As regular readers will know, I have written over many years on what I believe is the true meaning of the seasonal outbreak of Poppy Porn.
Our British neighbours’ apparent inability to accurately remember what they did in their empire prevents them from confronting who they really are.
I usually only address this compulsory “Lest We Forget” stuff in the Brit media when it flares up.
However, yesterday this book arrived that made me reflect on those issues.
I read it in one sitting, and it is breathtakingly good.
Indeed, I would put it in the same bracket as this mighty work.
So much so that I communicated with the author on Twitter.
In my opinion, the strongest chapter in the work is entitled “selective amnesia”.
For readers in Fair Caledonia, this observation should resonate.
The amnesiac nature of the Brits has recently been addressed by Uachtarán na hÉireann.
Here he is in The Guardian.
“A feigned amnesia around the uncomfortable aspects of our shared history will not help us to forge a better future together.”
Quite so.
He continued:
“From the perspective of the British imperialist mind of its time, attitudes to the Irish for example, were never, and could never be, about a people who were equal, had a different culture, or could be trusted in a civilised discourse of equals. From the perspective of the Irish, who had their own ancient language, social and legal systems and a rich monastic contribution to the world, this view had to be resisted.”
For the avoidance of doubt, my head of state is not in that prominent position because of an accident of birth.
He’s in Áras an Uachtaráin because citizens like me voted for him.
Here he is on the Tommy Tiernan show.
Two national treasures shooting the breeze.
It is difficult to imagine such a human conversation with any member of the catastrophically insulated Saxe-Coburg crime clan.
Here the President makes a quip about the “neighbours” having “discovered greatness again”.
This was classic Michael D, nuanced, human, insurgently witty and driven by a fierce intelligence.
I’m fairly sure that he was referring to Brexit.
I believe there is a connection between the Brits strange constitutional arrangements and the geopolitical angst they are currently mired in.
Our neighbours remained wedded to celebrity feudalism, and that is not unconnected to the Brexit cul-de-sac that they wandered up in the centenary year of Éirí Amach na Cásca.
In 2016 I sat in the family enclosure with my son on the Mall at Westport to hear our President give a magisterial speech.
He was the main speaker at an event to commemorate the Westport 31, the men who were sent to Frongoch internment camp in wales after the Rising.
Here are the details of the 31 men.
As regular readers will know, I was in attendance because of this fella.
According to the prison records, he was:
1. – Guilty of behaviour of such a nature as to be prejudicial to the public safety and the Defence of the Realm by marching with arms as Sinn Fein Volunteers at Westport on Sunday 30th April 1916.
Once they were in the University of Revolution, they would be earnest scholars in a new form of warfare that would confound an empire.
While he was a Frongoch undergraduate, Michael Derrig got quite tight with this young fella from West Cork.
Of course, without the Rising and the subsequent guerilla campaign against the Brits, we would not have the ability to elect a president of the Irish Republic.
Nor would Dáil Éireann be a sovereign state on the world stage among the nations of the world.
Viewers in Scotland have their own programme.
For the absolute avoidance of doubt, all that Scotland’s unserious separatists need to do is stop attending Westminster and then seek re-election on an abstentionist platform.
No one is asking them to be physically brave, just live without a lavish Brit paycheque.
The Scots were integral to the creation of the British state and the administration of the empire.
If they really want independence, then they should be honest with themselves about that.
Sathnam Sanghera’s book reminded me that there is a massive job of work to do with our neighbours in this archipelago.
I’m grateful to him.
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While I don’t seek to minimise Scotland’s role in the empire it’s worth noting that nine of the 28 colonial governors of Hong Kong were Irish.
That’s just Hong Kong, so while Scotland provided middle management fro the Empire we weren’t the only country involved and selective amnesia is apparently wider spread than we’re led to believe.
Selective amnesia you say Phil? Are you aware it was an Irishman that cordially invited the Normans into Ireland and that the Irish were the first to raid British shores?
That’s the thing about history.
We all have them good and bad.
The end result is seldom the work of the common man and woman in the street.
No we are just the pawns in a game further up the food chain.
Lest we forget it.
Diarmaid Mac Murchadha in the 12th century.
I’m fully aware of my history.
The global scale of British imperial criminality throughout the modern period is undeniable.
It is almost as big as the levels of delusion among many Brits that ye are still a major power.
Indeed but is it better to have been a major power than never to have been a major power at all Phil?
I don’t know the answer to that having been born on this Island having come by way of a food starved and ravaged Ireland?
Did I mention my kinsmen were part of th Gallowglass hired to bail the then IN FIGHTING Irish out of the predicament caused by Diarmaid?
Britain has much to be eternally ashamed of yes but you cannot blame or poke the finger at the average Joe Phil when it’s the Henry’s and Henrietta’s that pushed for and gained the most from the litany of disgrace and disaster that was left behind,
I’m not proud of one single bit of it by the way I’m just highlighting that if you delve into the history of most Nations past it soon becomes apparent that they were seldom formed without some form of oppression,land grab or subjugation of the local population.
It has always been this way for humanity.
Take the America you seem so fond of talking up as prime example of this.
Britain had a major hand in that creation did it not?
