Why do Irish republicans hate Kevin Myers?

MakeEmLaugh

Kevin Myers, the columnist for the Irish Independent, is loathed among many Irish republicans. Many dub him a 'West Brit' and 'loyalist sympathiser', yet this flies in the face of much of what he has written. Take the following examples:

"There is a congenial, indeed government-backed myth, in both Scotland and in Ireland, that "one side is bad as another": that Sinn Fein-IRA are pretty much the same as the UDA/UVF. This is simply untrue. There is no republican equivalent to the Romper Rooms of the UDA, wherein men were routinely beaten to a pulp by loyalist thugs, and from which both the term and the practice became celebrated. And then there was Lenny Murphy and his merry gang, the Shankill Butchers, who for years in the mid-1970s abducted, tortured and murdered Catholics -- usually by cutting their victims' throats.

This culture did not emerge simply as a response to IRA violence. It was there already."

Irish Independent, June 23, 2011

"With the UVF arms importation at Larne, violence became a formal policy for the Ulster Unionist Council. And that was high treason, done in collaboration with senior figures in the British army and the Conservative Party."

Irish Independent, October 26, 2007

"Northern Ireland was a gerrymandered Orange state, in which Catholics were certainly discriminated against."

Irish Independent, October 04, 2011

"I profoundly believe that the English are wholly unsuited to govern Ireland"

Irish Independent, April 06, 2012

These do not sound to me like the opinions of a 'West Brit' or 'loyalist sympathiser'.

Luca Brasi

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Kevin Myers, the columnist for the Irish Independent, is loathed among many Irish republicans. Many dub him a 'West Brit' and 'loyalist sympathiser', yet this flies in the face of much of what he has written. Take the following examples:









These do not sound to me like the opinions of a 'West Brit' or 'loyalist sympathiser'.

Because under their skin the people who like to call themselves Republicans are sectarian fascists who will spout about rights and democracy but will not tolerate any opinion but their own.

ballsymchugh

well, he is a member of a group that wants ireland to rejoin the commonwealth

http://www.reform.org/site/

Reekwind

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

These do not sound to me like the opinions of a 'West Brit' or 'loyalist sympathiser'.

I dare say that I could cull enough out-of-context quotes from the memoirs of, say, Churchill to make him appear a raving Communist

You only need read a few of Myers' full articles to realise that the man is an out and out reactionary; see his attitude towards the Easter Rising for example (samples here and here). These aren't reasoned historical arguments but an ideologically driven insistence that any form of action against the British authorities of the time was illegal and therefore reprehensible

This sort of legalism should be pretty insufferable to most people but it particularly grates with republicanism; the latter being a political ideal that, whether in its Irish or Continental guise, insists that political authority is derived from popular acclamation and not constitutional nicities

MakeEmLaugh

ballsymchugh wrote: »

well, he is a member of a group that wants ireland to rejoin the commonwealth

http://www.reform.org/site/

No he is not. Please don't spread erroneous information.

GRMA

Kevin Myers is essentially a troll, that's why I don't like him.

Gee Bag

Kevin Myers used to be a great journalist, but the years have turned him into a complete reactionary gobshyte. Its a bit unfair singling out just the republicans for despising him, they are just one section of a very, very large group. On a lighter note his book Watching the Door about his time as a journalist in Norn Iron is well worth reading.

By the way OP, I think this topic has zero relevance to the history and heritage forum. Politics forum maybe?

BlatentCheek

He seems to despiese Irish nationalism and expressions of Irish culture, particularly the Irish language, that's why republicans may not like him.

TBH his decline as a journalist was well under way by the time I started reading him, I had to read a book of his best bits from the Irishmans diary in the 90's to appreciate that he was ever anything more than a troll.

MakeEmLaugh

BlatentCheek wrote: »

He seems to despiese Irish nationalism and expressions of Irish culture, particularly the Irish language, that's why republicans may not like him.

I beg to differ.

"I would love to speak in Irish, to read Irish, to denounce anglophone language-detractors in Irish; but like whose want to become rich only through winning the lotto, I don't want to work at it... The truth is that as a vernacular language Irish is dead. Such pronouncements are normally regarded as a wish that it be so. This is unjust... I wish Irish well. But it is doomed."

Irish Times, March 1995

GRMA

Why is this in the history forum?

BlatentCheek

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

I beg to differ.

In that quote he describes Irish as a dead language, although tens of thousands of people speak it every day. Given the content of the quote I'd imagine it was part of an article in which he attacks state supports for the language

Ipso

I don't know why, he's the finest mind of the Victorian era.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Kevin Myers just spouts controversial opinions to sell papers. I'd be amazed if he believed half of the nonsense he comes out with.

kabakuyu

Poor Kevin is well past his sell by date,he now just writes to elicit a reaction, the British media have Jeremy Clarkson,we have Myers.

Thomas_I

GRMA wrote: »

Kevin Myers is essentially a troll, that's why I don't like him.

Maybe he´s not:

http://www.reform.org/site/2012/08/07/kevin-myers-on-why-fianna-fail-should-not-celebrate-1916/

the link leads you to an article in the Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/kevin-myers-ff-celebratory-plans-for-the-easter-rising-a-load-of-claptrap-2624359.html

What tells about Countess Markievicz is proved by this documentary from RTÉ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkqmVx5YZgA

Go to the time counter at 31:36 and you can see and hear the actress repeating Markievicz´s own words. This documentary is based on the British files of the trials against the caught perpetrators of the Easter Rising 1916.

Maybe this could be a reason for why this thread is placed on the History boards.

An Coilean

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

I beg to differ.

