Man 1: What do you think of old Ruth?
Man 2: Old Ruth who?
Man 2: There’s only one old Ruth – Dudley Edwards.
Man 1: That’s got the makings of a chant in it: ‘There’s only one Ruth Dudley Edwards, one Ruth Dudley Eeeeedwards…’
Man 2: Yes but why do you call her ‘old Ruth’?
Man 1: Because she is. Well into her 70s.
Man 2: That’s a bit ageist. What’s age got to do with it?
Man 1: Or love.
Man 2: Eh?
Man 1: Little popular culture reference there. But I mention ageism because Old Ruth is banging on about it in her column in the Sindo today.
Man 2: She’s accusing herself of being old?
Man 1: No, more about how Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are old – even though they’re nearly ten years younger than her. Although to be fair, she does include herself in the same oldie category..
Man 2: She’s old and she’s whacking them for being old?
Man 1: I know. But that’s a mere detail. Old Ruth warns them that she’ll be around and working for some time to come.
Man2: Bet that’s cheered them up, in the mouth of their Ard Fheis next weekend.
Man 1: She says McGuinness is acting all statesman-like because he’s going to have a second go at being Irish President and Gerry Adams is acting all young to get in with the younger set.
Man 2: How does she know?
Man 1: She says a tweet a while back showed two school-boys standing in a shop with Gerry, and one of the kids had the comment ‘Great to meet you, thanks for asking to get in a photo with us!’
Man 2: Could the kid have been doing a bit of the irony thing?
Man 1: Probably. But Ruth doesn’t do irony.
Man 2: Does she say anything else of significance in her Sindo column?
Man 1: She ends by saying if Greece’s Syriza government gets more concessions from the EU, Gerry and Martin will be around for a long time.
Man 2: You baffle me. Is she agin ageism or not?
Man 1: She says if it was anybody else but Martin and Gerry, she’d be glad to see them ‘raising the banner against ageism’.
Man 2: And then she gives out about Gerry and Martin being top men in Sinn Féin?
Man 1: Right.
Man 2: Could it be that she just hates the Shinners?
Man 1: You could be on to something there. They say blind hatred is a great recipe for long life.
Man 2: Mmm. Did Ruth say that?
Man 1: No.
Man 2: Then it may well be true…Here’s my bus.
Man 1: You got a bus pass?
Man 2: Of course.
Man 1: Me too. Slan go foill
Man 2: Eh?
Man 1: Leprechaun for ‘ Bye for now’. Very old language, Leprechaun.
Man 2: Slan, so.
It amuses me how SF haters always go on about SF having to ditch Adams if they are to prosper.Surely if Adams is such a liability in would be in the interest of Ruth and her ilk that he stay on til he’s a hundred.
At least Joe Brolly is now writing for the Sindo and that has to be a plus!
Don’t think so Argenta. Joe will just be dragged down to the level of the others.
He will have the choice of a nice salary and criticising Sinn Fein every week, or being true to himself and without the 30 pieces of silver.
Because, lets face it, there may have been a stage, before we ever heard of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, when Old Ruthless had a smidgin of decency in her.
Sherdy
Given Joes origins, he’s unlikely to be criticising Sinn Fein.I anticipate that he’ll stick to his twin obsessions G A A and organ donation.
So are you saying we inherit our politics from our das? Mmmm.
No I’m not ,Jude.On the evidence of his weekly columns in Gaelic Life,he confines himself (thus far) to the two topics I have mentioned.Given that Joe is a barrister, I wouldn’t presume to speculate on his political leanings(if any).
I think I agree with you, Argenta. Damn.
That being the case your children should still have some hope! : )
The derrière may not be appreciated by the chattering classes as the wind of change creates havoc with fig leaves in Dublin’s fair city. Old certainties are going for a burton, however, there will be no love lost with Labour’s loss. It will take more than a nip in the heir to deal with fallout in the wake of an election. Cosy cartels prefer compliant coalitions playing musical chairs as the family silver is bought at a knock down price by some high flyer.
Politics used to be about policies not the age of the politicians. Journalism is being reduced to a mélange of personal anecdotes indicative of sterile thinking and a paucity of ideas. Some people enjoy tripe. Some journalists write tripe. Without the tripe, there would be many blank columns. What might Leopold Bloom pass by way of comment?
Jude, you say that Ruth Dudley Edwards is `well into her 70s’ and Gerry Adams is `nearly ten years younger than her’. Ruth is actually 70 and Gerry is 66. If you are going to make a point about age, do you not have a responsibility make the briefest of factual checks ?
Kevin.
Nah, Kevin – I’m too lazy for that kind of high-falutin’ talk. I made the mistake of thinking that since Ruthie was in my History class in UCD, she was probably about my age. Seems she was something of a child prodigy, then. Odd that she got the same mediocre history degree as me – esp as her da was the History Prof and mine was a cattle-dealer.
She makes a perfectly valid point. Adams and McGuinness and the rest of the old guard really ought to leave the stage, if not for Sinn Fein’s benefit then for the prospect of a United Ireland.
There is a huge swathe of potential voters out there, including many younger people,.
I think they are unlikely to be attracted to old men with blood on their hands.
Yes they helped broker the peace, but they also waged the war.
We don’t need them anymore.
Do you object to their oldness, gio, or to the fact that they were to blame for all the bloodshed during the Troubles?
Jude
Where did I say they were to blame for all the bloodshed? I said they had blood on their hands. I doubt if anyone, even they, would deny that.
And, to save time, yes the same goes for the leaders of Unionism.
Is it possible there is some connection between the unchanging faces in our main parties and the ever decreasing percentage of people exercising their vote?
