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Sabina Higgins Letter to Irish Times calling for ceasefire on Ukraine

donaghs

Discussion on Newstalk now about this.

Overall she seems to be suggesting Ukraine should cut their losses and look to keep whatever they can at this stage.

https://www.politico.eu/article/irish-president-wife-sabina-higgins-russia-ukraine-peace-letter/amp/

“While Higgins didn’t directly endorse Moscow’s view of events, she did place equal responsibility for ending the war on the shoulders of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She also lauded a University College Cork historian’s assessment that NATO is “pouring arms into a losing battle” and that Ukraine should agree to surrender territory seized by Russia.”

Although I don’t agree with her, mainly because at this point I wouldn’t trust a deal with Putin, She’s still entitled to her opinion.

But as the President’s wife, it seems a bit out of place to be making the comments on such a hot topic. Especially given the death and destruction that Russia has brought to Ukraine. Or since she has no official state role, is she free to say whatever she wants? I think I prefer the previous precedent where Presidents husbands and wives didn’t opine on these topics.

full letter here, unless stopped by paywall: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2022/07/27/war-in-ukraine-a-moment-of-moral-choice/

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Mr. CooL ICE

Zelenky's elimination (banning) of political opposition

That old chestnut.

Zelensky did not ban opposition. He banned pro-Russian political parties. In modern-day Ukraine, that's practically like criminalising Al Qaeda membership, considering Russia is acting like a terrorist state.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417577#Comment_119417577

Ok, Ukraine aside, I agree with most of this. Not crazy about joining Nato but our current position regarding our national security / defense ("sleeping under the blanket of freedom that (Nato etc.) provides, and then questioning the manner in which it provides it") is childish.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417004#Comment_119417004

We’ve been hearing Zelensky and co.’s version of “15 days to slow the spread” for a while now so I’ll be believe the imminent Ukrainian victory when I begin to see it. I do think Ukraine can win if the west / NATO fully joins them.

The short version of my take on the war is that Ukraine has been taking the piss in the Russian-leaning areas of Ukraine for too long. “Peace” talks had become meaningless, weren’t being supported or were being actively undermined by the US and people in these areas were being terrorised. This situation got worse in the run up to the official war. Ukraine never thought Russia would invade because the US had their back. Putin saw no other way out of the humiliation and NATO-creep eastward. Time will tell who has misjudged the situation.

The flag is just an anti-“I support the latest thing” symbol. Ukraine is recognised as one of the most corrupt countries in the west (not that you'd read about this in our papers). Zelenky's elimination (banning) of political opposition and Russian culture (Tolstoy etc.) is 1930's Germany-like. I'll admit to preffering to live in Michael Martin's emerald paradise rather than in a country under Putin's rule. But to pretend that there isn't a huge dollop of "both sides" to the war is either wilfully ignorant or just indicates a childlike understanding of the world.

(I realise this had gone off topic. Just to reiterate : I don't think she should have written the letter.).

Kermit.de.frog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417701#Comment_119417701

The US is a democracy defending the interests of the democratic world. Russia is an autocracy intimidating and attacking it's neighbours.

These are not moral equivalents and thus there is no hypocrisy.

Sabina Higgins' letter exudes the malfunction of all on the "left" in Ireland - a complete detachment from reality.

You're welcome.

MFPM

Good stuff by MDH, he probably had to make the obvious statesman about the war to calm the hysterical fools screeching in the ether but good he didn't undermine the perfectly valid letter by Sabina.

Laughable listening to FF and FG opportunist politicians railing against SH when their parties have enabled and facilitated the US war machine for decades through Shannon, the stench of hypocrisy is nauseating.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417633#Comment_119417633

Their appearances will probably have handlers present with press conferences becoming rarer. There may also be fewer appearances on the Late Late Show. That "First Lady" stuff will also be downgraded. The Aras may very well become a gilded cage for them. The pressure on MDH over his wife's letter appearing on the website may become intolerable. The statement didn't include anything about the letter but RTE and some of the newspapers are still continuing to press the issue. MDH is 81 years old and Sabina Higgins is around the same age. They might just decide that enough is enough and few would blame them.

Regards...jmcc

Strumms

I’d say MDH is savvy enough to know that he holds a few aces here… neither he or the wife are of the ability to be doorstepped for comment outside the Aras… like another politician outside their home, Dáil Éireann or a restaurant….

she’s VERY prevalent on the Aras ( President of Ireland ) YouTube …..

https://www.youtube.com/user/presidentofireland/videos

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417605#Comment_119417605

Hard to know. Seeing RTE acting like journalists is a bit of a shock but it was the RTE fake tweet/Frontline fiasco that got MDH elected in 2011. He also claimed that he was going to be a one term president.

