Francie Molloy MP…Off Message

Posted on March 12, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

When the Mairia Cahill sex abuse scandal broke last year, Sinn Féin hardly covered themselves with glory. Their slick PR machine was all over the place. The Party seemed to be dragged to a position of compassion, even if their knuckle-dragging element were denigrating a rape victim in graffiti….and their slightly more sophisticated “tweeters” were conducting an online whispering campaign.

It is of course in the nature of Politics that a political party will have enemies in the media. The media will seek out stories…especially if there is an agenda. There is no doubt that Sinn Féin would have been aware that a second sex abuse story was about to break. A big clue would have been that the BBC were seeking out quotes and comments from senior Sinn Féin figures. And no doubt Sinn Féin would have been minded to go into a huddle and come up with a response to the allegations that a young man from County Louth was raped by a senior member of the IRA.

Clearly, Sinn Féin had learned from last years debacle. Gerry Adams believes Paudie McGahan.

Meanwhile nobody told Francie Molloy MP for Mid Ulster, who was still in 2014 “blame the media….they are out to get Sinn Féin”. He or his designated “tweeter” produced this.

image Molloy of course deleted the tweet and apologised. But surely it speaks volumes for the Party that they go into denial before facts are known. A disgrace!

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England Cant Deal With Radicalism

Posted on March 11, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

In 1981, I lived in Dungannon. I did not vote in the Fermanagh-South Tyrone bye-election. It was of course won by Bobby Sands, the IRA Hunger Striker, who would soon die.

The result was a shock, primarily for unionists in the marginal constituency. One…I think it was Ken Maginnis, said that Protestant farmers were stunned that Catholic neighbours …mutual helpers at harvest time or during bad winters…..had actually voted for a member of the IRA in a head to head with a unionist candidate.

Now I am clearly NOT saying that every vote for Bobby Sands was a vote for the IRA. It was a highly charged and emotional time. But it did change the narrative. British Army spokesmen used to appear on TV News to claim that they had the backing of 99% of the Catholics in West Belfast, South Armagh and Derry and Fermanagh. Clearly they were not telling the truth. Clearly unionists believed this.

It is not so much a lie as refusing to understand just how much Irish Nationalists…..and now Scottish Nationalists….dont want to be British. Blood is thicker than water.

I think this is a question that Britain is now asking about the Muslim Community. Just like Fermanagh, “English” people live alongside Muslim neighbours. On any visit to London, it is obvious from the demeanour and appearance of some young Asian men that they have an “angry young man” attitude. And of course its wrong to judge by appearances. Looking out at London from the top of a double decker bus, it is tempting to profile the people walking along the street.

Equally it is wrong to judge the appearance and demeanour of young Muslim women….schoolgirls even ….chattering about Justin Bieber on a bus. People like “us”.

We have already had Jihadi John. We have already had three teenage girls leaving East London for Syria. And we have had schoolteachers and families assure us that they were/are normal kids. I am sure this is true. We have a precedent…in Norn Iron.

Turn the clock back to the early 1970s. I was 17 years old when the Troubles broke out. One of the things that the Media picked up on, was that a number of the young people who died planting a bomb or in court on membership of IRA or possession of arms charges were young men and women “from good families”. They were people…children in the 1960s passing into grammar schools and unlikely to end up in prison or an early grave.

Its deja vu in England. Jihadi John (Mohamed Emwazi) was….we are told….a “normal teen”. He played football and went to university. He did become known to the Security Services, who either tried to persaude him away from the life he was choosing, or made a clumsy attempt to recruit him. Likewise….we are told that three Muslim teens who have gone off to Syria for ISIL are “normal”. The TV appearances of their families confirm the “good family” narrative. A bereft father clutching a Teddy Bear in the colours of Chelsea Football Club, will have resonated with many viewers.

House of Commons committees are often interesting. Still regarded as a new dimension to the (British) Constitution, they can at best exercise a degree of independence from Government. Occasionally spoiled by pompous chairs like Keith Vaz MP (Labour) or grandstanding for the cameras by lesser committee members, it is good to see bankers, journalists, civil servants called before them to testify.

