Authoritarian government has been a reality throughout history and it is very much a reality in the world today. You only have to mention Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, Orban, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Um –to name but a few.
According to Sarah Kendzior (We’re Heading into Dark Times The Correspondent, Nov 18, 2016):
“Authoritarianism is not just a matter of state control, it is something that eats away at who you are. It makes you afraid..It compels you to conform and to comply and accept things you would never accept, to do things you never thought you would do.
“We are heading into dark times, and you need to be your own light. Do not accept brutality and cruelty as normal even if it is sanctioned. Protect the vulnerable and encourage the afraid. If you are brave, stand up for others. If you cannot be brave -and it is often hard to be brave – be kind. But most of all, never lose sight of who you are and what you value.”
Resistance to authoritarian rule by ‘people who did not lose sight of who they are’ has also always been a fact throughout Irish history. Standing up to authoritarianism has cost many people their lives.
The desire for freedom is the desire to be free from authoritarianism in any shape or form. Authoritarianism is deadly. It attempts to kill the spirit in people –to make them into zombies who follow the rules of the State.
Freedom becomes very important to people when they are denied their rights to live as human beings in dignity and equality, to speak their own native language. Some are prepared to make huge sacrifices in order to achieve what they consider to be a fundamental human right –their political and cultural freedom. It is considered absolutely necessary for human development and for a real sense of identity.
Much has been achieved since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to create a degree of freedom in the 6 counties which was not there for 50 years. The Republican people do not feel as free as they could be under an all-island independent government.
Freedom from British interference in Ireland has yet to be achieved in Ireland. That political struggle continues. It is hoped that it will be achieved whenever a Border referendum is held and carried. A vote for the end of partition will create a new political dispensation which would end British involvement and restore sovereignty to the whole of Ireland.
To achieve justice, freedom and real peace, the Dublin government will have to show more decisive leadership in demanding that the British government set a date for a Border poll. This is part of the process of ending forever authoritarian rule in Ireland and creating a modern democracy based on equality and democratic principles.
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