Solidarity with President Michael D. Higgins – Statement CPI September 17, 2021
Posted by guestposter in Uncategorized.trackback
Solidarity with President Michael D. Higgins
Statement by the Communist Party of Ireland
17 September 2021
The decision by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, not to attend the religious service in Armagh in October to mark the establishment of “Northern Ireland” was the correct one. And he has clearly set down the reason why he could not and should not attend.
The media frenzy that now surrounds his decision is as predictable as bad weather in winter. The slave mentality of the Irish media, such as RTE and the Irish Times, simply know no bounds, while the reaction of unionist politicians is equally predictable.
The dregs of the political shoneen establishment, such as the former Taoiseach John Bruton, can be relied upon to be dragged out for comment. In his single transferable speech he attacked any expression of national self-respect; we should appease and tug the forelock to imperialism at every opportunity.
The President was right in his decision and in his reasons, that he is President of Ireland, not of “the Republic of Ireland.” It reflects the long and deeply held belief that the partitioning of Ireland was an act of aggression against our people by British imperialism in its efforts to stem and thwart the rising struggle for national independence, that partition was an anti-democratic act to bolster Britain’s weakening control and declining influence a century ago.
Britain partitioned Ireland to suit its own strategic, political, economic and military goals; it was not an act to support “self-determination” for unionists. Unionism was and is a political construct for a section of the population loyal to those strategic goals.
We know from history that unionism has overseen mass repression, discrimination, and entrenched bigotry as well as a form of cultural apartheid.
We should not acknowledge or celebrate partition but rather expose why it took place and in whose interests. We need to redouble our efforts to undo the great wrong inflicted on the people of Ireland by partition and continue to work towards national unity and the establishment of an all-Ireland independent sovereign state.
Eugene McCartanGeneral SecretaryCommunist Party of Ireland
http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie/
https://socialistvoice.ie/
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
Whatever u think of Miggeldydee, he must feel like a swaggering pimp right now. He gets to undermine the handwringing local bishops and stick it to the Unionists simultaneously. Then he gets to give John Brutal a schooling on Irish politics. At the same time, he gets called the biggest motherf-r in Ireland by the Pope (I’m paraphrasing). When he dies, the last 36 hours will flash before his eyes and when his coffin is laid in state for all to observe everybody will discern the smile on his face.
Of course if he gets shown the above, the danger is that he dies laughing on the spot…
LikeLiked by 6 people
LikeLiked by 5 people
EamonnCork’s deathless phrase on here about ‘apologising to the invisible Englishman’ was made for the likes of Bruton.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bruton, the farm rancher having a go at credit unions… I’ve seen it all now… and linking them to an event for a sectarian statelet and royal parasite… how fucking dare he
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s the glibness with which he dismisses something of vital importance to many many hundreds of thousands of people and more as against frankly an elite event for a tiny sliver of the population. Class position tells. Every time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was reminded of ‘The invisible Englishman’ as soon as this all kicked off. Is that phrase only known in these parts? It really deserves a wider usage.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The “invisible Englishman” lives rent-free in people’s minds.
He’s a relic of colonialism and shouldn’t be given house room – north or south
LikeLike
I’m not a fan of MD either, he epitomises a liberal-left that are really good at the symbolic, not so good at substance. However in a job which is largely symbolic that sometimes can be useful.
In this case really useful, because, not only does Bruton get poked in the eye and exposed for the total ignoramus that he is but, more importantly, it blows a big hole in the IT crowd’s “all things unionist good” attitude. What we are seeing here is part of a wholesale retreat of revisionism, and all they can do is cry into their wine glasses over the rise of SF and the fact that their beloved unionist pols are constantly exposed as a bunch of hapless reactionaries.
