Michael D Higgins insists he is President of Ireland, refuses to commemorate partition

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991114#Comment_117991114

It doesn't matter what weasel words some want to put on it. No Irish person would want to go to such a thing that "celebrates", "commemorates", "marks", "remembers"...whatever you having yourself...an event that signifies such a devastating catastrophe for our nation. An event that saw division and strife foisted upon the country long after the former occupiers "left".

Higgins was entirely correct to decline the invite on those grounds and the very fact that loyalists and their fanbois on here have the knickers in a twist over it and are desperately trying to make so capital on it shows exactly why.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117990670#Comment_117990670

he is representing the majority by not attending a service to comemmorate an abomination that created one of europe's most sectarian apartheid states, a state created via blackmail via the threat of violence upon the irish people.

the partition of our country and occupation of northern ireland must never be celebrated and the government going against the will of the people is sectarian behaviour and must be punished by voting them out of government at the next election.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991130#Comment_117991130

I think that Irish history is very complex and very long, and the situation in the North isn't easy at all and emotions run high easily.

EU membership and the Good Friday agreement has eased the situation, sadly the UK decided to leave.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991139#Comment_117991139

Irish history may be "complex" (as is all history), but there's nothing complex about this situation. The partition of this country was a flat out disaster that no Irish person would want anything to do with.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991091#Comment_117991091

yes, the agreement to their removal was why i had to reluctantly vote against the GFA.

ireland is and always will be a 32 county republic no matter what.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991141#Comment_117991141

Partitions can be historically less complex, than the partition of Ireland.

For instance, take a look at Berlin in Germany. The city was partitioned and the border was way tighter controlled than the one in Ireland. Anybody tried to cross was shot.

In Berlin it wasn't about nationality or religion, but about a political system, about communism, which wasn't even very long in power in Russia. History of Berlin and of Germany is way way older than communism and the German partition. Would communism in Russia collapse the partition of Germany would go away.

In Ireland the history of the partition which we have today goes back way way longer, thus it's way more difficult to resolve. And unlike the German partition, it doesn't matter who in the other country, in this case the UK, is in office on whether Ireland remains partitioned or not.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991155#Comment_117991155

The division of Germany has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991161#Comment_117991161

I know. I was just explaining. In Ireland you'd have to go back to the plantation and that's way way longer than the occupation of Germany by Sovjet troops.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991165#Comment_117991165

Trust me. You don't need to try and explain anything about the division of Germany to me and I'll happily bore the crap out of you about the Second World War and its aftermath.

But as far as this topic is concerned it has nothing whatsoever to do with it, so it'll end up being a pointless rabbit hole.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991171#Comment_117991171

History of this kind is only interesting, if one doesn't have to live through it. It's when the past catches up with the present, when it's not that nice.

Before Brexit, I didn't even notice the border anymore. Apart from different road signs, different letter boxes and different phone boxes. Now there are those "No Hard Border" signs and concerns flare up again. Economically there is too much going on between them. And now Brexit is supposed to part things which are supposed to be together.

Tony EH

Again, I fail to see what this has to do within the context of the discussion at hand. It's not as if Brexit has anything to do with Higgins, or hard borders or any of that. He's simply declined and invitation to mark the partitioning of the country, which he's entirely correct to do. It's not something that any Irish person should be party to.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117988922#Comment_117988922

... and that is exactly why a United Ireland is further away than previously.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991013#Comment_117991013

The island was and is already divided. Partition was the result of that, not the cause...

People really need to read a history book.

downcow

This is really quite humorous. The president of Ireland, who many like to think is the president of the whole island which he clearly is not, decided not to attend an event in his neighbouring country as it was marking partition.

instead the roi government sent their “Minister for Foreign Affairs”. Foreign affairs 😂. To emphasis that ni is a foreign country.

class stuff

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/coveney-and-chambers-to-attend-ni-centenary-event-in-armagh-1.4694398

Speedline

There we have it folks. This is why our president refused to go. As soon as our government suggest sending someone, straight away you have unionists like the above laughing and mocking them. It was always going to happen.

