How often do you hear them talk about the world's greatest present-day imperialist, the United States?
Mind you, considering our rotten little country is used as a landing-craft for US multinationals to penetrate the UK and mainland Europe - and a haven for them to avoid paying taxes - it's not that surprising. Interestingly, the Shinners have campaigned for a similar conglomerate-friendly tax regime in Northern Ireland.
Mind you, considering our rotten little country is used as a landing-craft for US multinationals to penetrate the UK and mainland Europe - and a haven for them to avoid paying taxes - it's not that surprising. Interestingly, the Shinners have campaigned for a similar conglomerate-friendly tax regime in Northern Ireland.
Think of a war crime.
The Holocaust, undoubtedly.
But what about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the beacon of freedom dropped the most horrific weapon ever devised on the defenceless populations of two Japanese cities?
And all because the Yanks wanted to show the Ruskies what capability they had, as they did in tandem with Bomber Harris when slaughtering, by "conventional" means, the defenceless civilians of Dresden.
Power corrupts, and now the US doesn't even have the counterbalance that the Cold War provided.
But even so, as with warmonger Ronald Reagan's visit back in 1984, Paddy and Mary can't tug their forelocks enough for their imperial masters in the US of A.
Clare Daly has it spot-on.
Nice to hear the "imperialist" charge come from a true, internationalist socialist for a change.
The Holocaust, undoubtedly.
But what about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the beacon of freedom dropped the most horrific weapon ever devised on the defenceless populations of two Japanese cities?
And all because the Yanks wanted to show the Ruskies what capability they had, as they did in tandem with Bomber Harris when slaughtering, by "conventional" means, the defenceless civilians of Dresden.
Power corrupts, and now the US doesn't even have the counterbalance that the Cold War provided.
But even so, as with warmonger Ronald Reagan's visit back in 1984, Paddy and Mary can't tug their forelocks enough for their imperial masters in the US of A.
Clare Daly has it spot-on.
Nice to hear the "imperialist" charge come from a true, internationalist socialist for a change.
Marie O'Halloran - The Irish Times.
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 17:30
Taoiseach Enda Kenny rounded on Independent TD Clare Daly after she accused him of showcasing Ireland “as a nation of pimps, prostituting ourselves in return for a pat on the head”.
He described as a disgrace remarks about US president Barack Obama, whom she described as a “war criminal” who had increased by 200 per cent the use of drones, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people.
She said there was speculation this morning on “whether you were going to deck the Cabinet out in leprechaun hats decorated with a bit of stars and stripes to really mark abject humiliation”.
Mr Kenny retorted: “I think your comments are disgraceful. I think they do down the pride of Irish people all over the world who are more than happy to see this island being host to the G8. ”
The Taoiseach said: “And for you to stand up and criticise the American president for giving a continuation of support for a fragile peace process in Northern Ireland, where over 3,000 people lost their lives in 30 years, is a disgraceful do-down.”
‘Unprecedented slobbering’
Ms Daly, a TD for Dublin North, hit out at the “almost unprecedented slobbering” over the Obama family’s visit. “It’s really hard to know which is worst, whether it’s the outpourings of the Obamas themselves or the sycophantic falling over them by sections of the media and the political establishment,” she said.
“We’ve had separate and special news bulletins by the State broadcaster to tell us what Michelle Obama and her daughters had for lunch in Dublin, but very little questioning of the fact that she was having lunch with Mr Tax Exile himself,” she said in reference to U2’s Bono.
She described Mr Obama as a “war criminal”, having “just announced his decision to supply arms to the Syrian opposition, including the jihadists, fuelling the destabilisation of that region, continuing to undermine secularism and knock back conditions for women”.
Ms Daly said: “This is the man who is in essence stalling the Geneva peace talks by trying to broker enhanced leverage for the Syrian opposition by giving them arms - and to hell with the thousands more who’ll lose their lives, or the tens of thousands who will be displaced.
“This is the man who has facilitated a 200 per cent increase in the use of drones which have killed thousands of people, including hundreds of children.”
International laws
She asked the Taoiseach what he was going to do to ensure no weapons for Syria are going to go through Shannon, in breach of our international laws on neutrality.
“What steps are you going to take to showcase this country, not as a lapdog of US imperialism, but as an independent nation with an independent foreign policy which takes a lead in international diplomacy to outlaw the use of drones?”
