Blog Posts Tagged ‘Mary McAleese’
Mary McAleese: Demolishing Bridges and Putting Up Walls
It should not really surprise me anymore when the President of the Republic of Ireland demonstrates her complete revisionist history of not only Irish history, but of the politics of understanding and compassion towards her fellow countrymen/women. Mary McAleese in her recent outburst has labelled all those Irish men, irrespective of their religion of political outlook, who fought and died in the Great War only did so to put food on the table. For Mary McAleese it was not about patriotism, it was not about standing together in the face of tyranny and it certainly was not because young Irish men were proud to be part of the British Army and its Irish regiments. Tom Elliott MLA has had this to say to the Irish President:
“In her position I think it would be more helpful if Ms McAleese built bridges rather than build bigger walls between herself and the pro-Union community. In her comments last night she refuses to recognise the important role Irishmen played throughout both world wars and within British military history generally.”
“However, once again her comments seem to reflect her odd and backward approach to Northern Ireland. I think it important that she remembers the overwhelming majority of unionists and republicans in NI and the vast majority of her own citizens in the South endorsed an internal pro-UK settlement in the 1998 referendum. Now that her country has withdrawn its territorial claims on NI it might be a good idea if Mrs McAleese kept her mouth shut and her nose south of the border.”
It is often portrayed in the media of unionists being stuck in the past and lacking the ability to take progressive moves forward, and although this can be the case at times the Irish President has demonstrated her own backwards facing logic that cannot see beyond the politicised history of the Republic of Ireland.
Mary McAleese in recent years has been dogged with negative press in Northern Ireland, from her labeling of unionists as Nazis, trying to equate devolution of Policing & Justice with a Royal visit to the RoI and now her recent treatment of those who fought for democracy. These are not just some spur of the moment incidents, they are premeditated and should be rebutted.
