My son and his wife live in London and they like to send us short videos of their six-month-old daughter. In the most recent one, you see her seated beside her father, who has a guitar. Róisín reaches her fingers and plucks at the strings, and you can see her astonishment as they sound. Within minutes, she’s figured out that the sound comes when she pulls at the strings: she’s learning about cause and effect for the first time, and it’s fascinating. But then she plucks too enthusiastically and falls backwards on the couch. The law of unintended consequence is in operation. She soon learns this too.
I tell this little vignette about the most beautiful and intelligent grand-daughter in the universe because it’s something we all live with and acknowledge. If we put our finger in a flame it will hurt. If we walk with our eyes closed we’ll inevitably hit something. Except that some of us don’t seem to have fully got the message.
This became clear after watching BBC’s The View, in which Mark Carruthers interviewed the candidates for the Westminster election in Fermanagh/South Tyrone. Present in the studio were Tom Elliott (UUP), Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin) and John Coyle (SDLP). There were several examples of cause and effect on view, and one or two of unintended consequence.
The cause and effect was most noticeable in the SDLP’s John Coyle. The reason Mr Coyle is in the election (cause) is that he will deprive Sinn Féin of enough votes that Tom Elliott, the unionist candidate, will win the seat. This was confirmed by Mr Coyle’s contributions to the debate. I’ve no doubt that he is deeply loved by his family and friends, but a less impressive candidate to send to Westminster I can barely imagine. The purpose of putting him on TV was that he would get air-time and attract votes (cause and effect). The unintended consequence was that we saw a young man who was hopelessly out of his depth, making blindingly clear the SDLP’s obstructionist strategy (law of unintended consequence).
We saw something of the same with Tom Elliott. Tom appeared, clearly intent on showing himself as a homespun man who would stand firm as a rock for unionist principles in Westminster, thus benefitting all the people of Fermanagh/South Tyrone (cause and effect). What happened in fact was that Michelle Gildernew reminded viewers of Tom’s famous outburst at a previous election, where he spoke of “republican scum” (law of unintended consequence). Now you may say that it was nothing of the sort, that Tom hoped that Michelle’s reminder (cause) would result in enough of the electorate admiring him for his no-comprise attitude to republicans and voting for him (cause and effect). I’d prefer to think that decent people of all stripes of political opinion will be disgusted by people who dismiss large numbers of their neighbour as scum and will refuse to give their electoral backing to such a man (law of unintended consequence). In fact there may be a double dose of unintended consequence: nationalists and republicans in the constituency may feel so strongly about a man of such obvious bitterness they will pile into the electoral centres and make sure that such a man never gets near Westminster.
Funny that some people don’t seem capable of learning what a six-month old baby picks up within minutes.
I have to agree with you about the unfortunate John Coyle, he is being sent by the SDLP on a fool’s errand.
He was so out of his depth that I thought somebody in the studio would take pity on him and bring him home to his mammy, as he shouldn’t be let out on his own.
And the Mad Doctor leader of his party, possibly due to problems in other areas, is doing this man no favours.
I used to be an SDLP supporter, but the dog in the manger attitude and the wandering direction of the party since the John Hume years have rendered them unelectable in most areas.
As for Scum Elliott, his only grey matter seems to be on top of his head instead of inside it!
Well Jude most amusing contribution, your take on young Coyle is certainly on the money. I don’t know the cub but he certainly is rather “wet behind the ears” as they would say down here ! However I suppose inexperience and a bit of naievity is to be expected from a young man still trying to find his way.
On the wider issue here I don’t believe that from a republican point of view, it is of any importance which of the three candidates win this seat. Let me elaborate, this seat has had a symbolism going back to the election of the late Bobby Sands, who stood opposed to the British attempts to criminalise the republican struggle and who by his writings it is clearly seen that he was opposed to British rule in this country by whatever guise. Subsequently the election of Owen Carron was a further endorsement of this position. Now take the present situation,ALL thre candidates support the GFA, which copper fastens British rule in this part of Ireland, ALL three candidates seek to administer British rule from Stormont, ALL three candidates support a justice system that seeks to criminalise republicans via Diplock Courts, political policing, barbaric treatment of republican POWs and deliberate “miscarriage of justice” in the particular case of the Craigavon Two. ALL three candidates support a so called policing service who collude with MI5 on a daily basis in seeking to suppress any form of republican opposition to colonial rule. I could go on but there is no point, the list is exhaustive, suffice to say, for these reasons most republicans whom I know couldn’t give the proverbial two f…ks who gets elected to this position, since ALL candidates share a common purpose, the maintenance of the status quo.
