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The National
6 days ago
- Politics
- The National
An emphatic 2026 win for the SNP will mean no excuses for inaction
Given that support for independence is around 50% and support for establishing a Scottish parliament was around 75%, it does not take too much imagination to believe that a significant majority can be persuaded (with the help of some serious campaigning) to vote for that parliament to have the legal authority to conduct a referendum enabling the people of Scotland to determine their own future (within or outwith a now dysfunctional Union). READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: Alex Salmond 'did not read' 2014 independence paper From Tommy's words, it appears that my personal interpretation of John Swinney's intentions regarding a constitutional convention – as being consistent with the creation of a widely-inclusive citizen's convention – was wrong. However, if we wish to gain broad public support for the next step on our journey to independence then, in addition to progressing an open citizens' convention, independence parties should have the commitment to establishing the legal authority of the Scottish Parliament to conduct a constitutional referendum clearly stated as a primary clause in their manifestos, backed up by stated actions to ensure that authority is granted to Holyrood. Otherwise, unless independence can be achieved in the meantime by alternative actions, the next Westminster General Election must be declared a de facto referendum. Offering another perspective to the dilemmas confronting 'Old John' and Jim Taylor (Letters, Aug 11), and no doubt many others, the more emphatic an SNP victory, the less excuse the SNP hierarchy will have for not taking substantive actions in support of a public mandate. This approach may be considered hypocritical by some if they do not support the route to independence advocated by the current First Minister, but to vote otherwise in the knowledge that it could bring about a Labour government in Holyrood would seem a betrayal to most who are absolutely committed to independence. Better to give neither the First Minister nor the Prime Minister any excuse for not delivering, or for further delaying, the means of exercising the right of Scotland's people to determine their own future. Stan Grodynski Longniddry, East Lothian TRUMP'S views on a deal with Putin over Ukraine seems like a deal between 18th-century aristocrats settling their gambling debts. Trump acts like an18th-century monarch. No consideration is given to the views of residents of the possible transfer areas, who are merely insignificant chequers in a high-stakes gambling deal. It seems reminiscent of the Act of Union, whereby the ruling elite in Scotland agreed to a union with England against the will of the general populace. READ MORE: David Pratt: Are Trump and Putin about to stitch up Ukraine? Trump will no doubt gain whatever happens, and Ukraine will suffer, being back under a modern Russian Czar. President Trump will parade as a peacemaker, and his sycophants (with usual brown envelopes pocketed) will propose him for a Nobel Peace Prize which he desires, hypocrite that he is. What's changed in politics since the 18th century? Modern democracy seems little more than a sham, with elites still in charge. Current political parties seem little more than a means for the current elites to maintain control under a pretext of democracy. Where is real limitation of elector funding? The exist many ways to get round and buy elections. If you're in the know, it seems funding is unrestricted. The current government in the UK, as well as the previous one, seem uninterested in altering the present set-up, as they both benefit from it. Drew Reid Falkirk YOUR article 'PM claims people feeling 'better off'' by Hamish Morrison (Aug 7) presents the reader with the classic case of 'the ventriloquist has died but the dummy keeps talking'! The 'dummy' tells us that his government is 'bearing down' on costs and 'putting more money into people's pockets'. Yes, the pockets of his sponsors, big businesses and fellow Labour parliamentarians, definitely NOT those of the people of the country! Since Labour came to power, the 'dummy' has increased the weekly shopping costs by as much as 40%. The facts reveal 'disposable income' is falling! It's not falling, it's PLUMMETING in an ever-increasing spiral into those same pockets that enabled Starmer to become PM. The answer is to tax the super-rich and get them to pay their fair share. Everyone knows 'Starmer the dummy' will never do that because HE is one of the super rich along with his cronies who sit beside him on the government benches. As for 'the focus will be on living standards', these are also PLUMMETING under his watch. Everybody and anybody in the 'vulnerable' category will be forced to pay more tax but not the wealthy pals, sponsors and big businesses who back this 'dummy'. I don't ever see 'Rachel from Accounts' do anything to help anyone other than herself and the 'dummy'. It's time the dummy was put back in the box and a real person with a spine and a conscience took over – or better still, let Scotland leave this Westminster pantomime. Jim Todd Cumbernauld
Irish Examiner
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Change is not always for the better