"I would love to speak in Irish, to read Irish, to denounce anglophone language-detractors in Irish; but like whose want to become rich only through winning the lotto, I don't want to work at it... The truth is that as a vernacular language Irish is dead. Such pronouncements are normally regarded as a wish that it be so. This is unjust... I wish Irish well. But it is doomed."

Irish Times, March 1995

Kevin Myers is an Anglophone language detractor. Back in 95 he may have held different views, but he has written many articles in the interveening years where he has denounced efforts to promote the language as immoral and has also described people who think that Irish is a living language as having a 'psychiatric disorder'.

kabakuyu

Thomas_I wrote: »

Maybe he´s not:

http://www.reform.org/site/2012/08/07/kevin-myers-on-why-fianna-fail-should-not-celebrate-1916/

the link leads you to an article in the Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/kevin-myers-ff-celebratory-plans-for-the-easter-rising-a-load-of-claptrap-2624359.html

What tells about Countess Markievicz is proved by this documentary from RTÉ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkqmVx5YZgA

Go to the time counter at 31:36 and you can see and hear the actress repeating Markievicz´s own words. This documentary is based on the British files of the trials against the caught perpetrators of the Easter Rising 1916.

Maybe this could be a reason for why this thread is placed on the History boards.

Oh sorry, he's a neo unionist revisionist troll.

Gustavo Fring

Luca Brasi wrote: »

Because under their skin the people who like to call themselves Republicans are sectarian fascists who will spout about rights and democracy but will not tolerate any opinion but their own.

Well backed up. Quite obvious which side of the fence you fell over

The Idyl Race

ballsymchugh wrote: »

well, he is a member of a group that wants ireland to rejoin the commonwealth

http://www.reform.org/site

Is he? I didn't know that, but even if he was, that isn't a crime.

MakeEmLaugh

ballsymchugh wrote: »

well, he is a member of a group that wants ireland to rejoin the commonwealth

http://www.reform.org/site/

The Idyl Race wrote: »

Is he? I didn't know that, but even if he was, that isn't a crime.

Indeed, it would not be a crime, but the fact is Kevin Myers is not a member of Reform.

freddiek

for a host of reasons. Myers writings for the last couple of decades have been what nats/republicans would term "anti-national"

and for his continual slating of the actions of the men and women of 1916 where the Republic was declared

he is far from unique in our media with this stance

The Idyl Race

freddiek wrote: »

for a host of reasons. Myers writings for the last couple of decades have been what nats/republicans would term "anti-national"

and for his continual slating of the actions of the men and women of 1916 where the Republic was declared

he is far from unique in our media with this stance

So the Republic is so brittle that anyone who ever writes anything contrary to the mindset of self appointed defenders of it will cause it to collapse?

That would be fúcking laughable, if it wasn't so self-evidently stupid. Unless of course such folks want to control what is said in newspapers or on radio and television.

kabakuyu

freddiek wrote: »

for a host of reasons. Myers writings for the last couple of decades have been what nats/republicans would term "anti-national"

and for his continual slating of the actions of the men and women of 1916 where the Republic was declared

he is far from unique in our media with this stance

He has also criticised the actions of the IRA in the War of Independence while excusing the excesses of the security forces(this upsets not just republicans but those with an impartial interest in history),but these actions should be overlooked as he is not an historian but rather a journalist who regurgitates spurious opinions that are fed to him from questionable sources.Over the past few years Myers has been negative towards just about everybody on this island with the possible exception of the Unionists in NI( if there is a negative piece by him about Unionism I would love to see it)
All in all I feel a bit sorry for Kevin, another year has gone and I see he still has not made it onto the Queens Honours list, years of bile and bs from him still have not got the coveted recognition he feels he deserves, maybe his view/opinions are unpalatable to most people in Ireland and the UK.

Reekwind

The Idyl Race wrote: »

So the Republic is so brittle that anyone who ever writes anything contrary to the mindset of self appointed defenders of it will cause it to collapse?

A logical leap worthy of a Myers polemic

MakeEmLaugh

kabakuyu wrote: »

Over the past few years Myers has been negative towards just about everybody on this island with the possible exception of the Unionists in NI( if there is a negative piece by him about Unionism I would love to see it)

Erm... did you even bother to read the original post? Obviously not.

"There is a congenial, indeed government-backed myth, in both Scotland and in Ireland, that "one side is bad as another": that Sinn Fein-IRA are pretty much the same as the UDA/UVF. This is simply untrue. There is no republican equivalent to the Romper Rooms of the UDA, wherein men were routinely beaten to a pulp by loyalist thugs, and from which both the term and the practice became celebrated. And then there was Lenny Murphy and his merry gang, the Shankill Butchers, who for years in the mid-1970s abducted, tortured and murdered Catholics -- usually by cutting their victims' throats.

This culture did not emerge simply as a response to IRA violence. It was there already."

Irish Independent, June 23, 2011

"With the UVF arms importation at Larne, violence became a formal policy for the Ulster Unionist Council. And that was high treason, done in collaboration with senior figures in the British army and the Conservative Party."

Irish Independent, October 26, 2007

"Northern Ireland was a gerrymandered Orange state, in which Catholics were certainly discriminated against."

Irish Independent, October 04, 2011

kabakuyu

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Erm... did you even bother to read the original post? Obviously not.

I read it alright and thank you for clarifying that Unionist terror groups are considered by some as part of Unionism.
But I should have been more clear, I meant "Unionist Political parties and Unionist ideology" not unionist terrorism or anti catholic organisations like the Orange order, Myers has been consistent in condemning all terrorism and sectarianism emanating from both sides and has had a pop at just about all the political parties and ideologies in Ireland and the UK.Has he ever criticised mainstream Unionist parties?