Séasúr an Dóchais

A Season of Hope

by | 2023/04/19 | National News, Politics, History

Séasúr an Dóchais!

A reawakening is happening everywhere we look. The plants are recovering from the long winter sleep. Fresh leaves are sprouting vibrantly on the trees and bushes. And the birds that were gone from us during the cold season, are here again now, full of heart and hope. The birds that stayed throughout the bad weather are singing loudly as they announce the arrival of the new season. Spring is undoubtedly a season of hope and revival. The blind poet Antoine Ó Raifteirí succeeded in expressing the spirit of Spring in the poem 'Cill Aodán'...

“Now with the coming of spring the days will be getting longer,

And after the feast of Bridget I will raise my sail,

Since I got it into my head I will not settle

Until I’m standing down in the middle of County Mayo

The coming of Spring brought energy and excitement to the heart of the poet while he was in exile in County Galway. A desire to travel and a longing for home were awakened in the heart of the poor blind poet, although it was only an unrealized vision.

All we have to do is look at the history of our country to understand that the spirit and desire for freedom was awakened in our own people with the arrival of Easter, more than a century ago now.

Easter Rising 1916

It was no accident that rebel leader Patrick Pearse chose Easter as the best time to declare the Republic of Ireland. After centuries of Gallic domination, Pearse wanted the nation to experience the renewal of Easter in a manner similar to the resurrection itself. At first the people of the country made fun of Pearse’s idea, but before long they understood what he meant and stood bravely for his vision.

The rebellion began on April 24, 1916 and ended on April 29, 1916. Members of the Brotherhood of the Republic of Ireland, members of the Irish Citizen Army and members of the Women's Association rose against British rule in Ireland. It was the first rebellion in Ireland since the rebellion of 1798.

Originally, the Irish planned to have thousands of rebels. But a man called Sir Roger Casement was captured on the way back from Germany with guns and therefore only about 1,250 took part in the rebellion. Of these, around 300 joined the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin under the leadership of Pádraig Pearse and James Connolly. Other groups occupied different parts of the city, including St. Stephen's Green, the Shelbourne Hotel, Boland's Mills and Jacobs Factory.

The worst fighting took place at Boland’s Mills when Éamon de Valera and his rebels began shooting at British soldiers known as Sherwood Foresters as they landed in the city. That shooting killed around 200 people and injured many more. There was also a great fight in St. Stephen's Green and a good number of Irishmen were lost there. After six days the Irish were exhausted and were being fired upon by huge artillery pieces mounted on a British ship called HMS Helga. The General Post Office was badly hit and the Irish soon surrendered. Sixteen Irish leaders were shot by firing squad after the Rising. This greatly affected the people of the country, as they believed that this was a breach of trust by the British government. From then on, the people of Ireland were not happy to be under the control of the British Empire any more, and it is not surprising that the War of Independence broke out in 1919. The war continued until 1922, when the leaders of Sinn Féin and the British MPs made a peace treaty. Apart from the Six Counties in Ulster (which had a Unionist majority), Ireland became its own country.

Conclusion

A lot has changed in Ireland since Pearse had the national vision and he would no doubt be surprised to see our country today, especially in terms of the wealth of the country today, in stark contrast to the poverty that existed during his own life. It is likely that Pearse would not be too happy with the state of Irish, either! But be that as it may, we have to be grateful to Pierse and many other Irish people too, for their vision of having our own country. And isn't Easter the best time for us to celebrate those heroes and our independence!

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Creat Windsor!

Windsor Framework!

by | 2023/03/29 | Current Affairs, International News, National News, Politics

Windsor Framework!

