Tag Archives: Ireland
News, November 2024
Triple Lock and the election
With a general election happening in the Republic, there are many issues on which citizens will try to get commitments from prospective politicians. One such is the Triple Lock which the outgoing government, and in particular Micheál Martin, have been trying to ditch but which is a guarantee that Ireland will not get mixed up in wars fought by NATO or, forthcoming, the EU. See the StoP website at https://swordstoploughsharesireland.org/
Nonviolence and empowerment, nonviolence and democracy
Iranian-Canadian political philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo will be visiting Northern Ireland in late November and providing programme for different organisations, including INNATE. Ramin Jahanbegloo has written many books including a number on Gandhi and on nonviolence (a word search will show up bio details and YouTube interviews).
On Thursday 28th November at 3pm he will speak on ‘Nonviolence and empowerment’ at a meeting in Belfast, venue to be finalised, sponsored by Conflict Textiles, the Hume O’Neill Chair in Peace (Ulster University), and INNATE. Bookings to https://tinyurl.com/raminnonviolence and the INNATE website will have the venue as soon as it is finalised. The same evening, at 7.30pm on 28th November he will contribute to an online webinar on ‘Nonviolence and democracy building’; this is open to anyone interested, anywhere, and bookings should come to the INNATE email address, innate@ntlworld.com with the subject heading ‘Ramin Jahanbegloo webinar’. PDF flyers with more info sent out with email edition of Nonviolent News and are on the website.
Corrymeela
The Corrymeela website at https://www.corrymeela.org/ has a full listing of upcoming open events as well as full information on programmes (sectarianism, public theology, nurturing hope, marginalisation, legacies of conflict). On Saturday 30th* November from 1 – 4 pm there is a Christmas open day with Santa, refreshments, crafts, story time, movies, and stalls. [Please note this is a change from Corrymeela’s previous notice of it happening the following day, 1st December. Admission free] The next Dialogue for Peaceful Change (DpC) training is from 24th – 28th March; this is a four–day immersive experience designed to provide participants with practical tools for managing and transforming conflict. Details on the website at https://www.corrymeela.org/events/255/dialogue-for-peaceful-change-training
Sign up to Lex Innocentium 21st Century
Lex Innocentium 21st Century, a modern take on Adomnán’s 697 CE ‘Law of the Innocents’, is now taking online signatures at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ and there is full information there. Lex Innocentium, 21st Century states itself to be “a bottom-up, soft-power, moral people’s law that declares that War is a Crime against Humanity, War is a Crime against the Earth, War is a Crime against the Future”. As well as a general video of the day, the talks and messages from the launch are available, see under ‘About us’ on the website.
CAJ: Hiring communications officer, report on policing of protest
CAJ, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, is hiring a communications officer to co-ordinate communications, promotional and PR activity for CAJ, including related stakeholder engagement, CAJ’s online presence, publications, events and other products; they will join the current team of seven. Deadline is 8th November. https://caj.org.uk/latest/caj-is-recruiting-2/ Meanwhile a short report on the CAJ and ICCL joint conference last March on “The Policing of Protest: A Shifting Landscape?” is available via https://caj.org.uk/publications/reports/the-policing-of-protest-a-shifting-landscape/ This concludes that “there is much work to be done to ensure that the PSNI and An Garda Síochána fully protect, respect and fulfil the right to protest on an equal basis for all protesters. Perceptions of uneven and biased responses to protest are strong and undermine public trust and public confidence in both services.”
SCI: Changing perspectives in the North, and dealing with that
SCI/the Social Change Initiative has worked with a range of community leaders to delve into data emerging from the World Values Survey in Northern Ireland and a new 20 page report is available which draws on the lessons learned from the experience of supporting communities to use data to think about values and to unpack why people hold particular views. Using the WVS data, five segments of NI society were identified – disaffected pessimists, anti-establishment urbanities, comfortable progressives, moderate traditionalists and confident individualists (obviously this way beyond the usual and traditional NI designations). The report is available at https://issuu.com/sci_belfast/docs/sci_lessons_learned and may help thinking about how to move issues forward in the North. It states, for example, that “Although Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society…there has in fact been considerable attitudinal, political and demographic change in the last 25 years. This shift is not always apparent in the public narrative, which often fails to reflect the plurality of perspectives and identities that exist…”
Cork: Strong support for closure of Collins Aerospace
30th October saw another strong demonstration at Collins Aerospace in Cork demanding its closure; it was organised by Action Against War, Cork Neutrality League and the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Collins Aerospace is a Cork subsidiary of RTX Corporation – formerly Raytheon, one of the world’s largest armaments manfacturers. Among other military entanglements Collins Aerospace has a role in the development of a new NATO helicopter. Contact: Dominic Carroll corkneutralityleague@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/action.against.war_/
Hate crime law passes Dáil
After various controversies and impasses, the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Bill 2022 passed all stages in the Oireachtas, meaning that it can now be signed into law; it will provide for increased prison sentences for certain crimes, where proven to be motivated by hatred, or where hatred is demonstrated. Hate speech elements were not included in the final legislation. Various groups have campaigned for hate crime laws for years. The Hate Crime Coalition previously stated “much more needs to be done in support of it, including enhanced training for criminal justice actors, improved reporting, better monitoring and data collection, enhanced victim supports, and public awareness campaigns on the legislation and the specific nature and impact of hate crime. Ultimately, we should all be working towards preventing hate crime from happening in the first place, including through education and awareness raising.” [Quote source; ICCL www.iccl.ie press release for Coalition Against Hate Crime]
Harland & Wolff: Green energy not battle ships?
A proposal has been made about iconic Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff which went into administration in September. The Common Wealth think tank in Britain has proposed an arms length company be set up by the British government to buy the shipyard and re-orient towards offshore wind energy production. This proposal is part of Common Wealth’s “A Lucas Plan for the Twenty First Century” https://www.common-wealth.org/publications/a-lucas-plan-for-the-twenty-first-century-from-asset-manager-arsenal-to-green-industrial-strategy and see also https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/18/uk-should-repurpose-belfast-shipyard-to-make-green-infrastructure?CMP=share_btn_url
Quaker hub in Belfast
Frederick Street Friends Meeting House (FMH) in central Belfast is positioned in an emerging vibrant part of Belfast with Ulster University’s new main campus right beside. It is undergoing a major development including Quaker Service moving to be based there and the intention to make it a Quaker hub; there is a fundraising appeal for this, see https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/2024/10/10/appeal-for-frederick-street-quaker-hub/ for more information and contacts. See also Billy King item in email and web editions.
FOE: Climate justice day of action
Friends of the Earth Ireland has a Climate Justice Day of Action on Tuesday 12th November where they invite people to get out into their communities and talk to neighbours, friends, family or indeed local politicians about the most pressing climate justice issues of the day. See https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/events/climate-justice-day-of-action/
Housmans Diary 2025
The end is nigh, of 2024 at least, and time for those who use a paper diary to consider what they want. For the peace activist, Housmans Peace Diary with its World Peace Directory is an obvious choice – handy if you find yourself in Armenia or Australia to only cover a couple of the ‘A’s, or you want contacts there. It has a week to a view, quotations, and dates for celebration or protest and in the directory over 1,400 peace, environmental and human rights groups around the world. UK£9.95 plus postage, discount on 10 or more in UK postal area. Order at https://housmans.com/peace-diary/
l A more extensive version of the World Peace Directory in the Diary is available online at http://www.housmans.info/wpd/ It is worth reading the background information on the site home page to get the best use out of it.
