The event was based in the picturesque town of Corte, where the University of Corsica is based, in the historical capital of Corsica.
As with previous years the event was organised along a number of themes which were at the set the tone for the public talks and workshops, and this year it was the relationship of young people with agriculture, and the difficulty for small non-independent nations to fully exploit their natural resources.
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, in emphasising the importance of such events, and of international Solidarity, had this to say;
‘Sinn Féin supports the rights of small nations to self determination, and in learning about other struggles, events like these are essential to our struggle. From such encounters we can learn from other activists and apply their experiences to our own struggle. Likewise, I hope that our experiences can be of assistance to their struggles.’
10 comments:
Do you not think that you might be at risk of opening yourself up to accusations of hypocrisy if you continue to support the independence of Corsica from France on the principle of self-determination but seek to deny that very same right from the people of Northern Ireland?
http://www.keithruffles.com/2009/03/corsican-brothers.html
What hypocrisy? The central principal of Sinn Féin for over 100 years is to seek Irish independence.
Keith have you ever heard of the Good Friday Agreement which contains the issue of a Border Poll every 8 years in the north of Ireland. So i doubt you will have to brush up on your knowledge.
John
John,
The Good Friday Agreement promised no such thing; the wording of the Agreement only allows for a poll if it is thought there is a likelihood of majority support for a united Ireland. Or are you suggesting that such a referendum did take place in 2006 – eight years after the signing of the GFA – and we all just missed it?
Besides, that’s not really got anything to do with my original point. Large swathes of the Irish Republican movement, both in a historical and contemporary context, have argued that Northern Ireland has no right to exist and that a UK administration has no place on any part of the island – and all this despite a majority of people in the North voting for continued union with the rest of Great Britain. If those self-same Republicans then start arguing for the secession of integral regions of other nation states – like Corsica, or the Basque country – then it is quite reasonable to charge those people with hypocrisy. Check out the debate I had with such a person on the link I’ve posted above.
I've got a hard time understanding your argument. Those that seek independence have no right to support other nations in their seeking of independence? Where is this supposed hypocrisy?
On a side note, noone likes a link spammer, so if you have an argument to make, then do it here. Don't just try to redirect people to a similar argument that you supposedly fought and won elsewhere.
Anonymous,
It is hypocritical for a very simple reason; many Republicans have stated that integral regions of other nation states such as Corsica or the Basque Country should be allowed to become independent whilst at the same time arguing that Northern Ireland has no right to be independent from the Republic of Ireland, and this despite a majority of people within the North wishing for continued union with the rest of Great Britain. It seems bizarre to talk of wanting Irish 'independence' and including within that definition areas of another territory that have no desire to be a part of an Irish Republican state.
Let me put it another way; is it not hypocritical to argue that Corsica should become independent but that Northern Ireland cannot be? How is wanting to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic against the democratically expressed wishes of the majority of people within the North the same as desiring Irish independence?
And apologies for posting a solitary and relevant link which features an in-depth discussion on this very topic; I did not appreciate that this constituted spamming. I'll avoid doing so in future.
Keith i dont know if you know much about Irish history but the British partitioned this island to ensure the north had a unionist majority. If you want to see real democracy I would suggest and all Ireland poll on the issue of reunification and undoubtedly there would be an overwhelming majority in favour of a 32 county republic free from British rule or interference
John
I think you need to brush up on your own Irish history, John. The primary factors behind the creation of Northern Ireland emanated from within Ulster itself; witness the mass signing of the Ulster Covenant, or Carson’s formation of the UVF, or the Larne gunrunning incident, to name but a few. And didn’t you know that the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty – establishing the Irish Free State and approved by the Dáil Éireann – originally applied to the entire island with the proviso of a voluntary opt-out for Northern Ireland, a right which the North duly exercised without interference from the British authorities in London? And, as you argue, the creation of Northern Ireland was nothing more than the result of a British-orchestrated conspiracy then why has a majority of the North’s population expressed their desire for continued membership of the United Kingdom via the democratic process for the entirety of its almost 90-year existence?
Further, an all-island vote on the issue of partition effectively took place when the Good Friday Agreement was passed back in 1998. It stipulated that a unification of both states on the island of Ireland would only take place if a majority in both jurisdictions wish it. Even the constitution of the Republic was altered to reflect his; article 3.1 now reads:
"A united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions in the island."
In case you failed to notice the Agreement was passed in referenda in both Irish states.
This is real democracy, John. To argue that the wishes of an independent nation state should decide the constitutional status of an integral region of another is, quite frankly, absurd.
What you really need to ask yourself is this; why would you want to force Northern Ireland to become a part of the Republic against the democratically expressed wishes of the majority of people living there? And how will arguing that they have no right of self-determination convince them that their future lies in a united Ireland?
Perhaps I'm missing something Keith, but unionists do not want an independnet Six County State the want to remain part of the Union. secondly without going through the hundreds of years of history I am sure you are aware of how there came to be a Unionist population on this island. Irish Republicans are internationalist, as has been previously stated that idea of providing support and solidarity to others who desire independence is not only natural but right. Lastly you may be intereted to know but the Unionist majority has been and continues to wane. Only a matter of time...
Michael
"unionists do not want an independnet Six County State the want to remain part of the Union"
That's my point, Michael; the population of Northern Ireland should be free to dictate their own constitutional status without outside interference, whether that's union with the Republic of Ireland, continued participation with the rest of the United Kingdom, or even as an independent state in its own right. If it wishes not to become a part of the Irish Republic then that right should be respected, just as the Good Friday Agreement has declared it should.
"I am sure you are aware of how there came to be a Unionist population on this island
So are you arguing that those people who are descended from migrants who settled perhaps centuries ago should not be allowed a say on their constitutional status? What about countries where such people form the majority of the population, such as the United States? And how would you tell who was descended from a migrant and who wouldn't?
"that idea of providing support and solidarity to others who desire independence is not only natural but right"
So why no support for the people of Northern Ireland who wish for independence from the Irish Republic?
the Unionist majority has been and continues to wane.
Indeed it might. The thing is, though, is that I’m not particularly opposed to the concept of a united and independent all-island Irish state. It’s just the glaring hypocrisies and unabated nationalism that typifies so much of Republican discourse that really gets my goat.
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