Me Feiners and Ourselves
by Meadbh Gallagher
On Monday in Dublin, the biggest literary prize in the world in
monetary terms, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award,
went to a Romanian author, Herta Muller, for her book `The Land
of Green Plums'.
It was with sickening synchronicity that as Ms Muller - now an
immigrant in Berlin - was being lauded and applauded for her
literary exposure of recent Romanian history, 20 of her
compatriots found hiding in freight trailers brought in through
Rosslare Port were being treated to a very different official
Irish welcome.
Sickening because it reminds so much of our own history, of the
smug ceremonies and elite barstools from where Irish people have
been safely lauded for being at the cutting edge of literary or
musical talent, while behind the bars and in the kitchens, the
same Irish have known the racism that predominated and the
stereotypes they were expected to live up to.
Sickening because, even as they were processing the 20 Romanians'
claims to stay, the Irish authorities were confident that because
the trucks had come via France, the EU's Dublin Convention would
apply, and they would eventually be sent back there to make their
claim for asylum.
Sickening also because on the same day, Justice Minister John
O'Donoghue admitted there would be no amnesty for existing asylum
seekers in Ireland and announced his government will rush through
anti-immigrant laws to make it even more difficult for people to
come to stay in this exclusive island.
The bumptious, self-righteous O'Donoghue epitomises the mé
féinism that predominates current southern Irish political
culture.
He has deliberately deceived the public with statistics on
immigration and its cost. His excuses for plain old racism, newly
fashioned and delivered with a sense of moral right all of his
own making, leave even the Tory Michael Howard in the shade.
But he is on safe ground. His cronies in Fianna Fáil and the PDs
and much of the Opposition back him all the way.
In the mé féin mind, the historical necessity for Irish people to
emigrate or to seek asylum elsewhere is in the dim and distant
past, nothing to do with where we are now.
d the privilege which flowed with the US decision to grant
visas to hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants in the very
recent past is written off because after all, everyone loves the
Irish, and why wouldn't they want us there.
There is no sense of the history of all our families, and the
suffering of a huge number of them, from which, ironically, we
are now standing to benefit. There is no sense that others too
have proud histories, traditions and much to offer.
The mé féiners simply believe that Mr or Ms Irish is now such an
object of desire that the waves will part before them no matter
where they go.
How nice to see such national confidence. What a relief after
years on bended knees. How awful though, that the Ireland of the
mé féiners could give us the very things we have hated in others.
How worrying that their national largesse cannot in turn be
applied to Romanians, or any other people who choose or are
forced, for whatever reasons or fancy, to come here.
It is ironic that it is only now, after years of
misrepresentation and slant, that there is a chance to learn and
to show that the mé féiners in Irish politics have rarely been
republicans.
O'Donoghue and his cronies need the wind taken out of their
puffed-up sails. It is ourselves who are best placed to do that.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)