CCI: Continuing developments in its Chernobyl work
Chernobyl Children International (CCI) continually strives to improve the services it provides in Chernobyl affected regions, e.g. their Hospice and Community Care team partnered with their Nursing team for a specialised training, where they expanded their knowledge in therapeutic massage and physical therapy. A 5-minute video on Chernobyl and the work of CCI is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0MUmRcrDaY See also the CCI website at https://www.chernobyl-international.com/
Where are we going?
“The pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war…but we have no more urgent task” – John F Kennedy; 10th June 1963
By Liz Cullen
The Russian attack on Ukraine is widely regarded as having been “unprovoked”. While not, in any way, condoning the invasion, the expansion of NATO is the true cause of the current war in the Ukraine. There is irrefutable evidence showing that the promise made to Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand “one inch eastward”, after the Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991 was broken (1). The expansion of NATO as a cause of the war has been confirmed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (2). This expansion of NATO has resulted in Russia being encircled. Estonia and Latvia, directly situated on the border with Russia, joined NATO in 2004, Bulgaria which also joined NATO in 2004 and Turkey, a member since 1952 are both on the Black Sea. The US has Aegis missiles in Poland since 2018 (3) and in Romania since 2016 (4).
In addition, long range US missiles are to be deployed periodically in Germany from 2026 (5). It seems that NATO is providing a basis for US troops in Europe, the USA has 750 bases in at least 80 countries (6), while Russia has 21 bases in 13 countries, most of them former Soviet republics (7). Furthermore, NATO is also “strengthening dialogue and cooperation” with countries in the Pacific and Indian oceans, namely Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the Republic of Korea (8).
Aside from having an expansionist ethos, NATO also has a troubled history. As far back as 1999, NATO attacked Yugoslavia, without a UN sanction in a clear violation of international law. When NATO invaded Afghanistan in 2001, almost a quarter of a million Afghani people died during the 20 year war which ensued. In 2011, NATO with authorization from the UN security council, imposed a no-fly zone on Libya, but they seriously abused this resolution by overthrowing the Libyan government. Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee. The three most powerful NATO states, US, Germany and UK are all actively supporting Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza, in clear contravention of the UN Charter, the Genocide Convention, and rulings by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
NATO is also a nuclear armed organization; their website proclaims that “Nuclear weapons are a core component of NATO’s overall capabilities for deterrence and defence, alongside conventional and missile defence forces” (9). The description of NATO by Professor Jeffrey Sachs as “a clear and present danger to world peace, a war machine run amok” (10) is appropriate. Nevertheless, the European Council stated in August 2024, that NATO is an “essential partner of the EU, sharing the same values and strategic interests” (11).
The Triple Lock ensures that Irish troops over twelve in number cannot take part in overseas missions without the approval of the Cabinet, the Dáil and the United Nations. It is a protection for Irish people against being involved in EU and NATO military activities. Minister Martin’s moves to abandon the Triple Lock is shameful. Many of the voters who rejected the Nice treaty in 2001 did so because of concerns that we would become militarily involved with the EU. However, we were assured by the government that such fears were unfounded, and that we would have the safety of the Triple lock. Therefore, Ireland would not become militarily involved with the EU. This is the reason why many people subsequently voted yes in 2002 when the referendum was re-run.
Similarly, the Lisbon treaty was rejected in 2008, again over fears in relation to the military implications. However the treaty was passed when the referendum was re-run following reassurances from the government about the Triple lock. Minister Martin’s actions to abolish this safeguard are a shameful betrayal of the trust of the Irish people, who have consistently shown their support for peace-making and neutrality.
A cause of further concern, is that Ireland, a country with a constitutional obligation to be a peacemaker, is a member of the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), which is strongly connected to NATO. An obligation under PESCO is that we must ensure that our forces have “interoperability with NATO”, and annual assessments will be conducted to ensure this. We have also committed to “make the European defence industry more competitive”.
Following on from this, the Department of Defence had an “information and networking event” (12) in the Aviva stadium in 2022 titled “Building the Ecosystem”. The purpose of this event was to introduce small businesses and third level institutions in Ireland to arms manufacturers. It was addressed by the CEO of Thales, the biggest arms manufacturer in Ireland, producing missile systems for export. It seems that the response of a neutral country is not to disarm and demilitarize, but to accelerate the promotion of war and the war industry (13).
Irish people do not want to become militarily involved in overseas conflicts, and successive polls have shown this. It is therefore very unlikely that the Irish people would support membership of an organization such as NATO and the use of nuclear weapons.
This is a crucial and dangerous time in world politics. A senior NATO official recently said that governments should be talking to their citizens about mobilization, more reservists and even conscription (14). Therefore the onus has never been as great on the government to do the right thing – to fulfil our constitutional obligation to be peacemakers and to stand up for the wishes of the Irish people. NATO has little to do with peace and everything to do with supporting the international arms industry. It is too closely allied to the EU and it is dragging us into the shadow of a nuclear apocalypse.
At the very least, we should undertake the following three actions:
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We must keep the triple lock
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We must leave PESCO without delay
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We must stop supporting US military planes in Shannon airport by allowing them to refuel there.
The great peacemaker Daniel O’Connell, said “Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong”. It is morally wrong for Ireland not to negotiate for peace, to support the close EU/NATO arrangement and to betray the expressed wishes of the Irish people to remain neutral. Being neutral does not mean being silent.
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Footnotes
(1) The War in Ukraine Was Provoked – and Why That Matters to Achieve Peace – Jeffery D Sachs (jeffsachs.org)
(2) NATO Chief Admits NATO Expansion Was Key to Russian Invasion of Ukraine – Jeffrey D Sachs (jeffsachs.org)
(3) These are the missile defence systems the US sent to Poland – CNN Politics
(4) A Decade of US-Romanian Missile Defense Cooperation: Alliance Success – RealClearDefense
(5) US Cruise missiles to return to Germany, angering Moscow – bbc.com
(6) Infographic: US military presence around the world – Infographic News – Al Jazeera
(7) List of Russian military bases abroad – Wikipedia
(8) NATO – Topic: Relations with partners in the Indo-Pacific region
(9) NATO – Topic: NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy and forces
(10) NATO – What you need to know, OR Books London and New York, 2024
(11) EU-NATO cooperation – Consilium (europa.eu)
(12) Building the ecosystem – Identifying connections for collaboration in Security, Defence and Dual technologies (www.gov.ie)
(13) Peace Groups to protest at Government Arms Fair at Aviva Stadium – Afri, Action from Ireland
(14) Are we heading for World war Three – and is Britain’s military ready? Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank.
News, October 2024
Lex Innocentium 21st Century launched in Birr and Lorrha
There was a successful launch on International Day of Peace of this new people’s or popular law on war, based on the original 697 CE law enacted in Birr at a synod instigated by Adomnán, abbot of Iona. The website is at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ with full information on the project, background and history – the new law includes protection for the earth. A message of support and greetings from Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire given at the launch can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2-Nwc6ZL3g and a video of the launch will be available in due course. Photos of the event can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72177720320507627 A handout used in his talk by Rob Fairmichael on ‘Resources on Irish peace history’ is available at https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Lex-Peace-history-Resource-list-24.09.pdf and included with paper and email editions of this issue of Nonviolent News. Anyone, anywhere, will be able to sign up to support the law very soon on the website.