I am not sure that it works well for ordinary civilians to be in the hot seats. Even if Keith Vaz is trying to treat them with kid gloves. So the appearance of a father (with poor English), an articulate sister and an articulate female cousin of the three teens before the Home Affairs Committee yesterday…was uncomfortable. Understandably, they had a lawyer present.

So “why did three young females from your family leave your home to join ISIL in Syria?” It was supposed to be a sensitive hearing but somehow the basic question seemed loaded. Clearly someone is “at fault” here and it cant be anyone in the House of Commons.

The family profess they had no clue as to the intentions of the girls and no clue as to how they financed the trip. Ordinary “normal” girls. The Committee seemed to struggle to demonise them or the families while at the same time expressing a degree of sympathy. One girl apparently likes “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and presumably if ISIL have a subscription to SKY TV. she is happy.

No clues? Well a girl from the same school had already made the trip. And the London police had already visited the school and had already talked to girls. The police had handed letters to girls at the school to bring home to their families. These families never saw the letters. One of the three girls was following a lot of “terrorists” on Twitter. The family had no clue. I dont think they can be blamed for that. The lawyer points out that he has been representing the parents. He advised the Police Family Laiason Officer, who promptly phoned a family to say “Dont listen to your lawyer”, while the lawyer was in the room. Of course, as we know from any fictional police drama on TV, the laiason officer is there to observe the family as much as help them.

Well what about the Police? The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and his Deputy give evidence. The children had already left the country when reported missing. The Turkish authorities are helpful.

Did the “letter” handed out at  the girls school actually act as a trigger for the girls to leave home?  It seems a reasonable point that the parents of the children at the school be contacted directly. It seems wrong-headed to only tell the Head Teacher (in confidence) that the original missing girl was known to be with ISIL.

The Police of course made the point that there are only three hundred Muslim officers in the Metropolitan Police. A tacit acknowledgement tha this is a community the police just dont understand.  No doubt a disproportionate amount of that human resource is used in counter-terrorism, rather than community policing. Echoes here of Norn Iron, where a disproportionate percentage of the small number of Catholics in the old, discredited RUC was directed at fighting “terrorism” rather than understanding a community.

Profiling? A surprisingly large number of children fly unaccompanied from Gatwick and Heathrow. Should three brown-skinned girls travelling to Turkey be treated differently from three white-skinned girls travelling to Switzerland? Again there are precedents. The #9, #11, #12, #13 #79 buses going into Belfast City Centre were more often boarded than a bus from Bangor, Carrickfergus and Lisburn. The passengers from West Belfast were more likely to be questioned and baggage searched than any traveller from East Belfast.

The London Police say that the girls financed the trip to Turkey by selling family jewels. The families later denied this. And this and the mistakes made by the police….already siezed on by “The Daily Mail” as unwarranted criticism of the police.

There is not one Muslim Community in Britain. It might appear that there is two…..a community which seems unable to fully integrate into something called “British Society” (whatever that is). There seems to be a second community, integrated and westernised. Yet, there is a contradiction….on one hand, Britain boasts it is a homogenous society. On another hand, it boasts of its multi-cultural success.

Actually….it is somewhere in between. Few are TOTALLY integrated into British Society. Few are TOTALLY hostile. There are all kinds of fault lines….generation, gender, class, education, social, location.

Britain has a self-image of coping with this. It seems unsatisfactory to celebrate multi-cultural success and for whatever reason, chooses to ignore aspects which are not compatible with an enlightened way of life….sharia law, forced marriage, banking, genital mutilation.

Really its the gap between these two positions that is the problem.

 

 

 

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Voting And Identity …In Black and Whyte

Posted on March 9, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

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Nicholas Whyte is now Visiting Professor at University of Ulster. Professor Whyte is the main man behind the Ark Elections website, a treasure trove of statistics on elections.
So …who cares about Voting and Identity.
Well…about Voting. In 1996 Nicholas Whyte was on a panel of three candidates who got around 1,600 votes in North Belfast “Forum” election.
He mentioned this during his lecture. He jokkingly paid tribute to the 95% of the electorate who did not vote for him, sending him off on a successful academic career. And more so the 5% who did vote him.
And…about Identity…well he stood for the Alliance Party. But I dont think he mentioned that. Apologies if I am wrong.

