The Queen's visit

I'll admit I have been sleeping on the job here because this crept up on me while I was dealing with unemployment woes, (yes that means I am out of university and not a law job in sight, ah well, maybe the meat packing plant needs another worker?), but the Queen's visit to Northern Ireland, in short, has been positively received. Mc Guinness being the Sinn Fein representitive that shakes Her Majesty's hands shouldn't surprise anyone, we all know what Gerry is like. However I am going to have to draw a different bead on the situation then the good fellow on MadMonarchist who is interpreting this as a 'victory' for United Kingdom Royalism. I normally don't disagree with the man but I honestly think he is horribly mistaken in his exuberence.

On the parts he is correct about is that yes this does represent that the anger and hatred of years passed has simmered down to the point where this is possible, but his appraisal of why even Roman Catholic Nationalists in the North are accepting the status quo is woefully misaimed.

In truth, it is no secret Dublin wants nothing to do with the North, everybody knows that, in fact that's one of the primary reasons I direct alot of bile towards the southern government, (oh yeah, and the confessional seal law, looking up to Uncle Mao are you an Tainiste?), but the reason northern nationalists arent keen on dissolving partition nowadays is because they do not want to be taxed into the ground like our southern Brothers and sisters are. My own mother, who's about as republican as you can get said she would vote against reintegration precisely along those economic lines. So in reference to the mad one's post, it is not so much that the Crown 'won' as much as Leinster House 'lost' because of economic realities, (well that and the NHS, mother is surprisingly keen on the institution despite its horrendous flaws). Its a sad state of affairs when economics override principles, but hey, that is literally the story of the 21st century so far, so we aren't too out of place.

Why I am so calm and couldn't give two rats behinds about the furore Anglophilic Royalists and Irish Republicans alike are throwing up over this whole ordeal is because I acknowledge the inevitable reality of Northern Ireland: Whether anyone likes it or not the North will be integrated into a United Ireland sooner or later. Its a demographic inevitability, as well as that, when it comes down to it, London wants the North even less then Dublin does and I don't believe for a moment, except for a few Imperial holdouts in the rest of the UK, that Britain wont have a referendum held for reintegration of Northern Ireland into the south as soon as it is demographically feasible, I dare you to look at the constitutional set up of Northern Ireland and tell me this is not the case. This is why in all my other posts dealing with speculation for a Irish High Kingdom pre-supposes unification and I allude to the 'unionist problem' which is something a future United Ireland will be left with in the wake of this, (Because the Unionists won't be going anywhere after all, their roots are already planted in the North).

Anyway, sorry for the lack of updates, now its back to figuring out how to be of use to society I go.

Slan go Phoile

Dear American Observers

(Image taken from the Telegraph)

It has been some time since I last posted, I have been busy studying for my final exams of University and other assorted worries so my posting has been severely limited. That said I have been keeping up with blogs that I follow as well as looking further afield in the political and Catholic blogosphere and I have noticed something.

American bloggers are not only fascinated about the crisis in Europe, but are worried about it, and about how it will affect them, and even persons such as Bill Whittle from Pyjamas Media, (a New Media right wing news outlet), have been using the crisis in Europe as an allegory for how not to run a Union. Needless to say my reactions to these concerns from American observers have varied from incredulous to symnpathetic, so I felt the need to devote a post addressing some of the concerns Americans have with the crisis in Europe.


1, You cannot help us
While ordinary Americans are not guilty of it, they are unaware of the LUDICROUS political influence their government has had in Europe for most of the last century, the current political landscape in Europe is as much the result of American meddling as it is a reaction to it, (as well as giving account for European stupidity of course), we do not need American help. You wouldn't know how to help us anyway, we are not American, and cannot exist on an American mindset, however it is defined.


2, If the Euro is going down the drain, the Dollar is on fire
This is addressing primarily economic concerns of American observers. Yes, if the European markets crash it will be a disaster for the whole world, you are right to be concerned about that. Yes, Europe's fiscal irresponsibility is ultimately the cause of our economic downfall, the same as everywhere else. Yes the monetary Union and perhaps the entire European political experiment will fail before Christmas, and yes you can learn from Europe how NOT to run a multi-national Union. This is of no use because however boned the Euro is, the Dollar is worse off. The euro may die and the dollar may live for another few decades but it will never be worth what it once was and it will only continue to decrease in value, I draw my American readers' attention to their own deficit which has literally reached astronomical proportions. It will never get better, never. To believe it will get better is going beyond optimism or religious belief and straight into white knuckled, despair-fuelled denial.


3, If there is another continental war in Europe, American wont be able to intervene
Now we get into the meat of the worry for Americans. Many of whom are worried that if there is another conflagration in Europe in the wake of this crisis, and that is not an unlikely occurance when all is taken into account, Americans may once again be forced to intervene. This is an understandable and human worry but I am going to have to tell my American readers why they wont be able to intervene, the reasons are several-fold
- You won't know who to fight. If another war occurs it will definitely not be like WWI or WWII, it will not be a fluid battle between nations who are easily divided into two alliance blocs. A continental war in Europe at this stage will likely be a furious confusion of border skirmishes, civil unrest and various civil wars in places with no clear clue of who started what fight or which side being victorious would be in America's interests.
- You won't be able to fight a whole continent. With all due respect to America's phenomenal military might and force projection, you simply would not be able to go for broke and simply pacify the entire continent. Oh sure, you most definitely could do this if you were fighting the European Union as a unified entity, but that wouldn't be the case, you wouldn't be fighting the European Union, you'd be fighting Europe which is a different beast, in such a scenario as this, it would be as simple as driving a M1 Abrams tank through a thick, Jungle under-bush. It would be impractical in the extreme, not only would conquered territories not be willing to co-operate with you troops, but as soon as you find out intelligence about say, a French fortified position, it would not count for the sudden German incursion force which would totally blind-side your forces.
- You'll have your own problems to worry about. Putting Europe aside, America wouldn't intervene because in the wake of a European collapse would likely be an entire worldwide collapse. I would be very surprised in such a scenario that America would still be able to field and fortify its military positions all over the world. Indeed, it'd probably be forced to withdraw its worldwide forces not only because it would be nigh impossible to hold them where they are stationed, but because the disaster will likely result in civil unrest if not outright civil war in America itself.



All things considered, while the concern of our American friends is heartening, it is impractical and probably not in their best interests to be concerned. Europe's socio-political experiment will fail, and probably fail spectacularly, but America and Americans cannot do anything to help the situation.