MII conference for Belfast, 18th – 19th October
The annual conference of the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) takes place in Belfast from 18th – 19th October, the first time north of the border, with the title ‘Broadening our perspective on mediation’. It includes a session on ‘The role of mediators in conflict zones’ with input from Cathy Ashton, Nita Yawanarajah, and Pat Hynes. There is a varied programme, details of which are at https://www.themii.ie/mii-annual-conference-2024-broadening-our-perspective-on-mediation-2/ This item appeared in the email and web editions of NN 322
l Sue Cogan has been appointed as CEO of MII as of the start of September, see https://www.themii.ie/appointment-of-new-ceo-of-the-mediators-institute-of-ireland-sue-cogan/
Resources on racism from SCI and others
It can be difficult to know where to start work in opposing racist violence and extremism and striving for an inclusive society. But there are many useful resources available to help understanding and action in dealing with these issues. See the website of the Social Change Initiative/SCI in the North at https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/extremism Hope not Hate in the UK is at https://hopenothate.org.uk/ and the Hope and Courage Collective in the Republic at https://hopeandcourage.ie/ The Irish Network Against racism (INAR) is at https://inar.ie/
White poppies to remember all victims of war
In the season of remembrance there is the opportunity to wear a white poppy to remember all victims of war, including both civilians and soldiers, but also challenge war and militarism. The PPU/Peace Pledge Union in Britain sells white poppies as well as posters, postcards, stickers and educational resources. You can get 5 poppies for £5, postage extra, and a discount for larger numbers. Go to www.ppu.org.uk and click on ‘Shop’ and there is more information about white poppies and their origin on the website.
StoP Triple Lock betrayal video
A short (under 2 minutes) video enactment about the Triple Lock on deployment of Irish soldiers overseas can be seen at https://youtu.be/HohfeP6VnnI?si=ZJ3rSIqgnyg84loW
and https://www.facebook.com/share/v/otYiMVLdvsj4S2HY/?mibextid=WC7FNe The StoP/Swords to Ploughshares website is at https://swordstoploughsharesireland.org/
George Mitchell Institute events at QUB, Belfast
There are a number of open events coming up with topics including armed groups, transition and dealing with the past; inside the world of armed conflict mediation; Irish neutrality; resistance to ecoviolence in the Amazon; authoritarianism’s challenge to democracy as the norm, etc. Go to https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/ for further info and to register.
Strategy on violence against women for North
Mid-September saw the launch of a new strategy for through to 2031, broadly welcomed in the sector, for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls with a focus on the areas of prevention, protection and provision, the justice system, and working together on the issue. The statistics are horrifying including 33,000 recorded (so-called) ‘domestic’ abuse incidents in Northern Ireland in 2023. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn878054dxqo and for the full strategy go to https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/topics/ending-violence-against-women-and-girls which includes some other research materials. A week later a Domestic and Sexual Abuse strategy for Northern Ireland was launched which is not solely focused on women and will also attempt to tackle violence against men, children and young people, and intimate partner violence within the LGBTQ+ community. See https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/domestic-and-sexual-abuse-strategy-and-performance-framework-2024-2031
Catholic Institute for Nonviolence launched
Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative has launched a Catholic Institute for Nonviolence with the aim of making nonviolence research, resources and experience, more accessible to Catholic Church leaders, communities and institutions to deepen Catholic understanding of and commitment to the practice of Gospel nonviolence. To this end it will operate mainly as a virtual institute but with a small presence in Rome. Areas it will concentrate on are Gospel nonviolence, nonviolent practices and strategic power, and contextual experiences of nonviolence. More information at https://paxchristi.net/catholic-institute-for-nonviolence/
QCEA on EU Parliament after elections
Around Europe, the journal of the Quaker Council on European Affairs, has a useful one page (!) summary of where things stand with balance and policies in the EU Parliament, along with other material including on climate, at https://www.qcea.org/around-europe-398-out-now/
Friends of the Earth report card on Irish government commitments
Friends of the Earth has issued its annual report card on Irish government environmental and climate commitments; this is based on independent expert assessments. The conclusion was that “The commitments in the Programme for Government were not enough to achieve a truly sustainable society or meet our national and international climate targets” and “While we are relieved that Ireland has turned a corner away from our “climate laggard” origins, this is just the start of a long and important journey for Irish society, and momentum will have to accelerate over successive governments to make Ireland a genuinely sustainable economy”. For the fascinating detail see https://friendsoftheearth.cmail20.com/t/t-l-sxblt-jrktjjkhkl-m/ and it includes recommendations for the next Programme for Government (with an election imminent).
Human rights in Northern Ireland after Windsor Framework
Article 2 of the Windsor framework stated that the UK government would ensure that “no diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity” would come about for Northern Ireland due to Brexit. But, as always, the devil is in the detail and SCI/Social Change Initiative, Human Rights Centre at Queen’s University and the Donia Human Rights Centre at the University of Michigan have issued another report on current issues in relation to the matter; “Human Rights and Equality in Northern Ireland: Article 2 of the Windsor Framework Reaches the Courts: What’s at Stake?”, specifically looking at the Dillon judgement in the NI Court of Appeal (which was made, subsequent to this report, on 20th September, word search for details). The report is available at https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/articles Meanwhile The Irish Centre for European Law, the Social Change Initiative and the Human Rights Centre at Queen’s are also organising a ticketed seminar to discuss the judgment on 24th October; https://www.icel.ie/event/windsor-framework-article-2-where-are-we-now-after-the-court-of-appeals-decision-in-the-dillon-legacy-act-case/
NonViolent Communication courses at Cloughjordan
There is an introductory course on (Marshall Rosenberg) NonViolent Communication (NVC) at Cloughjordan Ecovillage (Co Tipperary) on 9th – 10th November, and a “Deepening and Integrating NVC” course on 12th – 13th October. Programme run by Mel White and Aaron Bailey. Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/742242571316147 and https://www.facebook.com/events/8189655397765406
Speech by Olga Karach of Our House, Belarus
A moving and informative speech by Belarusian human rights defender and nonviolent activist Olga Karach, given in Berlin in September, can be found on the Our House website at https://news.house/63025 (with lots more info on the same website, mostly in English).
Primer on militarism and the climate crisis
A new publication from WRI/War Resisters’ International is ‘A short primer on militarism and the climate crisis’, 54 pages, A5, available at https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2024/new-resource-short-primer-militarism-and-climate-crisis “…..ours is a time of global war and global warming. Most often, however, we do not consider these processes connected. The truth is, they very much are. But how so?” – this short publication tries to look at the links, give some stories of impact, resistance and alternatives, and make suggestions for possible actions.
World Beyond War conference video
Video of their conference “Resisting the USA’s military empire” is at https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2024/
Amnesty backs call for investigation into 2001 journalist murder
Amnesty International has backed calls for a new investigation into the 2001 murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan who was shot dead by paramilitaries in Lurgan. No one has been convicted of his murder. Northern Ireland Amnesty International director Patrick Corrigan has said “This failure has created an environment of impunity for those who continue to threaten journalists in Northern Ireland today. It is notable that, in 2024, threats of serious violence continue to be directed at journalists from the very same sort of armed groups which killed Martin O’Hagan. We support calls from the National Union of Journalists for a fresh investigation into the killing. Press freedom must be resolutely defended.” https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/Northern-Ireland
l Meanwhile an Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) will examine a complaint by the two journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey who asked it to find out whether police from Northern Ireland and Durham used intrusive surveillance powers against them. It is scheduled to take place from 1st to 4th October at the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) in London. Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty stated “This is a crucial case for press freedom in the UK” since it will test legal safeguards for all UK journalists against unwarranted surveillance and right to protect sources.
Eco-Awareness: Valuing our waterways
Larry Speight brings us his monthly column –
When I was a boy of about five or six I would sometimes tilt my head back and open my mouth to catch the rain believing that it was as drinkable as the water that came out of the kitchen tap. This I later learnt was not true as the rain contained contaminates from factories, vehicle exhaust pipes and home fires.
All of these, and a host of other contaminates, have to be removed from the water piped into our homes, schools, hospitals, libraries, offices and factories. This means that although water is free at the point of use, collecting, storing, processing, transporting and then cleaning the water after use costs a great deal of money.