It is of course a fact that many Norn Iron votes are cast on the basis of “Identity” rather than a raft of policies. It is an article of faith of LetsGetAlongerism that this is a very bad thing. Catholics and/or Nationalists go into a polling station and commit to Sinn Féin or SDLP. Protestants and/or Unionists go into a poling station and commit to DUP, UUP or TUV. Allegedly sensible souls vote Alliance or Green.

For as long as I can recall, Britain has been held as an example of how to do it. In Britain, sensible people study manifestos weigh up what is best for the country and sensibly vote Conservative or Labour…or maybe Liberal Democrat. Are they unaffected by “Identity”?
How do we explain that the Conservative Party and Labour Party cannot even save a deposit in a Westminster General Election in any Norn Iron constituency?
Well we identify ourselves as “Irish” which is a very bad thing ….apparently.
Or we identify ourselves as “British” which is not nearly so bad….apparently.
On the other hand, if we identify ourselves as “Norn Irish” we are absolutely brilliant.

Anyway Professor Whyte started his lecture by pointing out his distaste for the labels
PUL (Protestant-Unionist-Loyalist) And CNR (Catholic-Nationalist-Republican). I share his distaste. It is lazy and a little bit insulting.
Some figures from the 2011 Census.
Protestants 41.6% ….Catholics 40.8% ….Others 17.0%
but the voting figures for 2014 show unionists getting almost 48% of the vote and nationalists around 38%.
Of course 2014 was a bad year for the nationalist parties and a good one for unionists. The “true” nationalist sentiment is around
In terms of Identity.
The 2011 Census… Around 40% claim to be British. And just 25% Irish and 21% say “Northern Irish”
Professor Whyte claims “we are complex” and these figures dont seem to add up. Is Northern Irish a safe, non-contentious statement?
Is Britishness overstated?

Professor Whyte then underscored those wards which are more British. And those which are more Irish.
The lesson he draws is that Identity is “looser”. That our politics has become more “normal” and that the voting turnout in North of Ireland is now surprisingly lower than mainland Britain. Indeed of 650 Westminster seats, only Fermanagh-South Tyrone is in the Top 400 of voter turnout.
Are people turned off by politics in Northern Ireland.
Personally I think the Assembly is where the real action (or do I mean inaction) is.

The Norn Iron five-party choice is now embedded, static for thirty years.

The audience…well academics. Some Masters students, two Sluggerites (Brian and Alan). And a small group of Alliance folks from North Down, including Andrew Muir, the Westminster candidate and wedding cake addict. Quintin Oliver of Stratagem was there. Its never a proper LetsGetAlongerist event until Quintin graces it with his presence.

Questions to Professor Whyte.

Well….probably the most sensible one was the one posed by someone at the back of the room. The audience member pointed out he had been voting for forty five years and in each of these years, people had complained about Norn Iron politics being tribal and that we should look to Britain, where politics were about left and right. Progressively we are moving from Identity to Policy, while Britain is moving from Policy to Identity…”White Van Man”, “Worcester Woman”….UKIP, SNP, Greeks versus Brusells, American Tea Party….isnt everything as tribal as we are?

You may agree this is a sensible question. I think so….but then I asked it. You might wonder about Nicholas Whyte’s answer. Well….pointedly he never said a word.

I cant say that I am surprised. It was after all a LetsGetAlongerist thing. There are certain default “truths” among them. To be so self-declared as “moderates”, LetsGetAlongerists are surprisingly intolerant of others.

You may recall several months ago, I attended a QUB seminar on “Peace Journalism” and I made some self deprecating remarks about myself to highlight my problems with LetsGetAlongerism. The chair….BBC churchy-type, William Cawley held me to ridicule, dismissed me as a “nutter”. My own fault really. I wont make that mistake again.

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Cyril Smith MP : Nice One Cyril

Posted on March 8, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

One of the odd things about Blogging is the assumption that my readers are as much political anoraks as I am …or as old.

Take Cyril Smith…Liberal MP for Rochdale in the north of England. Rochdale is a seat that “should” be Labour. And Smith….was I think destined to be a footnote in British politics of the late 20th Century. A Trivial Pursuit question. Who was the heavyweight Liberal MP for Rochdale from 1972to 1992? Hmmm was it Cyril Smith? Correct….take a piece of pie.

