This past week, 2 weeks actually, or rather month and a bit, have not been easy. In the space of a couple of days we had Ukraine turn off the oil pipeline into Hungary. Oil from the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline that comes from Russia! A short time later a rocket hit a Polish village killing 2 people. A rocket tracked by NATO aircraft and was immediately known to have been Ukrainian. Before it even struck the farm in Przewodow, NATO knew it was not a fired by Russia. Volodya Zelensky and the ghouls around him spent 2 days screaming for World War 3, knowing that they themselves had fired the missile. My respect and faith in Joe Biden was restored when he immediately came out, in Bali, saying that it was not Russia. There was a caveat, that had Russia not invaded Ukraine it wouldn’t have happened, true, though he did calm the situation. Almost.
Russia then sanctioned 587 Irish politicians, well, 52. 52 Irish citizens including our Taoiseach and Tanaiste (Prime Minister and Deputy PM) and a host of elected and appointed deputies. Amazingly dozens upon dozens were using this as a badge of honour. A journalist friend in Ireland counted 17 quarter-wits on Twitter telling lies by claiming to be on the list. For the majority of the public it was laughable and despite attempts by State or oligarch-affiliated media, it was uniteresting for a populace who are facing into a harsh winter with a lack of housing, hospital beds, work and sky rocketing energy prices. Then the PR crowd in Leinster House (Ireland’s government buildings) realised they needed a distraction. A meeting was called and ‘a narrative’ given to be put out across social and traditional media. The Ambo must go!
Neale Richmond, whom I’ve known over 15 years, was one of the 1st out of the blocks. Going on Irish national radio to demand the Russian Ambassador be expelled and the Russian Embassy in Dublin closed down. Neale worked in Brussels for a couple of years before returning to Ireland to continue working with Fine Gael, becoming a councillor and then TD (member of parliament). He is a good, kind, hardworking, honest, decent, intelligent, warm and funny person. He is a person I would go to bat for and have done. I’ve defended him online when he was being slated for views that were on the right, or rather wrong, side of politics. I told him in Knin, Croatia, on March 17th 2007, that Ireland needed more people like him and he should go into politics himself, not just work with MEPs.
Yet there he was, selling out to the lowest bidder and allying himself with his partner in government, Fianna Fail, and his hated opposition Sinn Fein. Other loons and attention craving wannabes I understood. They are corrupted, debased and desperate - Neale, no. He is different, better and I still believe a positive in Irish politics. He gets mocked for being a NATO-loving South Dublin rugby Dad, yet he is way more than a cosy Paul Howard caricature. This is a man who genuinely cares and most importantly, loves sport! For that alone I forgive him for being in Fine Gael or not fighting Irish government outrages, but he did go a step too far when railing on radio and nobody asked him the question that had to be asked - If we expel him and close the Embassy, what happens to our Embassy and people in Russia?
You see, that meeting last week in government buildings, it wasn’t minuted. It was very much behind closed doors, ears only and not just 1 party. Right afterwards, verbal instructions were given to those on this list of sanctioned individuals and willing outrage merchants. This is what I was told by one person at the closed meeting.
So your man lays it out very clear. There’s the Ard Fheis (party conference) coming up and we need to get the news cycle moving. One Minister wasn’t happy, said this rocket in Poland shows people are getting wary. Your man (PR person) tells us to get out there and get the message moving. The Russian Ambassador is unwelcome, Russian Embassy has to go. Do it quickly and get out on Twitter, careful with hashtags, no more Slava Ukraine, not after the whole nazis thing. People fecking laughed.
The attendee was told that media was lined up with tv and radio set to carry the message. Right away cut and paste messages began to appear of not only those on the Russian list, but of those standing in support of their colleagues. Sinn Fein, the party detested (publicly) by the others made sure to get in on the act as well. TV adverts for the Irish Armed Forces have increased massively as fear is ramped up. Ireland is unsafe, under threat, in peril. Russia’s next stop was Dublin, despite pulling back troops in Kherson. The person came straight out and said it:
Watch what happens now in the Ard Fheis. They’ll push for military and something big, nasty and irreversible. I won’t speculate, I just know there’s money in there.
