Europe of 125 regions.

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday January 09, 2003 15:42 by iosaf jedi of the mythical Eire & bit of svengali dude. iosaf at europe dot com barcelona

Ireland of many.

There are three languages spoken in Ireland. and two national games. and many different types of farmers.

Tonight the Irish Rugby Football Union will vote whether or not to scrap the Connaught team.
"if the team is scrapped tonight I will be asking the Minister for Sport and the Oireachtas Sports Committee to examine if other ways can be found to try and promote the game in the West.”
;Dr Jimmy Devins, TD. (Fianna Fail).

The minister of course is Eamon O´Cuiv.
or is it?

Which minister of the little rascals would have responsibility for promoting "the game of Rugby" in the West?

There is a Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
2002 - 2007 in the Dail.
They last met December 17th
commitee room 3 Leinster House.
agenda:
a) Scrutiny of EU legislative Proposals

(b) Election of Vice-Chairman

(c) Discussion on Maritime Safety Consultation Document

oh very interesting stuff.
This week Minister O´Cuiv (who last May decided not to contest the south galway ward again)
http://www.fiannafail.ie/td_press.php4?person=35&id=594
called for the rezoning of the Gaeltacht.
(Eamon Ó'Cuív, Minister for the Gaeltacht, discusses the pressing issues facing Gaeltacht areas 28k -sound file) http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0107/morningireland/morningireland8a.ram

Now for the illumination of those readers from outside of Ireland who at times may be slightly confused by our acroynyms, party names, shiboleeths and smatterings of Gaelic, some explanatory notes.

1. The Gaeltacht is the most western region of the 125 regions of the European Union. The Irish langauge is the quotidien tongue of that region which stretches from the south to the north of the island.
2. Fianna Fail are the largest party in Ireland a right wing grouping with roots in the Irish Civil War which they fought against their traditional rivals another righ wing grouping who toda arecalled Fine Gael.
3. Neither party has done anything much for the Irish language or farmers.

Farmers come in all sizes.
big and small.
Some of them drive tractors others have combine harvesters and you can occasionally get the key if you´re part of an agricultural co-operative.

Most farmers don´t play Rugby, that game has certain class associations in Ireland, but if they do they are probably supporters of FF or FG.

I mentioned at the beginning that there are three langauges spoken in Ireland.

They are in order of use:
1. English (two dominant varieties Southern Hiberno English SHE and Mid Ulster English).
2. Irish (there is an official dialect called "an caighdean" and four main dialects).
3. Ulster Scots (there is only one type and not many literate users, it took an inordinate length of time to find a translator for the presently suspended Northern Ireland Assembly).

There are few web pages displaying policy in Ireland on these languages.

GAELSCOILEANNA is a voluntary national organisation, established in 1973 as Coiste Náisiúnta na Scoileanna LánGhaeilge (the National Committee of Irish-medium Schools).GAELSCOILEANNA has been receiving grant support through Bord na Gaeilge since 1978.
They are quite upset about Irish language policy in the West of Ireland.

In that region poor like most regions of Western Europe, we need only think of Gallicia for a moment, farmers make a living on considerably less than the €45,000 a year gross income qouted by FF TD John Curran - 08/01/2003
http://www.fiannafail.ie/archive_article.php4?id=1003

They are traditionally thought of as being "small farmers".
But their legacy is strong.
Ní hé an té is fearr a thuileann is mó a fhaigheann.
=The most deserving isn't always the best rewarded.

Ireland´s state takes pride in it´s imagined future, one will find many references to the future in the websites of both FF and FG. Ireland´s state took pride in the placing of the Lingua project for minorty European languages in Dublin. http://www.ibeurope.com/Issues/LAN.htm

Ireland´s past is one of small farmers.
"To Hell or Connaught" and monsters from afar.

Ireland can not honestly and honourably look forward without accepting its past in all forms, in all tongues. In this 21st century we have so far seen the freedom of capital return to levels last experienced in 1895. (the Economist global survey may 2002).
In 1895 imperialism and freedom of capital meant the subjugation and abject poverty of Irish farmers and city dwellers. In 2003 the poverty has moved.
Imperialism today affords food upon the table be it in Connaught or Dublin, imperialism today brings coffee, tabacco, Oil, cocaine to Ireland.
Imperialism today is no longer championed by rugby players.

The Irish still have a long way to go before they accept their role played not only as victims of Empire but as colloborators with Empire. And now in the dark days when many feel a new more terrible than any other Empire is being built, the Irish are no longer victims in any sense.

Gallicia is another of the 125 regions of the EU. It too speaks a minority language. It too relies upon marine based industry, fosters local arts iniatives, parents diasporic migrant children, and suffers from centralised government.

In Ireland today farmers converge on Dublin.
FF and FG members call for their campaign to stop. The Gardaí so far have not seriously misbehaved, they have little experience of policing large demonstrations. The largest they have had to deal with have been:
The Eucharistic Congress.
The British Embassy burning.
The Popes visit
The Hunger strike protests
The Birmingham 6 march
Their record has been notable for its bias.

If I were in Ireland today I would be learning how to drive a tractor without license to government buildings whereupon I would brandish a "sliothar" at the little rascals within.

Little rascals who have turned our history and culture into nothing more than a crypto-regional outpost of multi-national-corporative greed.

I challenge these little rascals to qoute the least of farm gross output and the largest.
They might look to their own farm owning ranks.

I challenge these little rascals to quote the least of industrial worker´s wage and the largest.
Might they too look to their own ranks?

o as if

footnote: (I write about happy stuff you know, stories and scripts and poems, really good too that´s why I end up getting the Nobel prize the thoughts here are just quotidien ramblings).