Heavyweight …yes. Serious player in politics…no? Sounding as “Northern” as Compo, Cleggy or Foggy, he was maybe the first “celebrity politician”. Nowadays, we would say he was obese….then they said he was “roly-poly” and as we all know “roly-poly” men are jolly and good natured. And so was Cyril Smith. Except of course it turns out he was a notorious paedophile. And “everyone” knew about Cyril. The Liberal Party Leader dismissed Cyril’s penchant for spanking boys as “harmless”.

And the Rochdale police knew all about it. They had gathered evidence. There was no prosecution and later a Rochdale police officer told TV News of how he was asked to deliver by hand the dossier to Special Branch in London.

It is curious. The big question is why. Jimmy Savile….everyone knew he was a sex pest. Surely the police knew. How did he get his knighthood? How did Cyril Smith get his knighthood. Why did nobody listen to the Thatcher bodyguard who told Thatcher that one of her closest aides was a paedophile? The BBC? Dolphin Square? There is an odd pattern.

Why exactly does Special Branch-Security Services have this information? Obviously it is not to prosecute them. Nor is it to “blackmail” them. Nor is it to hamper their rise thru the “Establishment”. Is that it? Is entry into the Establishment a key to some form of “protection”.

It cant be just about paedophiles. Surely the people….RUC, British Army and journalists ….who knew the truth about Bloody Sunday cannot be surprised that the Savile Inquiry exonerated the murdered. Surely this week’s evidence of Chief Superintendant Duckenfield into the Hillsborough Inquest (where ninety six Liverpool FC supporters died) can only surprise with its candour. He lied in 1988. Liverpool supporters have been routinely slandered for years. Yet surely, politicians, police and….yes Special Branch knew.

Surely “dodgy dossiers” over Iraq….and the Guildford Four, Birmingham Six, Maguire Seven…..surely the “spooks” merely protect the Establishment. Surely assorted spooks in Norn Iron knew about sex abuse.

In any small town….in Lancashire or County Clare or Texas….surely its only a matter of listening to a conversation in a police or hospital canteen to know that a local radio presenter is a paedophile, that the local mayors wife is an alcoholic and the local politician beats up his wife. And really “Intel” is the filtering up that information to London, Dublin or Quantico.

As a parade of celebrities….Steve McFadden from Eastenders, Shobna Gulati from Coronation Street and the pathetic Paul Gasgoigne (ex-footballer) go into the High Court to state that their lives and loves were ruined by phone hacking by the Daily Mirror….the newspaper offers no defence. It all seems to be happening under the radar….well down the running order of News broadcasts. Of course, cheques will be written. Apologies made. But is anybody going to jail. Was it a crime that had only “victims”…it had no perpetrators. But surely “spooks” would have known.

The “spooks”….why do they exist at all?

 

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The Sinn Féin Matching Socks And Balaclava Set

Posted on March 8, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

I dont suppose Sinn Féin do anything accidently.

So Gerry Adams eccentric tweets about his teddy bear are no accident. Nor is Gerry’s hobby of jumping up and down on a trampoline ….naked with his dog……an accident. But it could certainly lead to an embarrassing trip to the Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital in Dundalk or Drogheda. Gerry Adams is now officially a character. He is a National Treasure.

Sinn Féin had their annual Conference in Derry this weekend. It seemed a bit underwhelming. Gerry was welcomed to the podium  by Michelle Gildernew as “The Boss….wouldnt it be great if it was Bruce Springstein?” ….see he is a National Treasure.

The main talking point was….his socks. He was photographed…accidently, I suppose….wearing novelty socks. Little yellow ducks. I am reluctant to criticise. I have a wide range of novelty socks….thanks to my grandchildren. My wife and children have long stopped caring what I wear on my feet.

It could be a simple case that Gerry Adams was wearing a pair of novelty socks gifted to him by his granddaughter. And maybe he over-ruled an advisor “dont go to the podium wearing novelty socks, youre an international statesman” or anxious to capitalise on the “statesman and humanitarian” narrative of occasional West Belfast murals, did Gerry listen to an advisor who said “listen Gerry, wearing socks with little yellow ducks will highlight that you are a pretty cool guy”.