Hi Tony – thanks for detailed response. I agree with you that Diplock courts were and are an abomination and should be removed, yesterday preferably. I don’t think all the candidates want to preserve the status quo. I know I’m going into unsteady ground here but I’d say Sinn Féin are opposed to partition. I can see the argument for saying they’ve sold out, administer British rule, etc; but I can also see that their growth is causing deep unease among unionists north and south. If they were working to maintain the status quo, do you think they’d get the rough ride they get from the mainstream media north and south? I have no doubt that dissident republicans (which is not the same thing, as I’m sure you know better than me, as violent dissident republicans) are subject to unjust and cruel treatment. But I’m also convinced that the road Sinn Féin has chosen to go down has better prospects of success than that embraced by dissident republicans. I respect your position but I can’t agree with it. But for God’s sake (or Ireland’s, if you’d rather) keep reading and commenting. I think we don’t hear enough of voices like yours.
Time for a silver lining
Top marks for Mr Carruthers. He was professional, courteous and spared the SDLP incumbent further embarrassment on The View. There was however, a marked contrast in the debate between party leaders in London and the ease with which events in Belleek deteriorated into a discussion about the use of pejorative language directed towards political opponents at an election count.
In London, political opponents addressed complex social and economic issues. Each speaker articulated their political views and ideological differences without the need for recourse to pejorative language or mysogyinistic behaviour.
In Belleek, a rain check might have been in order. It would appear that GMT did not change for some last week and scientific laws have in fact been suspended. Time it seems does stand still.
On 16 February 1922, Winston Churchill said,
“The whole map of Europe has been changed…but as the deluge subsides and the waters fall short we see the dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone emerging once again.”
Who in their right mind wishes to see a return to border controls and vehicle checkpoints? The beleaguered garrison mentality which dominated the “last native regiment of foot raised by a British government” will not do much to enhance social or economic regeneration anywhere.
The View deserves credit for shining a bright light on electoral choices and challenges for voters in Fermanagh.
I have to take issue with you Jude with your ” the most beautiful and intelligent grand-daughter in the universe ” quote . You surely must know that the title rightly belongs to my very own Golden Grandchild whose beauty and intelligence seem to be limitless!!…and at twenty two months can already shout..”Come on Ireland!!”…ha ha…you’re right about the SDLP man’s lumpen performance on “the View” though.
London sans Derry, London without the Oak Leaf but not the Hearts of Oak.
Though it may well seem to some folk as deservingly unstroked as a moggy with mange, nonetheless the unstroked city on the Thames is THE greatest city in the world. And why wouldn’t it be, having acted as nuresemaid to the two greatest writers, possibly in any language, ever to have dipped a quill into an inkwell: Shakespeare and Dickens. (SD)
(Does one hear, Roddy Doyle? Alas, close but no Spar. The poet of the supermarket trolley dollies is but a blue-in. He may well wear the Blue of Chelsea in fash and loathe Bogball with a pash but he’s still a professional Dub at pocket if not heart).
Shakespeare and Dickens: SD. Fancy that: one city boasting not just the best but the TWO best writers of the world/ scribhneoiri an domhain (SD).
Not unlike, in a way, Enniskellen. Which is the only city/town/village/ hamlet to boast not just one but two regiments of the British Army: Fusiliers and Dragoons. Indeed, the nickname for the Dragoons is ‘Skins’. (SD). Thus, have all those Buachailli on Eirne, erm, earned their niche, empirically speaking, in the analysed and anal-retentive annals of Empah.
The Fermanagh hinterland obviously lends itself to lime kilns as would-be-limey Conor Cruise O’Goebbels was so blue in the face calling this same hinterland ‘the lime kiln fields’ that he eventually came out of the closet of cleanest Dirty Shirts (DS) which was the Irish LabourParty. Went clean, went up to Down and joined the onion-eating Ultra Ulcer-causing Ulster Unionists. Youse know the rest yourselves.
Mind you, regiments are not the only thing that Enniskillen has two of; local liberarian, Seamas Mac Annaidh once penned a novel , on the basis that the, erm, pen is …..what? Oh, yes: mightier than the swrord just as long as it doesn’t get into an argument with that piece of regimental equiment. That novel in leprechaun was titled: ‘Mo Dha Mhici’.
One will have to pass hurriedly on from this book, apart from posing the question rhetorical: what is it exactly about sex not to mention their fixation with the number 2 and the single librarian? Sex after all also seems to have had a hex over another librarian, one Philip Larkin of not so dull Hull, when he opined:
‘The beast with two backs began in 1963
Which was rather late for me’.
