The Irish Empire Says Sorry

FG are good students. They attended their daily lectures with zeal. The Americanisation of our politics is almost complete. We live in a system that has no correlation with truth or reality. Enda Kenny can engage the electorate with an academy award winning speech. His empty words written by a scriptwriter and most likely edited by a barrister. At no stage in his emotional tirade did he admit to any liability on the part of the state. Nor did he mention how compensation to the Magdalene women might be calculated?

A long time ago I formulated the thought of Mr. and Mrs. Joe average nodding to each other sitting by the fire. They are impressed with things like the mention of Euros’ and the ECB. Words like democracy and contagion modern political buzz words that are meaningless. They are not amused however by dirty words like Sinn Féin—or social justice. These people have been brainwashed into acceptance. The ideology that led us to ruin will somehow save us—we will in turn do just about enough to return to the international gambling table.

So Enda has learned from the Empirical political leadership in America—politics is about spin and modern communication means that image is everything.

Our Taoiseach apologised on behalf of the state. Admitting that the state colluded with the Roman Catholic Church in detaining women and girls illegally from 1922—to 1996. The fact that these women and girls were from impoverished backgrounds didn’t warrant a mention. His hammed up emotional outburst was silly and unwarranted. He holds the highest political role in the state so one expects him to handle matters of this nature with dignity.

Who was actually to blame for the torture of these women? Was it the Catholic Church and the Irish State—who was the Taoiseach apologising for? As an Irish citizen I am totally innocent. I was a child up to 1976 and after that I had no idea that such places existed. I am sure there are many people like me. Were the poor citizens who inherited the class system from 1922 to blame as they didn’t rise up against their betters –those who controlled their economic and spiritual lives with such savagery? The ordinary citizen cannot be blamed as they were as put upon as the poor women and girls incarcerated in the laundries.

In the final analysis it was the well off and the rich who were responsible. In collusion with their high powered Catholic allies. They inflicted this concentration camp style torture on the women and girls whose only crime was poverty. So we get this patronising apology from the leader of FG. This party that represents the middle and upper classes the practitioners of neoliberal ideology. They apologise on behalf of us the citizenry as if somehow we were responsible. I am convinced that the election of June 1922 that gave these people their mandate was carried by this same collusion between our power brokers. Add in the British and threats of reinvasion—and one can see the pressure placed on the electorate at the time.

The shame of all of this –is in the absence of a true Irish State one that was based on equality, and respected and took care of all its citizens –not just the wealthy.
Enda Kenny can apologise all he wants—he can try to reinvent the facts all he likes. But the truth will out eventually and no amount of voice wobbles will stop it.

Vincent Brownes PR man

The Tonight with Vincent Browne is a very popular show. Along with its television audience it is a big hit on twitter. Tweeters from all persuasions comment on their timelines about Vincent’s antics. Many also comment on his guests and are not afraid to praise or criticise. Some I know await gleefully in the hope that Vincent will tear into some hapless political hack. It seems to raise the animal in all of us to see some jumped up asshole in a suit—get their grilling from prosecutor Vincent. He doesn’t spare women either. I am convinced that Mary Hanifin lost her seat in Dun Laoghaire following her appearance on the show.

So it is particularly galling that Vincent has allowed the PR consultant make the most outrageous comments on his show. Not just once has our PR –hero made the same comments but twice. On neither occasion did Vincent correct him. Tell him to explain himself or ask him to retract his statement. No on both occasions he allowed our hero to spout his sick message with impunity. One wonders does Vincent secretly agree with him.

Like abortion prostitution is a divisive issue in Irish society. In fact anything to do with sexual morality and female reproduction is best not discussed. We have a whole load of ‘I don’t want to know,’ attitude. This leaves prostitution in the hands of criminals and abortion is dealt with by our heathen neighbours in the UK. An ideal solution for a state that has become hypocrisy instead of democracy. If we ignore it then it will disappear go away, ’anyway I don’t want to discuss these awful things.’

But our PR man does. Vincent interviewed a prostitute who had suffered terribly at the hands of her partner. He pimped her and lived off of her earnings. She actually was living proof as to why legalisation is needed. But Vincent and the Tonight show concentrated on the abuse and the sleaze, rather than seek a solution. One of his guests repeatedly asked him to view the German model over the Swedish law, [which criminalises the buyers of sex. In Germany many brothels are legal and workers have natural rights under the law. The buyers of sex are not criminalised.] Vincent ignored him concentrating on the criminality—and on the terminology used by the former prostitute to describe her clients.

There is of course the pertinent question. Why do people buy sex? Men mostly—some are married. I presume many have girlfriends’. There are those who are lonely depressed –disabled—it seems the buyers of sex come from all walks of life. There is no prejudice to age or social class, save the more comfortable can afford the charges.

But not only does our PR man [who was interviewed the following night after our prostitute] want to criminalise the buyers of sex. For the second time on the Tonight show he referred to such people as rapists. The first occasion he stated that visiting a brothel and paying for sex is akin to paying someone to rape their daughter. The second time he said that it was paying someone to rape a girl who was trafficked.
Now our PR man must be accusing the German government of collusion in this crime and any other jurisdictions that has legal brothels.

Of course Mr. PR, has the right to an opinion, but to say what he said twice on Vincent Browne and go unchallenged is amazing. Like Wilde reminded us that once is forgivable but twice? So far I haven’t seen any debate of this issue that even pretends to be balanced. It is a subject for the hysterical that is for sure. It pulls the right wingers from closed drawers. It leaves left wingers and liberals slightly embarrassed on how they could hold a view on such a thorny issue. I think the same dark blanket surrounds paedophilia and the true causes of it. The core issue is never examined. We wish for excuses rather than face up to the damn truth. This leaves the door wide open for serious freaks like our PR consultant. This reminds me that his previous title was as a member of some right wing think tank. Pity he didn’t stay in it, like a goldfish opening and closing his mouth. But we hear nothing.

Prostitution has always been with us. It will be with us forever. Make it safe legalise and control it—don’t allow the criminals run it.