Dempo1

Very Odd decision by FFG to send Two government ministers to this event. Without getting into the politics of it all, it seems very strange given the president's decision (by all accounts in a recent Poll, a decision supported by a substantial majority) .

Fair enough a minister from the Department of Foreign Affairs attending albeit still odd as we're led to believe its NOT a political event, but FF sending a Junior minister as well is just bizzare, indeed reporting this morning suggests FF fell over themselves not to ruffle feathers by choosing a Junior Minister rather than someone more senior. The mere fact FF concerned internally about ruffling feathers begs the question, why send anyone at aĺl, its just bizzare.

It would seem to me, notwithstanding the slight on the president, no political representation is actually required, government seems to have created a controversy when NO would have sufficed or send a civil servant, Aide De camp etc if they are concerned about offending anyone.

In reality regardless of who goes or if none goes, Unionists will be offended regardless and personally I couldn't give a Shyte if there offended.

Fann Linn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991340#Comment_117991340

The only ones being mocked by going are FF and FG. I wouldn't lose sleep over this.

pjohnson

FG wanted to commemorate the Black and Tans and Bruton has waffled about rejoining the commonwealth.

FG being a laughing stock is nothing new.

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991373#Comment_117991373

We Irish people are the laughing stock of the world...

Our elected Government (the three parties) undermine our elected President... SF are keeping very quiet on this... a silent "boycott"

Its a failed event anyway after Michael D pulled out...

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991155#Comment_117991155

The one is the NI is about power. Everything is a smokescreen for that.

The parition was about balance power, and continues to be up to this day. You don't need to refer to anything further back to know that.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991373#Comment_117991373

Is there anything to be said have a day for the Blueshirts though...

FrancieBrady

The only time it would be appropriate to attend something like this is when it is also attended by a contrite and apologetic monarch and Unionist fraternity to pray for all those who suffered and lost as a result of an all island tragedy.

FG walking Irish people into the jaws of belligerent Unionist and partitionist triumphalism again (see above for examples of it already). Quelle suprise.

rock22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991650#Comment_117991650

Maybe that will be our new public holiday as promised by FG/Varadkar.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991130#Comment_117991130

Some people seem to have forgotten that when we voted for the GFA, we voted to accept partition, we removed our claim on the North, and the issue of partition is now completely out of our hands.

The official position of this State, as voted in a referendum, is to accept the partition of this island. Commemorating it is a natural next step.

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117992502#Comment_117992502

I think you may be one of the people who said a few weeks ago that it was not a Commeration...

It was a bad idea from the beginning and its worse.... our politicians going against our President... still all the TDs seem to think its ok as i have not heard a single voice against this decision today...

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117992545#Comment_117992545

Of course they think it's ok, it's a religious ceremony of reconciliation. Anyone who has a problem with that, has a problem.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117992502#Comment_117992502

No we did not vote to 'accept' partition in the GFA. In fact we aspire to end it constitutionally.

What we voted for was to accept the wish of the majority. To put that another way, you can quite legitimately be against abortion but still accept the majority wish to have abortions available.

Try again blanch

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117992577#Comment_117992577

We dropped our constitutional claim on the North, that is an acceptance of partition. We replaced it with an aspiration.

That is equivalent to someone dropping a strong court case for compensation and buying a lottery ticket instead.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117992582#Comment_117992582

We also dropped our blocking of abortion. However we did not disallow people to object to abortion.

It is quite legitimate to oppose and reject partition. It is also possible to embrace partition and to seek it's continuation, which you do all the time.

Try again blanch...nobody voted to 'accept' partition, we voted to accept the majority decision in the north.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991137#Comment_117991137

Who says he's representing a majority?? You or some online poll of a few hundred self selecting randomers?

I've certainly not been consulted as to whether I agree with his unfortunate stance and nor do I know of or have heard of any other citizen who has been consulted. Have you been consulted by the state/ president?