Mr Kenny rounded on her for criticising the US president, “who wants to support that [peace] process visibly, personally and with assistance from the US, where 35 million Irish-Americans want this peace process to continue”.
The Taoiseach also said there was a serious discussion about Syria at the G8 summit. “Ireland took a very clear position on this as articulated by the Tánaiste - that the embargo should not be lifted.”
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13 comments:
Ah GM "obsequiousness" this is the land of the CUTEHOOR after all. YET, it's not the fact that there is a propensity for such falsehood in the national culture, it's the fact anyone who dares to object is stigmatised, in one way or another. Scary and dangerous sums it up.
Mindless venom in one direction, and mindless veneration in another. It's a sad state of affairs, DC3.
Dresden was terrible but, then again, so was what happened in Poland, London, the Far East etc etc. The Nazi's and the Japanese started it!
To tell the truth: Ireland's not the only country of hypocrisy and falsehood. Germay for instance is developing a new kind of dictator- and censorship in a very sophisticated way when it comes to matters regarding the EU and helping banks out of their misery.
But nonetheless, Clare Daly is a brave woman. Every single word she said is true. She sgould be the one sitting in Endas chair!
Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PBaFhQufjTQ
Thanks for that, Ned. These two scumbags should be banged up... but they won't be. Ireland is a country where people like this can swindle and bankrupt the country and get bonuses, while someone who can't pay a small fine can go to jail.
Rotten to the core.
"These two scumbags should be banged up"...Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humour GM. Seven letters one word, IRELAND.
No, GM, if you don't pay your TV Licence that fate awaits you. Ask for a taster of 7 Billion and the "REST," while still being one of the Lads, you'll afforded an allowance to live in LUXURY. A circle is a circle "because" it's connected. That's the way of things. Oh, and, in this case, it's Ireland. "Reality is merely and illusion, albeit a very persistent one"
You're right of course, DC3. Ireland is a hopeless case.
I can't agree 100% with you GM. On one side, yes, the coverage of the Obama's visit was deplorable in all its fawning grandeur. Pathetic is perhaps the best way to describe it.
However, I think that criticising what the US did then and is doing now as "war crimes" is getting carried far away. WWII was a state of total war. Questionable, no doubt, but an argument can easily be made that the decision to use those terrible weapons hastened the Japanese surrender.
Some decisions are quite easy to criticise, however I don't think that most criticisms of the US are fair. Like, in Syria or in Libya they are criticised when they do nothing and they are criticised when they decide to do something. And unlike Ireland, they are always in the spotlight. In the case of Syria, if they are convinced that Syria used WMDs the member countries of the UN are legally obliged to act. Given the presence of groups affiliated with al qaeda on the side the US will be arming, it's hard to see quite what they have to gain, quite the opposite they did everything NOT to get involved.
I find Ms Daly is purely rehashing traditional socialist criticisms of the US with a modern twist, as if it were straight out of Pravda. And speaking of empires, who's been busy arming the other side?
@ Bulwark "but an argument can easily be made that the decision to use those terrible weapons hastened the Japanese surrender. "
Surely you have not forgotten the deliberate firebombing of Japanese cities? Nor forgotten the last time the US/UK were convinced that a mmiddle-eastern country possessed 'WMD's'?
Quoting Bulwark: "... however I don't think that most criticisms of the US are fair. Like, in Syria or in Libya they are criticised when they do nothing and they are criticised when they decide to do something ..."
I think the question shouldn't be whether they do something or not. The right question is: Are they doing the right thing?
One thing I learned about governments in general: They never do anythting they don't gain from it.
I suppose the main thing I'm saying, Bulwark, is that there is a huge difference between the "anti-imperialist" rhetoric of the Shinners and so-called republicans when it comes to the UK and the US, despite the latter being pretty much unarguably the most powerful nation on Earth... economically through the multis and militarily too. Remember the hoo-ha over Tory Blur's visit to Easons and the "war-criminal" accusations by Shinners, Ugili and peace-lovers like the 32 Country Sovereignty Movement, who brought us Omagh? Selective indeed.
Don't think we should listen to the WMD line either, as F and Ned imply. You have to wonder if Iraq will end up a theocratic "republic" like Iran in time, and they never found those weapons, after all.
But even I am for giving that Taliban lot in Afghanistan a good thumping... reactionary buggers that they are. But as the Russians found out, it too will probably end in tears.
Got to admit .. I love the soft soap just as much as the next man :D
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