A man who like Roddy Doyle (see above) was reared in Dublin but never lost his hankering after London sans Derry was (one may walk this following name but it is advisable to take a cab or board a bus): Winston Spenser Leonard Churchill. It was he,of course, who put the Fermanagh South Tryone Constituency firmly on the ecclesiastical map. When he dissed their …..’dreary steeples.’ (DS)
Which brings one, oddly enough, to the political party under discush in today’s blog: the SDLP, or, the Steepled Drearirness Labour Party.
Seemingly, their current candidtate there not only ticks all the ballot boxes but also merited a prophetic line from a London side dramatist name of Shakespeare (see above) when he urged one of his characters (minor, very) name of Coyle, oddly enough ‘to shuffle off the mortal stage’. Ar nos na gaoithe/ ASAP/ quam celerime.
To conclude on a more cheerful note: the photo above. One trusts, Esteemed Blogmeister, that an cailin ailainn in obvious harmony with the guitar(and which cailin you are a tad too critical of) will, ASAP, become acquainted with a Thames-side anthem which does the great metropolis justice;
‘As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in paradise
Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time, Waterloo Sunset’s fine’.
The next line of which goes:
‘Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, every Friday night’.
Many in the madding crowd jumped on the nearest bandwagon and claimed the pair being namechecked here were Terence Stamp and Julie Christie. Not so, as the kinky Ray Davies has consistently made clear.
Mind you, it would not be the first time that a question mark has been positioned over London street characters. Take Jack the Ripper, as a random example. Durng the height of his meteoric career in ungaslit back alleyways of Whitehcaple for the longest time (it was thought he might even have been American at one stage) the Peelers were on the track of a character know only as ….Leather Apron. (LA).
Wrong lead. This turned out to be a Polish Jew immigrant, name of Josef Pizer, a shoemaker, short, thickset and dark complexioned, with thinning black hair and disciplined black moustache (sound familiar?). And Muhammad Alibies to beat the band.
Didn’t stop a local enterprising confectioner from bringng out a sweet meat which proved enormously popular, called ‘Leather Apron Toffee’. Indeed, his salespitch was:
– Toffee ar LA !
Sound familiar? Forsooth, even long, long after the Whitechapel constabularly had since sent their, erm, letter of comfort to L.A.,/ Leather Apron he still got it in the neck from a cohort of society who were so enamoured of themselves they were known as ‘the self-devouring liquourice people’ (sdlp).
To this day, Jack the R remains as anonymous as a blog trotter.
Nos-to-nose over the finish line todat, Perkie: “– Toffee ar LA !” and “To this day, Jack the R remains as anonymous as a blog trotter.” Verbal pyrotechnics – go h-iontach!
Oh …Almost forgot ..her other grandpappy is a rugby -mad Welshman …so you can imagine how that goes down in the valleys!!! ..Ha!
I am increasingly of the opinion Perkin, that you are not limited to Literary and Political omniscience. Being a brittle opinion though, stranded, aloof, and inviting reproach, much of the lampooning, or celebratory sacrilege you engage against dogma inhabiting all visible jurisdictions, leaves me in tears,-and illuminated tears, which clear the eyes, and will not suffer the sullen opaqueness of sorrow….I falter in words alas as am getting pissed and being antisocial (not a paradox among our species) but I want Ten copies, which I will commit to through our mutual host. Such ascorbic, yet humane scrutinies needs be further spread across our lands, far, near, and nearer still
Francis, a chara.
Will do one’s best, though cannot guarantee. One’s agent informs one that there is a crux bordering on a glut at the moment in the orders department. As said agent is an authentic Rhinestone Cowboy, most if not all the orders are coming in over his phone, a Samsung Galaxy S4.
-I may as well be hung for a Samsung as for a Baa-baa Blackberry.
Is a favourite phrase of his.
The crux arises from a sudden, utterly unexpected order coming in from the left field, i.e., from a political party styling itself ‘Kim Fein’.
-More like Kim Feign to me.
Was one’s agent’s immediate dubious response. As one who does a lot of his business not in Dublin but in Dubai one’s agent is steeped in a culture of dubiety.
In this instance of ‘Kim Fein’ (alleged) he smelt an immediate ratchening up of the pre-election tempo among the cloth-capped and cloth-eared Soeul brothers of, yerra, the South Kerry consthit-oo-ency.
He listed off the likely candidates for the title of Kim Feigner in chief:
1. Obviously, at the end of the day, with the bad moon a-rising, the most likely candidate is: Kim Jong-un. Who, many hold, is the actual re-incarnation of noted Limerick politico, Kim Jemmy-un. This is based on the verifiable historical factoid, that both served as respective Secretaries of their Workers’ Party, both have similar moon-faces and for both of them, the Queen is the sun which shines out of the backcrack of the body politic. (In the case of the latter-day Kim Jemmy-un, the Queen in question is the mustachioed Freddy M). Pogroms too are a common DNA link.