Does it really undermine Gerry Adams credibility if he makes a speech wearing novelty socks? Does it undermine the credibility of this Blog that I am…right now…wearing novelty socks? Well, perhaps but Gerry and I are National Treasures and can get away with it.

So let me be the first (?) to say…..”Sinn Fein Matching Socks and Balaclava Set”. Brilliant.

For Gerry is effectively being turned into Homer Simpson. If you are a fan you will recall the episode where Frank Grimes, a new efficient employee of the Springfield Power Plant exposes Homer’s laziness and stupidity, only to find that his friends and even his employer dont really care. Frank Grimes (or Miriam, Malachi, Mick,) complaining about Homer (Adams) to Carl and Lenny (the Electorate) and Mr Burns (Teresa Villiers) because they already know and they dont care.

Good old Homer. Good old Gerry. National Treasures.

Yet, Sinn Féin do seem to have a bigger problem than Gerry Adams’ socks. They purport to be the only all-Ireland Party. Which is all very well. But the Health Service, north and south is different. And Education. And Taxation. And critically Sinn Féin is in Opposition in the South and in Government in the North.

For years, in the North, they have been opposing the idea of imposing “British Tory Cuts”. But in the last few months, they have folded….they WILL impose the welfare cuts. They tell us it is a measure of their “responsibility” their bravery in “making tough choices”. Tough choices like announced cuts in John O’Dowds Education budget….but O’Dowd wont be giving us details until May or June…which is AFTER the Westminster Election and votes have been cast.

Gerry’s socks are a distraction.

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Blaspheming History: The Land League And Killiney

Posted on March 6, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

It is common practice for History to be misused by politicians. For the most part, those of us who respect History, grin and bear it. But there are times when History is so abused, it is a form of Blasphemy.

All this week, I have heard the name of the Land League taken in vain.

For the benefit of non-Irish readers, the Land League played a large part in the history of Ireland in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The man most associated with it (Michael Davitt) is a National Hero.

The nineteent century was eventful. Beginning with the Act of Union (making Ireland a part of the United Kingdom), thru Catholic Emancipation ((1829), thru the O’Connell Repeal Movement and Famine Years (1840s), thru the Young Ireland nationalist movement and later Fenians (1867), thru mass education (thank you England…we ARE grateful), thru increased franchise, thru Parnellite parliamentary action (1880s), thru railways, thru cultural movements like the Gaelic Athletic Association (1884) and the Gaelic (Language) League to the point at 1900 where there was a strong nationalist and republican movement. The Land League was about agrarian reform.

From the English conquest of Ireland, the ownership of Irish land was in the hands of the descendents of the Victors. Land was rented out to Irish (usually Catholic) peasants, who as the Great Famine had shown, lived a precarious life. One million died of hunger and disease. Another million migrated. Peasants agitated for three key reforms…fair rents, fixed tenure and the right to own land. The Establishment resisted and the Land League was set up to protect the peasants. While occasionally violent with people on both sides of the dispute losing their lives, the chief weapon was Resistance and Community Support. Perhaps the best remembered tactic was “boycott”. The word “boycott” originates with Captain Boycott, a notorious estate manager in County Mayo.The Land League eventually brought about change. But a group calling itself the “New Land League” is polluting a history that is honourable.

Ireland is much changed from Land League years. Indeed a century after the Land League was at its most active, Ireland was going thru a presumed Golden Age of economic prosperity…the so-called Celtic Tiger years. It was of course all crap. It was a property boom, all based on paper. The bubble burst and the country went bankrupt. The European banks moved in, depriving Ireland of financial and political sovreignty. It was a shaming and shameful experience. Individuals borrowed beyond their ability to repay. House prices plummeted. Individuals and families suffered and continue to do so. Many live with the threat of house repossession.

The political consequences of the Banks ruthlessly going after defaulters would be immense. Arguably the Banks are holding back, in part because the Taxpayer bailed them out in 2009 and in part because a glut of re-possessed houses would be bad for the market. Its a delicate balancing act…getting back the money that Banks/Taxpayer are owed, protecting individuals in distress and dealing with the so-called moral hazard of forgiving debt.

People are suffering. As part of austerity measures, there will be charges for using water. Protests have turned ugly in some working class areas of North Dublin.