It is sometimes said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. The phrase, attributed to Mark Twain (he didn't coin it), means that while historical events may not repeat exactly, there will be similar circumstances. The rise of extreme nationalist movements deeply invested in a great leader has led to … well, we don't have to tell you, in the same way we don't have to tell you the current parallels. Still, having just marked two major milestones — the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the first nuclear bomb and, closer to home, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell — we are entitled to wonder what, in fact, any of us are learning from it all. Hiroshima taught us that nobody would win a nuclear war, and that once the genie is out of the bottle it is nigh impossible to put it back (despite the best efforts of the Irish-led nuclear non-proliferation treaty). That, and the obliteration of Japanese and German cities, will forever be a reminder that war is a pitiless, horrible thing, even when it's waged against equally pitiless, horrible regimes. And yet humankind never seems to truly learn that lesson — aerial footage of Gaza show it to have been flattened like the cities of previous wars. We will be picking over the crushing of Gaza for generations, asking ourselves how it came to this. Perhaps we will learn eventually. Perhaps only one of us needs to learn, given that O'Connell, despite his flaws as an individual, showed the power of one individual to drive positive change. Among other things, his example teaches that it is possible to resist overwhelming odds through peaceful political means, even if the path is long and difficult. Such is, all too often it seems, something that can go alongside social progress and civil rights (including the abolition of slavery, which O'Connell was influential in), no matter how much benefit they bring in the long term. One may, it is true, have to take comfort in knowing that succeeding generations could be the ones to benefit most. And while the study of history has, rightly, tended to move away from 'the great man', it is a reminder from our own past that an individual can achieve enormous things, even if nothing is ever in isolation. He galvanised all social classes in his drive for Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the Act of Union, even if he was unsuccessful in the latter. And yet, his mobilisation of great swathes of society is also a reminder that the greatest imperial power can be resisted and changed. Apropos of nothing, in this vein one might take note how regularly autocratic regimes tend to collapse, either in on themselves through the weight of infighting or in the face of widespread resistance. But, in keeping with history rhyming rather than repeating, the death of one regime is no guarantee that a kinder one will be born, or even that if it is it will endure. Democracy, like a dream of spring, is a fragile thing. One hopes, in this case, that we won't leave it to succeeding generations to clean up the mess. Ireland must protect farm incomes Farmers, as we have noted on these pages previously — and indeed in special reports and in the weekly Irish Examiner Farming supplement — contributes an enormous amount to the country's economic success. It remains the case that they are caught between a rock and a hard place, in that their income is dependent on seasonal variations, including of the weather, while the sector as a whole is responsible for an outsized percentage of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions. So while, to an outsider, a drop in the number of cattle might seem a positive from an environmental view, economically, alarm bells are ringing in the farming sector. As reported in the most recent edition of 'Irish Examiner Farming', the national herd has shrunk by 276,000 cattle in 12 months, some 3.8%, with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) saying it could double in the next year and should be 'a wake-up call'. It says government and EU policies, including changes to the common agricultural policy, are responsible, and that the decline 'is not sustainable, and it signals real danger for the future of our family farms and rural economies'. ICSA beef chairman John Cleary said: 'If policymakers don't act now to restore confidence and give farmers a reason to stay in business, the collapse of the national herd will become unstoppable, and, with it, the collapse of rural economies across the country.' Meanwhile, ICSA president Sean McNamara said 'farmers feel they have no voice and no protection' and feel 'constantly punished rather than supported' in their dealings with the Department of Agriculture. The department, in response, says it 'has the interests of farmers and farming in Ireland at its core'. It is possible for both things to be true, whereby farmers feel without backing even as the Government attempts to support them. It is also true that looming changes to CAP payments are causing significant stress for farmers, because of their importance to maintaining the viability of some Irish farms. And yet, farmers are willing to embrace change, with dairy sector discussion groups highlighting that technology is helping farmers in that area to reduce emissions and still remain sustainable. Naturally, the beef sector has a different set of challenges, but the point remains that where technological or economic solutions are available they are embraced — provided the farmers are given the right series of supports and encouragements. Change is a daunting thing at any time, especially when faced with increasingly tight and changing regulations depending on the wider economic and political landscape. And with the global outlook for both murky at best — between climate collapse and the decline and fall of the American empire — it is all the more important to protect what jobs, industry, and incomes we can.
