I remember John A Murphy. I spent an evening in his company back in the mid-1980s – but let’s come back to that later. This morning the prof has a feature article in The Irish Times titled ‘Why we should be wary of Sinn Féin in government’. In the article he comes up with a list of reasons why the electorate in the south should give Sinn Féin a wide berth.
He mentions and then abandons what he calls their “untested economic policies (the main basis of their popular appeal)”. So what is it about them that makes the Cork professor itch so?
* He doesn’t like the way Sinn Féin keep calling themselves republicans: “Sinn Féin constantly claim to be more republican than the rest of us”. Maybe that’s because for decades, southern politicians would have removed their eyeballs with a white-hot corkscrew before attaching the term “republican” to themselves. So rarely did Fianna Fail use it, for example, that I honestly was surprised in the 1990s when they dusted off their title and revealed that they were “Fianna Fail – the Republican Party”. To borrow a word: wow. I didn’t know that.
* John A figures that by not referring to the north as ‘Northern Ireland’ and the south as ‘The Republic of Ireland’, Sinn Féin is engaging in “juvenile, fantasy-land stuff” which is “an indication of arrested political development on the part of Sinn Féin”. Whoa there, John A. I think you’ll find Sinn Féin has politically developed considerably over recent times. And maybe, to quote another good right-winger, Ronnie Reagan, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet”.
* Under the sub-heading ‘Old-style anti-partitionists’, John A dismisses hopes of bringing Orange and Green together as “sentimental waffle”. It’s time for the Shinners to realise that “partition was a condition, rather than a flaw in, Irish independence”. Oops, Professor Murphy. Are you saying the flag of your state is emblematic of sentimental waffle? Are you saying that those of us north of the border are not Irish? Maybe most importantly of all: are you saying that to achieve Irish independence, we must first make certain that part of Ireland and hundreds of thousands of Irish people are not independent? Sounds more like Alice in Wonderland argument than academic rigour.
* By calling for a referendum on independence, Gerry Adams is deepening divisions, John A figures, and his expressed support for the Provisional IRA should “give other party leaders pause”. That’d be leaders of parties which were born out of the violence of Michael Collins, Eamon de Valera and others. Right.
* The good professor ends with a recitation of bad things the IRA did and how Sinn Féin show “breath-taking revisionism” by now claiming to support the peace process. Sinn Féin, he says, may or may not believe its own propaganda but “if prospective coalition partners ignore it, they do so at their peril – indeed at our peril”.
Maybe John A is right. Or alternatively he could be totally wrong. My mind goes back to that evening I spent in his company in the mid-1980s. He was up north as an external examiner of a university course I was involved with. The conversation swung round to northern politics, and I suggested to him that ultimately Sinn Féin could surpass the SDLP. If I had passed him a plate containing a fresh turd he couldn’t have looked more shocked. “Are you telling me” he said “that friends of mine, people like doctors and accountants, would vote for Sinn Féin?”
Oh dear, John A. I’m afraid they have.
Jude, a chara,
In hurling terms, a humdinger of an article, the way in which you hooked each and every time Professor John A. Murphy the star forward in de Blood and Bandage team (not Badinage, mind, because humour is off-limits for boffins like the Prof) lifted his caman to whack the sliotar in the direction of the goal of the Gael, i.e., a United Eireland.
But, a note of caution. If there was a weakness in your article (and this is nit-picking which even the pedantic Samuel Pickwick himself would have disdained) there was a slight lack of context about J.A.M. The truth is, J.A.M., is not a, erm, Weller man since Sunday. No, it has nothing at all to do with the outrageous suggestion of some blagguards who snidely claim the the middle initial of the Emeritus Professor stands for (gasp) Alzheimer. I, for one, totally reject that scurrilous allegation which has,prima facie, NO foundation cream in either fact or propaganda (albeit, the currency of the Historian who panders to his Inner Hack). It is beneath all contempt and has NO place in civilised debate.
Has de pinny dropped yet? No? Ok. There is a hint in the first names of both Pickwick and Weller: Samuel. Last Sunday the Cork footballers more or less said farewell/slan to any chance of holding Sam by the ears come the last Sunday in September. When de Republican Reb-els suffered (at de hands and feet of de Monarchists from de Kingdom) perhaps the greatest shellacking on de Holy Ground of de People’s Republic, hard by de Lee, since General (soi distant) Barry gave the handlebarred chaps in their Crossley Tenders a bloody red nose in Pairc Kilmichael during the Championship of 21.
And the denizens of Brazil think they have problems?
Professor Emeritus John A. Murphy aka J.A.M. (no, one is not going to compare him to the Fat Boy in the Pickwick Papers even though the latter was much given to leering long and lovingly with those leaden eyes of his at pots of red jam. The body line does not fit).
