On this day in 1919 Dáil Éireann convened for the first time.
They assembled at the Mansion House in Dublin to state that the Westminster Parliament had no right to rule over any part of this island or the people in it.
It was a very public withdrawal statement on the illegitimacy of British rule in Ireland.
Moreover, the people who had voted for the Sinn Féin Dáil Deputies them in the 1918 UK general election did not want them to swear the Loyal Oath in the Commons and pick up the paycheque.
Only 27 of the 73 Sinn Féin TDs were present as most of them were in prison in England.
To be a Teachta Dála in that embryonic legislature was to say that Westminster’s writ would no longer run in Ireland unopposed.
This was not reformism this was a revolution.
Consequently, in order to avoid conflict, all that the British state had to do was to honour the will of the Irish people as expressed in the 1918 election.
Of course, you know that didn’t happen and it is still an unfinished task.
However, we’re getting there.
When the first Dáil convened in the Mansion House they were facing down the preeminent global superior of the day.
Anyone today who thinks that Britain is still in that league has probably ingested a dodgy pie at Ibrox.
The first meeting of Dáil Éireann was held entirely as Gaeilge-a language that Britain had done everything in their power to destroy over the centuries.
This home in Dún na nGall has launched three culturally confident Gaeilgoirí out into this 21st-century world.
I think it is fair to say that, on that score, the Brits failed.
The first Dáil was not the last and we are having an election in the 26 Counties.
So, firstly the good news.
A heartless and incompetent right-wing government appears to be heading for a thrashing at the polls.
Of course, there’s always bad news as well.
They will almost certainly be replaced by the shower of chancers who crashed this economy a decade ago.
It proves the cliché that we get the politicians we deserve.
We have a housing crisis here that is costing lives and this superhero is canvassing in a stretch limo…
Even worse, said chancers have been keeping the current incumbents in power through a confidence and supply arrangement.
That they have done so while remaining the official opposition makes this outgoing Dáil even more dysfunctional.
However, our failures and triumphs are our own.
Sadly, we do get the politicians we vote for here in the 26 Counties.
That said, our elected representatives do not go through the humiliating spectacle of swearing an oath of allegiance to a foreign head of state.
Dear reader, these things matter.
Sociologists call this a “degradation ceremony” and it lets everyone know where the real power is in a society.
No amount of subsequent grandstanding will alter that fact.
I continue to be amused at the precious outrage of the SNP MPs when they are very publicly disrespected in the chamber of the Commons by Tory members.
The simple lesson is that if you give away your self-respect for a paycheque then do not expect to be respected to those who have purchased you.
101 years ago today in Dublin our first national parliament was comprised of people who were there for the correct reasons.
For the avoidance of doubt, that is not the case today.
However, we, the Irish people have the power to change that if we so wish.
That process started in the Mansion House on this day 101 years ago.
We owe them so much for their selflessness and their sacrifice.
Viewers in Scotland have their own programme…
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Sociologists nailed it when naming that ritual,for a ‘degradation ceremony’ it most certainly is.
Your sentence of;’the simple lesson is that,if you give away your self-respect for a paycheque;then don’t expect to be respected by the ones that purchased it’
Imho that sentence is one of your best Phil,with regards to your next article,in a word ‘hunbelievable’ forgive them,for they know not what they do.And that sentence is very reminiscent of a prayer I once knew…alas that’s all in the past
Thanks Phil,appreciate your time.
Many thanks.
Aye, Ireland’s a messed up and divided place. It has been since ye all split the country and left the Union. It was those guys in the photo and their like that split the country into a north and a south so it was. That’s the crew that kicked it all off.
After the Great War which Ireland played an impressive part, particularly at the Somme, the German Empire and Russian Empire both fell destroyed and the British empire became the biggest the world has ever known. The benefits to the winners, including Ireland, were there to be enjoyed.
But eejits voted for eejits, just like snp in Scotland, and Ireland has suffered ever since.
AYe viewers inScotland are more switched on politcally than ever before and are slowly switching on to the fact waiting for a section 30 order is a unionist trap. see this link for the ill informed well worth a read including the comments section.
https://peterabell.scot/2020/01/21/shackled/
Actually Ireland thrived as a country that started off unbelievably poor, after a British empire run it into the ground causing a famine by exporting hundreds of tonnes of food while there was a potato blight in the country. Why would any educated people want to keep that kind of rule over them. The Irish spread out all over the world even putting a president into the Whitehouse. They went to England and built the place while the English were too lazy to do it themselves. The irish just like the Pakistan, Indian, and African did jobs the English were neither educated enough to do or too lazy. They had a shortage of construction force which the Irish thrived on and even to this day the biggest construction companies in Britain are owned by irish. So much so that a staggering 32% of British wealth is of irish people. If they pulled out of England alone then Britain would collapse. Britain had a shortage of doctors they had no complaints letting in folk to look after them. Street shops was where along with other things that the Pakistani people made there living. No English or Scottish family would do it. They provided a service no one was willing to put their hand to. All they get now is grief, racist abusive behaviour from Scottish and English people their shops put on fire on regular basis. But they never give in to them. Which is a credit to them and a blessing to everyone else. If their shops closed down DO NOT EXPECT an English or Scottish person to take it over.
Since Britain struck oil.. or should I say since it was discovered that Scottish waters had oil, and the Westminster government privatized it, compared to Norwegian oil/gas both Britain and Norway have produced around the same amount in the same time. Except that Britain/Westminster has only generated 470 billion revenue from it where as Norway has generated 1,197 billion out of theirs. Yet the uneducated of Scotland believe that a union with this particular country is a good thing!!
Let Westminster bleed out country’s resources dry while losing multi billions compared to Norway EVERY SINGLE YEAR. While Scotland need to provide food banks.
If you are that stupid you actually think that Westminster gives a flying fuck about Scotland then there is absolutely no hope for you or your children. Scotland will be dropped kicked out of the union the very moment they stop propping up the Westminster economy.
An oil reserve to keep a country with only 6 million population. Or an oil reserve propping up all of Britain 70 million…. you believe the latter is best for Scotland!
Go back to school for yourself.
You’re clearly a school dropout. You’re numbers and language and logic betray it.
Stop writing nonsense. Scotland is in endless deficit. The SNP Govt own economic annual figures (GERS Report) shows about £2bn in tax from Scottish oil but £12.8bn Westminster free cash to SNP.
Westminster props up Scotland. Out of the Union Scotland is bust.
Your just another snp liar deceiver.
You’re bang on Victor. SNP won’t be happy until they do a Nationalist Sinn Fein and divide Scotland 45%|55% they’ll take the top half with Aberdeen and oil. The majority of us will remain in the Union borderless with England.
They can build a Nationalist Trump type wall across Scotland, Glencoe -Pitlochrie -Montrose. With those towns opting to stay on the south side of their wall. They can run around naked, paint themselves blue and pretend it’s freedom and fun.
Viewers in Scotland are too busy with more meaningful current affairs, keeping abreast of the Megan and Harry crisis, Love Island and whatever is happening on East Enders or Coronation Street.
Joseph, your first sentence regarding meaningful current affairs, you are being disrespectful to the many members of the SNP and Independent parties with the crass statement about these tv programmes . I can for sure I never seen love island, Eastenders is doom and gloom and I last seen Coronation St when Ena Sharples was in it. The people in Scotland are more politically aware than anytime of Labours tenure in Scotland.
I would never trust any politician or political party they are all a bunch of liars as I have stated before show me an honest politician and I will show you a liar . The guff these people talk anyone would think they are constantly drinking Mansion House .