Examiner Irish Politicians View: Of Intolerable Intimidation

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Wed, 13 Mar, 2024 - 20:03

Last weekend’s referendum result cast a shadow over the political establishment, and many public representatives have not covered themselves in glory in the aftermath.

The outbreak of backtracking and flip-flopping which erupted among the political class as soon as the result became known was unedifying at best, and has no doubt contributed to an already jaundiced view of politicians and their principles.

Yesterday’s newspaper suggested that ‘jaundiced’ is a considerable understatement for some people, however.

Research has revealed truly shocking levels of intimidation of politicians in Ireland, with almost two-thirds of those surveyed reporting threats of violence, damage to property, death threats, arson, and even threats of sexual violence: one-third of those surveyed had been threatened face to face, not online or via phone. What makes this even more disturbing is that the period covered was a mere two and a half years, from April 2021 to September 2023.

Being dissatisfied with the performance of a politician is a perfectly legitimate position, of course, but there is a world of difference between unhappiness with one’s public representative and threatening them in person with death or rape.

This increase in threats and intimidation can be seen as having several different sources, from the Wild West atmosphere generated by social media to a general degradation of public discourse, all of which have generated an atmosphere in which malign actors feel they can act with impunity.

One obvious result is an increased reluctance among people to get involved in representative politics, which is not good for any democracy. Very few of us would wish to work in an environment where there was a one in three chance of being threatened by someone face to face.

It is worth considering this survey’s results in the context of the recent anniversary of the death of Billy Fox, killed by the IRA in 1974 while serving as a senator. Even allowing for the different circumstances half a century ago, Fox’s murder should remind us that violence, or the threat of violence, against democratically elected politicians cannot be tolerated.

Minister back in the spotlight

The South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, has long been associated with the “alternative” reputation of that part of the US, an independently-minded liberal enclave in a largely conservative state.

That reputation adds yet another layer of significance to the withdrawal of Irish music acts from the festival.

Scheduled to appear at a showcase of Irish talent, all of the acts involved have refused to appear as a protest against events at the festival which are linked to the American military — as well as major sponsorships from military-industrial companies — with specific reference to their involvement in the situation in Gaza. As a result, the showcase has been cancelled.

Unsurprisingly, the boorish governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has issued a characteristic statement (“Bands pull out of SXSW over US army sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back.”), while the festival organisers have said they “fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech”.

That decision has real-life consequences for the Irish acts involved.

The festival is a major shop window for new talent in different areas, and withdrawing from the showcase means losing out on the opportunity to progress careers and secure new opportunities in one of the biggest markets in the world.

Kneecap’s Mo Chara, one of those acts, articulated the position of those bands earlier this week: “The financial impact of not attending the festival will be very expensive but, at the end of the day, this is just a minor sort of hiccup in our
careers in comparison to what’s actually happening in Gaza, you know, and everybody can play their part.”

On that basis, the gesture is laudable — all the more so as all of the acts involved have withdrawn from the event in a notable show of solidarity.

That solidarity places significant pressure on Arts Minister Catherine Martin, whose department has indicated that she still intends to attend the festival.

Having been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons recently, thanks to the resignation of Siún Ní Raghallaigh as chair of the board of RTÉ, there will be keen interest in Ms Martin’s performance in this tight spot.

US election mindgames

As sabre-rattling goes, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s recent comments were pitched at a deafening volume.

In an interview on Russian television Putin told the West that Russia was “technically ready” for nuclear war, and that if America were to send troops into Ukraine, that would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict.

This has already been viewed as a rerun of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the US and Soviet Union had a tense standoff over missiles being located on the Caribbean island. Putin’s interview is also being seen as an attempt to tilt
the upcoming presidential election in America towards his favoured candidate, Donald Trump, by depicting incumbent Joe Biden as a warmongerer.

Consider Putin’s partiality in the light of comments from Trump’s former White House chief of staff: John Kelly said this week that he had to dissuade Trump from praising Hitler while in office. If Putin’s support were not enough, Kelly’s comments are surely sufficient grounds to disqualify Trump from a second term. Yet he may still be the one dealing with Putin next January. Dangerous times ahead.