The Most Distressful Country?

Yes, in September 2003, Mary Lou McDonald spoke at a rally to commemorate Seán Russell, at his much-defaced memorial in Dublin, a statue that was decapitated a little over a year later.

But then, the Conservative Party founded the European Conservatives and Reformists, among whom were and are the Latvian Fatherland and Freedom Party, with its annual parade and wreath-laying ceremony for the Latvian Legion of the Waffen-SS.

You see, Fascism and anti-Fascism cut across the usual political divisions in Ireland as everywhere else, including Britain. Sinn Féin had Russell, and it was already in government in Northern Ireland in 2003. But Fianna Fáil had those to placate whom Éamon de Valera felt compelled to sign the German Embassy's book of condolence for Hitler in 1945. And Fine Gael is nicknamed "the Blueshirts" to this day. 

Fianna Fáil, by the way, is probably doomed. Few countries can sustain three really big parties, and Ireland is not one of them. If one of the Big Two is going to be Sinn Féin, then the other is going to be Fine Gael, or whatever succeeded Fine Gael.

Hitherto, Sinn Féin's core vote had been assumed to be around the 9.5 per cent that it took last May. Around one in 10 people in the 26 Counties had remained attached to the 32 County Republic of 1916. Until 1986, they had either forced themselves to vote for Fianna Fáil, or they had not voted at all. Since then, they had voted for Sinn Féin. They always would. But, it as held, nobody else ever would. Well, those days are gone.

And what of Britain? Once dependent on the DUP, the Conservatives now have to retain Consett, Crewe, much of Teesside, the old industrial towns of Cumbria, and great chunks of Lancashire, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, and elsewhere. Only personal dislike of Boris Johnson prevented them from breaking into Merseyside, and he will not be there forever. The Conservative Party is now beholden to a very particular Irish interest, and it is certainly not the DUP.