Irish Independent
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Letters: Medical episode showed me how much people from abroad enrich Ireland
On Monday, I ended up in the emergency department of University Hospital Kerry (UHK) with severe anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition. In my case it was most probably caused by an insect bite. To the skilled and patient doctor in SouthDoc Tralee who told me I was very lucky, and the kindest physician ever in UHK who did not want to let me go home after my extended stay in his presence as he 'loved his job', I take my hat off to you both. These doctors were from south Asia, and Ireland is richer and nicer for having them here. Long may this continue. Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry In honouring 'Liberator', let us reflect on what he did for this country Daniel O'Connell, who was born on this day 250 years ago, spent a lifetime campaigning for Catholic emancipation and repeal of the Act of Union. Catholic emancipation in 1829 ended many of the restrictions on Irish Catholics under the British penal laws. Irish Catholics could now receive an education and enjoy Irish culture. Once emancipation was achieved, O'Connell campaigned for repeal of the 1801 Act of Union, which had merged the Irish and British parliaments at Westminster. O'Connell sought an independent self-governing 32-county Ireland. It would be another 100 years before that aim was partially achieved. In the interim, Irish people continued to be persecuted for their Catholicism and nationalism. Even though O'Connell felt that Catholicism and nationalism were two sides of the same coin, he respected Irish people of all religions and none. In a High Court case against the crown for religious tolerance, O'Connell famously said: 'Every religion is good. Every religion is true to him who in his good caution and conscience believes it.' He maintained that if Protestants, Catholics, Presbyterians and non-believers stood side by side as Irishmen, the union would be repealed. Religious freedom and nationhood were hard-won by those who preceded us. I am indebted to O'Connell and all who suffered and died for God and for Ireland. ADVERTISEMENT O'Connell may be criticised for his vanity, promotion of pacifism over violence and use of English over Irish, but he has earned his reputation as The Liberator. He was a giant figure in the fight for civil rights and religious freedom in an all-inclusive Irish republic. Billy Ryle, Tralee, Co Kerry We shouldn't let facts get in the way when it comes to Donald Trump's beliefs The famous quote from Groucho Marx, 'Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others', could be updated to a potential quote from Donald Trump: 'If you don't like my statisticians' results, I can fire them and get others.' Facts are facts. You can't improve them by getting someone else to announce them – not in a sane world anyway. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne Putin is thriving, and his strongman antics paint a grim picture for the future Your editorial rightly warns of the dangerous game being played with nuclear threats, but the deeper shift is strategic, not just rhetorical ('Nuclear threats show leaders are playing a dangerous game – August 5'). We are witnessing the erosion of the old Cold War deterrence framework, replaced not by restraint but by competitive brinkmanship. This is fuelled as much by economic endurance as by military posture. Putin's calculus is brutally rational. Sanctions have failed to cripple his war machine because global energy markets have fractured into rival trading blocs. As long as India and China buy Russian oil, Moscow can fund its war and wait out western resolve. Here lies the true risk: not immediate nuclear conflict, but a new equilibrium in which authoritarian powers thrive by outlasting liberal democracies trapped in short-term electoral cycles and fiscal fatigue. If that equilibrium holds, the post-1945 security architecture dissolves. And then what deters not just Putin, but the next opportunist? Unless the West can break the illusion that time is on Russia's side – through secondary sanctions, technological containment and a unified economic front – we may soon find that the game has changed and the rules are no longer ours to write. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh Bombing of Hiroshima reminds world of the dark place it is still in today Today is the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. With the antics of nuclear-armed Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, the tension between Pakistan and India and terrorists clamouring to obtain such a device, one wonders what could easily happen in the next 10 years, let alone 80. Dominic Shelmerdine, London In taking a stand on Gaza, students around world shine a light on injustice Jenny Maguire is prudent to allude to the fact that several activists have risked their university places, safety and careers to invoke the agony endured by women and children in Gaza ('Everything is about Palestine for those who recognise what is at stake for us all', Letters, August 4). But in the face of these heinous acts, there were/are countless stories of gallantry, resilience, fortitude and unswerving commitment of students who have been intimidated, detained and even excluded from their universities, simply for standing up for justice, equality and the respect for human rights that are the foundational blocks for enduring peace. Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London Lions tour was a bit of a washout in the end, but sense of pride is justified By all accounts, the Lions tour to Australia was a hit with the players and coaching staff. Winning the series seemed like a bonus, but not the be all and end all. The third test was a damp squib, perhaps reflecting the fact that the rugby never really reached the high standards that were expected. Still congratulations to all four nations, they did us proud. Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18