It all gets down to the approval of publication of the letter on the website and who approved it. Even then, it might not be enough. The government now has them under its thumb.

The MDH statement didn't really deflate it because it avoided mentioning the letter and was a confirmation of the government position on the war in Ukraine. It was purely damage limitation and it may not be enough. The government may not want the hassle of a presidential election and MDH might not want to resign. The way that the Dublin media has turned on him will be quite shocking as they used to scrape and grovel as if the pair was some kind of royalty. The media has also changed and the Labour party, which was a major party in 2011, was almost destroyed when it went from 37 seats in 2011 to just 7 in 2016. MDH is still identified with Labour.

The story might persist for a whle yet but whatever happens, MDH and Sabina Higgins will have to toe the government line from here on and not get involved in politics. MDH might decide that he has had enough and just resign.

Regards...jmcc

Strumms

Michael D’s statement was one of damage limitation and deflection … not what is needed. He’d have been better off just saying nothing as opposed to that weasel effort…

rte and the media at large should be probing him. If he wants himself and the wife to go about making public comments regarding Irish politics or global events let’s hold the pair of them to account.

btw… the public certainly cannot….I’ve clicked on the Aras YouTube channel… https://www.youtube.com/user/presidentofireland

every video has the ability for people to comment, disabled… very democratic isn’t it… ‘ you can look, listen, form a view but you’ll have fûck all say ‘.

also… Literally dozens and dozens of videos are of Sabina, alone giving speeches, orations, opinions or interviews…about this topic or that topic….domestic, global issues but again… god forbid in a democracy, any of us might have the right of reply or the ability to post an opinion. What qualifies her is anyones guess…an actress, not a politician….

Some pair, Jesus. Almost once he got in the second time, not two fûcks were given…

John Doe1

Message to Russia: Cease fire and take over Donetsk/Luhansk, wait for 4/5 years for everyone to forget and try again in Estonia/Latvia. Rinse and Repeat.

MrMusician18

So where does this story go from here, I guess it depends whether the media see this as one worth pursuing and if anyone in government buildings want to settle some scores with the Aras. It's hard to see a scalp but I don't think government would be adverse to putting some heat on to have him squirm a bit.

MDHs statement may have deflated this story a bit but it was unusual to see RTE pushing the Aras for comment on the publication of the letter on the president's official website.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417577#Comment_119417577

Can we afford to join ? our membership fee annually going on countries with similar populations would be about 5.1 to 5.2 billion per annum… that’s a NATO number based on what Denmark pay..

think of all the land you could buy and housing that could be built for Ukrainians with that money 😎😍… 🙄😒

xxxxxxl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417591#Comment_119417591

Oh I would be happy to live under USA uncle joe, British uncle joe, or even EU uncle joe vs any Communist uncle joe. It's a no brainer. It's odd thinking with some of the younger ones. Like them picking up a mein kampf and deciding hey you know what he was right. I have no idea what the older ones are thinking though they have no excuse. Forgot about the old checkpoint charlie threat of nuclear annihilation.

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417581#Comment_119417581

A lot of them have deluded themselves into believing the wrong side won the Cold War, and a lot of them have deluded themselves into thinking that Russia is the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Uncle Joe is apparently preferable to the Yankee Uncle Joe.

Russia has long since shed any pretence of fairness or equality - it is hyper capitalist - capitalism as red in tooth and claw as is possible, but what remains from the Soviet Union is the grotesque brutality and genocidal tendencies.

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417569#Comment_119417569

No one is surprised by right wing muppets mounting a defence of Putin, but a lot of 'the left' are making clowns of themselves as well.

They spend their political and intellectual life warning of the dangers of fascism, and when it finally arrives and clubs them over the head, they refuse to call it what it is because it's eminating from Moscow - a country that has spent it's time cultivating these idiots for decades.

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119416971#Comment_119416971

I believe Ireland should join NATO. And I believe NATO should be in Ukraine.

We're taking the piss as regards our national security. We've decided to outsource it to the Brits should anything ever happen. We blithely assume it won't because we're a rock in the Atlantic next to Britain, and part of our island is in the UK.

We take our geographical privilege very seriously.

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119416349#Comment_119416349

What does not make sense to me is this. If you consider yourself to be on the "left" politically, by default you should be fervently against imperial oppression and pro the right to fight back against it.

I consider myself firmly on the left politically and this seems axiomatic to me.

Yet there is a strain of highly vocal ideology which claims to be on the "left" which is now egging on imperial oppression, merely because it is not coming from the US or a western European country, and the victim is a country which seeks to ally with the free world.