Given that clean water is vital to life and to the smooth functioning of society one might think that we place an exceedingly high value on it but we don’t.
If we did then the waterways on this island, which are oblivious to political borders, would be in excellent health from which hill walkers could draw water to make a hot brew and swimmers stretch their limbs. This, as scientific reports and personal experience tell us, is not the case. Everyone who pays attention to the local and national media would know that not only are the bodies of fresh water across these islands a danger to human and other life but the lack of water infrastructure prevents the building of new homes and other amenities.
The Fermanagh based Impartial Reporter highlighted this in a recent special report on the pollution of Lough Erne and the negative social and economic consequences. Lough Neagh suffers from similar but much worse pollution. In regards to Lough Neagh members of the public in mid-Ulster informed the BBC’s The Nolan Show, 13 September, that the water coming out of their taps tasted so foul they could not drink it. NI Water assured the public that it was safe to drink.
Fergal Sharkey, a clean water activist and one-time lead singer of the Northern Ireland punk-rock group the Undertones, is quoted in The Belfast Telegraph as saying of the N.I. Water Authority that: “It does not need plans. It does not need strategies. It simply needs the current law enforced.” This deduction means that the responsibility for the deplorable condition of water in Northern Ireland, and other jurisdictions, lies with the government minister in charge. In Northern Ireland this is Andrew Muir. As the pollution of Northern Ireland’s waterways is a result of neglect over a long number of years previous ministers in charge of water are also responsible for its deplorable state.
Why do ministers, and bodies with statutory responsibility for our water, turn a blind eye to the scientific evidence and the experiences of those who have suffered illness or loss of income because of the pollution? I would venture that the reason is that they see their job as primarily to facilitate profit making regardless of the cost to ecosystems and human health. This is the case not only on our island but in countries around the world whose bodies of water are also polluted,
This was vividly illustrated by the N.I. Executive’s 2013 Going for Growth strategy which prioritised the expansion and profit-making of the agri-food industry at the expense of the protection of waterways, biodiversity and human health. Evidence that supports this contention is that slurry, which is a mixture of livestock manure and water, and is spread on grassland, is mentioned only once in the 85-page Going for Growth document.
Slurry, which is heavy in nitrogen and phosphorus and is likely to contain the residue of antibiotics, finds its way into our streams, rivers and lake, and is a major contributor, along with untreated sewage, to the growth of blue-green algae which afflicts Lough Erne and Lough Neagh as well as other bodies of water. In 2023 blue-green algae found its way by means of the River Bann onto the north coast. This year it was confirmed in Portrush harbour.
The Going for Growth strategy is a classic example of compartmentalised thinking and reflects the prevailing view, which is contrary to the evidence, that our species exists a part from nonhuman nature, or what is often called the natural world. This sense of disconnection is in large part the result of us living in an increasingly complex technological world.
In regards to our acquisition of water we in high-income countries pull a cord, push a button, turn a tap or push down on a handle without having a clue about where the water comes from, where it goes, its real financial cost or its ecological value. This is the case in regards to almost everything we consume underscoring the case that most of us, including those with doctorates or are highly skilled in a particular field, live in a knowledge vacuum.
The sphere of our ignorance about the things that underpin our way of life is cosmic. It is a vast black hole of not knowing about the materials that common appliances such as smart phones, laptops, motor vehicles, medications and foot ware are made of. Most of us don’t know where the raw materials were mined, processed and manufactured into finished products. We know nothing about the nature of the working conditions and wages paid to all the people along this chain including the inventors, financiers, advertisers, accountants, lawyers, the people who place shop orders, track their delivery across multiple countries and process the relevant forms.
In regards to our polluted waterways we have the expectation of having drinkable water at the turn of a tap no matter what building we are in, the time of day and regardless of whether there is a prolonged drought or a deep flood. We want water whatever the circumstance, or restriction on the quantity, without being prepared, in the broadest sense, to pay for its actual cost which is a disposition predicated on us not appreciating its real value.
Bill King: Rites Again, 323
Billy King shares his monthly thoughts
Not so Lucky Dube hitting nails on the head
South African reggae singer Lucky Dube (pronounced ‘du-bay’) ended up not so lucky as he was shot dead in a carjacking in 2007. However he had been a prominent voice against apartheid and for racial harmony including before the end of apartheid. I returned to listening to a compilation album of his when racist riots took place in Dublin and Belfast. Some is culturally specific but change a word or two and some of the songs were made for such a time. Another song I admire not on the same album is ‘Respect’ which is certainly the best sung definition that I know of – “respect for who I am, not what I am”.
It’s not his own song but he has a great version of “Peace perfect peace” – “We cry for peace, perfect peace / Lord we cry for love in this neighbourhood / ……We cry for peace in South Africa” (and in Ireland I might add). “Together as one” is a great cry for racial harmony, singing from a black South African standpoint: “…Hey you rasta man / Hey European, Indian man / We’ve got to come together as one…” The alternative, of course, is some form of apartheid, formal or informal, and we know the dead end and violence that leads to.
Dalriada abu: We demand the return of western Scotland to Ireland
We must demand the return of western Scotland to Irish control and ownership. It was culturally Irish and part of the kingdom of Dalriada/Dál Riata on both sides of the Irish Sea only 1200 years ago. Why, if you arrive at the port of Cairnryan all the names around are Irish – and ‘Scot’land is named after the Irish. Western Scotland should immediately be returned to Irish ownership and control.
Eh, there are a few problems with this proposition. Things have changed somewhat over 1200 years. The people living in western Scotland don’t identify as Irish and it has been part of ‘Great Britain’ for centuries – and if it wasn’t then the next likely alternative is not joining Ireland but being part of an independent Scottish state.
However this preposterous demand is no different to the right-wing Israeli one to control ‘Judea and Samaria’ and all the lands Jews occupied or lived in a couple of millennia ago (even longer ago than when western Scotland was culturally and politically Irish). Yet this claim to others’ land largely goes unchallenged in the west. And Jews were not the only peoples around in those lands at that time and the Philistines and others get a bad write up in the Jewish and Christian Bibles and these versions are taken as ‘gospel’ by some Christians and Jews.
There are different definitions of Zionism but the denial of a viable Palestinian state means that Israel itself cannot live in peace. Justice is a major theme in the Hebrew (and indeed Christian) Bible and justice is being denied to Palestinians. The claim to land by the Israeli state and settlers because their distant ancestors lived on it – not necessarily without other people being around simultaneously – has to be called out for what it is, an imperialist land grab based on theocratic and archaic thinking; it is politically and ethically inexcusable. And it is very sad for various reasons, not least, as stated above, in denying a peaceful existence to the people of Israel.
Crews in
I watched the 2022 film ‘Triangle of sadness’ on a well-known streaming platform. It is a game of three halves which don’t necessarily fit too well together but it has some brilliant moments. A young couple (both models and she a supermodel and social influencer) and an older English couple (with the first names of a British prime minister and wife) are at the captain’s banquet on board a luxury cruise ship – the banquet is a disaster but that is another story. The young couple ask what business the older couple are in. “Producing product in precision engineering” comes the reply. And the older man further elucidates that their products have been deployed in upholding democracy all over the world.
Of course the younger couple ask what product it is. “Basically our best selling product in the hand grenade.” The older woman repeats the nature of the product, as if it was sprockets or tin cans, as it hasn’t sunk in with the younger couple. The older couple go on to say that their profits took a 25% hit because the UN banned landmines but “we pulled though” and they still have each other and loved each other….. I don’t think it requires a spoiler alert to say their product makes a brief cameo appearance later in the film.
