Michael McDowell believes what the south needs is more men with bigger and better guns.
OK, that’s something of an over-statement. But in today’s Irish Times he does join the likes of Regina Doherty in deploring the possibly closing of the Cathal Brugha barracks and build houses on the site.
The core question here is: do the people of the south need armed forces? When the Russian navy was on manoeuvres off the south’s shores, there was much talk among politicians about the need to have a fully-equipped defence force to respond to such occasions.
Guys. You’re kidding. The south is going to send out a display of military might that the Russians will turn and run? Please. Pu-lease.
McDowell does get round to telling us what he believes the south’s Defence forces are for:
“We need a deterrent to terrorism and para-militarism as well as control of our territorial airspace and seas. The Defence Forces intelligence section is the agency which has responsibility for external security threats to our State.”
You can skip that bit about controlling airspace and seas – the Russians showed that, for any brain-dead people who didn’t know it already. What Michael has in mind is the internal defence of “our State”. against terrorists. Against paramilitaries.
Michael, old chum. Get with the programme. The IRA is a thing of several decades ago – didn’t you notice? Or maybe you noticed but you want to perpetuate the claptrap about the shadow of a gunman getting ready to overthrow “our State”? In either case, armed republicanism is a thing of several decades ago.
But maybe you have in mind unionist/loyalist paramilitaries? Nah. They don’t want to invade the south. They want nothing to do with the south. Listen and they’ll tell you: “What we have we hold”.
Here’s an idea.Supposing you had a referendum where people in the south got to vote where money would go: into a Defence force so minute, it wouldn’t deter a mouse; or into a major building programme, so that the many young couples trapped forever in housing poverty would have access to a home.
I’ll leave aside the question of the State investing in violence. I’ll simply say, small states spending good money on armed forces is a waste of time. If the UN functioned as the UN should, there might be a case. But meanwhile, let’s not encourage people to laugh at the south of Ireland.
As things stand, while Michael McDowell lives and breathes, the Skibereen Eagle won’t be dead.
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