As another MD used to say “I’m lovin it”
LikeLiked by 3 people
Just to add, nothing that these revisionist idiots did or said helped working class northern Protestants, in fact the opposite, their fawning “support” just strengthened the hold of hypocritical unionists pols in alliance with loyalist narco-gangs dominate over that community.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Sorry, I’m leppin’ in a bit late here, but I dunno, are you being a tad unfair on the Prez in saying “he epitomises a liberal-left that are really good at the symbolic, not so good at substance”? I can think of many people in the parliamentary Irish Labour Party (well, not that many — they’re minnows, after all) who fit that mould, but I’m not alone among a handful of pals and acquaintances of mine who would be scornful of liberals in the Phil Ochs sense but who have a great deal of time for Higgins precisely because he’s serious and decent and consistent in his politics. (Case in point…) Can you imagine Bacik or any of the more working-class lads “done good” of the current crop of Labour TDs taking stances that would piss off the bien pensant IT hacks and “we must be mature and celebrate settler colonialism” shoneens? I genuinely can’t. It’s a low bar, but a telling one, to clear. Higgins always had a perfectly cromulent class analysis, and the fact that he lives in a lovely big gaff now hasn’t really wrenched him from that decency in any meaningful way, to my mind. Sorry if I sound like a sycophant bit I think he’s an excellent head of state.
I agree that it was a grand day out seeing John Bruton humiliate himself, as if he hadn’t humilitated himself (and a visibly morto prince Charles) enough 25 years ago…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yeah, he’s an interesting one – I do think he’s been pretty solid at articulating what you reference above. He’s kind of an irritant one suspects (to his peers and heads of govt), though less so today than five years ago. Like Brian I’m not instinctively drawn to him but kudos on a range of areas where he could simply have said ‘feck it, I’m going to make for the snacks and dips’. In any case, I’ll take any voice that can articulate a serious pushback against this sort of stuff which isn’t based on emotion but on some pretty painful realities that some in this state and on this island seem all too keen to ignore or to do down.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I never thought when I started voting that I’d see as left wing a President as Michael D in my time.
Incidentally, I don’t know whether anyone else has mentioned it, but I was reminded of the time Haughey wouldn’t let Paddy Hillary go to Charles and Di’s wedding; those were the days when presidents knew their place!
LikeLiked by 1 person
MDH also had an empathy for rural people that many so called “progressives” lack.I recall something he wrote about his aunt doing the milking and similar stuff.
LikeLike
He grew on their farm near Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare. Some of his work as a sociologist before he was a TD was on the rural west. His Machnamh seminar talk is worth watching https://youtu.be/JxWnjjuDXjs
LikeLiked by 2 people
Putting aside the personal qualities, a cold hard look at his political actions over the years reveals a left liberal. He spoke against coalition for years but happily took ministerial post in coalitions with FF and FG. In his position as Minister he never pushed for radical or transformational reforms, which would have been impossible anyway given the dominance of the right wing parties in gov. He always specialised in emotive left rhetoric which distracted from his actual record. So I think it’s fair to characterise his political position as left liberal.
That said, I’d much rather have him in the Aras than a right winger. I also think that, given the restrictions of the office, there’s only so much can be done and he has pushed the boundaries to the limit.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’ve only now discovered that MDH’s father was in the IRA and fought in the war of independence.
LikeLike
And took the Republican side in the civil war.
LikeLike
Yeah.
From all accounts a difficult upbringing and an achievement to get through seconday school, nevermind to university. Probably fought and won more battles before he was 20 than Bruton ever had to deal with.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kind of wonder why onlyBruton is wheeled out on such occasions… what about the other taoisigh?
Cowen? Kenny? Bertie?
In fairness, Bertie gets a good bit of coverage these days…
LikeLiked by 1 person
a) Programme makers and editors can be assured that Bruton will take a stand against anything that remotely offends the sensitivities of what’s left of the British Empire;
b) It’s likely Bruton pimps himself around the media at the first sniff of a unionist controversy to keep up his public profile, feed his ego, and maybe get an honorary knighthood from Prince Andrew’s mammy.
LikeLiked by 1 person