Irish Daily Mirror
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Daniel O'Connell: One of Ireland's most important figures and ahead of his time
Today, August 6, marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell, one of Ireland's most significant historical figures. O'Connell - known as The Great Liberator for freeing Catholics from the Penal Laws - was born this week in 1775, near Cahirsiveen in Co Kerry. A formal State-led commemoration will take place at his ancestral home in Derrynane House to remember how his life-long pursuit of justice, equality and civil rights changed Ireland. The capital's main street is named after the man who managed to achieve his political goals through peaceful means, securing emancipation and repealing the Act of Union. Here, historian Donal Fallon looks at the life and work of a man far ahead of his time, a man who was an anti-slavery pacifist but who also had his critics and who had an enduring impact on us as a nation. Portrait of Daniel O'Connell (Image: Getty Images) The next time you're passing the Daniel O'Connell monument facing onto Dublin's O'Connell Bridge, look closely. On top, when a seagull isn't claiming the position, we see The Great Liberator O'Connell, but in the row below him, the central figure is Ireland herself. She's standing on broken chains and holding the Act of Catholic Emancipation in her hand. Around her are artisans, lawyers, artists, a bishop, children and more besides. The monument has a simple message: all of Ireland stood behind Daniel O'Connell. But closer inspection still reveals bullet holes aplenty. Ireland has taken one to her arm, while several are in O'Connell's chest. The end product of the fierce fighting at Easter Week 1916, there's a certain irony in their presence here. O'Connell was very much a pacifist and someone who rejected revolution. No freedom, he believed, "is worth the shedding of a single drop of human blood". O'Connell entered the world on August 6, 1775, 250 years ago today. Born near Cahersiveen in the Kingdom of Kerry, his life was greatly shaped by the turbulence of the world in the late 18th century. In an Ireland where Catholics were denied many fundamental rights, the generosity of his wealthy uncle Maurice allowed O'Connell to seek an education in France, a place he happened to find himself in when the revolution there took hold. One story has it that the young O'Connell, fleeing from France on boat, encountered the Irish brothers John and Henry Sheares. Rather than being horrified by what had taken hold in France, they instead showed Daniel a handkerchief they had dipped in the blood of the guillotined French king. In 1798, the brothers would meet their own end, hanged outside Dublin's Newgate Prison. In time, O'Connell's political machine became the Catholic Association, a mass movement that charged a membership fee of a single penny, thus bringing the Irish poor into the political arena. Opponents would mock O'Connell as the 'King of the Beggars', but he maintained: "A people who can be thus brought to act together, and by one impulse, are too powerful to be neglected and too formidable to be long opposed." Perhaps fearful of what such a movement could become, the London government granted Catholic Emancipation in 1829, ensuring O'Connell would enter Irish folk memory as 'The Liberator'. In his own lifetime, O'Connell inspired many other movements. Most famously, the American abolitionist Frederick Douglass would spend several months touring the island of Ireland, speaking in cities as diverse as Limerick and Belfast and telling a Dublin audience of the need for a 'Black O'Connell' to emerge in the US. O'Connell was a consistent opponent of slavery wherever it existed and caused major divisions in Irish America by refusing to accept any financial or political support from those who participated in it. Douglass remembered that "while with one arm the Liberator was bursting the fetters of Irishmen, with the other he was striking off the literal chains from the limbs of the Negro". When Barack Obama spoke on College Green in 2011, he focused his speech on the alliance between O'Connell and Douglass, bringing the story to a new generation here. Former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend a rally on College Green on May 23, 2011 in Dublin (Image: Getty Images) O'Connell also condemned "the vicious and atrocious conduct of the East India Company towards the natives" when it came to India and its place in the Empire. But in England, O'Connell was sometimes at loggerheads with democrats and trade unionists, clashing publicly with the Chartists (who believed in many things we take for granted today, like