Nevertheless, and to keep on a literary theme: the Corkonian ploy of fielding not one but two Tom Clancys (albeit one on the field, one on the bench) completely backfired. For the literary sleuths of the Listowel Writers Week soon cracked the code and got down to downloading the full text of ‘The Hunt for Red October’.. Thus the green and gold were able to read the Reds like an ,erm, open book.
That it was Professor Emeritus John A. Murphy (Himself !) (according to reliable soucres) who suggested this very ploy is neither here nor there. It is unfair to kick a langer when he’s down, like.
No, far better to give him the benefit of the d. and to judge him on his better days, on his finer moments. Like say the time the majestic Mrs. Windsor came a-calling to the …..English Market in the Reb-el City of Cork. Who do you think suggested that dodge? Correct, first time. Please, curb your ….wows !
No, one prefers to recall to mind the aftermath of that historical visit when in the gloaming of the day, ‘the maid and her lover, the loyal daisies pressed on de banks of dere own lovely Lee’.
No, sir: no names, no pack drill. It is not the Warbeckian way.
Let’s be clear Jude “he does not think we are Irish” that is his view and there are quite a few like him, many of whom we know. Unfortunately for him and those who do not care for logic, it is not up to him to decide who is Irish and who is not!
I doubt many Irish Nationalist will give any credence of the ramblings of J.A.M. and those like him who share views which are sliding quickly in to the oblivion of yesterday!
Very busy day jude ….Another swarm of rambling litle honeybees to chase around the garden and re-house damn quickly !![ Jeez just looked at the word “quickly” and thought …man that is one odd looking word…..Did you ever do that?I’m doing it more and more as the years pile up!}….
Anyway ..like i said ..a cold breakfast again and all is well in the garden an hour later…up on eight hives now. Talk about all your eggs in one basket…not a chance with these babies!!!
What is with Professor Murphy ? I suppose it is fear again.Or possibly a conservative mind . People forget how many , many people in Oireland are madly conservative coves…it’s not just Up North with our mad Fundies and never on a Sunday brigade ..there are plenty of them Down South too. They are always behind the curve …taking maybe fifty or a hundred years to catch up. People have this vision of Oirland as being full of the Craic …music and pints flowing…an endless partying nation that are wonderful barroom company and great jolly conversationalists and literary , poetic wild -haired painters and writers. Yes there are some of those of course, but there are an awful lot of wee -closed minds too that are never featured on the holiday brochures or sold to American tourists..
Let’s face it a handful of them must’ve soiled the old bag that Garth Brooks was climbing out of only yesterday.Not that I care much for old Garth myself, but still…..
What is happening with Sinn Fein is that a lot of northern nationalists were getting a bit fed up with the SDLP…They were getting bored with the same old rhetoric..John Hume …lovely man that he may well be ..was basically burnt out with repetition…I know “You can’t eat flags”… and all that.. He was right of course but the young ones want something a bit more dynamic.. The SDLP just look like a bunch of old uncles now….People want .something a bit sexier …something a bit younger…. Same Down South .New blood is required A lot of people are obviously being caught on the hop down there .. .bit like me and my wee honeybees , i suppose….
Sinne laochra fáil… .Surely the question should read, why we should be wary of government? Contemporary events in Dublin suggest that lessons remain to be learned about corporate greed. There are the few wish to make the fast buck. There are the few who bask in the Bahamas. There are many who have no choice but to leave home and search for work in Canada, America and Australia. The choice for others is to exist on welfare payments, internships and training initiatives in Ireland. Spare a thought for the legions of people who risk repossession of their homes. Surely taxpayers should be wary of the new property tax, vehicle registration tax, income tax and health charges? There is a need to be sceptical about septic tank charges and water charges. I guess the best we can expect is a graduated response in the form of a cabinet reshuffle, more circuses and cake.
John A has been a virulent anti nationalist since I had the temerity to stand up to his dogma FF/FG good, Irish Republicans bad during my UCC days back in the mists of time . Another fatcat living off the taxpayer.
The amusing part of the whole thing is that John A is unflinching in his support for what became known as “the tan war”. He is not a revisionist in the “cruiser” mould and would say so himself.He just has no time for Northerners and even despises our accents.He regards the “good old IRA” as beyond reproach and the Provos as inhuman monsters.Some weeks ago I mentioned the activities of Cork FF TD Martin Corry during the tan war and his self admitted actions would have put anyone in the modern republican movement in the halfpenny place.Corry died in 1979 and boasted about disappearing dozens of people on his farm in taped interviews before his death.His fellow Corkmen ,John A . and Micheal Martin are never asked to give their views on Corry or the brutal campaign waged by him and his comrades.(Jude ,you asked me by e mail whether Corry was dead but for some reason my e mail reply would not go through to your address. For the record Corry is long dead but his life story is easily accessable.)
