Comments on The Pensive Quill: Dead Men Gave Birth

Sean mo chara, Worthy article. I had to read it s...

2011-09-25T04:30:28.930+01:00

Sean mo chara,

Worthy article. I had to read it several and digest it before I felt able to comment.

The question is, where do we go from here?

As a socialist and a republican I feel that we have hit a brick wall. As your article implies, this seems to happen every generation.

I am reading 'Voices from the Grave' at the moment and can understand why Brendan Hughes became depresed towards the end of his life. He felt, rightly, I think that the 'peace process' meant that his struggle had been futile and yet another generation would end up fighting and suffering as his had. I believe this too.

Everytime the Irish working class get up a head of steam they are sold out. The home rulers did it, trading the people's desire for real freedom for Catholic control of education.

The Free Staters sold out in 1921 and then crushed Noel Brown's tentative moves towards socialism in 1946 and flung Ireland back to the dark ages for 20 years.

In the early seventies when the six counties were in turmoil, we failed to give the push that might have brought the house of cards down, then in the 90's we surrendered our claim on the whole of Ireland forever.

I can't help being a socialist, sometimes I wish I could turn it off and tune in to X-Factor.

It hurts that in Ireland it seems to take some insane sacrifice or suffering to motovate the masses, and then when a movement is built up we hand it over to the first bourgoius who can come up with some plausable pipe dream like a 'peace dividend' (that's a term you don't hear too often anymore).

So where do we go from here? I suppose we keep going, agitating, educating, organising. Hopefully we learn something, for it is said to keep making the same mistakes over and over is madness.

This is a valuable blog, and I value your contributions.

Rory

fionnuala he's the kinda guy cud take the suga...

2011-09-22T21:21:56.724+01:00

fionnuala
he's the kinda guy cud take the sugar out of yer tae+convince you he was doing you a good turn i rekon.

Marty, I am sure and certain that Sean would never...

2011-09-22T20:47:23.084+01:00

Marty,
I am sure and certain that Sean would never intentionally leave women out. But I have heard people well intentioned people do it and althought there is a difference between them and the condesending type it is still annoying.
There are people who do not think women should have a voice or certain women should have a voice whilst at the same time banging on about social justice and equality.

Larry,
I'm sure he made good with more than just the tea.

SLICK do all the wee protestants heading to Englan...

2011-09-22T13:47:57.785+01:00

SLICK
do all the wee protestants heading to England for work not count as emigration?

Good post. States quite clearly a hanful of shameless whores continue to urinate on dead martyrs.

mi6 marty wasn't killing people directly or indirectly. But he's proud he joined the IRA at 18 and never ran away from anything.

What the fuck did he join as a cheerleader, no sexism intended nuala. I'm sure mi6 marty makes a lovely cuppa.

Nuala hope Albert is back on the job and once agai...

2011-09-22T13:32:54.832+01:00

Nuala hope Albert is back on the job and once again enjoying out of date stuff.. its not for me to speak on Seans behalf,he does that quite eloquently on his own, but I,d be sure when Sean refers to socialists and republicans he doesnt differentiate between the sexes,anyway who,d dare overlook our women like yourself, SMH ,and the Armagh crew,who have proven beyond doubt the women are up of their knees and arent going back down.

Sean, all your posts here are welcome and I am pl...

2011-09-22T13:01:48.693+01:00

Sean,

all your posts here are welcome and I am pleased that Nuala and Marty appreciate them also. You focus on the radical social dimension of republicanism.

Sean, I agree with Marty that you always produce ...

2011-09-22T12:37:58.023+01:00

Sean,
I agree with Marty that you always produce a brilliant post.
Just one issue and quite a significant one, it was not just men who fought this war.
I know there are contributors to this blog who write solely in male terms, 'lads' this and 'lads' that.
But you always expect something very different from someone like you.

If Northern I is such a terrible place, how come i...

2011-09-22T12:21:16.132+01:00

If Northern I is such a terrible place, how come it has an unemploymet rate half that of Wicklow/ROI ? Housing in NI is cheaper, the health and eduacatiuon services are better resourced, 50,000 people a yr don't emigrate, poverty levels are half that of the US.People are even emigrating from south to north.If socialism worked, we would all be living in Cuba! Time to swap Andy Carroll for Mick Owen.

Sean once again another brilliant post a cara,alth...

2011-09-21T21:38:32.217+01:00

Sean once again another brilliant post a cara,although where you state that our" so called leaders failed to grasp the significance of the two fold character of the Irish question" I,d be more inclined to say that they used the national question and the loyality of so many as a leverage to aquire a privileged position for themselves and a few cronies,I,ve often heard it said "if its not in you it wont come out" I can say that from this that had our so called leaders and their hangers on been true socialist republicans,then they would never have entertained the surrender that is the gfa, nor indeed would they have been so willing to implement right wing tory policies here in the north eastern counties, what Connolly ,Mc Diarmada and all the other hero,s who gave their all for the cause of Irish freedom would make of this crop of carpet baggers or indeed what they would have done to them often makes me wonder.Anyway Sean keep your posts coming I for one like the cut of your cloth mo cara.