There are many dangers in the DUP's approach to Brexit. Without a doubt, the pressure is on as I write this. The DUP have long announced that they will not return to the Stormont Assembly, regardless of the Executive, unless the post-Brexit protocol is changed to meet their demands. Their main problem is that the same rules would not apply in the North as in Great Britain itself, due to the soft border between the North and Ireland. A soft border is enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement and customs checkpoints cannot be located on the border. Therefore, Brexit contravenes the Agreement, absent a special provision.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed the Northern Ireland Protocol with the European Union and it came into effect on January 1, 2021. According to that arrangement, customs checkpoints are located at Northern Ireland ports and Belfast international airport , and all goods checked coming into the North – including goods from Great Britain, even if they are to stay in Northern Ireland. Previously, Johnson promised the DUP that he would not allow a border in the Irish Sea - and then broke his promise to them. No wonder the DUP felt betrayed and then refused to take a role in the Assembly ever since.

Windsor framework

The DUP boycott of Stormont has put pressure on the United Kingdom (UK) government in a number of ways. First of all, it is much more difficult to govern the North, without a devolved Northern government in place. Secondly, any member of the DUP who is a member of the UK Parliament must resign from that role were he/she to take up a role in the Assembly. As members of Parliament, they are able to put more pressure on the UK government in relation to the post-Britain protocol.

On the flip side of that, however, there are a few downsides to that approach. First, the boycott increases political instability and the risk of violence. Secondly, the Stormont boycott is against the will of the people and that is not a good thing. Even among its own followers, only half are in favor of the boycott, and that is a political risk for their own party! Undoubtedly, the DUP members are playing high stakes, not just for themselves, but for the North as well.

The UK government bowed to pressure, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen putting together new trade arrangements - the 'Windsor Framework' - which will reduce customs checks on goods coming into the North from Great Britain. It is a compromise between the two parties and the European Union has undoubtedly conceded to the UK in relation to several points. But it's a good deal for the North, all things considered.

Significant progress but…

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the Windsor Framework was a significant step forward, but they still had key concerns about the Framework, particularly around the continued application of EU laws. There is still a lot of work to be done, according to Donaldson. But Rishi Sunak said the UK government has no plans to renegotiate the Framework.

In the first vote in parliament on the 'Stormont Brake', a central piece of the Framework, there were 515 members in favor and 29 (including 8 DUP members) against the Brake, and so it was passed.

A clash between the DUP and Sunak is likely to be inevitable, but Sunak currently has the upper hand on the Framework. But what will Jeffrey Donaldson do now?

Choices?

Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP are now in a dilemma over what to do. It now feels very unlikely that the DUP will succeed in forcing their will on the UK government further with respect to the Framework. At the same time, Northerners are growing impatient since they still don’t have their own government in place, and support for the DUP may well dwindle if its boycott of Stormont continues. Without a doubt, the DUP is in a bit of trouble now.

In my view, it is now time for the DUP to swallow their pride and do the right thing and accept their seats in Stormont. Ultimately, they got a new deal regarding the Protocol, and it's a shame they're not happy with that. Who knows what the end of this story might be, but I have to admit that I am not overly optimistic about it.

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Athrú ollmhór i nDearcadh Phobal na Ríochta Aontaithe

Big Change of Perspective by the U.K. Public

by | 2023/03/15 | Current Affairs, International News, Politics

Athrú Ollmhór...

Recently, three researchers at the European University Institute performed an interesting analysis of trends in British opinion polls on Brexit that had been carried out over a six -year period. They noticed a strong trend - over time more people think that Brexit was a disastrous mistake. Other interesting trends were also discovered when they broke down the results by age group.

Results of the British referendum on Brexit

In the referendum itself in 2016, 52% were in favor of leaving the European Union (EU) and 48% against. But 64% of voters over 65 chose ‘leave’, compared to just 29% of youngest voters – those between 18 and 24 years. There is no argument but that there was, there is and there will be a big difference between young and old regarding Brexit.

The results of opinion polls

‘YouGov 'ran British opinion polls in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. This question was in every poll:“ Do you think it was right or wrong for the UK to leave the EU? ”

Among all respondents, the average percentage has increased over time who think that it was wrong to leave the EU, suggesting that the people of the UK have experienced a change of heart.

The researchers Joris Frese, Juho Härkönen and Simon Hix for calculated the percentage for each age group who answered ‘wrong’”, in an attempt to gain deeper insights.