And typically in small town Ireland, a couple who bought a house for €200,000 with a €150,000 mortgage just ten years ago might find that their house is worth €120,000 in 2015. Negative Equity and of course one of the happy couple might now be unemployed. They suffer too.

But at the top of the scale, people who…aided and abetted by criminally negligent banks have not suffered. Faced with bankruptcy, they proclaim that they are resident soomewhere that is advantageous…Britain or the United States. The paper trail of their assets across the world is a problem for forensic accountants to untangle. Their assets are out of reach of the creditors…owned by a wife or owned by children. Or the debtor is simply a tenant of a company that is run by members of his family.

It is hard to feel sorry for the Speculators. The Greedy.

Which brings me to Killiney in South Dublin. Ireland’s Beverley Hills and the case of Brian O’Donnell a lawyer, and his wife Dr Mary Patricia O’Donnell. Typical upper middle class couple who lived the Celtic Tiger dream. They bought property on borrowed money and as the value of the portfolio rose, they borrowed more, bought more…..they bought a building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC and in Westminster.

As my Auntie Sheila always said “Smart people are stupid people” and the O’Donnells seem very stupid or very greedy. They owe a staggering €700 million.

And there is that house in Killiney. Cliff top views of Dublin Bay, tennis court, swimming pool….and Bono, The Edge and Van Morrison as neighbours. The Bank want the housThe Bank has been granted the house. The O’Donnells wont leave. I think their constant court appearances to overturn rulings relates to that they claim they dont actually own the €7 million mansion.

Rather strange people calling themselves The New Land League have appeared, protecting the erstwhile millionaires mansion in the same way that Davitts Land League would have stood vigil over Brian and Mary’s rented hovel in County Mayo in 1880.

The sense of Entitlement that the O’Donnells and their supporters have….the decisions of the courts  dont apply to them is in some way balanced by the sense of outrage that an reconstructed  working class warrior like myself feels. There can be no law for the rich and another law for the poor. The rich ARE entitled to Justice. And to Dignity. They dont need people rejoicing in their misfortune.

No doubt their advisors will suggest by-passing the Four Courts and going directly to the only Court that seems to matter. The Court of Public Opinion. Brian and Dr Mary Pat might well go on the Late Late Show and tearfully explain that they only want to give their (adult) children a home…and a tennis court ….and a swimming pool. But Ryan Tubridy or Marion Finnucane would be best advised not to be overly sympathetic. To most people this looks like a straightforward case of “Fur Coat, No Knickers”.

The bottom line is that due to the negligance of Banks, politicians, courts, European and Irish regulators, a lot of Irish citizens have had to amend their aspirations…and the aspirations of their children. The 21st century O’Donnells of Killiney will not be left starving at the roadside like evicted tenants like the O’Donnells in 19th century Mayo. They gambled. They lost.

But I think of another business man, Sean Quinn. A speculator certainly…another burst bubble. And a byzantine property portfolio and a lack of candour about where assets are. He and some family members havebeen in jail for contempt of court. They are denying the Banks, the pound of flesh. But while the chattering classes in Dublin 4 and the bloggerati on Slugger O’Toole have a lot of vitriol for Sean Quinn, they dont seem to have the same vitriol for the O’Donnells.

Certainly Dublin 4 would identify with the property speculating O’Donnells. And its unlikely that anyone on Slugger would identify with a “culchie” like Sean Quinn. Yet a lot of people in County Fermanagh and County Cavan seem to identify with him. Why is that? Well…I suspect that in the case of the O’Donnells it was ALL about property. In the case of the Quinns, he had actually made a fortune first….and brought employment to County Fermanagh and County Cavan.

In that sense the mass protests we saw to support the Quinns were much closer to Land League legacy than the men who have hi-jacked and blasphemed the Land League in Killiney.

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BiBi: Overplaying His Hand

Posted on March 5, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

If I have learned anything about Blogging, it is “never mention Israel”. So…Israel. Or specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu (I am far too lazy to look up the correct spelling) and that curious invitation from Congress to address them on Capitol Hill. An address which was missed by President Obama and his entire cabinet. They all had somewhere else they would rather be. It was a snub for a snub as Congress had issued the invitation without bothering to notify the White House.

