Irish Post – by Aidan Lonergan
A BRITISH columnist has come under fire after suggesting that Ireland is not a real nation.
In a comment piece for today’s The Times, Melanie Phillips writes that Ireland has a “tenuous claim to nationhood”.
She wrote: “Does that mean that Westminster should tear up the Good Friday Agreement and bid farewell to Northern Ireland?
“No, because it has an obligation to the Unionists; and because the claim to unite Ireland is tenuous since Ireland itself has a tenuous claim to nationhood, having seceded from Britain as the Irish Free State only in 1922.
https://twitter.com/ianprior/status/839033554273185792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“Scottish nationalism and Irish republicanism are cultural phenomena rooted in romanticism and myth and hatred of the other in the form of the English or the Protestants.”
She continued: “Britain, by contrast, is an authentic unitary nation.”
The column has attracted sharp criticism from Irish people online – including Ireland’s Ambassador to Britain Daniel Mulhall – who described Phillips’ claims as “outlandish”.
“As Ambassador I cannot ignore Melanie Phillips’ outlandish claims in The Times that Irish nationhood is ‘tenuous’,” he said.
“100 years of independence (and) Irish nationhood based on strong sense of identity, distinctive culture & shared values and interests. Nothing ‘tenuous’.”
1/2 As Ambassador I cannot ignore @MelanieLatest's outlandish claim @thetimes that Irish nationhood is 'tenuous'. 100 years of independence.
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) March 7, 2017
2/2 @MelanieLatest Irish nationhood based on strong sense of identity, distinctive culture & shared values and interests. Nothing 'tenuous'
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) March 7, 2017
Fine Gael senator Neale Richmond told Phillips to “read a history book before making such an ill-informed comment.”
One British Twitter user joked: “That awkward moment when other countries find out about Melanie Philips.”
Another added: “The Times and Melanie Phillips owe Ireland an apology.”
In the same column Phillips claims that SNP and Sinn Féin want to “reclaim powers from Westminster in order to surrender them to Brussels”.
“Northern Ireland is different again. The Unionists hate this being said but they are not British. They’re the bit that got tacked on to Great Britain to make the UK.
Melanie Phillips has previously written for the Daily Mail and has been criticised for views such as her disagreement with the scientific consensus regarding man-made climate change.
Melanie Philips is aware of what was done to Ireland…? That's breathtaking stuff.
— ⭕bscure ⭕nline Threat (@redrichie) March 7, 2017
When did Melanie Philips start writing for The Onion?
— Kristoff (@mrsanderzisin) March 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/gavinsblog/status/839051655228309504
https://twitter.com/andyfgorman/status/839083812344721408
she must be a Mexican trained journalist
melanie “lahoya” beanerstien………
Stephen: I wouldn’t worry about them. Didn’t I tell ya before? It’s my island.
Believe it or not, there’s a section in England that is still legally part of Scotland…all of Northumberland above the location of Hadrian’s Wall is technically part of Scotland but for some battle with Bonny Prince Charlie or something that Scotland lost in 1740 or so…Scots claim England simply stole the place (and they probably did…could be that’s why my Scots-Irish ancestors came over her AS INDENTURED SERVANTS (yes folks, white slavery also existed but they’ll never teach you that in public school! And this was waaaayyyy before the age of political correctness–I only learned about this through lots of research).
Scots didn’t lose, ever! Too savage! Happy to say, freakin’ scared off the Romans!
Yeah an indentured 2 generations ago too. No they don’t teach that or the fact they were treated worse than slaves. Won’t/don’t teach that…
They (Romans) ran like from the Welsh as if demons were at their heels.
Filed under ‘hilarious history’. 🙂
Not happy?
I’ve been there. The Irish folks I met were happy.
I think this stupid cow is full of sh#t.