Is Irelands neutrality stance in WW2 unfairly criticized? (see Mod note 217)

There did seem to be one poster on the thread who took it seriously. He was a highly opportunistic politician who went from the Gallipoli disaster to becoming the PM. He also changed political parties. De Valera's long experience of dealing with him worked out well for Ireland. Churchill was also well known to FDR. That gave both of them an edge when dealing with him.

There was also a historical precedent for de Valera not engaging in direct talks with Churchill on the issue: the Treaty Negotiations. The situation for the UK was not good in 1940 and without Lend-Lease and the US eventually entering the war in 1941, there was political support for an armistice. Halifax was in favour of an armistice He approached the Italians on the issue with the aim being to preserve as much of the British empire as possible. It did not turn out like that and Churchill's position was against the armistice.

It was the shock of how the Germans managed to remove the BEF from mainland Europe that might have been a reason for some of those ideas.

If the French had "done better" ( put up a better fight / been better organized ) in WW2 and neutral countries united against Hitler (instead of being neutral for their own selfish reasons), it could have been a much shorter war.

Fast forward some decades and we see how the world responded to Iraq’s August 1990 invasion of Kuwait with unprecedented worldwide condemnation, severe economic sanctions, and the assembly of a military coalition from 35 responsible, civic minded nations. Being neutral in ww2 in the face of the Holocaust and aggressive fascism was a selfish abdication of moral responsibility.

He was not classified as an alcoholic and his high work rate was complimented on by others. His bust is in the white house and the u.s. navy named a ship after him; exceptionally unusual for it to name a ship after a foreign politician.

At a time when average life expectancy in these islands was about 60 ( in 1941, the average life expectancy at birth in Ireland was approximately 59 years- in the UK it was not much better ) , Churchill lived to the ripe old age of 90. Maybe a few drinks does you good after all.

Maybe if Dev had not been such an outlier ( non smoking, strict teetotaler), and if he had been surrounded by people who could make an informed decision ( they were not even allowed know about the Holocaust or liberated Nazi death camps), he may not have been the only P.M. in the world to offer condolences on the death of Hitler?

Even Irish-America was appalled by Dev, and it was Dev's closest friend in the world after Hempel.

The below isn't given enough emphasis really.

Yet, in the face of all this criticism regarding their neutrality, for Ireland, it was
the most logical position to take throughout the Second World War.

Politically, neutrality was supported by the majority of the nation—a policy that united factions from both sides
of the Irish Civil War, which was fought less than two decades before World War II.

The Irish could not and would not ally with Great Britain. The Irish saw the British as
century-old enemies from whom they only gained independence in 1922. When looking
back upon British rule, they saw the British as callous oppressors.

From the potato famine along with inequalities such as the Penal laws of the 18th century to the ruthlessness of
the Black and Tans during the War of Independence, the Irish saw a consistent struggle
against the unjust British rule.

If they allied with the United Kingdom, it would only
create discontent within Irish society, whose historical memory of British aggression
would rebel against supporting a British war effort.

*bolding mine

As well as having to be mindful of a German or British Invasion, Dev and his government would have been very aware of fermenting revolution/destabilisation here as well. We really were only a wet week away from Civil War and experience of occupation. A fragile democracy in need of asserting sovereignty.

Neither Friend nor Foe? Irish Neutrality in the Second World War | Contemporary European History | Cambridge Core

All Nazi diplomats were wanted for questioning by the Allies after WW2.

In 1949. Dev sheltered him in Ireland for 4 years between the end of the war and that. By 1949 the 2nd world war was old news, water under the Bridge and the focus was on rebuilding housing and infrastructure destroyed in the war, countering the Cold war threat etc.

Hempel the Nazi part member was also no doubt aware, during the war, what was happening to millions of Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, communists etc in the extermination camps; what had he and his friend Dev to say about that? 

Zilch. Nothing. Says it all.

Is that spoofer still going on about Hempel?

You're on ignore!

Hempel was still a Nazi party member and a diplomat. Not all diplomats during the war were Nazi Party members but Hempel was.

As noted already, during World War II, Nazi diplomats - old school, new school and any school - stationed in officially neutral countries that Germany subsequently invaded (such as Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) did transition from traditional diplomatic representatives into instruments of occupation, political subversion, and logistical control. People in those countries were selected and sent to Slave labour and extermination camps. Hempel ewould have known that. That was their job, same as he had a job working for Hitler during the war, and he had a private meeting with Hitler.