universal suffrage and vote by secret ballot) on several occasions. On the economy, he could be conservative and he dismissed trade unions as "the childish folly of regulating the labour of adults". James Connolly, the executed leader of the Easter Rising, came to hold a deep distaste for O'Connell's record on such issues. The Liberator could also be gushing towards monarchy, insisting when Victoria became queen that "we have on the throne a monarch educated to cherish the rights and liberties of all the people, free from preoccupations and prejudice, and ready to do justice to all". By the end of the century, she would be denounced here as 'The Famine Queen'. If O'Connell was a liberal icon in the eyes of some, he was far too conservative to others. But there is universal agreement on the good O'Connell's commitment to breaking sectarianism in Irish society did. Glasnevin Cemetery and Goldenbridge Cemetery were both founded, thanks to the Catholic Association, as non-denominational cemeteries, finally bringing equality to burials. Many would agree too that O'Connell's 'Monster Meetings', where hundreds of thousands of people would come together demanding political reform, gave Irish people a long-denied voice. New stamps released by An Post capture some of the energy of those massive demonstrations, where people would assemble from all directions at a rallying point. They were a riot of colour, banners and marching bands. The two great political crusades of O'Connell's life were Catholic Emancipation and the return of an Irish Parliament to Dublin. While one of these missions succeeded, the other did not and when O'Connell's statue was put in place in Dublin in 1882, it was looking across the Liffey in the direction of the old Irish Parliament on College Green. At the time of his death in 1847, his passing was noted around the world, reminding us that he was an Irishman whose interest in change extended beyond this tiny island. Donal Fallon is a historian, broadcaster, writer and host of the podcast Three Castles Burning. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
The Journal
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Stamps of Daniel O'Connell have been unveiled to celebrate his 250th birthday
TWO NEW STAMPS commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell have been unveiled. The stamps are part of the widespread celebrations planned to celebrate the revolutionary's quarter of a millennium anniversary. Daniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as 'The Liberator', was born in August emerged as a key figure in Ireland's pursuit of parliamentary democracy through his movement for the repeal of the 1800 Act of Union. Barred from taking his parliamentary seat in 1828, his campaign eventually led to the passage of the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act. The Kerry man was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin after securing the passage of the Act. The Act meant that Irish Catholics could become members of parliament. Dublin's main thoroughfare bears his name. The two stamps were unveiled by Taoiseach Micheál Martin today. They are designed by Irish artist David Rooney, and are said to commemorate O'Connell's enduring legacy, 'showing him as an inspiring and towering figure in momentous, stylised scenes from his life'. Advertisement One stamp depicts his release from Richmond Bridewell after his three-month imprisonment. The second stamp shows him front and centre at one of his famous 'monster meetings'. According to magazine History Ireland , O'Connell's fifty-plus 'monster meetings' have been described the most spectacular public gatherings in Irish history. They were held across the three southern provinces during the summers of 1843 and 1845 to demonstrate support for O'Connell's campaign to repeal the Act of Union. 'These gatherings were arguably the largest mass phenomena in modern Irish history. In the contemporary nationalist press, almost all of them were said to number over 100,000; many were reported at between a quarter million and a half million; and one of them, the famous gathering at Tara Hill in mid-August 1843, was put at over one million,' the magazine said. Micheál Martin, TCD Provost Linda Doyle, and An Post CEO David McRedmond. MAXWELL PHOTOGRAPHY MAXWELL PHOTOGRAPHY A limited edition First Day Cover envelope features his famous statue in Ennis, Co. Clare and is available, together with the stamps, at selected post offices and online from tomorrow. Speaking today at Trinity College, Martin said that O'Connell is the greatest popular leader the world has ever known. 'He was a campaigner for the Catholic emancipation, the repeal of the Act of the Union and the abolition of slavery. He proved to be a powerful constitutional and legal reformer. I am delighted to unveil these stamps marking 250 years since his birth, to honour him and remember his legacy.' CEO of An Post David McRedmond said that An Post hopes that the stamps will promote a renewed interest in O'Connell. Also a part of the celebrations, Leinster House is to unveil a statue of Daniel O'Connell later this year. A programme of commemorative events will be held for 'The Liberator' in the coming weeks and months, including a State-led ceremony at his principal residence, Derrynane House in Co Kerry. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