These things are usually pretty bland affairs. “My country loves your country. Your country loves my country”. All very ritualistic.

But Netanyahu, who is facing re-election in a few weeks, used the opportunity to criticise United States foreign policy, especially in relation to Iran. Many people assume that Israel is USA’s client state in the Middle East. It is not. USA is Israel’s client state in North America. It is Israel which has been calling the shots.

Too many people jump to the conclusion that it is all about the power of ethnic lobbying. It is not. The Irish are allegedly a powerful lobby group in USA. But all the historic evidence points in the opposite direction. The “special arrangement” is between USA and Britain. USA has done nothing for Ireland. Nobody should be conned by St Patrick’s Day in the White House.

USA conducts …and indeed SHOULD consult its foreign policy in its own national interest. Increasingly USAs national interest is not to support Israel. Nor is it in the interests of USA to support the Likud Party in the upcoming election.

Bibi was not making a pitch to mainstream Jewish voters in New York City. They are not natural allies. Rather, he was making his pitch to good ole boy, Rednecks, Christian fundamentalists and crazy Tea Party types who see Israelis as kindred spirits. The Israeli  made the Judean Desert blossom, as directed by GOD. The American settlers made the Arizona Desert blossom, as directed by GOD. Few outside Israel understand Israel’s Manifest Destiny. Few outside USA understand its Manifest Destiny.

But Bibi may have overplayed his hand. There is some irony. A lot of Americans believe their President is a foreign born Muslim. Yet they invite a foreign born non-Christian (oops see how I neatly deflect criticism that I am being anti-semetic) to criticise the foreign policy of the real American President. I think the word is “Chutzpah”.

But did the sight of a foreign politican making such a speech in Congress (is there a precedent for this kinda pre-Election cheek?) actually backfire? Well Bibi can go home and use the event in his campaigning. And for American neo-cons, it wont actually matter. But somehow it all left a bad taste in many mainstream American mouths.

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Stormont Cannot Survive

Posted on March 5, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

I really do wonder if the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 can survive. Arguably it has been so undermined by inaction (Victims, Irish Language, Bill of Rights) or the way that the Irish and British governments withdrew support from the UUP and SDLP and built up the DUP and Sinn Féin. No doubt, the governments acted on the advice of their “spooks” that this was the best way forward.

We have technically a five-party coalition. DUP-SF call the shots. Alliance, the creature of the DUP-SF comply. UUP and SDLP are marginalised.

DUP and SF NEED each other. They are demonised by each other and paradoxically and hypocritically benefit from their core vote believing that they can stand up to the other tribe.

I believe that eventually Stormont will fall. It is just too full of contradictions.

But as unionist commentator, Alex Kane noted on BBC NI last night, DUP and Sinn Féin “despise” each other and just as importantly DUP and UUP “despise” each other and Sinn Féin and SDLP “despise” each other. I think this is a very dangerous state of affairs.

Clearly, the governments and SDLP and UUP were the prime movers in the Good Friday Agreement. But there DID seem to be a genuine air of “goodwill”. Tony B Liar felt the “hand of history” and all that. And even when that initial experiment stallled and the Chuckle Brothers, Paisley (DUP) and McGuinness (Sinn Féin) took over there seemed an unlikely coming together for the Common Good.

It might be said that in 1998, the politicians were ahead of the people. The politicians had the goodwill and had to convince distrusting voters. There has been an odd turnaround. The people seem to live in harmony, happily ignoring the politicians on “The Hill” ….but it is the politicians who have lost any respect for each other.

The Good Friday Agreement institutionalised some things….Peace, a new Poliice Service…but an Agreement cant survive without goodwill. All has been wasted. All we have is attrition and point scoring. It cant survive.

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Parity Of Esteem…Gotcha!!!

Posted on March 4, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

If Sinn Féin are on poor ground, when they name a childrens play park for an IRA Volunteer, they are on much better ground in the new Mid Ulster Council when they introduce a measure that means the British Poppy and Easter Lily will not be sold on council premises. It is absolutely in keeping with the idea of neutral environments.