Researchers' analysis

Only a small group of the oldest voters group (65+) changed opinion since the referendum. In the latest poll, 28% think it was wrong to leave the tea. (This shows that,) if anything, they are, as a group, more comfortable now than ever that the UK was right to leave the EU.

Likewise, most people born between 1945 and 1954 - the so -called “Baby Boomers” did not change - their opinion. In the latest poll, 32% think it was wrong to leave the EU.

Unlike the other groups, many people changed their views in the group born between 1985 and 1994 - the ‘millenials’. 57% said in 2016 that it was wrong to leave, but in the latest poll, 70% say it was wrong.

In the group born between 1995 and 2004 (‘Gen Z’), 61% said in 2016 that it was wrong to leave the EU compared to 64% in the latest polls. But-and this is a crucial point-there are many in this group (those born after 1998) who were too young to vote in 2016.

Conclusions

But what is the main findings of the research? Two main conclusions can be drawn from the researchers' study.

1.Most did not change their opinion about Brexit, with one exception - the ‘millenials’. 70% now think it is a mistake for them to leave the EU. It is no coincidence that this is the group that is paying the most for the bad decision on Brexit.
2. In 2016, 69% young people were in favor of staying in the EU, compared to 36% of people over 65. But over time people dye - mainly older people, and new voters are coming in upon turning 18. Approximately one third of the opinion shift on Brexit in the opinion polls is attributable to this demographic change.

We cannot predict precisely what people in the UK will have in the future but we are able to express a measured opinion, anyway. One of the researchers - Juho Härkönen - said that “the main conclusion” from the study of his team was that “voter replacement” has a major impact on the results up to date, and will (do so) also in the future.” As the younger generation is much more positive about the EU than the oldest voters group, it is clear that the trend in favor of the EU will continue to increase in the UK. Therefore, after a while the UK will reach a dilemma, regarding its membership of the EU. Looking back now, it is clear to most electors that the Tories and the Press pulled the wool over their eyes, in relation to Brexit. And while it would not be easy for the UK, it would be better (for them) to re -apply for membership in the EU as soon as possible. To do this, they will have to consider how to save face-a difficult thing for a country that was once so strong!

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Tuairisc ó Mheiriceá: An Rabharta Dearg ar iarraidh i gcomhrac!

Report from America: The Red Wave MIA!

by | 2022/11/23 | Current Affairs, International News, Politics

The Red Wave MIA!

Bad Hair Day!

President Trump had a bad hair day after the mid-term election on November 8, 2022 in the United States. The analysts thought that the election would be a 'slam dunk' in favor of the Republicans, so the term 'red wave' was used in the media. Red is the color associated with the Republicans, and it was thought that they would have a landslide victory in the House of Representatives and the Senate. But thinking it does not make it so, and the red wave did not materialize. This is surprising because a new President's party usually loses quite a few seats in its first mid-term election. This has not happened this time, and as I write this, almost a week later, the Democrats will retain their majority in the Senate, and the Republicans will have a small majority in the House of Representatives. Historically speaking, this is a terrible result for the Republicans. 

What happened?

Here are a few reasons why the predicted 'red wave' didn't happen:

  • As kingmaker Trump chose candidates who drank the 'Kool Aid', with respect to the 2020 presidential election. They claimed that Trump had won, and that election fraud stole the victory from him. Maybe the American public is sick and tired of their lies.
  • Trump chose three conservative Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. That Court overturned abortion legislation, which gave the mother a federal right to demand and obtain an abortion anywhere in the United States. Thus, the court rendered the decision of Roe vs. Wade void as a direct consequence of those appointments. But according to the 'Pew Research Center', 61% of the population (80% Democrats and 38% Republicans) say they mostly agree with the mother's right to obtain an abortion. 
  • The Republicans were arguing strongly that Biden was to blame for the current unrestrained inflation in the United States. But the problem is being handled by both the government and the Federal Reserve Bank, with the inflation rate recently decreasing from 8.1% to 7.7%. But, more importantly, the inflation rate is higher in many other countries – almost 10% in the EU and Great Britain, for example. So, the Republicans do not have a persuasive case.
  • The Jan 6 committee presented irrefutable evidence to blame former president Trump for the uprising that occurred on January 6, 2021. Trump played a major role in all aspects of the uprising, from the big lie that the presidency was stolen from him ( he began casting doubt on the electoral process as far back as the presidential election he won in 2016), through the planning process, up to the attack on the Capitol itself. Prominent Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger were some of the members on the committee, and more importantly, most of the witnesses who appeared before the committee were Republicans. That strong evidence may have influenced a lot of Republicans, so that their trust in Trump and the politicians who strongly support him has eroded.

