While silent on the Larry Summers saga, today’s Boston Globe does have a couple items of interest.
On the McCartney sisters, IRA second-thug-in-command Martin McGuinness remarks with telling bluntness:
“The McCartneys need to be very careful. To step over that line, which is a very important line, into the world of party-political politics can do a huge disservice to their campaign.”
No doubt such a fine man as Marty has the ladies’ best interests at heart. But Marty, if intimidating the speech of these 5 courageous women doesn’t work for you in Belfast, you can move your lardy tush to Washington where regulating political speech seems to be a growing industry.
In the same Boston Globe James Carroll whines:
“I screech against the war so often that I sound like a broken record, even to myself.”
Then James goes on about the war and sounds once again like…a broken record. Except here:
“I look over the columns I have published in this week of the year over the past decade and a half. My pride in being Irish has been a subject, especially since the humane achievement of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 (''We pledge that we will, in good faith, work to ensure the success of each and every one of the arrangements to be established under this agreement.") But that was before the ancient grudge reasserted itself, London retook governing power over Northern Ireland, and the gangster-IRA, dropping the pretense of political struggle, showed itself fully for what it is. There is shame in being Irish this year.”
Gerry Adams and his bloody gang have shown they have no shame. The shame is associating with them. On the contrary, there is pride in being Irish this year, and it is being demonstrated by 5 women who have the courage to say “Enough!”
Article comments
1 - Tim Hall
What I can never understand is why SF are considered a party of the left. Nationalism, sectarianism and the use of street violence as part of a political strategy are surely the classic ingredients of Fascism.
Maybe it's because their opposite numbers, the loyalist paramilitaries, have open political links with the far-right in mainland Britain that some misguided leftists root for SF on a 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend basis'.
2 - Harry Forbes
I used to think there was not a dime's difference between the Unionist extremists and the IRA, but it sure appears that the Unionists have a greater respect for the rule of law (not much of a complement considering who they are being compared with).
I also believe that sectarian opression by the IRA probably has a fair amount in common with the opression by Syrian-sponsored militias in Lebanon or by Arafat's thoroughly rotten cronies in the PLO. Even believers in the cause eventually prefer the rule of law to perpetual intimidation and violence over which they have no say.
3 - Tim Hall
Some of the Loyalist extremists (including the political wings of the paramilitaties) appear have displayed far more political vision than I had ever considered them capable of.
Maybe their 'street' background means they're more be able to understand where the nationalists are coming than some of the mainstream unionists.
4 - RJ
What is it the the IRA even demands anymore? Independence for NI? Unification with Ireland? Deportation of all Unionists?
5 - Queenie
Sinn Fein are considered to be a party of the left because their economic and financial policies (such as they are) are Marxist in orientation.
They are quite old-fashioned and wouldn't be considered left-wing in the modern European sense of the term. For example, they have a policy that is for nationalising the banks (maybe the raid on the Northern bank was an example of action research, or applied policy-making!!)
Again, their economic policies are not well defined, as they have never had to step up to the plate and do 'real politics'. However, they have attracted a large chunk of the alienated working class and radical middle class vote in Ireland that would normally vote left wing.
Interestingly, the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern did a major interview with the Irish Times (Irish paper of record) a few months back in which he stated that 'I am one of the few Socialists left in Ireland'. This was widely seen as being an attempt to cut off Sinn Fein's growth in that left-wing space in Ireland.
Last week, two by-elections for Members of Parliament in Ireland saw the Shinners vote hold steady at 12%, which is the traditional 'alienation' vote. So it looks like their support is holding despite the work of the McCartney sisters.