The ‘Triple Lock” is a mechanism in Ireland for how Irish troops are deployed abroad. It means the UN Security Council or General Assembly passes a resolution. Then the Irish Government accept the resolution before they send it to the elected deputies (TDs) to vote on it. It means that we can only send our men and women into harm’s way on a defined UN peacekeeping mission and only with everyone on board. This weekend the Fine Gael party, whose leader Leo Varadkar will be back in the top job next month, said they will get rid of this safe system. The warmongers are growing in boldness and can taste the US dollars about to flow over them.
I asked Neale and other politicians who came screeching into the light to kick Russians out of Ireland the same questions - What happens to Russians living in Ireland when they need consular assistance? And what happens to the Irish men, women and children living in Russia with no Embassy to go to? I was told by one Fine Gael deputy:
They (Russians living in Ireland) can always go to England.
The reply reminded me of how this part of official Ireland dealt with problems, send them to England. For abortions, if they were gay, pregnant, unwanted. For decades Britain absorbed and took care of what official Ireland didn’t want to. Now we’re here again. The same politician stood waving a rainbow flag when the right for all to civil marriage was finally voted into being in May 2015. In 2018 this person fought as hard as anyone else for the right to terminate a pregnancy. They celebrated their win and said on radio that “No more we send our problems on the boat to England.” They added some genuinely heartening words about progressive Ireland and women’s rights becoming fully enshrined in our constitution. And then they tell Russians to go to England if they need consular help and that Irish in Russia:
Should know better than to be there now anyway.
Since this mess went up in proper flames on February 24th, we’ve had ghost planes in Kiev, ghost soldiers on an island, airstrikes on a maternity hospital that seemed to come from the land, a town massacred after Russian forces left, Russians bombing themselves in a Nuclear power plant, Russians blowing up their own pipeline, Russians shelling their own people crossing into Russia, Russia blowing up their own bridge, Russia blowing up a young woman in Moscow, Russians firing missiles into Poland. Irish students are removed from university lecture halls for daring to attempt ask Zelensky a question contrary to the prevailing dictat last week. Add in the ban and block on ALL Russian media in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia - of course the attention seekers in the Irish Dail and Senate can act like imbeciles. When fiction is broadcast as fact, added onto actual Russian war crimes/actions, there is zero intelligent, logical or even human behaviour to be expected from those who rule. There are exceptions. I mention 1.
Niall was the only person named in the list who behaved like a statesman, leader, politician and human. He alone spoke sense with foresight and decency. Niall is from Blaney stock, from Northwest Ireland’s Donegal. My 1st holiday was in Bundoran in Donegal. I wore my 1st shoes in Donegal. Some of my close friends in Uni are from Donegal. Donegal has been too often neglected in Ireland and kept remote by generations of Irish government. And more, the Blaney’s have not always benefitted from independent thought.
Niall’s Uncle Neil was scapegoated for a gunrunning scandal when the Irish government, desperate to try stop Nationalists and Catholics in Northern Ireland being slaughtered and abused, organised arms shipments to the IRA. It is a situation that mirrors Donbas since 2013, but the Irish Army never invaded to protect their Northern brethren. I will say, as I keep saying in relation to Ukraine, that was right. War is never the only solution and the decision NOT to invade Northern Ireland should have been seen as a blueprint by VVP this year. Niall’s Grandad Neal was being executed for being anti-Government in 1922, but released and served many years in Irish politics. His Dad, Harry, also served in the Irish parliament/Dail. They come from the gun, yet laid it down to follow the ballot box, with the latest servant of his people calling for calm in a time of war. I lost faith in Irish elected officials and media, understanding their bias against and hatred for Russia, though Niall gave me a little hope back to believe that cool heads will prevail and the warmongers will be but out to pasture.
Without trying to be too fatalistic, the fact this rings so true makes me honestly question if we will ever be able to depend on figures in power to be completely truthful. It's sad that you had to write a piece of this nature, but encouraging that you did so at least we have a clearer picture of reality
"Quarter-wits" - I love it.
Great piece. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on yet another insane event I never saw coming.