Mary Harney, Ireland's foreign minister, [Damn, my mistake. Mary Harney is Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. She was Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the last government. Sorry about that.] gave a speech in Limerick in which she roundly denounced the anti-Americanism of the Irish left.

The extreme left in Ireland has always been virulently anti-American and anti-EU. And they want their ideas to infect more of the centre-ground.
But if you're anti-American, anti-British and anti-European, where are you, except isolated?
I am also very unhappy about the stoking up of hostility to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, here in Ireland. Tony Blair has been a great friend of Ireland. He has taken risks for peace. He has done more for peace and improved relations between Ireland and Britain than any other British prime minister.
He has also constructively used his moderating influence in Washington, by working with the Americans, rather than against them.
I admire his role and his conviction.
So, let's be mature and responsible in our foreign policy.
We are a European member state. We are an open, trading country. Britain and America are among our closest friends. Let's keep it that way.

"She carefully distinguished between the great majority of people who participated in recent demonstrations and a minority of people who she said were motivated by an anti-American agenda and of course she's right on that," Mr McDowell said.
He said he was "totally amazed that a group of people who see themselves on the left of the political stage" should support a man who butchered, gassed, tortured and shot his own people.

The Green Party, by the way, apparently approves of the small corner shop making more money by cheating its employees and throwing its trash in the river rather than paying to have it taken away. Why? According to the main page of their website:

The Green Party in Ireland put the quality of life of citizens before the profit-interest of big business.

Thanks for posting this. I haven't followed the Irish press in quite some time. I guess it's time to start again!

Btw, I sent an email message to the three ... press officers, let's call them - and cc'd Ms. Harney. It was quick and off-the-cuff, and not entirely disprespectful.

I'm curious about the Green party/Small business issue, can you elaborate? I'd love to know more about this possible hypocrisy?

I also have some stuff about Mary Harney and Michael D at my own blog internetcommentator.com...

Well, with a speech in Limerick, I was expecting, well, something that started with 'There was a man from Nantucket...'. What a disappointment!

He said he was "totally amazed that a group of people who see themselves on the left of the political stage" should support a man who butchered, gassed, tortured and shot his own people.

Actually, this part doesn't surprise me at all. After all, how many times over the years have the self-proclaimed "intellectual Left" defended communist governments that have done all of those things?

Here's 2 of the 25 points of a famous political party of the last century.

16. We demand the creation and maintenance of a healthy middle class, the immediate communalizing of big department stores, and their lease at a cheap rate to small traders, and that the utmost consideration shall be shown to all small traders in the placing of State and municipal orders.

17. We demand a land reform suitable to our national requirements, the passing of a law for the expropriation of land for communal purposes without compensation; the abolition of ground rent, and the prohibition of all speculation in land. *

Jabba, you must be behind the times... I expected her to end up yelling "Hit the deck!" halfway through the speech in a vain attempt to save listeners from a random hail of bullets.

There's a street performer here in Galway who uses a machete as part of his act; he names it:
"This is a machete. In French it's La Machete. In England, it's a 'noife'. In Limerick, it's Exhibit A."

good piece, but fyi Mary Harney is Tanaiste (deputy prime Minister) and Brian Cowen is foreign minister, I get the impression he too deplores the rise of anti Americanism in Ireland. I'm delighted this was said, although today's Irish Times' editorial deplores Ms. Harney's speech. Bear in mind, though, the government has said they see the need for a 2nd (or is it a 15th!?) UN resolution.

sjostrom, I read a fortnight ago after the United We Stand statement was published (pro-US statement by the New Europe 8 in the WSJ) that Ahern said that he would have signed it,too, on Ireland's behalf but that none of the leaders asked him.
What about that, as well?

Poor wee Berite got left out.Aaaaaw.

Jennie, I read that in a report on a blog somewhere that Bertie said that he would have signed it if asked. I didn't see that anywhere else (and have forgotten where I saw it) so I called up the department of the Taoiseach'press office and I was told that he didn't say that and in fact had not commented on the letter explicitly at all. I think he did actually comment but that's what they were telling me.