The lessons from the political life of David Trimble are especially relevant for leaders in Dublin at a time when Irish politics is changing with great rapidity, and when the challenges faced by governments — however, they are constituted — are entirely unpredictable in their scale, scope and nature. Rarely has the future looked more uncertain. Climate change, economic turbulence, global instability, threats to social coherence and the demand for the State to do ever more for its people with finite resources — these are certainties in the times ahead which will test the abilities of whomever we choose to lead us.
They do could worse than reflecting on the life of David Trimble.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
I know we usually focus on the Irish media here, but I think this from the Observer is worth a mention: ‘Has History got it all wrong on Cromwell’s hostility to Catholics’
i can’t find it online but this is a link to a photo….
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Apparently, he was all for religious freedom to be Catholic and wouldn’t have had to kill anybody if it wasn’t for those pesky priests, who started the whole thing, and pretty much forced his hand,….
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That’s a good point – it’s not just Irish media. Examples from the UK very welcome too. Great spot 6to5.
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In fairness to Cromwell (!!!) – to say it was just a religious crusade is to vastly over-simplify matters. The Catholic Confederation were sworn supporters of an English royal family which had done nothing to deserve that support, and Cromwell could be equally vicious in his treatment of Protestant royalists. Which side would any of us have been on at the time? A more valid reason to dislike him is that as a republican revolutionary he was fiercely conservative (something we’re all too familiar with here) and stamped out any notions of truly radical democracy.
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I get that that, rockroots – but what I found so annoying in the article was the tone – the suggestion that his atrocities somehow didn’t ‘count’ as astrocities if they were motivated by political rather than religious reasons.
And there’s a section where it is claimed that, in his writings, he had argued that it is always better to seek conversion by kindness rather than persecution. I don’t doubt that that is true. But the article leaves it there. As if this re-establishes his good name. It doesn’t even mention that, when push came to shove, he chose to go with brutal, unnecessary, persecution.
I’m all for historical investigations, and for constantly re-evaluating our view of the past. But I don’t this article does that at all. Was anybody arguing before this that Cromwell was motivated only by sectarian hatred in Ireland? I think the fact that it was part of the English wars of the time is well known. Unearthing a few obscure documents doesn’t really seem to change anything important.
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Broadly agree 6to5, it’s as if a pamphlet or a couple of documents upends perspectives on actual events and wipes them away. That said I also agree rock roots – his viciousness was political as much, perhaps even more, than sectarian. On the other hand for those subject to the acts he ordered – that being ordinary Irish (and English), the distinctions would be minimal.
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Ah yes, well that’s a very fair point which I completely agree with.
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I think your point about the republicanism being rooted in conservatism is spot on. I suppose it’s like similar ideological positions it can go any way, progressive or reactionary and it’s vital to ensure that it is the former rather than the latter, and to be aware of the capability for it to go to the latter if not channeled correctly.
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Replying to WorldbyStorm on the conservatism of Commonwealth politics, one has to look at the fates of the Diggers and Levellers once the Cromwellian regime had become established, both favoured popular democracy and working-class rights, even venturing into proto-socialism in the case of the former group, but were rapidly crushed when their usefulness to vested interests had been exhausted.
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+1 genuine radicalism snuffed out
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Two things about the Creighton piece:
1. Climate Armageddon is not going to happen at “some unspecified point in the future” it’s literally happening all around us right now (frog in the boiling pot etc.)
2. This supposed vendetta that the greens have against farmers is precisely what makes them such useful idiots for FF/FG/the establishment at large. It turns the conversation into out-of-touch urbanites versus salt-of-the-earth rural dwellers when it should be about what can we all do to change our society and make a difference to emissions etc. For this reason I’ll never be able to take the greens seriously as a force for positive action on climate issues.
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“If sexual liberty is such a good thing, why are we so unhappy?”
Because when anyone finds out that you work for the Sunday Independent they don’t want to drink with you, never mind shag you.
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Cromwell was the worst of the warmongering English imperialist thugs.
The ruling elite in England remain warmongering imperialist thugs.
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