I’m sure Sinn Fein won’t lose too much sleep over Prof Murphy’s comments. Academics differ.John A is clearly no fan of Republicans while you on the other hand can see no wrong in Sinn Fein thinking.The world has moved on and John A is a bit slow on the uptake.
Thanks for your thoughts, Argenta. I always find it reassuring that you know mine so well – so intimately,even…
Is my comment that “you can see no wrong in Sinn Fein thinking”inaccurate?
I often read your articles Jude but I rarely comment on them but I must say I laughed out loud at the addition of the plate with a fresh turd on it lol well done 🙂
Dr C
I’m not aiming to troll, but I imagine I will give the impression that I’m waiting for a suitably fat Billy Goat Gruff to appear:
First, I can see why he’s upset at SF hogging the Republican label.
In the eyes of a lot of people, the word Republican conjures up images of the United Irishmen in Belfast’s alley taverns passionately debating the fruits of Liberty and the struggles of their cousins in the New World fighting against tyranny.
The SF version of Republicanism shows what happens when an ideal is despoiled by the addition of nationalism (any kind of non-federalist nationalism) and conjures up images of bombs, balaclavas, mono-religion, fuel smuggling and punishment beatings.
Hardly the vision of Wolfe Tone or McCracken.
They bear as much resemblance to the original republicans as modern unionists do to the Irish-centric Irish unionism of Edward Carson (thought they do have one similarity in that they both stamp their feet when they don’t get what they want and rely on the threat of violence and fear mongering).
In parts of the unionist community, the word ‘republican’ is used as an insult.
People can’t fathom what ‘republicanism’ is.
It’s a bit like how a Texan would use the word ‘socialist’ or ‘commie’.
A ‘protestant’ (atheist) friend of mine considers himself a republican
.
In a box ticking capacity that is: united Ireland, as a republic, liberty, equality etc.
Yet he still put up a poster of Ian Paisley in a St Pat’s day display at a foreign university (using Ian Mor’s fascintation with St Pat and the Celtic church as the link. On that topic, I’ve heard on more on one occasion that the Scottish Free Presbyterian church has more in common with the old Celtic Orthodox Christianity than the modern Roman Catholic Church. Go figure).
He did not use it as an excuse to put up tricolours everywhere and whinge about 1000 years of oppression or get hammered in a GAA top whilst wearing a Guinness hat.
Compare and contrast.
“John A figures that by not referring to the north as ‘Northern Ireland’ and the south as ‘The Republic of Ireland’, Sinn Féin is engaging in “juvenile, fantasy-land stuff” which is “an indication of arrested political development on the part of Sinn Féin””
He’s spot on. It makes SF look very disingenuous when they can’t even say the words Northern Ireland. It exists.
They acknowledged this in the GFA. All the outreach that they come up with is undermined by this refusal.
SF shouldn’t get all uppity about unionists not referring to SF members by their proper names if SF can’t do the same for the statelet in which they (temporarily) live.
Fair’s fair.
“Under the sub-heading ‘Old-style anti-partitionists’, John A dismisses hopes of bringing Orange and Green together as “sentimental waffle”. “
Don’t see what he’s getting at here. A strategic merger of some schools (and many primary schools), a removal of nationalism from some aspects of Irish culture and a heavy hand with Loyalist parades, bonfires and ‘kulchure’ could pave the way for this.
“Are you saying that those of us north of the border are not Irish?” – I don’t think he is. I don’t see how that’s even implied.
“By calling for a referendum on independence, Gerry Adams is deepening divisions”
Erm, no. That’s Gerry’s job. As it should be for all parties with a unification agenda.
“The good professor ends with a recitation of bad things the IRA did and how Sinn Féin show “breath-taking revisionism” by now claiming to support the peace process.”
I disagree with him.
They had no choice.
It was the smart move.
Say what you will about GA, he is smart. Very smart. Tremendous strategic vision. I have a tractor trailer load of criticism for him, but, he is smart.
Anyhoo.
SF are going to get into government in some form at some time.
By blasting SF so much the southern parties and folk are making their lives much more difficult for themselves further down the line.
The lower they set the bar for SF then the easier it’ll be for SF to jump over it when they finally get there.
I’d go the other way and ‘big them up’, get them into power sooner rather than later and raise the expectations to an unachievable level.
Then watch them burn.
But I’m not in politics. I’m just a colossal bore with a lap top.