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Snarling Down Below
 

Eoghan O’Suillabhain

Every now and again writers Christopher Hitchens & Alexander Cockburn tell an amusing story about Noam Chomsky's trip to the Dentist. The Dentist asks Chomsky why he is grinding his molars down and Chomsky pleads ignorant. Determined to find out what the cause is of Chomsky's wear and tear, the Dentist asks Chomsky's wife if perhaps the good Professor might be grinding away nocturnally without realizing it. Chomsky's wife said no, not at night, just during the morning at breakfast when he reads The New York Times.

Since only the internet provides all the news fit to print, daring denizens and their dentures need not despair like they used to have to at what passes for news in the so called main stream advertising based dailies. Armed with Chomsky's insight about appropriate ways to test for propaganda in private for profit free market media ("...by close comparison of paired examples." Chomsky, 1989, page 151), we should be able to slay the news demons on D'Olier Street and anywhere else. Reference for instance a lead editorial in The Irish Times from last year: "From its embryonic start with the Humes/Adams dialogue, this newspaper has given its whole-hearted support to the democratic principles underlying the peace process. It hailed the Belfast Agreement as the most historic Anglo-Irish accord since the 1921 Treaty." (The Irish Times, Editorial of July 27, 2001, at page 17).

Observant Republicans should have no problem poking holes in this transparent fig leaf, i.e. what democratic principles given the now enshrined sacrosanctity of the minority Unionist veto? Historic for who in particular (remembering that history is written by the victors and not by those who surrender to them)? Peace process? Where? In the Short Strand? Don't they really mean a partitioned piece process? Well at least The Irish Times didn't call it "The Good Friday Agreement" (this time) as if by associating it with a venerable religious day it somehow becomes a holy article of unthinking faith rather than the holey sell-out sectarian rag that it is. If you don’t think so then which flag is John Hume now eating? But even more to the point, The Irish Times supported this treason at least in part because it created a weak confederation of two separate sovereign states that could join together if one of them that has never wanted to wanted to (like that was ever going to be a step toward 32 County sovereign Irish unity anymore than NAFTA was going to give Texas back to Mexico even though Chicanos now outnumber Anglos in Texas).

Now for today's news: "Reunification talks on Cyprus break down on issue of security: 'The impasse has been caused by two very different visions of a future Cyprus State. The Greek Cypriots and the international community (NATO & the EU [i.e. USA, UK & ROI]) have committed to a bizonal, bicommunal federation with single sovereignty. But Mr. Denktash (Turkish Cypriot Leader), backed by Ankara, insists on a weak confederation comprising two separate sovereign states.'" (The Irish Times, Friday, June 21, 2002, at page 11)(Emphasis added).

Gee, now who do you think is holding all the cards here with Turkey desperate to get into the EU? Could it be that same International Community which will (without blinking an eye) hold the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus to one standard while holding the British occupation of Northern Ireland to another? And who wants to bet that the Cyprus conundrum will be solved via some ersatz Eire Nua plan with maybe even George Mitchell presiding without so much as a comparative peep from the pages of the D'Olier Street devils? And what won't the F&F'ers and company talk about or demand in kind when this mono-sovereign Federal Republic of Cyprus happens? Why don't they ever simply demand from England what they are all now hypocritically demanding from Turkey? Why won’t they just give to Turkey what they gave to themselves? Why is the national liberation & unity of Cyprus more important than the national liberation & unity of Ireland? What are the weights & measures of this perplexing political economy?

Clearly there are more questions than answers, but do you ever notice how the political elite in Ireland function very much like two-faced middle managers who routinely present smiling faces to their superiors above them (the US, the UK, the EU & Rome) while snarling down below at their subordinates (us)? Perhaps then that bumper sticker was right: "A lot done (Haughey, Burke, Lawlor, etc.), more to do." So in the mean time just say HELL NO to Nice while we still can because we still can! Otherwise, it will just be banana republic go bragh for all of us wherein priestly molestation might even pass as exorcism to further limit the legal liability of the bosses and the D’Olier Street demons would know better but not tell us.

 

 

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Why do you necessarily have to be wrong just because a few million people think you are?
- Frank Zappa
 

Index: Current Articles

23 June 2002

 

Other Articles From This Issue:

 

It Is But Institutionalised Collusion

Davy Carlin

 

Snarling Down Below
Eoghan O’Suillabhain

Reunion vs Six-County Independence

Paul A. Fitzsimmons

Eire Nua
Sean O Lubaigh

 

20 June 2002

 

Against Suicide Bombings

Carrie Twomey

The Power to Force Respect
Anthony McIntyre

 

Ciarán Irvine, decentralisation, and "Eire Nua"
Seaghan O Murchu

Why the Earth Moved

Ciarán Irvine


 

 

 

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