demagoguery, designed to gain him credib- small part of that UN story. When With the crumbling of the Soviet ility as an independent agent in world Indonesia occupied East Timor, Australia regime and China’s withdrawal from affairs. He is not an independent agent. recognised Indonesian sovereignty over foreign affairs to develop a market And the invasion of Iraq was not illegal. East Timor on the basis of the right of economy, Washington decided it had no conquest. That recognition, which struck further need of Suharto, so it decreed that Insofar as there is a system of law at the ideological core of the UN, was not he was a dictator and that the closed operative on a world scale, it is the law of censured by the UN, even though a Secur- economy he was running was an intoler- the United Nations as determined by the ity Council resolution had condemned the able obstacle to the free circulation of Security Council. And five States are Indonesian conquest. This resolution was capital. It subverted the regime which had legally exempt from it—the five of no practical account because it was not kept the region stable on behalf of ‘the Permanent Powers on the Security Coun- passed under Chapter 7 of the United West/International Community’ for thirty cil. Each of these Powers has the right to Nations Carter. Chapter 7 resolutions years. The liberation of East Timor from operate its own policy on a world scale. It authorise executive action to enforce them. the Indonesian tyranny then became an cannot be found to be in breach of inter- Other resolutions are just ideological enforceable UN position. And Australia national law—unless it finds itself to be window-dressing. Israel always treats undertook the work of liberation as so. No judgment can be given against it. them with contempt when they are directed enthusiastically as it had previously upheld It is free to do whatever its military power at it. So did Indonesia in the case of East the right of conquest. Its only object was enables it to do. Timor. But, while the subjects of these to maintain a lucrative presence in East If Annan acts militarily on issues on futile resolutions usually treat them with Timor, and it was a matter of indifference which the Security Council cannot agree the contempt they deserve, it is not usual to it whether in doing it it made a mockery to act, that can only be because he acts as when doing so to assert a principle which of the United Nations or enforced its agent of one of the Powers which are is a total negation of the pretensions of the mandate. above the law. And, in the present instance, United Nations. But that is what Australia that can only be the USA. did when it recognised Indonesian While Kofi Annan was in Ireland trying sovereignty over East Timor on the basis to raise a hit squad for use without a UN General MacMahon cites East Timor of the right of conquest. (And Donald mandate, Garret FitzGerald appeared on as if it was a precedent for what Annan Rumsfeld came close to doing it recently the Vincent Browne show on Radio proposed to the Irish: “East Timor was with regard to the Israeli occupation of the Eireann to discuss the invasion of Iraq. He stabilised by a UN-mandated but whole of Palestine west of the Jordan.) accepted the Annan dictum that the Australian-led force, which was replaced invasion was illegal, but denied that the by a more traditional UN peacekeeping The Indonesian occupation lasted for Irish Government acted in breach of law force with an enforcement mandate once in facilitating the prosecution of the war the situation had been brought under about a quarter of a century, and during by allowing Shannon Airport to be used as command.