The film is a satire on the rich to some extent but a drunken ‘dialogue’ between the alcoholic ‘Marxist’ captain and Russian capitalist oligarch passenger seems a bit weird (word of the moment after Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz used it about Trump) and doesn’t ring true; it would seem inserted (and perhaps the captain’s general behaviour) to say the makers of the film are not just critiquing capitalism but Marxism/Communism too. The tables do get turned in the film but maybe they keep on turning.
And I will add a final comment. As you may know, cruising (as in taking a luxury cruise) is about the most polluting R&R you can engage in; as Friends of the Earth say, “Cruise ships are a catastrophe for the environment — and that’s not an overstatement. They dump toxic waste into our waters, fill the planet with carbon dioxide, and kill marine wildlife.“ I am not suggesting you fly to your favourite resort however it is likely to be far less dangerous for our little planet than taking a cruise. But how do you persuade people that taking a cruise is anti-social and collectively suicidal? Are you going to tell your friends, neighbours or workmates that when they have proudly announced their latest trip on a ship? Doing so may ‘trip up’ your relationship, and they could flip out, but the learning has to happen somehow. Perhaps you could say, ship up or ship out.
Media not in the middle
Most of the Irish media, contrary to the the views of most people in the Republic but in accord with the establishment, takes a pro-NATO line. This is not usually actually advocating NATO membership, since that is a step too far and risking fully alienating citizens, but portraying NATO and cooperation with it as a Good Thing. In doing so their critical faculties go out the window.
The Phoenix magazine is an exception, consistently raising problems with NATO and often covering moves, sometimes covert, by the Irish establishment to be fully in accord with NATO thinking and practice, and detailing deviations from ostensible neutrality. Take the issue of 6/9/24 under the heading ‘NATO cods Ireland’. They rightly point out the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic sea in 2022 has been used by NATO and Irish figures to warn of the dangers to undersea infrastructure (energy and communications) and, directly or indirectly, to refer to the ‘Russian threat’.
There is only one problem with this. It wasn’t Russia that blew up the Nord Stream pipeline. It was seemingly done by Ukraine. The appropriate conclusion to make is that it is war itself which is the real danger and that Ireland should be fearlessly exercising its neutrality to work for peace and avoid armed conflict. Wake me up when the Irish establishment realises that.
And what is it with Irish media? They are afraid to report on protests about Irish neutrality and NATO and rock the establishment boat. The issue of Shannon Airport as a warport is of course currently combined with opposition to the Israeli onslaught on the people of Gaza. 400 or 500 people attended the national demonstration at Shannon on 8th September. Al Jazeera and The Guardian reported the protest. In Ireland it would appear the only pick up was two local radio stations. There is only one word to describe this and that is – pathetic.
P Snooze
Apologies for a humorous heading to something which is more a crying matter. The British peace publication Peace News, founded 1936, is no longer going strong. In fact it has ceased publication for the moment anyway over a major conflict between the staff and the board and holding company, and the resignation of the staff. I am certainly not going into the details which have in any case been aired in public and in the publication.
Peace News was important to me when I first became a peace activist as the nearest (geographical) peace publication which reflected something of what I was feeling and believing – there was nothing in Ireland at the time. Peace News has gone through a number of transmogrifications since then and while a lot of the news and some of the features didn’t reflect situations I was dealing with, its coverage of issues and kind of approach was something I could often identify with and learn from.
You expect cut-throat conflict in some aspects of business and politics – not that it should be like that – but peace and community groups and churches are arenas where, because there is an expectation of people being ‘nice’ to each other, conflict can develop, go horribly wrong, and not be dealt with because ‘that sort of thing doesn’t happen with us’. Unfortunately nothing can be further from the truth. Those familiar with mediation and conflict resolution of any kind will know how anyone can end up in deep conflict, how easy it is to fall into, and how, when you listen to one side, the right of the matter seems to lie with them…..until you listen to the other side and the pattern is reversed. Getting each side to listen to the other is at the core of mediation.
Mediation has, rightly, taken its place as a mainstream option regarding conflict in both jurisdictions in Ireland. But there are so many situations where mediation and conciliation processes are not considered, and it also takes two to tango, and one party in a conflict can reject a mediative process for a whole variety of reasons – being convinced they are right and/or feelings of superiority, unfamiliarity with mediation and what it does or does not entail, or anger and heightened emotion.
I am not trying to make any judgements on the Peace News situation here in saying we have a long way to go in making mediation and mediative processes part of what and who we are. In that regard the work of the late Jerry Tyrrell in developing peer mediation in schools pinpoints one area where dealing with conflict in a positive way should be introduced – though he was keen to point out it had to be a ‘whole school’ approach and not a tokenistic attempt to appear progressive or help keep order in the school. Get them young – introduce the basic methodology of mediation in school as a basic part of education and preparing young people for dealing positively with conflict. Being familiar with such processes is important so it becomes as natural as breathing – not just for those who engage as mediators but also for the parties in conflict so they know that there is another side and another story involved, and are prepared to engage.
–
Well, that is me for another while as winter arrives. Time goes by regardless, I hope the next month is a productive one for you in whatever positive doings you are involved in, see you soon, Billy.
News, September 2024
Triple Lock: Government locked in negative thinking
The Irish government is making its move in September to abolish the Triple Lock (Government, Dáil, and UN) on the deployment of Irish soldiers overseas. Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that the draft legislation will be ready by “the first week of September”, when it will be considered by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. This is a critical move in further watering down Irish neutrality and preparing the Republic to participate in EU and NATO led military actions.
Peace groups, in a statement coordinated by Afri, have expressed alarm https://www.afri.ie/category/triplelock/ – it concludes “We call on the government to respect voter wishes and to prevent any erosion of neutrality through the dismantling of the Triple Lock, and to ensure that these widely held concerns are made present in the Joint Committee’s and further deliberations.” The above link has a list of TDs and their emails for making representations to them – which Afri has urged people to do. A further piece there describes a bit of the background – “The Seville Declaration on the Nice Treaty in 2002 spelt out the ‘Triple Lock’, requiring UN authorisation along with Government and Dáil approval if our troops are deployed overseas. This assurance was repeated in 2009 to get the Lisbon Treaty approved, but the promised ‘Lisbon Protocol’ of 2013 merely redescribed that Treaty, without even mentioning the Triple Lock. The present Government’s Programme reaffirmed the Triple Lock, its key resting in the People’s hands; now they propose to unpick the UN lever without reference back to us.”
An excellent recent detailed article on the Triple Lock by Niamh Ní Bhriain is available at https://www.tni.org/en/publication/saving-the-triple-lock and this carefully demolishes government arguments for abandoning it.
A logo produced for Afri which can be freely used in defence of the Triple Lock is available via https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53941857477/in/dateposted/
The PANA/Peace And Neutrality Alliance’s pamphlet on the Triple Lock is available at their website www.pana.ie
The government-run Consultative Forum on International Security Policy of June 2023 is generally seen as attempting to provide a fig leaf for the change but it is disputed that it even did that. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72177720309217408/with/53008092883 and for a report by StoP on it see https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/2023/10/18/stop-report-on-consultative-forum-on-international-security/
Lex Innocentium 21st Century: Launch in Birr and Lorrha
21st September, International Day of Peace, sees the launch of Lex Innocentium 21st Century, a modern take on the 697 CE ‘Law of the Innocents’ adopted by a church synod in Birr, Co Offaly. The new Law of the Innocents includes protection for the earth as well as human beings and is written in secular mode. The conference part of the programme will take place in Birr on the morning of 21st September and the actual signing takes place in the afternoon in Redwood Castle, Lorrha, Co Tipperary, where in the early 17th century Micheál Ó Cléirigh, co-writer of the Annals of the Four Masters, travelled to find out more about Adomnán and the Law of the Innocents.
