THE use of the Irish national flag in the anti-immigrant protests in Belfast and elsewhere is both abhorrent and a negation of the Irish republican tradition.
These people serve only to denigrate, deface and shame our national flag in their ignorance of Irish history.
Republicans in 2024 should adopt the same attitude to these people as republicans in the 1930s did to the Blueshirts.
Rather than following in the footsteps of Tone, Connolly, Mellows, Ryan and Sands, they walk in the footsteps of Eoin O’Duffy.
Hands off our flag.
DES DALTON
Athy
Co Kildare
Migration is as old as time and will continue as long as inequality lasts
THE rioting we have seen recently is not a pretty sight.
Some people feel that we are being invaded by foreigners.
Perhaps we should pause and reflect on what is going on. Rome invaded Britain about 2,000 years ago, built cities, roads and greatly improved the agricultural output.
The Frenchman William the Conqueror came over in 1066, ousted the king, replaced the aristocracy with French ‘Yes-men’ and again, added greatly to the English culture.
Coming nearer home, we were overrun by Planters in the 1640s, Cromwell graciously telling us that we could “go to Hell or Connaught”.
Victoria and her predecessors raped and pillaged half the world – not a word about it.
Migration and invasions are a natural part of history. People are always on the move and are naturally looking for a better life for themselves and their children.
These newcomers are not bad people. They are unfortunate people coming from war zones and poverty-stricken areas, coming here to try to build a better life.
Before we go shouting and fighting to try to drive them out, maybe we would be better looking at the causes which force them to make these perilous journeys.
The West is perceived as rich. But we are not rich, we are greedy. We use up far more resources than poorer countries, and what we have we will not share with anyone else.
We send mining companies to Africa to create huge open-cast mines, driving people from their lands, in order that we can have cheap goods.
We need cheap labour, thus we let some in so that we can pay them the minimum wage and look down on them.
There is no solution to this problem, not because we haven’t the means, but because economic migration is as old as time and will continue for as long as inequality lasts.
Finally, the unmentionable – we in the West have made children into an economic burden. How often do you hear young people saying “we can’t afford them”.
If we don’t have children, we have to get the people from somewhere.
A society that stops having children is a dying society. Look how many adverts there are on TV for old people and pets – save the whale, save the donkey, funeral plans and dog food.
When was the last time you saw an advert for nappies?
TURLOUGH QUINN
Portglenone
Co Antrim
Society needs to look at the role of social media
IS it not extraordinary that just a few weeks ago loyalists were burning tricolours on bonfires across Northern Ireland, yet on a recent weekend were drinking and celebrating their day of ‘protest’ with young men from Dublin who several hours earlier had been parading around Shaftesbury Square draped in the Irish tricolour?
Nonetheless, their ‘guests’ received a ‘heroes’ welcome’. The idea of someone with a Dublin accent drinking in a Sandy Row bar would previously have been unheard of, but clearly this issue was effectively eclipsed by a shared philosophy.
The hypocrisy didn’t stop there – the Dublin contingent accompanied loyalist ‘protesters’ to the lower Ormeau Road but were repelled by residents who had been at the receiving end of vicious loyalist attacks throughout the Troubles – the Sean Graham bookmaker’s massacre among the worst.
Evidently these Dublin visitors knew nothing of this but surely any adult in Ireland would be aware that loyalist violence has been deeply problematic for Catholics in the north.
The tactic of finding a scapegoat to focus on and falsely claim to be solely responsible for societal ills has been an insidious ploy by the extreme right to unite reckless and disaffected groups by fuelling them with a source to accuse, vilify and attack with a misguided sense of self-righteousness and purposeful duty.
Arguably, Donald Trump accomplished this, emboldening and unifying various right-wing reactionary groups with his racist, jingoistic, anti-immigrant rants, the worst of many consequences being the attack on the Capitol building.
What we witnessed in Belfast and other cities recently echoed that situation.
Our society needs to seriously look at the role social media plays in encouraging these groups to mobilise, spread lies and misinformation, and incite hatred against vulnerable people.
Now that these Dubliners are all pals with their new Northern
Ireland mates, perhaps a reciprocal gesture could be on the cards – might we soon witness the sight of loyalists wearing Union Jack masks and draped in Ulster flags proudly marching down Henry Street in Dublin?
Now that would be interesting....
GERRY DEVLIN
Belfast
BT7
For Dublin, it’s about the rest, not the west
IF the Irish government and their officials could dig a trench from Clones to Clifden, and push us way out into the Atlantic, the government would be delighted to do so.
The newly published All-Island Strategic Rail Review has shown the contempt for the people and future of the western corridor, border region and north west. Furthermore, it is a work of fiction.
The report states: “This is an indicative artistic interpretation… The pathways delineated on this illustration are conceptual in nature and should not be interpreted as a precise or literal depiction of potential routes or route corridors.”
In 2003 the WDC (Western Development Commission) prepared a report for rail development. It was ignored and there was no political will to do anything. It is time for western county councils to come together and insist on investment.
One third of the land mass of Ireland is being neglected in this reportand it is an area which carries a disproportionate taxation burden, with no infrastructure benefits to show for it. Our young people will continue to leave and never to return.
This rail review states and recommends: “West coast: Modelling undertaken for interventions on this corridor showed there would be very low demand for passenger rail services on this route and that building a railway on this corridor would have a significant adverse impact on the environment.
There are also no obvious opportunities for developing significant rail freight demand between Claremorris and Derry/Londonderry.”
It’s about emissions and immigration from this government. It’s about the rest, not the west.
DR JOE KELLY
Falcarragh
Dún na nGall
