Here’s this week’s Saturday night film
Set in Scotland on Referendum night
You may remember most older voters in Scotland voted NO
Password for film is: scotland
Note the lower case ‘s’.
This short film was partially financed by Wings over Scotland
Enjoy!
Father of Irish Republicanism
Missing the anniversary by a day because I have unexpectedly been away for a bit and have been (still am) a bit sick
Theobald Wolfe Tone died at the age of 35 in Provost’s Prison, Dublin, not far from where he was born.
He is buried in Bodenstown, Co. Kildare , Ireland
Wolfe Tone was one of the founding members of the Society of United Irishmen.
At the summit of Cavehill , Belfast, Tone made the famous Cavehill compact with fellow United Irishmen, Russel and McCracken, promising “never to desist in our efforts until we subvert the authority of England over our country and asserted our independence“.
Modern republicans often quote him:
“To subvert the tyranny of our execrable government, to break the connection with England, the never failing source of all our political evils, and to assert the independence of my country—these were my objects. To unite the whole people of Ireland, to abolish the memory of all past dissentions, and to substitute the common name of Irishman, in the place of the denominations of Protestant, Catholic, and Dissenter—these were my means.”
“To unite Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter under the common name of Irishmen in order break the connection with England, the never failing source of all our political evils, that was my aim”.
“If the men of property will not support us, they must fall. Our strength shall come from that great and respectable class, the men of no property”.
Tone was captured by British forces at Lough Swilly in Donegal and taken prisoner. His one request at his trial was to be shot as a soldier, as he was a commissioned officer in the French Revolutionary Army. Instead he was sentenced to be hanged as a traitor.
Before he was to be executed, Wolfe Tone attempted suicide. He subsequently died from mortal wounds eight days afterwards, thus avoiding being hanged as a convicted traitor to the British Crown for his involvement in the 1798 Irish Rebellion.
He took his own life to spite his enemies and deny them the satisfaction of hanging him.
He is our political ancestor, and his message still rings clear and true.
This is the background to the Societies of the United irishmen, the foundation of the Orange Order, Loyalism
the 1916 Uprising, theTreaty,Civil war and Tone’s legacy
This is Tone’s Legacy
And here’s something about his friends William Brennan and William Orr in Belfast and the 1798 rebellion in the north
And finally, just to show you what it’s all about really, in the final analysis, when you come down to basics
NB: Remember Orr: The Protestant/Loyalist minority have no answer to give if and when the Catholics/Nationalists/Republicans of Ireland demand their rights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfe_Tone
http://www.irishphilosophy.com/note/wolfe-tone/
https://edmooneyphoto.wordpress.com/tag/wolfe-tone/
http://www.oldukphotos.com/ireland-county-antrim-belfast.htm
While we’re waiting for the results of the Catalonia Referendum
(out tomorrow, Monday 1oth)
let’s have a look at what’s happening in NI with the famous 2nd set of talks
involving a senior US Statesman as American Envoy
Who started these talks?
The UK government
Why?
Our lovely SOS said
“There is a general recognition that we can’t go on as we are.”
Not?
Like last year?
No. This year it’s different
Is it really?
Probably not. Unionists who scuppered the Haass talks are quite capable of scuppering these too.
They have a history of doing what they want, not what the UK government wants.
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/1914-2014-100-years-after-the-larne-gun-running/
What are the talks for?
Finding a consensus on Orange Order-induced wrangles such as flags, parades and the legacy of the past.
Addressing Orange Order-stalled implementation of the GFA and following treaties.
So what’s happened?
The American Envoy’s gone back home!
He spoke to everyone and made non-committal remarks about the USA
not being able to impose a solution to the deadlock.
He suggested he might be back to say
“If things stalemated something like that might be helpful” he said
What do other people think?
Alliance MP Ms Naomi Long
“ the whole business is shambolic”
What’s the problem?
There is no more money for NI but Mr Cameron would look favourably on any proposals
The UK government is worried about several EU developments.
1) Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights insisted the UK Government had a responsibility to pay for effective investigations of killings involving the security forces.
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/collusion-is-not-an-illusion/
“Failure to do so would be in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)”.
Under the terms of Article 2 of the ECHR, the UK authorities have a duty to ensure that the investigations of deaths are independent, effective and prompt.
That’s not been happening, has it?
No, and now the Historical Enquiries Team,
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/the-het-report-part-5-and-conclusions/
which wasn’t a great success anyway, is being shut down
What else are they worried about?
2) Several potential legal challenges from relatives bereaved during the Troubles for allegedly failing to properly investigate historic killings.
3) A major EU report on its funding to Northern Ireland bemoaned Peter Robinson’s U-turn on the Maze peace centre, which has scuppered what senior European officials believed could have become a major EU initiative.
What did our lovely SOS say?
“These are matters of policing and justice, they are devolved, so the first call for funding any new institutions should be Northern Ireland’s block grant, which continues to be higher per head in Northern Ireland than it is anywhere else in the UK, so it continues to recognise the particular circumstances faced in Northern Ireland,” .
What do the Unionists think?
They’re jetting off to Brussels to whip up support for the Unionist cause
They said that they would brief leaders at the European Parliament on “the state of play in Northern Ireland”
and issues which are of concern to unionists.
“I look forward to presenting a unionist perspective and engaging with those who have an interest in Northern Ireland.
“There are times when unionists have underestimated the need to spread our message around the world.
We have a great story to tell”.
I will emphasise that unionism “does not stand as an opponent of progress”.