The law includes the statement that it is a “people’s law, a moral law, a law of principle, that can be used by individuals and groups to highlight failures of governments around the world to save humanity from the scourge of war; to call governments and international leaders to account for those failures; and to challenge all those who have a vested interest in the instigation, justification and normalization of war.”
Speakers in Birr in the morning include; James Houlihan on the history of Adomnán; Rob Fairmichael on Irish peace history; Ed Horgan on the human cost of war; Eamon Rafter on the financial cost of the military-industrial complex; Sylvia Thompson (Tralee) on the cost to the environment and the future. At Lorrha, the new law will be read by John Maquire. Participation is free, donations welcome, and full details of the new 21st century law, the launch, the background, and booking for the day, can be found at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ Following the launch, people everywhere, anywhere in the world, will be invited to sign the new law – visit the website to do so later.
Aldergrove: Part of the Western war machine
Belfast International Airport at Aldergrove is very much part of the western military infrastructure. Ed Horgan reports that on 29th August there were at least 7 US military aircraft landing at Aldergrove airport outside Belfast, including 6 Hercules C130’s, all coming from Dyes air force base near Abilene in Texas and flying on to Ramstein US air base in Germany and at least four of these heading on from there to the Middle East. There was also a C 17 Globemaster coming from Norfolk naval air station Virginia which later flew on to Rzeszow airport in south East Poland near the border with Ukraine which is the main NATO supply airport for weapons and munitions to Ukraine. Ed Horgan vocalised peace movement concern that Aldergrove Airport is being used increasingly by the US military in support of unjustified wars and genocide. See e.g. https://www.facebook.com/veteransforpeace.org.ie
Shannon: A summer of vigils, continued resistance
Every weekend in July and August saw all-day anti-war vigils at Shannon Airport, https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53854341990/in/dateposted/ and it is hoped to continue this on Sundays in September – including at 2pm on Sunday 8th September when there is a national demo there with the theme ‘Stop Arming Israel – No weapons or military flights to Israel through Shannon!’ https://www.shannonwatch.org/content/stop-arming-israel-national-mobilisation-shannon-airport
Action Against War, Cork
A new campaign group has been established in Cork, initially under the auspices of the Cork Neutrality League. Action Against War (AAW) will campaign against Ireland’s and the EU’s increasing militarism and in defence of neutrality. AAW aims to to build a united front against militarism and war involving campaign groups (including Palestine-solidarity groups, anti-racism groups, tenants’ groups), trade unions, left political parties, student groups and other progressive associations and individuals. Along with Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign they organised a protest on 8th August at Collins Aerospace (a Cork subsidiary of RTX Corporation – formerly Raytheon). https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53919710025/in/dateposted/ Contact: Dominic Carroll corkneutralityleague@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/action.against.war_/ This is a shorter version of an item in the August news supplement.
l It has since been revealed that Collins Aerospace has a role in the development of a new NATO helicopter. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2024/08/15/irish-company-involved-in-concept-study-for-new-nato-helicopter/
MII conference for Belfast, 18th – 19th October
The annual conference of the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) takes place in Belfast from 18th – 19th October, the first time north of the border, with the title ‘Broadening our perspective on mediation’. It includes a session on ‘The role of mediators in conflict zones’ with input from Cathy Ashton, Nita Yawanarajah, and Pat Hynes. There is a varied programme, details of which are at https://www.themii.ie/mii-annual-conference-2024-broadening-our-perspective-on-mediation-2/
World Beyond War: Award to TCD SU, Resisting US military empire
World Beyond War (WBW) has given the 2024 Youth War Abolisher Award to Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union. In May, 2024, Trinity College agreed to fully divest from Israeli companies over a period; this followed a tent encampment protest on campus that was part of a movement at campuses in several countries. For this and news of the other awards see https://worldbeyondwar.org/war-abolisher-awards-of-2024-announced-presentation-scheduled/ The WBW annual international conference takes place, including remotely, from 20th – 22nd September on the theme “Resisting the USA’s military empire”, see https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2024/
Jeremy Corbyn at Galway commemoration of Hiroshima
Video of Jeremy Corbyn speaking on 3rd August at the GAAW/Galway Alliance Against War commemoration of the Hiroshima bombing can be found at https://www.facebook.com/100003639263343/videos/900703115224421/
Good Relations Week in the North, 16th – 22nd September
Good Relations Week in Northern Ireland is used as a showcase for the work done by may different projects. The theme this year is “OpportUNITY” and for full info see https://goodrelationsweek.com/
Nuclear ‘Russian roulette’ in Ukraine
Chernobyl Children International (CCI) has again warned of the enormous dangers posed by threats to nuclear plants in Ukraine following a drone strike and fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on 12th August. Adi Roche of CCI has repeatedly spoken of the danger of Zaporizhzhia becoming another Chernobyl and that “The inferno at Zaporizhzhia reflects a worrying trend emanating from this war, where nuclear facilities have been weaponised and brought into the increasingly volatile and unpredictable combat zones, signifying to the world that the nature of modern warfare has changed forever, and brings with it a sense of foreboding for wars of the future.” Since the beginning of the war and the invasion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in February 2022, CCI have been advocating for all nuclear facilities be deemed a ‘No War Zone’ and for world leaders to invoke the Hague Convention which defines any attack on a nuclear facility to be a ‘war crime’. https://www.chernobyl-international.com/
Feasta ‘Rethinking Growth’ videos
Videos of the sessions at the ‘Rethinking Growth – Towards a wellbeing economy for Ireland’ conference in late June are available at https://rethinking-growth.ie/ and the main Feasta website is at https://www.feasta.org/
Season of Creation – Worldwide….including Kerry
This is the worldwide Christian ‘Season of Creation’ which runs from 1st September to 4th October; lots of resources can be found in and via Eco Congregation Ireland at https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/2024/07/31/resources-for-season-of-creation-2024/ One example event, organised by the Diocese of Kerry, is a webinar at 7.30pm on 12th September with Dr. Niamh Brennan sharing on ‘To hope and act with Creation’, see https://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/2024/08/season-of-creation-webinar-to-hope-and-act-with-creation/ for info and booking.
Action for Peace and Climate Justice
The first global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice, coordinated by the Arms, Militarism and Climate Justice Working Group, will take place from 21 -28 September, 2024. This initiative aims to connect peace and climate justice movements, raise awareness of the links between militarism and climate breakdown, and foster collective action for a sustainable world. This year’s theme, “Divest from War – Invest in Climate Justice,” promotes redirecting military spending to climate action. See https://climatemilitarism.org/weekofaction/ Source: QCEA https://www.qcea.org/
Editorials: The race against racism, Not being neutral on neutrality
The race against racism
The ugliness of racism has been all too evident in Ireland over the summer with slightly different manifestations in the two jurisdictions on the island. In the Republic the now established norm, requiring only a small number of perpetrators, is to burn and destroy buildings which are perceived to be, or actually are, for refugees and international protection migrants. In the North, because of the legacy and presence of sectarian violence and paramilitarism, there are more physical attacks directly on people because of their skin colour or perceived religion (not necessarily correct in relation to the latter as when a restaurant owner of Nepalese Hindu origin, employing ten people, was burnt out and ‘Muslims out’ daubed on the walls). We are lucky there were no racist killings recently.