Go tell the Cherokee,Cheyenne or Crow just how marvellous the US of A was when it fleeced them of all that they ever had and owned,
Is any of it justified?
You make a song dance about the likes of Jefferson regularly yet conveniently skip his own history regarding the fact he died owning around 600 slaves,
You see tends to run run riot in history and seldom does it avoid repeating itself in some shape or form.
This is the nature of the human disgrace I’m afraid.
None of us alive today are responsible however for the actions of those in the past,good bad or indifferent.
I just hope we can all get past it and at least make a go of whatever challenges lay ahead in these most uncertain of times.
I’m no fan of Empire past or present hence why I am and will continue to be vocal about the EU and it’s plans to expand its own control over these,sorry your Island.
hypocrisy tends to run’
Poppy Porn is Britain’s very own Gone With The Wind.
Of course Phil, Micky D is not president of the Irish Republic, he is president of the Republic of Ireland, two different things. The Irish Republic went into hibernation when the second Dail was dissolved and left the welfare of that republic in the hands of the army council. DeValera, much as I disliked him, was very careful of words and understood the power in words. Hence the Republic as we know it today was never referred to as a country or nation and its people were known as residents of the state. For the same reason, the power of words, that state was never referred to as the Irish Republic. My grandfather, a veteran of Bolands Mill, thought Dev was the greatest but by the time of his death, ironically in 1966, he despised the man and would use the power of words to let us know it was not the Irish Republic, it could only be so when all 32 were in the state. In fact, he wouldnt even call it the Republic of Ireland, to him it was just a Free State set up by the English to carry out their will. I know this is off on a tangent from your excellent article but the power of words must be observed
Was your grandfather in Frongoch Terry?
No, Dev delayed his surrender to allow as many of his men as possible to slip away. Grandad went on to work on the estate of Lord French passing Intel to Mick. Ended up on the run from the staters living in a little Glen just on the limerick side of the dividing line with Cork. That’s where my dad was born. Made his way eventually to Belfast where he set up an engineering firm. He still had a role though as my uncle used to tell me about weapons in the house in the 30s. He sold the company and moved back to Dublin. Never went home to Longford. Many years later as an adult, I met a guy who worked in his old firm. He found a hidden room behind the offices that still had the equipment needed for making bullets. I pieced most of this together from other family members as granddad seldom talked about his role in the rising and subsequent war. His biggest boast was the english had guns, he had a hurl and stones
As you know, Dev delayed his surrender to allow some of his young men to slip away and avoid the roundup. Granddad was one of those. There is a blank in my knowledge of what he did in the next 4 years other than bring a few more children into the world. He was in Belfast for a while as I remember the story about my Grandmother, a real Dub, was not for having any of her children born in the black north so she kept the house in Dublin. The next I know is my Grandad working as a gardener on the estate of lord french. A strange job for a mill wright. He never said anything about it but family rumours had him working for Collins and passing intel about the movement of French. Then he vanishes again and my next knowledge is of him living in a little glen on the Limerick side of the boundary with Cork. I have had a look at the place and there is nothing there for a mill wright. Once again, family story is that he was on the run from the staters. While there my father and his twin sister were born. My great aunt said she would not be dads godmother unless he was called after Kevin Barry so he was duly named James Kevin. Never ever was he called James, his aunt saw to that. The family moved to Limerick city then back to Dublin when it was safe to do so. At some point in the 30s they were back in Belfast. I recall my uncle talking about sandbags at the top of the stairs and guns stored behind them. Realising young ears were listening he changed the subject and I got no more info. I dont know when, but grandad set up an engineering factory in the markets area of belfast which he eventually sold and moved back to Dublin. He moved regularly between the two cities. Many years later as an adult, I met a guy who had worked as an apprentice in the factory in the early sixties. When I told him who I was, he told me about the hidden room he found when clearing out an old storeroom. In it was all the equipment needed to manufacture ammunition. Management quickly destroyed it rather tham hand in to ruc. Grandad did not talk much about his days in the volunteers but in later years when he would be travelling to belfast to collect his pension from his old company, he would open up to my cousin who would travel with him. It is strange that I was an adult with my own family and with my own political beliefs before I found out how much of a republican family I was from. Wish I could fill in the blanks but I am now the elder family member so no one left to fill in the blanks. Just know he never returned home to Longford where he was born
Many thanks.
History forgotten is a betrayal.
Without getting into the pro’s and con’s of the British Empire, it’s in the past, very few people would deny atrocities were committed .
Humans of all race commit atrocities on each other to this day. The British Empire would probably come way down the brutality list even allowing for undisclosed accounts hidden in archives.
I don’t agree with the author that the Scots try to distance ourselfs from the deeds of the Empire , we were a willing partner , history shows this.
As for independence for Scotland, it will never happen, unlike the Irish the Scots and it’s leaders won’t fight for it or prepared to go through hardship for it , we want it given to us on a plate.
Scotland the brave ? Not so sure.
“The British Empire would probably come way down the brutality list even allowing for undisclosed accounts hidden in archives.”
Good grief.
A North Korean level of denial.
You’re clearly a very successful product of the British disinformation system.
It will be down to future generations of Brits to face up to the shameful truth of empire.