Tide turning?

Recently, Trump's allies have sharply criticized him. Here are a few examples:

"Almost every one of the candidates that Trump supported lost," Chris Christie, the former Republican governor of New Jersey, said on ABC's "Good Morning America." “It's a big loss for Trump. And, again, it shows that his political intentions are not for his party or for the country and for Trump himself."

"Republicans have followed Donald Trump off the cliff," said David Urban, a longtime Trump adviser with ties to Pennsylvania.

Former senator Peter King, a Long Island Republican who has long supported Trump, said, "I strongly believe that he should no longer be the leader of the Republican Party," adding that the party "cannot be his personal cult!”

Parting Word!

I hope that we have now reached the moment of truth, and it is a sign of hope that the majority of the people in the country are choosing democracy over autocracy and choosing the truth over lies. With respect to democracy (though), we shouldn’t count our chickens before they are hatched. 

 

 

 

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Filleann an feall ar an bhfeallaire!

What goes around comes around!

by | 2022/10/26 | International News, Politics

What goes around comes around!

The United Kingdom’s nightmare began way back in 2016 when David Cameron, the country’s Prime Minister at the time, announced an election on the question of Brexit. He misread the situation badly, as he did not think there was any chance that the majority of the public would choose to leave the European Union. He wrote the following in his autobiography: “I accept that my approach has failed. The decisions I made contributed to that failure. I failed.” I think he didn’t know at the time how bad that failure was, and how things would unfold afterwards.

By the time the Tories recognized how serious the mistakes were, they were unable to change their tune, and continued with the fallacy, like lemmings approaching the cliff.

In 2019 Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is now business secretary, was talking about the ‘expansive, sunny uplands waiting for us thanks to Brexit.’ But the facts tell their own story – a different story altogether, and it cannot be denied that the pound has fallen steadily against the dollar over the past six years, sliding over 23% during that period. The lack of political stability cannot be denied either. Liz Truss was the fourth Prime Minister in the Brexit era so far, with another coming soon. Worse than that, Jeremy Hunt is the fourth Chancellor of the Exchequer in the last four months. I recently read an interesting article in the ‘Telegraph’ where it said that the UK is more like Italy than France or Germany, in terms of its economy and political stability. For example, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the UK has grown by just 10% in the period 2015-2022, compared to 24% in Germany and 18% in France.

Significant Incompetence

Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) put together their mini budget without any consultation stage with their party. That’s a red flag, in my opinion.

That mini-budget contained 45 billion pounds in unfunded tax cuts, which upset financial markets, weakened the value of the pound and increased borrowing costs for the UK government. The Bank of England had to intervene to avoid a wider financial crisis. But the market, the British public, and even Truss” Party itself demanded more. Truss had to sacrifice Kwarteng to save herself, and appointed Jeremy Hunt instead.

Jeremy Hunt immediately canceled the most expensive provisions in the mini budget and in particular the tax cuts for the wealthy. The market was pleased with these actions, and the foreign exchange rate and security prices settled down again.

Truss vs the lettuce

But Prime Minister Truss was still in big trouble as many politicians were demanding that she resign immediately. The UK media made a meal of the story, and the ‘Economist’ and the ‘Daily Star’ put Truss and lettuce side by side, asking which will last longer. When Home Affairs Secretary Suella Braverman sent an official email from her personal account, she had to resign. It was clear that things were quickly falling apart, and a few days later, Truss herself resigned. The lettuce won!