2. Kim Carnes. One’s cigar-chomping agent brusquely dismisses this possibility: ‘While the eyes are of the requisite bedroom Bette Davis type, the voice is just too raspy. Not yawny enough. Must do Bette’.
3. Kim Basinger: One’s agent paused over this one. While impressed by her performance as a photo-journalist (Vicki Vale) in the remake of ‘Batman’ as it had led her to taking to the role of photo-j in real life with a venge (she’s never out of the limelight : ‘nobody hogs it better’). Nonetheless it was her inability with the passage of years to keep off ‘the avoirdupois’ which ruled her out. Though Vick’s rattling off of ‘The Vale of AVOCA’ at the mere mench of ‘A Victim of Child Abuse’ made it a close thing, though ultimately – ‘No Havana !’, another of the agent’s catch phrases.
3. Kim Novak: another close call. This lavender blonde (she has plenty of bottle, she says so herself) who is much given to, erm, peering through the Rear Window of Republicanism.through lens lent by dissidents in the hope,nay, the certainly of digging the dirt on disappeared atrosses. Dismissed on the basis of dissonance.
4. Kim Wilde.
5. Which leaves but one Kim.’ The ultimate Kim feigner’, was one’s agent’s final conclusion. ‘No one does it better’. He came to this dead-cert deduction after considering the evidence from all angles and none, especially the latter. ‘There can be only one Kim. The one Kimeleon who is all things to all voters and none, increasingly the latter..One who is forever appearing in the Reality Politics Show to diss her bearded bugbear’s adherence to ‘Fantasy Economics’.
Who?, one enquired of one’s agent, in the tentative tones one tends to adopt in such circumstances.
-‘Who?’ replied one’s agent, wearily removing his six inch Corona, ‘who do you think, only ……(stifled yawn)….only The Boadicea of Botox herself, none other than …..(a second stifled yawn, there being nothing quite as catching, even the re-imagined variety)….none other than……Kim Lardassian herself’.
So, Francis, a chara, you may see why one can promise nothing at this juncture. Trusting you understand, and craving your indulgence.
Beir bua – and go easy on the sauce.
Nothing Worcester.
Jude, I have no doubt and I would acknowledge that there are members of SF who remain opposed to partition, however I am certain that the vast bulk of that party here in the 6 counties are quite happy with the status quo so long as they can claim to have ” a society of equals”, whatever that means ! The Civil Rights Movement was about equal rights under British law and maybe that is what contents those in SF today. We are constantly told now by senior SF reps that the struggle was about equality,parity of esteem etc., however most republicans that I know would vehemently disagree with that analysis because put simply the struggle that has gone on now for the last 800 years and more was surely about ending British rule in this country of ours. Now to suggest that the armed struggle engaged in by the PIRA and the INLA was not a national liberation struggle just like previous insurrections is to do a great disservice to all who subscribed to that particular phase of struggle.
I find the use of the term “dissident republican” or ” violent dissident republican” to be always somewhat misleading,the word “dissident” implies dissenting from or disagreeing with. Surely if you are a dissident republican, then that suggests that you have within the context of Ireland, dissented from the doctrine of Irish republicanism. Now I would respectfully suggest that the real dissident republicans are those in SF and in Fianna Fáil, because they are the groupings readily identifiable as having dissented or disagreed with the doctrine of Irish republicanism. I believe that we need to state for all to know that it is the continued British occupation of part of our country in whatever guise it presents itself, that is the source of the problem and that no amount of effort on the part of those at Stormont to present this occupied territory as a viable political entity will succeed in establishing otherwise, just my thoughts Jude on what is a glorious weekend in the history of our country i.e. Ireland
In my opinion, I don’t think John Coyle will pick up more than a thousand votes and I think he’ll only pick up so many because of the SDLP logo, if he was an independent I’d say he’d be lucky to get over 100 votes. I have to admit I felt sorry for John when I watched The View on BBC iPlayer, I couldn’t believe SDLP would send someone so inexperienced onto a live studio debate with other experienced senior politicians. As this blog mentioned, the SDLP know they haven’t got a chance of winning this seat but are only there to suck in a few nationalist votes, doing a favour to ex UDR man Tom Elliot in the process. I’m sure John Coyle is a nice guy but he shouldn’t be a willing puppet to be used by the SDLP in situations where he’s clearly out of his depth.
