jump to navigation

Interview with Stephen Donnelly July 2, 2020

Posted by guestposter in Uncategorized.
trackback

From Jason O’Toole in 2017 published by Hot Press.

Comments»

1. CL - July 2, 2020

So Donnelly is a progressive social democrat who believes in bigger govt. and business enterprise.
How will this approach to a two-tier health care system work out?
……

“One of our blackest marks as a Republic to date was not standing up to the Nazis, maintaining neutrality during World War II.” -Donnelly.
What would Dev say?

Liked by 1 person

Reply
EWI - July 3, 2020

“One of our blackest marks as a Republic to date was not standing up to the Nazis, maintaining neutrality during World War II.” -Donnelly.
What would Dev say?

Donnelly hooked into that right-wing Anglosphere for his glib quips (and not too caught up on the history – the 26-county Éire was not technically a ‘republic’ during the Emergency).

Liked by 1 person

Reply
Daniel Rayner O'Connor - July 3, 2020

Perhaps in his infinite wisdom Donnelly can explain how he would have committer the 26 Cos to the Atlantic Alliance without provoking major unrest possibly leading to renewed civil war. Of course, this would divert him from his task of supplying decent housing, but this might be a blessing considering how he is likely to approach the matter.

Like

Reply
Daniel Rayner O'Connor - July 3, 2020

Correction for ‘decent housing’ read ‘a decent health service’.

Like

Reply
CL - July 3, 2020

‘Neutral on Britain’s side’?

“Over 140 Allied planes came down in Ireland during the war. About 100 of those were based in Britain. Twenty-nine were quietly allowed to fly away, many after being refuelled. Another 17 were salvaged and returned by road. While all the German airmen were interned, 225 of their Allied counterparts were quietly let go, though 46 were officially interned for a time in order to preserve a semblance of neutrality.

After the United States entered the war in December 1941, 39 US aircraft came down in Ireland. Eighteen were refuelled and allowed to fly away, and 10 were salvaged and transferred by road to Northern Ireland. All 265 American survivors were promptly released.

No Allied seamen were interned in Ireland, but 213 German sailors were interned in the Curragh camp, even though over 150 of those should, under international law, have been released as stranded mariners…..

there was precious little semblance of neutrality in the Irish treatment of the two sides in the conflict ”
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/ryle-dwyer-irelands-neutrality-had-plenty-of-grey-areas-993786.html

“The attractions of this piece of revisionism are obvious. It recasts the history of Ireland in the twentieth century in a distinctly progressive light: an unbroken march to modernity by one of the older democracies, which did the right thing by Europe in its hour of need; Southern Ireland as a repository of liberal values in a new dark age. It allows present-day neutrality to be presented as contingent, a pragmatic response rather than a fixed principle of Southern foreign policy. At a time of evolving European foreign policy that too has its attractions—to some.
T. Ryle Dwyer’s new book, subtitled ‘Ireland’s phoney neutrality during World War II’, seeks to show how the Irish cooperated, first with the British, then with the Americans, in the war against the Axis powers. He seeks to restore Southern Ireland to its place amongst the virtuous by exploding ‘the myth behind the shibboleth of neutrality’,
https://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/behind-the-green-curtain-irelands-phoney-neutrality-during-world-war-ii/

Liked by 1 person

WorldbyStorm - July 3, 2020

I’d broadly tend to the view that Ireland’s neutrality was skewed sharply towards the ‘Allies’ during the war. I don”t think that was an ignoble position to take for many many reasons. I think Dillon in the HI review underplays that. For example, the use of naval bases for the Allies would have been such that it would have provoked a military response from the Germans and one which Éire would have been unable to prevent. The state had asked for military assistance from the UK but this was refused (on the reasonable basis that the need was greater for Britain’s defence itself). But were Éire to become a participant that would have opened up huge resource demands in terms of aircraft, anti-aircraft defences etc. Where were they going to come from? Indeed opening up Ireland as a target would have required the diversion of resources desperately needed to defend Britain. That makes no sense and could have imperilled Britain.

Liked by 1 person

2. CL - July 3, 2020

‘Spokesperson on Health – David Cullinane’
https://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/57289

‘Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: Pat Buckley’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_Féin_Front_Bench

Like

Reply
3. Fergal - July 3, 2020

Donnelly? One word… smarmy…
The amount of publicity this fella got in Toruń-up to the 2011 was breathtaking… the media have never explained how or why this happened…
The smooth-talking Harvard old boy will save us from ourselves!

Liked by 1 person

Reply

Leave a comment