I discovered the author and commentator Dr Eoin Lenihan recently on a YouTube video where he talked about the current political problems in the Republic of Ireland. His potted history of the two major political parties in Ireland and their roots in the pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty factions that emerged after the Irish Civil War was highly illuminating. What struck me especially strongly was his statement that neither of these parties have any base ideology apart from their history with regards to the Treaty. I have not yet read Dr Lenihan’s book ‘Vandalising Ireland’ but after hearing him speak this book is certainly going to go on my ‘must read’ list.
Whilst looking for more information about Dr Lenihan I came across a post on his X feed which stuck out for me. It stuck out because the difference between the image and the reality of the Irish police force, the An Garda Síochána or Gardai as they are commonly called, is somewhat mirrored in the UK which also has a reality/image dichotomy with regards to the police. As in Britain with some of our police forces, the Irish Gardai has gained a reputation as enforcers of ideological conformity whilst being unwilling to tackle the sorts of crimes that bother the bulk of the population.
Dr Lenihan said:
“A new cohort of Irish people - farmers and hauliers - are finding out what the people of Newtownmountkennedy, Coolock and Clonmel found out two years ago... The days of the country guard are gone. The modern garda is not your friend. They are the enforcement arm of the state and they will do it with fervour. They will do very little when you need them on a Saturday night after an assault outside a chip shop, or when travellers come to strip the gutters off your house or when drug dealers set your vehicles on fire to intimidate you into settling a family member's drug debt. But they will beat the sht out of you when you go against the authoritarian actions of the state. Important to internalise.”*
To put Dr Lenihan’s comment into context it came after revelations that members of the Gardai had publicly mocked protestors who took to the streets to protest about excessive taxation and other issues. These demonstrations were broken up not just by the Gardai but also by units of the Irish Defence Forces. This was the equivalent of the UK government sending the military in to deal with legitimate and peaceful protests against government policy something that in Britain would be a major oppressive step.
As in Britain with our police forces, the Irish police are quite happy to kick the living daylights out of men, women and children who protest about dangerous ‘asylum seekers’ being dumped on their areas but will do sod all to protect these men, women and children from assault by these unwanted migrant invaders. The Irish people are starting to learn what Britons are learning and that policing is no longer controlled by old school ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ types of officer but instead is run by those who have been ideologically brainwashed to put ideology above everything else, including the safety of the ordinary citizen.
I’m going to keep regularly reading Dr Lenihan’s stuff as he seems to have diagnosed Ireland’s problems much better than some others have had.
Links
YouTube video of Dr Lenihan speaking to Bridget Phetasy
Link to original comment on X by Dr Lenihan
https://x.com/EoinLenihan/status/2042959763386814946
Story about Newtownmountkennedy anti migrant housing protestors. I don’t agree with all that this author says but it does describe the tensions related to migration in that part of Ireland.
https://theweekinhousing.substack.com/p/the-newtownmountkennedy-asylum-protest