For Unionists and some LetsGetAlongerists, the Poppy transcends politics. It is a gesture to those servicemen who suffered for …Britain. I dont think they get the point that it was “for Britain”. It might well have its roots (no pun intended) in the “lions led by donkeys” mythology of World War One or fighting Fascism in World War Two…but it also honours those who fought in British uniform in India, Cyprus, Kenya, Aden, Malaya and other places around the world. It is NOT a neutral symbol.

Next month, the twenty six “old” Norn Iron councils become just eleven “new” councils. The Demographics are simple enough. Six of these new councils are unionist and four are nationalist and one (Belfast) is “hung”.

There have been winners and losers. As some unionist councils will insist on flying the British flag, all year round and the small nationalist Coincil of Moyle disappearing into unionist controlled Causeway Council (and the British flag likely to fly again in Ballycastle), it is easy to see that this is all negotiating positions ahead of alleged attempts to resolve all this later in the summer.

Later in the summer…which is after the Election of course. So it is about Negotiations and Electioneering.

Parity of Esteem. Zero Sum Politics.

There was a point during the 1998 Peace Process, when the unionists signed up to Parity of Esteem. For Gerry Adams, things such as the Irish Language are the “Trojan Horse” to get under the skins of unionists. Not to put to fine a point on it, he is analysing it correctly.

Forget all the headlines around the Good Friday Agreement. When the unionists signed up to Parity of Esteem, I told anyone who would listen that it was the great “Gotcha” moment of modern Irish History.

Simply put, Unionism is about Supremacy. Unionism was never about Parity. When they signed up to it, they sold out the very premise of their entire way of life.

Parity of Esteem is exactly what it says on the tin. …Parity. They just dont get it. They dont get that it is about either downgrading their poppy or upgrading Irish symbolism. To some extent, I undestand that their sense of entitlement is part of their psyche. There is no shame in that. But the unionist sense of entitlement is fuelled by LetsGetAlongerist support. As I have always said, LetsGetAlongerism is not neutral. It is a UNIONIST position that advocates living together happily, but only in the context of unionism being a default position.

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Mitchel McLaughlin…Our Man In The Commonwealth

Posted on March 3, 2015 by fitzjameshorse

A few weeks ago, Mitchel McLaughlin became Speaker of the Norn Iron Assembly. For the best part of two decades, he has been the “acceptable face of Sinn Féin”, the kinda SF member that doesnt scare the unionists. He is MLA for South Antrim, and really for five years he has largely been off our screens. He was serving as Deputy Speaker and it is deemed inappropriate for a Speaker or Deputy Speaker to be seen as partisan.

His predecessor, William Hay of the DUP, had been a success in the Chair.

Surprisingly perhaps, McLaughlin has accepted a role as Chair of the “Norn Iron Commonwealth Parliamentary Association”. I am not a big fan of the “Commonwealth”, which is successor to the damnable “British Empire” but I have a certain sympathy for Mitchel, who seemingly feels that it is a load of shyte but it is something which comes with the territory of being Speaker. I dont really have a lot of sympathy for him looking for a fellow member of the group to do the day to day running of the group. As no Sinn Féin members are on it, I hope he is not looking to SDLP members, who include (I think) Dolores Kelly, John Dallat, Alban Magennis and Sean Rogers.

Mitchel seems to be saying “I believe in Diversity….but not too much Diversity”.

There is an echo of a similar Sinn Féin inspired farce a few years ago. Readers might recall that Niall Ó Donnghaile, Mayor of Belfast was due to hand out “Duke of Edinburgh Awards” to the city’s young people but had an attack of Republican vapours at the sight of a 14 year old girl in a British Army cadet uniform. Niall, got a lot of deserved criticism for handing over the ceremony to a DUP Deputy. I suppose Niall would have been okay about handing over an Award to a 14 year old girl wearing a Polish Army cadet uniform. It would have been a great photo opportunity to show off the City’s alleged committment to Diversity.

For several years after 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Féin sniped at SDLP for conceding too much to unionists. Eventually they overtook the SDLP as the guardian of nationalist conscience. Yet Martin McGuinness toasts Mrs Windsor and Mitchel McLaughlin is Chair of the Assembly’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Still best wishes to retired Speaker…William Hay. Now he is “Lord Hay” and in the British “House of Lords”….where the lover of precedent Mitchel McLaughlin will surely go, when he steps down.

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