A younger Matt had among his bêtes noir those I considered to be traitors to the doctrine of scientific socialism. Among them were Richard Crossman. Crossman was a left wing MP in the post war Labour government but was hated by the pro-Soviet left because he had edited a seminal 1949 collection of essays by […]
Perhaps the most ironic section of the new deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein to run the British part of Ireland is the following: 25.The parties affirm the need to respect the freedom of all persons in Northern Ireland to choose, affirm, maintain and develop their national and cultural identity I would imagine that getting […]
In his 1845 book The Condition of the Working Class in England, Friedrich Engels excoriated those wealthy philanthropists who placed themselves “before the world as mighty benefactors of humanity when they give back to the plundered victims the hundredth part of what belongs to them.” Back then charity was the preserve of austere Victorians and […]
The most striking aspect of Charlie Flanagan’s proposed “hate speech” legislation is the extraordinary alliance that has formed in its favour. As previous reports on Gript have shown it not only seemingly includes the entire “range” of parties within Leinster House, but everyone else from Pollyanna overseas charities to the “New IRA.” The latter, which […]
A Christmas card featuring Karl Marx might have raised a few cheap laughs for Sinn Féin’s Fintan Warfield, but there was very little of good cheer about the father of socialism. Even apart from the fact that Marx was a militant atheist who hated both his own Jewish heritage – which he stereotyped much as […]
There is a very interesting discussion between Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution and Roger Scruton on You Tube. In these times of Manichean witch hunts against anyone who does not sign up to a narrow left liberal agenda, it provides a breath of fresh air. Scruton himself was the subject of a successful […]
Last week, Facebook went wild over photos of Rod Stewart who was snapped while he placed flowers on the grave of Grace Gifford in Glasnevin Cemetery. The singer’s championing of the Jim McCann song Grace is a somewhat curious landmark for those who remember when not only was the Section 31 ban in force, but when any […]
The Duke of York’s very public trial regarding allegations connected to the late Jeffrey Epstein is not only a major embarrassment for his family, and supporters of the monarchy generally, but exposes a disturbing nexus between the very powerful and the sexual exploitation of underage girls and boys. Epstein apparently committed suicide in August before […]
On 7th December, the National Graves Association unveiled a statue in Finglas commemorating Liam Mellows who was executed on December 8, 1922 by Free State forces. Mellows was born in Lancashire into a British army family. When his father was transferred to Dublin he spent some years with his mother’s family in Wexford. He joined […]
In terms of the arithmetic that governs the balance of power within Leinster House, the results of the four by-elections make little difference. The only way in which the Government can be forced into calling an early election is if Fianna Fáil support a motion of no confidence, and there was little evidence that even […]
The shooting dead of Islamist terrorist Usman Khan, who murdered two people in the London Bridge attack on Friday, has raised a number of issues. The fact that Khan who was convicted in February 2012 of being part of a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange, was free to carry out the attack seems […]
Speaking during a discussion as part of the Jonathan Swift Festival at St. Patrick’s Cathedral last Saturday, former President Mary McAleese told the Irish people that they had no right to be questioning the rapidly changing demographics of our society. Celebrating this, McAleese declared that “today, 17 per cent of our population comes from somewhere […]