Mr Nesbitt
“Unionism must go the extra mile to ensure our position is both understood and accepted”
“We go with two closely tied objectives:
1) to make the pro-Union case, in a positive and confident manner;
Comment: We’ll tell the EU themmuns get everything and we gat nahim
“2) to counter the propaganda of Sinn Fein, a party that signed an agreement to respect Northern Ireland’s constitutional status as part of the United Kingdom, but then cannot even manage to afford the courtesy of using the country’s name”
What does Sinn Fein want?
for a timetable to implement the outstanding issues of the Good Friday Agreement.
“ for the British government to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem”
Meanwhile back in NI
Theresa Villiers insisted “the Stormont talks are progressing”.
“next week we will be intensifying the process. There was a shared recognition that we should intensify things next week”.
Queries: When the Unionists are all off on a jaunt to Brussels?
Is she hoping to sort things out behind their backs?
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/32153?
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/regional/robinson-and-nesbitt-to-put-unionist-case-inbrussels-1-6406876
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/im-here-to-help-says-us-envoy-gary-hart-but-only-if-im-wanted-30706732.html?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Hart
http://izquotes.com/quote/169356
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/shut-up-because-it-s-not-my-problem/
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/t/take_it_or_leave_it.asp
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/d/decision_making_process.asp
Yesterday, the Scottish people rightly and successfully objected to Lewes, Sussex burning 2 effigies of Mr Salmond, First Minister of Scotland (albeit only for a few more days) during its Bonfire Night celebrations
To their credit, the Lewes Bonfire Society apologised
“We are a traditional Sussex family bonfire society and have no political affiliations.
“We can assure that we have no wish or intention to offend and have never found ourselves in a position where we have done so in the past.
“To clarify we do not burn tableaux, they are incorporated into our firework display.
“In the light of the responses received to our tableau idea this year we have made the decision to withdraw it from our celebrations.”
Here’s a video of the 2012 bonfire night in Lewes
Note the effigies (Pope and Ms Merkel) to be burnt (or as I understand it to be exploded with fireworks) and the Scottish Pipe Band playing “Scotland The Brave”
Bet they dis-associated themselves pretty damn quick this year!!
Meanwhile in another part of the UK, at another time of year . . .
In the past few years people in Northern Ireland have rightly and unsuccessfully objected to Loyalists burning Irish and Polish flags
and an effigy of Mr Gerry Adams, member of the Dàil, Republic of Ireland
What does effigy burning signify?
It is a symbolic act that means you strongly disagree or despise the viewpoint or deeds of the person whose likeness the Effigy represents.
The whole act carries more meaning when a large group of people gather to share the same dislike of the person whose image is being burned.
“Burning people in effigy and copying the practices of the KKK is a clear statement of a desire to be able to burn and lynch people.
The fact that they don’t actually go out and do just that is not some kind of justification for their expression of the desire to do it“.
It certainly revives historical memories of past horrors,
And that was Westminster’s intention when it decided to pass an
Act of Parliament on January 21st 1606 (3 James I, cap 1), to commemorate the unsuccessful Gunpowder Plot
It appointed 5th November in each year as a day of thanksgiving for ‘the joyful day of deliverance’, This was by bell ringing, a service, bonfires etc.
And so we sing God Save ye King!
And give God thanks that we
Who dwell in Merrie England
From Popish bonds are free.
So in England Guy Fawkes has been burnt for 400 years
“I must confess I have always felt faintly queasy over the custom of burning a Guy on a bonfire, in memory of Fawkes of that ilk.
Struck me as unnecessarily grim – or indeed Grimm”.
Query: What happens if the UK stops effigy burning?
Answer: You limit our freedom of expression
Reply: Not so. Lots of people all over the world enjoy bonfires without effigy burning
Lots of people all over the world create effigies for political satire without burning them.
Take Viareggio in Italy for example
They are famous for their political caricatures.
Here’s Mr Berlusconi
And Mr Obama.
The town hosts parades, gives out prizes for the best floats and effigies and attracts tourists
Instead of being burned the effigies are placed in a museum
People pay to go and see them and study how they are made
The town has even started making the effigies all year round, each in a separate hangar to preserve the surprise element,
with the business employing a permanent work force .
Suggestion: Maybe the Bonfire Societies of Lewes, East Sussex and the Loyalists of Ulster could pick up a few tips from Viareggio?
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_to_burn_and_hang_in_effigy_mean
http://www.lewesbonfirecelebrations.com/the-gunpowder-plot/
http://pixgood.com/joan-of-arc-in-prison.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29940873
http://dituttounblog.com/webnews/in-germania-berlusconi-va-alla-grande-nelle-sfilate-di-carnevale
Click to access Carnevale%20di%20Viareggio%202014%20-%20dal%2016%20febbraio%20al%209%20marzo.pdf
http://www.trippando.it/la-cittadella-del-carnevale-di-viareggio/
Here’s the statement of Scot2Scot’s aims and methods.
Note the link ups with all forms of social media
Sinn Fein already uses all these forms of communication –
Maybe they could be linked closer in the type of network portal Scot2Scot has set up?
Would it serve to enable cross-talk among cumanns and party leadership , strengthen grass-root activities and deliver maximum votes?
As the Scots regroup after the NO vote in their Referendum and maybe push towards another one,
Catalonia’s voting on its Independence this Sunday 9th November.
Gael Force Art got busy sending a Solidarity Message from Belfast.
The rest of us in Northern Ireland are still trying to digest Orange Order member,
Westminster MP for the DUP, Gregory Campbell’s
form of communication
and his disgusting “curried yoghurt”
with its floating blobs of bigotry and distorted
bitter orange world-view and perceptions
Any chance of replacing him in Westminster with a pro-Ireland MP?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/scot2.scot/permalink/523719051096244/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gael-Force-Art/174957995982116?fref=ts
the mirror@wordpress.com 