If the same applied all round, why mention the Shinners only, then? I personally think that the Shinners have very progressive policies – too progressive for me sometimes. I’d have thought that’d attract young people who want to reconcile with people from a different tradition. You’re right that voting levels have dropped – but that’s a problem that exists beyond our shores – and I don’t think they have Shinners in those countries.
Jude
I mention SF because that was the topic you posted. Pardon me!
I take it you accept I did not blame them for “all the bloodshed of the troubles”?
I agree some of their policies are progressive and attractive to younger people.
I just think it is time to get rid of those on both sides, who dragged us through 30 years of hell’
“Thanks for bringing it to an end lads, now off you go”.
Unfortunately for you Gio, Sinn Fein are not going to take a lecture from you or Ruth! Have you made any notable sacrifices to improve the lot of you fellow country men and women. They have a pedigree which is respected by a considerable swath of the population here including young people.
Can either you or Ruth make a similar claim?
What notable sacrifices have SF ever made (not killing people anymore isnt a sacrifice either)
Dont worry we saw the real SF in Northern Ireland we will fight Tory cuts on the beaches hamlets villages towns and cities until we capitulate so much for their concern for the poor huddled masses I suspect many people in the south will be intrigued by this sudden u turn on a much principled belief.Still we should be happy i guess they are beginning to behave like any other normal party
What notable sacrifice have you made then Pontis?
I think Neill that even the uninitiated would accept that their paid representatives sacrifice a considerable proportion of their salaries to help support the work of their party.
Socialist organisations tend to sacrifice more for those they represent than those on the right wing of politics who tend to believe that everything should be paid for in a free market.
I am not a member of Sinn Fein so have not given up freely of my time to represent the interests of the general public like they do and in any case would not want to bore you with an insight into my current or past altruistic pasttimes.
Pointis
What lecture? I’m just expressing my opinion, many people including you do frequently about Unionism for example.
As neill points out their sacrifice was the sacrifice of the lives of others all too often.
Irish men women and children unwilling sacrifices for a futile cause, so spare me the ‘dulce et decorum est’ regarding Adams and McGuinness.
Gio,
You express an opinion which would be absurd to Sinn Fein! Neither you nor dear Ruth are potential Sinn Fein voters. I suspect you have made no significant contribution to Sinn Fein and the idea that people who have sacrificed years of their lives to progress a political ideology would consider the views of their political opponents when making decisions on the internal mechanisms of their own party beggars belief!
i can certainly understand your frustrations at the increasing success of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness but the fact is people voting for them see that they have made huge personal sacrifices for the cause they believe in. Detractors like Ruth D-E and others would not on the face of it seem prone to similar selfless acts and are thus much less endearing to the populace.
I know this will not be poetry to your ears Gio but you just have to accept reality and move on!
Pointis
Why do you express opinions about Unionism? Why do people on this site seem so keen to criticise unionism or the Royal family, but I cannot give an opinion on Sinn Fein?
As it happens I have voted SF in the past, in an effort to keep the DUP out. A pragmatic choice, not an endorsement of their history.
Looking forward, SF are the most progressive of the main parties (though that is not saying much) and they have many policies I agree with.
It is looking back where they have a problem, in my view, and their death worship is cultish and negative. As typified by your referring to selfless acts and ignoring my point about the sacrifice of the lives of others.
Any comment on those sacrifices?
Don’t you think there are potential voters out there, who are put off by the connection to the bloody past? Be honest and answer that question.
Here’s another question, re ‘death worship’ that’s cultish and negative: what’s your view on Remembrance Sunday ceremonies?
Jude
Whatabout, whatabout, whatabout. Themuns do this, themuns do that.
Does no-one here ever aspire to do the right thing and put their own house in order regardless of the other lot? Rhetorical question, we all know the answer.
For what it is worth I don’t like any ‘celebration’ of violence whether it is the 2 world wars, the loyalist murals, the republican veneration and mawkish wallowing we are due for in the run up to 1916, or whatever.
Find some non violent role models for God’s sake!
Gio, there was no reply tab beside your comment so I don’t know where in the thread this comment will be left. Hope it finds you.
“As typified by your referring to selfless acts and ignoring my point about the sacrifice of the lives of others. Any comment on those sacrifices?”
Was it not Neill who made the point about sacrificing the lives of others?
That is Neill’s opinion and I don’t think many people here are going to change his mind on that!
In regards to your point as to Adams and McGuinness putting young voters off because of their previous involvement in the Republican movement, well I think it would be fair to say that Sinn Fein target Nationalist / Republican voters and evidence from voting transfers would suggest they get very few from the unionist constituency. Do I think young Nationalist / Republican voters would be deterred solely by the Adams / McGuinness leadership then I would have to say No! Young voter apathy is universal across all parties and you can’t blame Adams and McGuinness on that.
Sinn Fein are unlikely to alter what is currently proving to be a winning formula!
Sense at last! There is a petition doing the rounds calling for the 1916 Commemorations to be called off given the fact that the insurgents had so much “blood on their hands”. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing for Ireland and condemn celebration of these godfathers of violence gio..? Get the petition and spread the word.
Age has damn all to do with it.The SDLP think that all they have to do is run “young” candidates and then proceed to run young fogies to replace old fogies,not realising that the stoops never were or never will be “cool”!
The Albatross was a Crow.
The Ancient Mariner was tops in rimes
This Old .A. P. inclined to swop climes
His fat albatross
Was a dead loss
At ‘Paisley, Age, Ruth Dudley and Time.’
(With apologies to Rhymin Paul Simon and Samuel T. Coleridge).