Category: Tv

Claire Byrne Live on a United Ireland .

Got to see this program last Monday (22nd March), it was about of all things a United Ireland. Seemingly a census has been held in the North and they expect a change in the demographics with Catholics becoming the “majority” in the six counties or Northern Ireland. This will  put them in the position to vote themselves out of the United kingdom and rejoin the rest of Ireland . Readers should take note the Brits have never been voted out of anywhere but that didn’t stop them leaving alot of countries, kicked out by the natives as it happens.

The program had Leo Varadkar , Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald, Greg Campbell of the Dup, Andrew Trimble and the Taoiseach Micheal Martin  amongst others. They asked the Dup Greg Campbell what would it take for him to vote for a United Ireland and he replied that he would never vote for a United Ireland and that’s putting it nicely.

Election 1918 Wikipedia.org

To make a point that is well made that the Irish people voted for independence not for partition. David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill forced the partition of Ireland against the wishes of its people. The result was two pretty nasty states which never worked .

Back to Claire Byrne live and their framing of the debate. Rte is pro unionist and pro British. There was no sense of history or geography in the debate and take for granted that the Brits will pull out should a possible referendum go against them. To win a united Ireland all sections of Irish people will have to pull together. The commitment of Fianna fai and Fine gael  to a United Ireland is precisely zero. A mountain to climb …

 

Claire Byrne lIve – United Ireland

On a Border Poll/The Good Friday Agreement at 20, 1918 Election and the First Dáil 1919.

Giving emigrants the vote

 

In light of the European and Local Council elections to be held on Friday 24th May, here something that was to be put to a referendum a few years ago and that is a vote for our emigrants. Ireland (republic) is out of step with our European neighbours in not allowing our emigrants the vote whilst they are away. The English for example allow their citizens/subjects to be absent for up to 15 years whilst still having the vote in United Kingdom elections.

Ireland eschews any form of giving representation to emigrants, Governments in the Republic are know to fear a emigrant vote would lead to their dismissal and alternative governments being formed. Indeed successive Irish governments have encouraged Irish people to leave and seek a livelihood elsewhere in Europe or perhaps the World. (Successive Irish governments have practically shoved Irish people “out the door” by establishing employment offices abroad and encouraging people to leave like ~RTE’s “Better off abroad” , “Making it down under” and so on.)

This is all to cheat people out of a days wages and to ensure that establishment parties are not held to account for the way they run the country.  The Landlords of old never had it as good , but we are stuck with the “political landlords of Fianna fail and Fine Gael”  for the present anyway. Perhaps the culture of Tweeddledee and Tweedledum represented by Fianna fail and Fine Gael might be coming to an end but I have my doubts.