As regards Northern Ireland I’m certainly not an IRA supporter or even a Republican. My own family are Irish Protestants (with a few heugenots, German Jews and Armenians thrwn in to make it interesting) and I support the Union with Britain completely. Howver, I also advocate a strong regional democracy in Northern Ireland, an all Irish dimension, long term representation of Northern Ireland in the Dail and (of course) a working class party with a socialist program to transgress all this tribal shit of Orange and Green. That said, it’s difficult to talk about forming a Labour Party in Northern Ireland when that in Britain is so reactionary and Thatcherite.

However, this doesn’t let YOU off the hook, Des, with your outrageous claim that people of Russian ethnicity who have lived in Osettia, etc., for centuries should be frced to “repatriate” to Russia. As I said before, I held o candle for Stalinism and a lot less for the passle of bourgeois restorationist gangsters and outright fascists presently running Russia. Putin and Medvedev are the scum of the earth! But the legitimate fears of ethnic Russians in the former Soviet Union, like those of Northern Ireland Protestants, Jews in Israel and throughout the region and the various ethnic minorities that make up the hitherto Tsarist and Ottoman Empires must be respected and accomodated as part of a wider settlement.

They live in Georgia and there loyalty is to Georgia. If they love Russia so much then go live in Russia and be Russians but they can’t have it both ways.

I moved to London from Ireland to take advantage of various career and education opportunities and therefore I oew the UK some loyalty for the chances it has given me. If it gets to the point were I ever have to choose Ireland or the UK in some war and I choose Ireland while living in the UK then I think it is right that I leave the UK and move back home. If I choose the UK then it is clear that on some conscious level I have accepted that I am not Irish – in the sense that my loyalty is not to Ireland anymore even though I’ll always be ‘Irish’ per se.

It’s the same in the Middle East – pretending ISrael doesn’t exist – when it clearly does – is a case of the Palestinians deluding themselves and until they face the reality of Irael they’ll never get peace – be that peace part of a 2 state or 1 state agreement.

The IRA had to eventually accept the reality that part of Ulster is in the UK – whether they like it or not. Once they did that I think they found it far easier to pursue their agenda of a united island – not in my lifetime I shouldn’t think.

Roger loses the run of himself by trying to make out I advocate ethnic cleansing! It is that sort of ridiculous comment that causes the mess Georgia is now in.

Yours sincerely,
Desmond FitzGerald