Conspiracies
- The Timor Conspiracies (UTV)
- Prime Time (RTE)
- Would You Believe (RTE)
- Gleann Cheo (TnaG)
Hey Ronnie Reagan, I'm black and I'm pagan,
I'm left and I'm gay and I'm free,
I'm an environmentalist, unfundamentalist,
Don't bother me
d I'm a coffee drinker... or so the myth goes of lefty types. We're
sceptical of some, due to their convenient refusal to involve
themselves in the national question, but many of whom, ourselves
included, have followed the fortunes of South Africa, Cuba,
Nicaragua, Mexico and now East Timor - countries whose plights have
attracted international campaigns against the dictators and various
bad guys who readily arm and support them, usually in the guise of
Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and other western government types.
The coffee drinkers' hero John Pilger again came up with the goods on
UTV's ``The Timor Conspiracy'', exposing the ongoing Indonesian
occupation of East Timor, its genocide against its people and the
issues that surround it, namely the connivance and compliance of the
US, Australian and British governments in the slaughter of 200,000
civilians since the Indonesian invasion of 1975, which was aided and
abetted by the West.
Indonesia was described by Nixon as ``the greatest prize in South East
Asia'' with huge oil reserves and consequrntly General Suharto's
military regime was welcomed with open arms into the West.
Western intelligence were at all times aware of the invasion, which
can only be compared with the efforts of Pol Pot of Cambodia, and
arms assistance from the USA was doubled in 1976.
The terror inflicted on the Timorese over the last twenty years -
murder, torture, rape, disappearances etc has only been made possible
by the silence and complicity of hypocritical Western governments.
While Margaret Thatcher refused to speak to our hunger strikers
``crime is crime'' she increased the huge amounts of arms sales to
Indonesia, at the height of the genocide.
While John Major urged governments not to deal with ``terrorists'' he
clinched a £1 billion arms deal with Suharto.
The Dille Massacre, which was a larger version of ``Bloody Sunday'',
was described by Australian Ministers as an ``aberration'' while their
government were given access to Timorese oil reserves.
Despite the fall of Suharto, the occupation continues, with the UN
and Western powers showing little interest in the plight of East
Timor which was described as ``expendable''.
So-called New Labour, while preaching on ethical foreign policy, have
increased arms supplies to Indonesia with 64 contracts drawn up in
1998.
d they call us ``terrorists''!
other favourite of ours, Fianna Fáil, are currently under pressure
and under the spotlight on RTE's ``Primetime'' for their own shady
dealings with men with brown envelopes.
Founded as the Republican Party and the party of the small farmer
they were about as republican as the neighbour's cat and the small
farmer is dying a rapid death.
They were never too policy-orientated or strong on ideals, their U
turns including health cuts of the 80s and neutrality among others,
although they would defend themselves as pragmatists, moving with the
changing times.
Their strength has always been in their organisation at grassroot
level, and some of their politicians have been highly effective at
local level, particularly in clientelism - it was common practice at
home for local Fianna Fáilers to have the local council footpath
extended to their house or their sons placed in local employment
strongholds.
Their republicanism has for long been a joke, most notably the great
opportunist De Valera's jailing of many of his ex-comrades in the
Second World War in the Curragh, Haughey's treatment of the H-Block
hunger strikers and Ray Burke's Extradition Act.
A colleague once recalled how a local Fianna Fáil candidate, when
questioned by a posse of local Shinners why they should vote for him,
replied, ``sure you lads and us are all the same, it's just you take
it a little more serious''.
Bertie Ahern has been their most recent shining jewel, with his
affable personality, somehow managing to be closely allied with the
fallen Haughey and Burke and the soon to be fallen Flynnstone, but
never being associated with their murkier dealings.
His presentation on Prime Time was a valiant attempt to extract
himself from the mire, but if the mud continues to fly, it will soon
begin to stick, but then again who wants John Bruton to be given
responsibility for the peace process?
Those other stalwarts of the Free State, ``An Garda Shickaloney'', were
yet again being given a hard time on TnaG's newest comedy ``Gleann
Cheo'' which portrays (unfairly do I hear you say?) the boys in blue
as conmen who drive Ford Cortinas, rusty boneshakers, sell sheep, eat
Kit Kats, draw the dole, fall over each other as the bad boys get
away, rent out the cells to unsuspecting Yanks, poison them with
poitín, bury dead chickens, fiddle electricity meters, dump bodies in
the bog, drink after hours, rustle sheep and drink `till dawn. And I
thought they just harrassed republicans. Tune in.
On a more sombre note, RTE's ``Would You Believe'' was a brave and
honest attempt to address the thorny issue of Suicide, which we have
yet to address in this country.
Increased pressures in today's society, where success is measured in
terms of finance, status and position in society, have added to the
strain as have the decrease in communities as Ireland becomes a more
individual-based society in Celtic Tiger days.
Our macho male culture, where men are not supposed to cry, or discuss
their problems, beyond ten pints in the pub, has been another factor
in th increased suicide rate, which is now one of the primary killers
in Ireland among young men, particularly on the west coast, where
some have even opined the continous grey skies and rain haven't
helped.
The three individuals in this feature all discussed their backrounds,
reasons for taking and most difficult their recovery.
Less TV and more talk please?
By Sean O Donaile
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