Before watching the view I was around 70% confident that Michelle Gildernew will keep her seat. After watching the view I am now 99% sure she will keep it. With such a weak SDLP candidate and with such a well known bitter Unionist contender the nationalists/republicans in F/ST will be out in force to vote SF and keep bitter ex UDR man Tom Elliot away from Westminister but every vote will matter, that’s why every republican should be out voting in F/ST and elsewhere. In 2010 it was a very close call, the SDLP fielded a very good candidate then but even with all that plus the Unionist Unity candidate Sinn Fein still own the day, I think it will be much easier this time round.
The SDLP, in my opinion, are only playing this “non sectarian, no pacts” card because they depend on Unionist voters to get Margaret Ritchie elected. But what the SDLP are not noticing is that their upsetting the vast majority of their nationalist voters in the process……
The Fermanagh ‘dissident’ is a funny creature and none funnier than Tony McPhillips. You see, even before there was a Sinn Féin electoral strategy, Fermanagh republicans/nationalists to a man and woman voted for the non-abstentionist Frank Maguire and before him for Frank McManus and before him for Bernadette Devlin. Mind you, I don’t know if Tony was voting for any of the above because he was an SDLP hopeful in those days, berating sellers of subversive newspapers in local pubs and generally behaving like a … stoop! I don’t think that Bernadette, or Frank or Frank eile were interested in maintaining British rule in Ireland and I’m quite certain that Michelle Gildernew is an Irish separatist and republican to the core of her being. So stay at home Tony. You were never with the struggle during the tough times and your ‘super republican’ commentary nowadays is laughable to those who know too well who and what you are.
I love the bile in the boul Brian, I didn’t have a vote at the time of Frank Mc a Manus or Bernadette Devlin or Frank Maguire unless you got that right at seven years of age !! Unlike the boul Brian, I can proudly state that the first vote that I ever cast was for the late Bobby Sands in April 1981. The old chestnut about berating paper sellers is the usual aul shite with no substance whatsoever. I am very proud of my involvement in the promotion of the Republican position from joining the then republican movement at 18 years of age and of my continued promotion of what republicanism is about. It is clear that the Brian is incapable of thinking for himself and chooses to play the man and not the ball! The republican people of Fermanagh have always known who and what I am, not a “super republican” but neither a clapping seal or docile lamb to a leadership who sought to destroy what irish republicanism was all about. I can do my own thinking unlike others.
Tony frequently references “most republicans whom I know” .These “republicans” that Tony knows could all easily meet in a phonebox and are of no relevance in FST at all.
Oh that’s rite Michael c, let’s start the aul dick measuring competition now, by your assertion the historic 1916 rebellion which republican Ireland salute this weekend would never have taken place if it were dependent on your analysis of the number game. You just don’t get it that people are entitled to hold a view different to yourself and furthermore are entitled to question and hold to account those who seek to promote a position which is entirely contrary to what has being the unremitting republican position. Cheap and snide remarks like your own and others only go to show that you are incapable of defending what is indefensible, and that mo chara is as one might say “the crux of the matter”.
very sad to see republicans bickering among themselves.Please try and set side your differences and remember There is a job of work to be done in canvassing to make sure Ms gildernew is re-elected in FST, and everything the Republican movement achieved was got through unity.
Furthermore, Easter Sunday is a sacred day in the republican calendar. Maybe watching some of the 1916 volunteers as they recount their activities in the rising and Civil War will help foster a spirit of co-operation and comradeship https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/easter-greetings-2015/
Last time Tony was here he accused me of slandering some “esteemed Fermanagh priest” despite the fact that I live 70 miles from Fermanagh and know nothing of its priests “esteemed” or otherwise!
The best part of the programme was the piece on the modern political history of Fermanagh/South Tyrone, seeing Bobby Sands` victory announcement is a memory that still reduces me to a quivering wreck, I remember the day he was elected, turning on the radio (no news channels in those days) waiting nervously for news, as rumours began to circulate that he had indeed won, he had beaten the oafish Harry West, part of the establishment, then watching the news report (that was what we got back then) and realising yes, he had done it! Watching that brought home to me just how irrelevant the SDLP were and are. The Republican voters of that constituency are too politically sophisticated to be swayed by any stoop.
Harry West admitted in an interview with the Irish Times that a Re-United Ireland was inevitable – but he also admitted that he could not “stomach to see it happen in his lifetime” .
Nothing has changed in the Unionist mindset – but it is very clear that the ground is shifting so much so that unionists cannot even get a Flag up on Belfast City Council on their own terms anymore.
Harry West was a bitter individual – but not blind and he saw the writing on the wall.
A Re-United is inevitable.