Lesson to learn?

In the coming months, the people of the UK will see brutal spending cuts, strikes in several sectors, power cuts, and under-resourced hospitals struggling to provide care.

One day, the British government will have to tell its citizens that the country must reunite with Europe or continue the Brexit fantasy, committing economic suicide as a result.

It was not right to hold a referendum on Brexit in the first place. That is the duty of the government, and it is a terrible decision to place that important duty on the people of the country, people who do not have enough information to make an informed decision.

This is a master class, showing the ‘domino effect’ that can occur after one bad decision has been made by the Government of the country. As for the UK, although we don’t know what is the next ‘domino’ that will fall, there is no doubt that another one will fall before long!

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Ceist na nDíolúintí!

The question of exemptions!

by | 2022/10/19 | Current Affairs, National News, Politics

The question of exemptions!

I was in the Castle gardens the other day; stretched out completely from head to tail, relaxed and peacefully drinking in golden sun, when I heard the sharp, ear-splitting whistle, a whistle that woke me up from my sleep suddenly! But I realized in an instant who was to me, as who else but my old friend, Séimí an Droichid, would do the likes inside the heavenly gardens of the Castle. I welcomed him, and made a place for him beside me on the garden bench.

“Sit there beside me on this bench” I said to him, politely.

“Thank you very much,” he said, “and isn’t this a wonderful place you chose to meditate?”

“You said it my friend, but do you have any news on this blessed day?”

“I only have the story that is on the lips of every Irish speaker these days.”

“And what is his story?” I said, trying to provide a story telling opportunity to mad Séimí, as it seemed to me that he had some story to tell.

The Language Question

“You have probably noticed that a series of meetings of the Irish Joint Committee on the exemptions system is currently taking place?” said Séimí.

“I didn’t! Is there a big problem with our current system of exemptions, Séimí?” I wanted to develop an understanding on this topic.

“A very big problem, and if things continue like this, we won’t have a living language before long. There have been those unsupportive of the status of our language for a long time. There was a movement against the Irish language called “Language Freedom Movement” in the nineteen sixties, for example. The result of their campaign was the abolition of the requirement for civil servants to speak Irish since 1974. As a result, there were only 16 employees to deal with the Irish-speaking community in 2018 – a disgrace!”

“But,” I said, “the main goal of the Languages ​​Act 2021 is for 20% of new public service recruits to be competent in Irish before the end of 2030. Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked Séimí this question, seeking an antidote to his negative attitude towards the language.

Three steps back…

“Three steps back, and then only one step forward!” answered Séimí. “And these exemptions are just another step backwards. Initially, these exemptions were for exceptional cases – for pupils with special needs. But after a while, those rules were relaxed, and now quite a few parents are taking advantage of the flexibility of the rules, in order to get an exemption for their children – children who would not have a problem learning Irish, because more than half of them are learning other languages ​​without any question of exemption.”

“But maybe with the right management a scheme like this would work, wouldn’t it?” I said, asking Séimí the probing question.

“Whatever the Department of Education is doing, the scheme is not working well at all. And I’m not alone in that thought. Declan Glynn, assistant general secretary of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), said that the system currently in place is “flawed and unsatisfactory”, and that it is now so easy to get an exemption that anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was mainly an automatic process.

Other representatives attending the meetings agreed with the opinion that there should be a curriculum for all students at whatever level of ability they are at and questioned the right to use ‘stress’ or ‘specific language learning disability’ as an excuse to demand an exemption. They are right, in my opinion, Michael, and this problem needs to be solved soon.”

“Well, Sam, I have to agree with you, because it’s clear you’ve done your homework well on the subject, and I didn’t have my eyes on that ball at all. Thanks for being patient with me, and I hope our government will do the right thing and put much stricter rules in place!”

“Me too! Nice to meet you in this wonderful place, Michael, as we discuss important matters together in Irish!

With that, Séimí left without delay, and I was left to my own devices with a new topic to with important matters for my consideration!

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