Under the heading “CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS” the paper carried the following on June 24 –
“A picture agency error led us to misdescribe the 6th Marquess of Cholmondley, photographed with the the Queen at the state opening of parliament in 1974 (News,June 21). He was the Lord Great Chamberlain, not Black Rod.”
An innocent reader might be impressed by the paper’s pedantic devotion to accuracy, protocol, truth, even in the most trivial and inconsequential matters. A more discerning reader might think that the paper attends to such trivialities in order that its more grievous transgressions are not challenged.
Under the heading “BIRTHDAYS TODAY” (June 27) the paper had -“Mary McAleese, President of the Republic of Ireland (1997-2011), 66”. Mrs McAleese was PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, the 8th Citizen to hold that title since 1938.
So I emailed “Feedback” at THE TIMES on June 27-
“Mary McAleese was President of Ireland. Ireland is the name of the State of which she was Head.(‘Republic of Ireland’ is the name of a soccer team, as has been ruled in an Irish Court.)”
On 28 June I got an email from Rose Wild, Feedback Editor of THE TIMES: “Thanks, this has been amended”.
Four days later no amendment has appeared under the Corrections and Clarifications heading. I would be loathe to blame Ms Wild and must infer that she is following instructions from higher management of a paper which has for well over a century and a half treated Irish people, their institutions and their very lives with contempt.
I understand that its owner was recently in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel on business. I wonder what state he was in or what State he imagined himself to be in?
Apparently he is the supreme head of News Corp UK& Ireland Limited, a Corporation which deigns to recognise the Irish State.
As I stated before Mrs McAleese bore the title of President of Ireland. But nobody east of greater Buncrana or north of Hackballscross cast a vote for her. So to me she was president of on 26 counties. Whereas Ireland has 32.
There is no Republic of Ireland. There is a free state and a north eastern caliphate. Only a 32 county Ireland free from British rule can ever call itself a Republic.