@simonmontefiore@Channel4 PS, some context on De Valera’s actions and how they were viewed within Ireland which, as a serious historian, I’m sure you’ll appreciate. There’s many reasons he’s one of our least popular leaders, but this was one: https://t.co/tO1wwzmbl8
@simonmontefiore@Channel4 But your invoking the actions of DeValera to promote your view of Ireland is as rational as claiming that Churchill's starving of Indians in famine, prioritising food for the British, or his belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority makes England a uniquely racist country
@simonmontefiore@Channel4 You seem to conflate pushback with denial that there has ever been anti-semitic sentiment in Ireland in any section of society at any point in history. Of course, Ireland, like any European country, has had it's share of bigots to shame us. /3
@simonmontefiore@Channel4 And that gives us an easy understanding of how we can vehemently disagree with Israeli policy regarding the Palestinian people, while not hating the Jewish people. Pro-palestine ≠ anti-semite and the attempts of some to slander the whole of Ireland as bigots are disgusting /END
@simonmontefiore@Channel4 As in every country, but I've heard much less of it since I moved here from England. What we do have is a history that enables us to say we like and admire many British people, while often disagreeing with the actions of the British Govt and Armed Forces. /2
@simonmlewis@simonmontefiore@Channel4 Yes, I've heard the exact same story, except it was how the Italian families like the Macaris, etc ended up in Ireland - they were told it was America, got off the boat and settled. Must be a bit of an old wives tales
Over the summer, I went to the very North of the Isle of Lewis on a field trip to map the geology there with a close friend of mine. The google street view car went past. We had a geological hammer. The following masterpiece, now on google street view, was the result
Whether you’re a fan of Hallowe’en or not, you have to give it credit for being the last line of defence against Christmas advancing even earlier into the year, a ragtag gang of goths holding the line against a battalion of baubled barbarians
Universal masking and social distancing at the start of the pandemic were so effective that they eliminated a strain of flu, and now annual flu vaccines have been redesigned because that strain no longer needs to be included in the shot. Amazing.
I’ve said it before, but it is no coincidence that the UK underwent a massive flowering of creativity and talent, at the same time you had: free university; liveable, accessible dole payments; and widespread squats. All things that, while not ideal, supported non-rich kids.
The Bloody Sunday inquiry found
- the killings were unjustified
- none of the 14 dead (inc 7 children) had guns
- no warnings were given
- no soldiers were under threat
- the troops fired first
These are not theories or claims, they are the official stance of the UK government.