The Cedar Lounge Revolution

January issue of An Phoblacht out now, including… December 31, 2015

• Gerry Adams’s New Year message for 2016 – 1916 centenary year should be about national renewal, hope and political progress
• ‘Revolution 1916’ exhibition – Exclusive preview
• Unionist MLA John McCallister – “Unionism and republicanism both have a responsibility to demonstrate a spirit of generosity”
• Laura Crawford – Born into conflict and struggle
• The Last Fisherman of Carrick-a-Rede
• Better4Health policy document launched in Dublin – Sinn Féin’s pathway to universal healthcare
• The murder of Seamus Ludlow – 40 years of collusion and cover-up
• United Ireland is good for you – Economist Michael Burke
• Housing: Sinn Féin’s radical vision to tackle the crisis
• Raic san AE faoi Gás na Rúise
• Brexit: Britain leaving the EU would have serious repercussions for Ireland

The USSR and the emerging internet… December 31, 2015

Many thanks to Tomboktu for drawing attention to this, a piece in global voices about how a Soviet academician was chosen in 1982 to represent the USSR in an online exchange/conference/meeting. It’s clear that the USSR had only the haziest idea what online technology implied (though that’s probably a charge that can be levelled at many states at that time).The academician was able to interact effectively unsupervised with Western colleagues. It underlines the manner in which communication technologies have changed matters utterly. And remarkably the piece relates how the .su domain continues to exist.

State Papers – 2 December 31, 2015

Here’s more. From RTÉ this excellent brief overview…

Here’s the IT’s coverage, and here and here and here.

Telling insights into the Dunnes Stores strike above.

Two things caught my eye, both from those supposedly representing wings of FG. Behold the social democrat at work…

Finance minister Alan Dukes made it known to government colleagues in 1984 that he did not agree that a double weeks’ Christmas payment to long-term welfare recipients was a done deal.
He said they may expect the payment but argued it should not be paid because welfare recipients would be marginally better-off this year.

Plus, he said, the extra cost to the State would be more than £20 million.

Mr Dukes believed too that the country’s overall level of borrowing could not be pushed any higher to make these payments.

And there’s this:

An idea that the new Irish secretariat in Belfast should be balanced by a reciprocal arrangement for Northern representatives in Dublin was described by the then minister for trade, John Bruton, as a “very constructive suggestion”.

Mr Bruton made the comments in a letter to Garret FitzGerald.

The minister was passing on correspondence from a constituent of his who came up with the proposal.

In his response the Taoiseach said he did not agree that “unionist representatives or the British government should have a role in relation to this State”.

The implications of unionist representatives having an input into the RoI are remarkable, perhaps a lot more remarkable than Bruton realised.

For the UK one can go here to UK National Archives.

‘The Revolution Papers’ December 30, 2015

Some of you may have heard the dulcet tones of Pat Kenny advertising ‘The Revolution Papers’. Went up to the shop to buy the paper yesterday and bought the first issue of ‘The Revolution Papers’ instead!. The first issue contained the following publications … Irish War News 25/4/1916 , Belfast Evening Telegraph Bulletin 28/4/1916 , The Gaelic American 29/4/1916 , and The Irish Independent 4/5/1916. The Indo’s anti rising editorial was worth the price (€ 3.90) alone…. the first few lines are below…

It’s interesting reading the different viewpoints of the papers, the contemporary reports from around Dublin and other parts of the Country and of course intermingled with this are reports from The Great War. That and reports of non war or rising incidents as well as notices and advertisements.
There is a small bit of analysis in each issue, which is good , although the writers viewpoints tend to come through (which is a complaint of An Phoblacht).
I recommend checking the first issue at least out.
The website for The Revolution Papers

State Papers – 1 December 30, 2015

Some useful nuggets of information in amongst the release of papers today. And more to follow this week. RTÉ has a particularly handy round-up here. Irish Times here and here and here and here and here. And there’s more.

There’s some on the Guardian here and in various links on the same page.

Interesting pen picture of Thatcher and Gowrie on RTÉ:

After a weekend lunch with Mrs Thatcher in March 1985, Irish ambassador Noel Dorr met Lord Gowrie and afterwards wrote that “Gowrie thought that the Prime Minister was looking for an issue where she could achieve something and could possibly make it in Northern Ireland. She has no sense of history but she really does like the Taoiseach. She thinks him essentially ‘a good man’ and ‘goodness’ does matter greatly to her.”

Lord Gowrie was born in Ireland and Ambassador Dorr noted that Gowrie is sympathetic – within limits – and willing to offer advice. It would be wrong, however, to think that his sympathy is absolute or unconditional. He probably will be helpful. He remains however – not an Irish nationalist in disguise but an intellectual, British, Tory, cabinet minister with some interest in, and understanding of, Ireland.”

Any other links or one’s missed would be very welcome in comments.

What you want to say – 30th December 2015 December 30, 2015

As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

More on that pre-election playbook: this evening the LP on SF December 29, 2015

Talking about bleakly humorous stuff, how’s about today’s comments from various LP worthies (i.e. mostly possibly soon to be ex-TDs) about the evils of SF. A bit over the top? Ironic? Self-serving? Well indeed, but the main thing is to get that message out there, isn’t it?

This was particularly entertaining, I thought:

Mr Rabbitte ruled out any potential coalition between Labour and the party, saying that there was a deep nervousness in Labour about the running of Sinn Féin.

Though kind of cheeky of him to try this following line out:

Sinn Féin would like you to think that there has been a dramatic increase in support for a united Ireland and that [that] accounts for their increase in the polls. They have a vested interest in the maintenance of misery in Ireland.

But he wasn’t alone.

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection Kevin Humphreys said…
“Not only is their moral compass off, so is [sic] their economic policies. It is not good for the State.

And…

Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin …
…said: “They have proven in Northern Ireland they are not interested in governing and they have councillors around the country who haven’t a clue what they are doing. They have no interest in people.”

Does he genuinely think that is true? One could easily disagree with any number of SF policies while believing that they are entirely sincere in the belief their approach is the best for the island. It’s not exactly a difficult concept to hold in ones head. That he pretends otherwise is telling.

And, of course, whether the public sees it quite the LP’s way is quite another thing entirely.