The tie up between racist attacks and far right activists is all too plain to see through social media and ‘facts on the ground’. In the North there is also the connection to some loyalist paramilitaries; racism is present in Catholic/Nationalist communities in the North but nationalism has the advantage, in relation to racism, of being at least theoretically inclusive – ‘everyone’ is, or is invited to be, part of the Irish nation (the reality can, of course, be rather different). Loyalism has the disadvantage in relation to racism of being more exclusive, ‘what we have we hold’. Racism and sectarianism are perhaps not evil twins but certainly evil cousins or even step-siblings.
Ireland, the Republic, has undergone perhaps the fastest transition in Europe from a very high level of people born in the country to a situation of around a fifth of people being born outside the state. It has been good for the country in a variety of ways and the Irish experience of emigration has, until relatively recently, meant that most people appreciated that people had excellent reasons, in some cases survival, for coming and would make a positive contribution to society.
What racists and the far right have sought to do is to exploit two things: unfair distribution of resources (housing and facilities) and incidents where migrants have been involved in violence. In the case of the latter, it does not matter whether mental illness or other mitigating factors are involved, it is a coat on which to hang their right wing and violent ideology. Inequality and poverty are exploited by racists and the far right to scapegoat migrants when the issue is both long term and shorter term deficiencies in governmental planning and action.
Of course governmental policies are not the cause or source of racism but they can exacerbate it. The Irish government has learnt, hopefully, that depriving a local community of its only hotel to use to accommodate migrants is not a good move as it deprives local people of needed facilities. Of course there is a major housing crisis in the Republic, especially Dublin, but it is due primarily to economic success. And who will do the jobs Irish people may no longer wish to do or fill in the gaps in health and social care systems? Migrants of course.
There are many things which civil society can do in relation to countering racism, and most are being done though there is always the need for more people to be involved. One is get to know and support migrants in integrating with local society while allowing them to retain what they wish of their own identity. A second is educating, in a broad sense, people about why migrants have come and what they bring. Racists sometimes use facile slogans such as “Ireland is full” – yes, there are issues in relation to housing, which are fixable, but ‘full’? There were still more people on the island before the Great Famine and there are many countries far more densely populated than Ireland.
A related matter, in terms of education, is to help people be aware of the history and cultures of the places where migrants come from. ‘We’ can have a very insular view of culture and development – do we know, for example, about the role of India in the development of mathematics https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/hidden-story-ancient-india-west-maths-astronomy-historians or the role of China in innovating so much over the millennia? Our Western-centric view of civilisation is not only false but dangerous in giving ‘us’ western Europeans an inflated view of our own importance.
Criticism has been voiced of the police/PSNI failure to take a more pro-active stand in relation to racist attacks. Regarding violence in Belfast at the start of August, Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International said “An unlawful procession, including masked men clearly intent on violence, marauded across the most ethnically diverse part of Belfast, attacking communities and businesses as they went – and the PSNI did not stop them. There are serious questions for the police, who publicly declared they were prepared, but then failed to protect already vulnerable communities.” While such situations are not easy for the police to deal with both imagination and firmness are needed and many people from ethnic minorities in Belfast and other parts of the North, especially Antrim, have been left in fear (and may leave in fear).
In times of racist violence there are also actions which civil society can, and does, take. Expressing solidarity with neighbours and giving our presence at anti-racist and inclusivist demonstrations are two such things. Actively standing out in the street, and intervening to help stop racist violence when tensions are high and things are actually happening in places or people being targetted, is more risky but necessary (and took place in Belfast recently). Monitoring and accompaniment may be appropriate tools but so can active intervention to form protective lines or challenge violent behaviour. The problem is also that anti-racists cannot be everywhere and racists can target anywhere, or anyone, in the middle of the night or at least when no one else is around. Nonviolent training and tools are potentially vital in these kinds of situations particularly when some anti-racists can also engage in antagonising behaviour such as shouting abuse at racists – this merely ups the tension and potential for violence.
Local and European elections in the Republic did not show the far right and racists to be a significant force but they are there, and through violence then can exert a felt presence they could not through more peaceful and democratic means. We cannot ‘root out’ racists since they are part of the community. What we can do is educate people in the realities of the world and the contribution migrants make but also point out the relatively small number of refugee seekers coming to Ireland – which also needs workers.
The race against racism is not a sprint but a marathon. There always has been racism in Ireland and Irish people themselves have been both subject to, and perpetrators of, it. We need strategies and tactics for a long haul which will show the humanity of migrants and allow Irish people to enjoy and benefit from what they bring.
Not being neutral on neutrality
The lead news item in this issue reveals just how close Irish neutrality in any meaningful form is to being binned. Micheál Martin in particular has been gunning (sic) to fully join Ireland with EU and NATO militarism – and regarding NATO, Ireland is definitely a ‘fellow traveller’ – full NATO membership may not be on the cards but participation at a high level is possible without that. It is remarkable how far Ireland has travelled from the principles held by former leaders, including Eamon de Valera and Frank Aiken – ironically both of the same political party as Micheál Martin.
The homogenisation of EU military and foreign policy leaves limited scope for manoeuvre but there is considerable scope for action. Ireland has been more outspoken on the massacres happening in Gaza while it has been tardy in actually taking action, and has refused, despite some soundings, to inspect US military flights stopping over at Shannon Airport. Of course as a neutral country there should be no military flights there but the craven subservience to the USA in refusing to inspect military planes is an insult not just to peace but to any idea of Irish sovereignty.
The Irish government has consistently refused – including at the (so called) Forum on International Security Policy in 2023 – to look at possibilities of developing and extending Irish neutrality. The sky is the limit to the role Ireland could play for peace in the world, and as a relatively rich country it has the wherewithal to engage meaningfully on many different issues and situations while avoiding an imperialist “we have the answers” approach. The opportunity is there and the history of Irish contributions to peace sets a great precedent. It is the lack of imagination which is particularly galling along with the willingness to back the former imperialist powers in NATO and the EU. It is a very sad situation.
Billy King: Rites Again, 322
Billy King shares his monthly thoughts
Well, it was one of those years when you might feel, as I did, that summer forgot to come and autumn came first. With climate change that may be increasingly our lot, not that Ireland was ever renowned for tropical summers. The rain in Spain Ireland stays mainly on and on. Oh well, I hope you got your head showered somewhere and you are fit and ready for autumn and winter. Of course it wasn’t a good summer for racism either but that is another, and unpleasant, story.
Marching orders
For imaginative audacity and brass neck over the summer though you have to admire Portadown Orangemen, still smarting after all these years on not being able to march down the Garvaghy Road and through a Catholic area where they are not welcome. They argued the toss with the Parades Commission that they should march through when Armagh (the county Portadown is in) were playing in – and in the event winning by a point – the All-Ireland Gaelic football final. The premise was that all the taigs* would be either in Croke Park or watching the match so it wouldn’t matter to them. Nice try lads [I thought a try was in rugby – Ed]. But you’ll have to do better than that next time, like actually talking to residents. *’Obviously not the term used by them in seeking permission, but Taig’ is used in a highly derogatory way by some Northern Prods about Catholics; as its origin is in the personal name ‘Tadhg’, coming from ‘poet’, I use it as a positive term but being careful to explain why.
Genius
It was a bit of a coincidence. Edna O’Brien’s impressionistic and excellent 1999 biography of James Joyce had sat on a bookshelf of ours for a long time but it caught my eye and, it being short, I thought I could read it in a couple of days and I had, it being summer, time to do so. That I did and finished it on the day that Edna O’Brien’s death was announced, before I heard she was dead or even at death’s door. illy King
Without going into details of the book, my chief thought following the reading was how Nora Barnacle stuck to her man through thick and thin (mainly thin), it is absolutely amazing. Lesser people would have headed for the hills, or in her case close to the sea, very early on. But it got me thinking. JJ is usually thought of as a bit of a genius, and he certainly proclaimed it himself, but are all ‘geniuses’ impossible (or at least improbable) to live with? O’Brien however talks about writers in the context of James Joyce (and I am not equating ‘writers’ with ‘geniuses’) – “Do writers have to be such monsters in order to create? I believe that they do. It is a paradox that while wrestling with language to capture the human condition they become more callous, and cut off from the very human traits which they so glisteningly depict” (in the “Fame” chapter of her book). I don’t necessarily agree.
