Originally Posted by
erigena
From 2004-7, I had a set of papers accepted at Irish studies conferences, some of which financial considerations stopped me from attending. I also spoke at some of the better American universities during this period on the same subject; what I predicted was the imminent financial, moral, and cultural collapse of the ethnic project we call the “republic of Ireland”. On foot of this, I* wrote a book called “Ireland; a colony once again” whose publication has been delayed mainly because of having to deal in my professional life with the fetid, yet gargantuan corruption at the core of the Irish state. En route, I* have come to see this state as not just a colonial force directed against the Irish people in the name of various ideas like neoliberalism, but as effectively genocidal.
Both seem radical contentions, unless of course the latter seems simply ridiculous and downright barmy. For a first line of defence, I could perhaps point to the fact that Dublin has been a colonial centre for much of its recent history; first, undoubtedly, for the British and now – with well over 70% of our “native” legislation actually comprised by EU directives – for the neoliberal dispensation authored by the EU, WTO, and other such bodies. One could also point to the theocratic experiment from c. 1935-1970 that we are still recovering from, and the brief flirtation with neoconservatism from 2002to 2004. Yet it is the genocidal idea that attracts me more.
“Genocide” was coined by Lemkin as a term to* describe, not necessarily the physical extinction of a people, but wiping away by any means necessary all trace of them from the earth. According to its adoption in international law in 1948, no-one need be killed; the core notion in the term “genocide” is wiping the footprint of a people from the earth. Up to this point in 1948,* international law allowed a state treat its people like a* farmer treats his chickens. Now there is a really high mountain to climb; I* am going to argue that a state whose highest levels consist almost entirely of Irish indigenes are nevertheless actively conniving in the genocide of the Irish.
However, consider the following recent developments;
1.Since 2008, the government's policies have been carefully calibrated to ensure massive emigration (due to unemployment) of the native Irish, while maintaining the failed neoliberal experiment incarnated above all in a disastrously corrupt banking sector.
2.At the same time, massive immigration has been encouraged, with the immigrants receiving many benefits denied to the native Irish. Any criticism of this results in epithets of “racism” and prosecution by stater bodies.
3.An assault has been performed on sites of enormous archaeological significance like Tara, with the govt showing a willingness to destroy any protectors, both legally and physically.
4.Natural resources are being privatized , as exemplified by shell in Mayo, with the state's armed forces acting as Shell's private army
5.The Irish establishment profit enormously from all these developments; indeed the current minister for transport allowed the the private firm behind the* most controversial road development (beside Tara) to share office space with his dept.
6.Historically, revisionism has become de rigeur. Indeed, our foreign-born current President (who learned Spanish at the expense of Gaelic at school) spends a great deal of her time debauching the military projects of the Irish like the anti-Tudor* uprising
7.An assault on the musical culture of Ireland culminated in a suspended* privatization attempt in the 1990's In the meantime, the government and national broadcaster has promoted boy bands and chick lit* as official national culture. In the meantime, scam artists are preferred over genuine musical artists, and* - exemplified by a recent US federal court case – the Irish state is the only state that allows dissolved companies to continue to steal copyrights, as well as trade openly with the approval of the state's export bodies
8.The major media disproportionately put foreign-born models on their covers to exemplify a changing of the guard
Am I over-reacting? I really hope so. In the meantime, one of the few resources we can access are such indigenous declarations as that in the UN (1993) or Seattle (1999)
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