Department of Foreign Affairs drafts second unsatisfactory answer to Pringle on “Famine song”.

The following is the written answer from the Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamonn Gilmour to Deputy Thomas Pringle regarding his question about Anti-Irish Racism in Scotland.

Once more the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has drafted an answer about “sectarianism” in response to a question about “racism”.  There are only two possible explanations:

(1)    The use of the term “Anti-Irish Racism” is banned by the DFA when discussing Scotland.

(2)    Some teenager on work experience is being given too much to do at Iveagh House.

This is Pringle’s second question to the government on this issue. If anything the  second written answer is even more unsatisfactory than the first. I am sure that Deputy Pringle will finally get the DFA to use the term “Anti-Irish racism” with apropos ditties like the “Famine Song.”

Question No. 100

Parliamentary Question – Dept Details

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 61 of 5 April 2011, if he will talk to the Scottish First Minister regarding the problem of racism and not sectarianism against the Irish community in Scotland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

– Thomas Pringle.

*    For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 12th April, 2011.

Ref No:   7591/11

REPLY

I am aware that, notwithstanding significant efforts by the relevant authorities, instances of sectarian behaviour continue to occur in Scotland. Such incidents are frequently inspired and occasioned by sporting rivalries. I acknowledge the distress and offence that such incidents cause to the community. However, given the long and complex history of two-way migrations between Ireland and Scotland, I would hesitate to categorise this problem as racial, rather than sectarian.

The Scottish Government has made it very clear that it is committed to ensuring that sectarianism has no place in any aspect of Scottish society. I fully support the efforts of the Scottish Government, Police and Football Association to tackle sectarian behaviour, from whatever quarter. First Minister Alex Salmond, recently announced that £527,000 is to be committed to anti-sectarian and anti-racist bodies in Scotland, and a crackdown on sectarian abuse on websites has been implemented in recent weeks.

I welcome the establishment of the Joint Action Group which has been specifically tasked by the Scottish Government with addressing such issues as alcohol misuse, sectarianism, racism, domestic abuse and violence. I understand that the Joint Action Group is to report back to Ministers with concrete proposals to tackle these issues before the start of the new football season and I have asked our Consulate General in Edinburgh to keep me appraised of developments in this regard.

Since its opening in 1998, the Consulate General of Ireland in Edinburgh has maintained a wide-ranging dialogue with the Scottish Government, including on incidents of anti-Irish abuse.  I can assure the Deputy that the Consulate General will continue to closely follow this situation very closely.

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