This segment of the "left" have run wholesale with the shameless lies of Putin. This is utterly batshit crazy. It is a repudiation, a two fingers gesture, to everything the left should stand for. It is morally bankrupt, depraved, decadent, dripping with western privilege. It is brain dead. In this country, Mick Wallace, Clare Daly, Paul Murphy, Catherine Connolly etc., and now Sabina Higgins epitomise this. Large sections of the vocal pro-Corbyn online presence epitomise it in Britain. Some of the self styled "progressive" movement in the US are running with it too. I have serious questions in particular about Cori Bush, a high profile congresswoman, part of the group known as "The Squad", especially after what I've been reading today about her links to a thing called the African People's Socialist Party, which is now under FBI investigation as being a Russian influence operation.

The real left in the European countries which are near to Russia and thus threatened by Russia are telling this section of the self styled western "left" in no uncertain terms that they are dead wrong. And this section of the western left refuses to listen. They apparently know better than people with real skin in the game. A very imperialist attitude, one might say.

The only way this makes sense is if this section of the "left" either understands the world entirely through dumb slogans and does not truly believe in anything, ie. that's it's just cosplaying at politics, or if some influential opinion formers within this segment of the "left" of it really are bought off by Russia. Unfortunately I think both of these things are playing out.

We all know that the far right internationally most obviously Trump and his whole mass cult and much of right wing America are allies of Russia. But it seems to me Vladislav Surkov's tactics of choreographing the entirety of Russian political life extends across the spectrum of politics internationally as well. It has to. It would make no sense if it didn't, and the evidence of our eyes and ears is telling us that it is happening.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417313#Comment_119417313

RTE also has some younger journalists who want to make their name. They might be different to the usual press release recyclers. Having MDH remaining silent might be quite funny for the government. He's the type who has an opinion on everything. The two of them will be locked down to make sure that they don't go off-script again. The statement was issued via a spox rather than risk having MDH address the media in a press conference. It would appear that the government has had a chat with them about the limits of the presidency.

Regards...jmcc

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119416932#Comment_119416932

MDH will survive no problem. RTE are as menacing as a dead sheep. The Irish Times, remember, started this and are ducking their role in it too. Mr. H just has to wing it in silence, Zappone style until himself and herself get the next day out - probably Electric Picnic, though Rose of Tralee or Ploughing Championships can be pencilled in by the handlers. Jeez, can you imagine if Nick Robinson or Donal Mac published a letter on the missus's blog calling for a ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israelis to copper fasten the existing borders?

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119416971#Comment_119416971

What's your Russian flag about if not keyboard warrioring?

Have the courage of your convictions and let the thread see your actual stance on Russian's invasion.

I'll operate off the presumption that you believe it's excusable and justifiable in your mind. Here's what I'd say to you. Prepare yourself for hard hard times for Russia. Much harder than a chilly winter in the West.

Ireland supplying arms won't make a material difference (although I personally believe it should be done if we have anything useful to give), and doesn't make a blind bit of difference to those advocating a through defeat for Russia.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119415647#Comment_119415647

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119415984#Comment_119415984

I don’t have a problem with nations that are supporting Ukraine in the war either with personnel or arms. But if you’re willing to do neither of those things - and neither of you are advocating for Ireland to do so - then you should be advocating for a negotiated settlement. Anything else is just keyboard warrioring.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119416859#Comment_119416859

Could Fintan be an honourary SoCoDu woman for a day? :) Seriously though, RTE seem to have got its teeth in to the issue now and wants an answer on why the letter appeared on the president.ie website. That sudden interest in Journalism, especially when it concerns MDH, is unusual. The goverment spent a lot of time downplaying this and even the statement omits references to the letter. Does RTE expect the Aras or MDH to comment on who approved the publication of the letter on the website? Has "All The President's Men" been on the RTE schedule again?

Regards...jmcc

[Deleted User]

Who from the Irish Times will rescue Sabina from Dublin 8 tomorrow? Will it be Kathy Sheridan or Ann Harris? Could Fintan dare?

The letters page has been silenced. Better have another privileged white woman from South County Dublin raise the trans issue to get us into the middle of August, so.

[Deleted User]

I was really disgusted that the letter was published on the Aras’ site.

The sentiments are grotesque. She didn’t put the blame on Russia, it was between Putin and Zelensky, if you didn’t know better you might think Ukraine had started the war.

This is after countless war crimes, years after the annexation of Crimea, years of war in the East.

Of course the Russian ambassador loved it.

For all that, she does have the right to voice her disgusting views, but it should never have been on the Aras website.

littlevillage

Spokesperson for Micky D published a letter today reiterating his support for Ukraine. No mention of his idiot wife's ill judged letter. We'll never hear anything from her again methinks 🤭