Edna O’Brien herself chose to stay single most of her life though that did not preclude relationships. She was a determined and dedicated writer but I don’t think she would have been impossible to live with. Certainly some writers or geniuses would require a genius at putting up with them to sustain a relationship, and probably a certain amount goes with the territory. But so too in relation to political activists, peace or otherwise, given the commitment made to The Cause and how this relates to, or can tower over, family relationships and commitments.
Isn’t it a strange world.
Struth
The old adage that the first casualty of war is truth is one that isn’t much bandied about in relation to the war in Ukraine. The fact is that we usually in our neck of the woods only get one version of what is happening and that is taken as gospel truth; Russians bad, NATO good, Ukraine saintly. No, I am certainly not going to say the Russians are good, it was a brutal and opportunistic invasion that went badly wrong for Putin but he has used it for his own purposes (cf perpetual war in Orwell’s ‘1984’). But NATO had a part in setting up the scenario for the war by its expansionist aims and actions (cf perpetual war in Orwell’s ‘1984’, NATO was set up to counter the Russian communist bloc and should have got moth-balled when it fell, instead it came up with new enemies).
Occasionally we get a glimpse at greater truths. Take https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2024/08/13/we-killed-many-of-them-on-the-first-day-they-didnt-expect-us-how-ukraine-pulled-off-its-invasion-of-russia/ about the Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory in August 2024. A Ukrainian soldier says of this incursion into Russia that “We killed many of them on the first day……..Because they were unarmed and didn’t expect us.” Ahem, I know this is a war, but this sounds like the Ukrainians killing many unarmed soldiers, contrary to the ‘laws of war’ as I understand them as they were no threat to the Ukrainian army. He does say many surrendered too.
Reading
between the lines
is a necessary skill and never needed more than at the moment.
Picture it
INNATE’s photo and documentation site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/ has plenty to choose from and in the last year has averaged over a thousand photos a week opened (you can look at photos in the photostream without opening them but then you can’t read any detailed descriptions etc). But I must admit I am often surprised about what gets hits and what doesn’t. You can browse from the latest entries but if you are looking for something in particular then using the albums tab makes things much easier; word searching can work well but not always.
One of the surprising ‘top hits’ is a photo of dumped rubbish on the seashore at Carnsore Point in a photo essay on the wind farm there – if you click on https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/2835010165/ you will see a fairly basic and unexciting picture of rubbish, rocks and sand; it is a commentary on Irish attitudes to getting ‘rid’ of ‘rubbish’ – one person’s ‘rid’ is another’s ‘rud’ (multilingual pun) [Or multilingual punishment? – Ed] – but it doesn’t feel earth shattering. Yet it is second in the photos having the most hits. Of course tastes and interests vary but often what I expect to be popular is not.
And other photos that do feel special get relatively little attention. I feel https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53703463429/in/dateposted/ is an absolutely brilliant photo (by Larry Speight), coincidentally concerning rubbish, where the shape of human and animal at a landfill site in Kampala seem to mimic each other. And for me the most powerful photo of all on the site comes from Palestine (taken by Mairead Collins) of a young boy running with bottles of water to try to put out a fire in an olive grove started by Israeli settlers in the West Bank – the triumph of hope and dedication over the reality of what can be achieved.
If a photo or album is linked in someone’s blog, email or article it can suddenly receive lots of hits. Others get occasional visits but the point in documentation is something is there when someone really wants to find it. And if you find your group or field of endeavour in the peace and social change fields is missing, well, put yourself in the picture by sending in some pics. That is an invitation.
The growing year
If you have green fingers I hope it has been a good year (if you have orange fingers it is because you have likely been handling orange lily stamens). Overall it wasn’t a great growing season, not that it is over yet, and I recently sowed rocket and land cress which I hope will over-winter. In general it has been a very undistinguished gardening year (and I pity farmers); germination of the purple sprouting broccoli was very poor, I think I did three sowings under a tunnel cloche to get at least some seedlings and the plants are small. The Russian kale grew well however but caterpillars did a lot of mischief I didn’t notice partly because with the shape of the leaves it wasn’t seen. We have a now well-established fig tree but the figs have been quite small, not enough sun, and unfortunately our blackbirds have taken a liking to them so we need to pick them early and ripen indoors if they are not to be pecked and eaten to bits.
My new success of the year was undoubtedly delicious akito outdoor cucumbers which grow vertically though they need a bit of a hand with canes of some kind, and some string or twine to help secure them. Seeds bought in Lidl, they were started indoors and I put them in tubs and they have been well fed, and are currently performing excellently; we have had cucumber salads three days in a row…..day one was a recipe with a dressing and chilli flakes, day two a dressing with mint, and day three was tzatziki (store that one up for Scrabble though the game for some racists this year was Rabble……). Of course how long they will keep going into autumn I don’t know and when the cucumbers will take cucumberage at colder weather. Organically grown veg has a higher dry matter level than those using artificial fertilisers and I think this makes a big difference especially with a veg which has a high water content like cucumbers. With them performing well, though a bit slow to get into gear, maybe I can feel as cool as a cucumber. [I hope that is the end of cucumbersome puns – Ed] [Given that cue I think I’ll head off to Comber – Billy]
I nearly danced for joy outside a week ago – I did cry out aloud – when I saw a living creature hop away from me….it was a frog in our suburban garden. We have had one, or a succession of them (the Irish Common Frog can live for 5 – 10 years) for some considerable time but then I hadn’t come across any evidence for the last few years until one hopped very briefly into view away from me and the sage bush and into a clump of montbretia where it was well covered. Speaking of hopping, for a period a bit more than a decade ago Donegal town had a ‘Donegal hopping centre’ when a letter fell off a sign there….is that the triumph of hop over experience? Hop until you drop may leave you hopping mad tired but does not pander to consumerism so has that in its favour.
–
As the Triple Lock policy faces obliteration by the Irish government in furtherance of its unimaginative and little-minded pro-militarist agenda, I am reminded of a joke written on a lock securing a park gate in Belfast. Someone had taken the trouble to write on what was a reasonable sized lock, it looked like Tippex was used, “So is your Mammy”. Spoiler alert: ‘Locked’ is a euphemism for being drunk. The government has of course ruled out, without any exploration, positive and peaceful alternatives to its pro-NATO and pro-EU militarism policies. In fact I think they are triple faced or talking trip(l)e.
Finally, as regular readers [Plural? – Ed] will know, this is my least favourite time of year, not because I dislike autumn weather and nature – I like it – but because I dislike autumn schedules and busyness. But the wheel of the year keeps on turning (Happy Christmas anyone?). See you soon, Billy.
Oppose abolition of the Triple Lock
The Irish Government has been cosying up to the USA, NATO and EU militarism, contrary to the peaceful values associated with Irish neutrality. They want to remove the ‘Triple Lock’ so they can send irish soldiers to fight in whatever wars the USA/NATO/EU (forthcoming) engage in. This is despite the popularity of neutrality with the public – the government always say ‘neutrality is not affected’ – it is.
Resist the removal of the Triple Lock!
Afri are making this badge or logo freely available to people as part of campaigning to protect the Triple Lock. It was designed by Pat Pidgeon. See Afri or PANA websites for more information www.afri.ie and www.pana.ie
