Imperialism goes on.
The "British" Empire still exists! The English Empire still exists!
The mysterious appearance of hard core Irish rebel music on this site is only because I quite like some of the music and some of the words. Don't really agree with all of it.
Irish Rebel music is good music.
Irish Rebel Music sometimes talks about English imperialism in history and in other countries.
The English Empire still exists and it has done immoral things, and people aren't conscious enough of the fact that it still exists!
Or if they are they think that it is OK that it does.
It's maybe a hint that the UK army should get out of Iraq at some point but I don't know any Iraqi rebel songs.
I don't agree with the terrorists in Iraq or Ireland.
In the case of Iraq it is a fact that it would have been possible to depose Saddam and set up a democracy without the (illegal) military invasion and occupation by the USA and England.
The only publication I have seen which points this out is "Private Eye".
What implications this fact has for what has happened I won't comment on.
But I do think we should maybe think about getting out of Iraq at some point. Maybe.
I keep adding it and then chickening out and deleting it.
It's only a fucking song. It's more fun than Take That anyway.
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In Ireland, Scotland, Iraq, Wales we are dealing to an extent with imperialism:
English imperialism.
Not the imperialism of the English people but the imperialism of the English state.
Billy Bragg wondered why Scottish nationalism is acceptable and "British" nationalism unacceptable. Because British nationalism is inherently imperialist and inherently meaningless.
In the case of Iraq there is a long history of English and American intervention that is not well enough known.
In the case of Ireland, I think the republicans are right to say that Northern Ireland is not a nation or an entity - just a six county statelet but I don't think they have the right approach to a solution whilst they fail to recognize that Ulster protestants are Irish in a different way to them.
How can an Ulster protestant vote for Sinn Féin when he doesn't speak or want to speak Gaelic? When he has a different way of being Irish that just doesn't seem to be recognized enough by republicans?
Incidentally, it has always struck me that one of the most Irish things about Ulster Protestants is the way that they adamantly insist that they are not Irish.
How can Gaelic language or Catholicism be regarded as THE Irish identity when a million people who republicans say are Irish do not share these aspects of identity?
Republicans' message seemed to be: "We are Irish and we want to include you in that Irishness.
So we will give our organisation a Gaelic name. And we will attack you."
Total madness.
Basically maybe Irish Republicanism should be more neutral, more broad in its conception of Irishness. If you want to unite Ireland you have to unite the people not the territory.
"Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter united to break the connection with England."
Secular Republicanism.
I won't delete this. Well I say that now. No it's fair comment. I think.
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All of this imperialism is really nothing compared to the economic imperialism that still goes on between what should really be called the plundered world and the plundering world.
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The Union Jack is institutionalised racism in the form of a diagram. Discuss.
Here is an example of absurdity:
The nation of Wales is not represented on the Union Jack whereas the non-nation and non-entity of "Northern Ireland" is represented totally inappropriately by the SO-CALLED "Cross of St.Patrick". The cross is emphatically not St.Patrick's cross anyway. It has no historic association with Saint Patrick.
And if it is the cross of Saint Patrick then he is the Patron Saint of Ireland and all of Ireland and not just part of it. This makes no sense. Does not compute. Error of logic, etc.
This also applies to the inclusion of the Irish harp on the UK Royal Arms.
The harp is a symbol of Ireland and all of Ireland and its current inclusion in the English/UK Royal Arms is an absurdity and an insult.
Also, if the Ulster Prods are so adamant that they are "British" and not Irish, then what is the so-called "Saint Patrick's Cross" on the Union Jack there for?
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland not "Britain". This is illogical, captain.
The so-called Flag of St.Patrick was originally the flag of the Geraldine family and rather conveniently fitted into the then First Union Jack (the flag of Britain from 1605-1801 - nearly 200 years), when it was added in 1801.
The so-called flag or cross of St.Patrick has no historic association with Saint Patrick.
The so-called "cross of Saint Patrick" was placed underneath England and then Scotland, I should add.
Just so we know who's on top, eh?
This is absurdity and injustice writ large. The English Empire.
Then there is the flag of Northern Ireland itself which is no longer an official flag.
A Saint George's cross - but surely that is the English flag? This is Northern Ireland not England, why have you got someone else's flag?.
And a Star of David - are Ulstermen Jews?
Well I am Jewish and I find the use of the Star of David in this context deeply offensive and always have.
Work yourselves out why don't you?
And that goes for Republicans too constantly banging on about British oppression - when they mean England and attacking the people they want to unite with - the Protestants.
There is only one logical name for the six counties and that is the six counties. It cannot be called Ulster since it only contains six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster. It cannot be called "Northern Ireland" any more than than any 4 counties of Connaught could be called "Western Ireland."
Ireland has the most clearly defined borders of any European country.
Ulster is in Ireland - geographically, historically and culturally.
Another thing I want to get off my chest is something about the Orange Order:
The Orange Order's explicit reason for existence is to oppose Roman Catholicism by all legal means!
Incredible isn't it?
An organisation whose reason for existence is to oppose another organisation.
That's not about celebrating a culture or propagating Christianity.
And another thing - and correct me if I am wrong - I read somewhere that the Orange Order was originally an Anglican organisation barred to Presbyterians! All about imperialism and keeping down the natives.
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As should be well known, many of the first Irish Republicans were Presbyterians from the north of Ireland.
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The so-called "Bill of Rights" of 1689 - still a binding legal document of some kind within the English Empire or at present the UK - explicitly denies religious freedom.
Religious freedom is surely fundamental to any constitution.
[The events of 1688/1689 sometimes called the Glorious Bloodless Revolution involved amongst other things what was a coup d'état on the English state by William of Orange...]
It says that only one kind of religion is to be protected and that the state shall only have one kind of religion and that only those of one religion can bear arms or hold power.
This really should be more widely known - the UK "constitution", I repeat, explicitly denies religious freedom.
As does the Act of Settlement of 1701.
How anyone can say that the UK "constitution" actually protects religious liberty is a mystery.
The UK has no consitution. This is rare for states in the 21st century.
People like to talk of a "constitution" in the UK when they mean "a set of conventions."
This is problematic in my view.
Legally the population of the UK are still subjects and not citizens with rights.
Everyone in the UK is a "UK Subject" rather than a "British Citizen".
Even the new rights we have under the Human Rights Act of 1998 are technically at the discretion of the monarch, since the Monarch had to give royal assent to the Bill.
The Queen has the power to abolish parliament and revoke any law. She should not have this power in 2008.
Everything we have is at her discretion.
We have no rights under this monarchy.
It's truly pathetic really, considering we have such a high opinion of our country.
I reccommend "Common Sense" by Tony Benn as a good approach to some of these questions.
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Found on the internet:
"Actually, Éire is just Ireland. Béal Féirste, Éire is Belfast, Ireland in the English language.
The name of the independent Irish state is Ireland when speaking English.
There is also only one country, Ireland.
It is currently divided into two states, officially named Northern Ireland and Ireland.
As for UK secularism, no Catholic is allowed to become head of the UK state in 2009;
in Ireland, in contrast, the first head of state, the President of Ireland, was a Protestant - as long ago as 1938."
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March 2018.
I can't believe I ever published the above but I believe in freedom of speech.
My belief in freedom of speech means that people should be free to talk a load of rubbish if they want to.
I am now quite a few years down the line and I feel quite differently about nationalism.
I am still quite anarchist, but much less nationalist.
I really feel that ALL nationalism is a big mistake. Utterly unsubstantiated and unjustified.
If I lived in Northern Ireland I would vote for the Green Party there. Not for ANY of the nationalist parties, whether Irish nationalist or British nationalist.