In Britain they …
By Primal Sneeze ~ August 24th, 2007. Filed under: Gardaí, Immigration, Irish identity, Law, Pet Hates, Politics.
Now some crowd called the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association (MPSA) in London have gotten into the should Gardaí be permitted wear turbans debate. They say the uniform policy was 40 years behind the United Kingdom and accused the Gardaí of racial discrimination.
Well lads, do you know what you can do? You just go fuck off! It’s none of your business telling a police force in another state what they should, or shouldn’t, be doing. That kind of shite is best left to despots like Bush and Putin.
Why are they spouting on anyway? Probably because some Irish journalist passed the story on to them and asked for a comment.
Why do our journalists and politicians always insist on using Britain as a role model? Ireland brought in ASBOs because Britain had them. Dublin is considering congestion charges because London as them. Ireland implemented a penalty points system for driving offences because Britain had them.
Where will it end? Will we revert to measuring things in inches, ounces and acres because Britain do it? Will we pull out of the euro just to be like Britain? Quick lads, Britain has had a foot and mouth outbreak – we’d better have one. How about a monarchy?
Do our law makers only read the Guardian or the Times and only watch the BBC? There are more countries in Europe, never mind the world, than Britain. Hey, Bertie, go get yourself today’s Frankfurter Allgemeine, El Pais, La Stampa. Oh, I forgot you don’t speak foreignish – well sit down and look at Euronews or France24 for an hour.
Britain may be our closest neighbour geographically and, in some ways, culturally. But she is not our twin. Ireland’s issues of multi-racialism, multi-culturalism and integration are not clones of hers. Too often we forget that Britain went out into the world and created an empire. Ireland didn’t *. Britain retains strong links with former colonies. The Commonwealth of Nations. Former protectorates. The people of many of these territories are legally British citizens or entitled to be.
Often we hear it quoted come into my house, respect my rules or when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In Britain’s case, most of her immigrants are Romans. It is their house.
I am not saying that Ireland can therefore ignore the issues or be heavy handed in imposing Irish culture and values on newcomers. What I am saying to our law makers and commentators is to seek out another role model. Stop slavishly following Britain’s lead.
* Okay we did a bit of it around Britain’s west and north west coasts, the Kingdom of the Isles and all that, but we took weekends off and after invasions we always said sorry about that, lads, but shur it could’ve been worse.
Primal Sneeze, what would be your personal opinion on Gardain wearing turbans? Forget the UK – I understand your rage.
Although speaking of media I have to admit that British press is way ahead of Irish… You can’t compare the quality of the in-depth writing in Guardian to that of Irish Times. The quantity of commentaries, reviewes, world news and their quality… As a previous full-time journalist I have to say that in Ireland mostly there are only two kinds of news – local and sports.
As for turbans, I haven’t really researched on this issue, but personaly I would be in favor.
Lina – This post is not about Gardaí wearing turbans or not. Nor is it about the quality of the British press. It is a rage against our law makers following Britain’s lead blindly without heed to the issues being founded in altogether different circumstances. I merely used the turban issue as a topical example of where we are subjected to phrases like well, in the UK turbans have been worn by the police so …
If I am to be drawn on the turban issue, my opinion is no. Also no to crosses. No to pioneer pins. No to GAA pins. No to those little plastic flowers in daffodil day. No to political stickers in the run up to elections. No to dark smudges on foreheads on ash Wednesday.
I want to be able to look at a garda and be unable to determine anything about them other than that they are a garda. Ditto for soldiers, prison wardens, emergency services personnel, all those who wear a uniform in the service of the state.
In a devil’s advocate frame of mind: A Sikh is likely to be asian, and look different to the average Irish policeman.
How much difference is a turban going to make?
Integration is about give and take: personally, I’d be happier having turbans and headscarves on gardaí rather than have sections of the population feel they are excluded and have to make their own arrangements for policing.
Cosc ar Ghardaí Fáinne na Gaeilge ná Biorán Réadóirí a Chaitheamh
…ar eagla go scanródh siad Béarlóirí (nó Ultaiseoirí) agus óltóirí
“Ní amháin sin ach tá an biorán beag a ghreamaíonn an Fáinne baolach ó thaobh sláinteachas agus slándála” a dúirt urlabhraí an Gharda, Neodrán Ó Measartha… [agus leanann sé]
Ar Son na Cúise, Foinse, 26/08/07
Brilliant.
Chonaic mé an píosa sin leis.
“Ar son na cúise” an chéad lch a léim i bhFoinse. Is annamh gan seod a bheith air.
The feker must have gotten the idea from me. But for once they’re not following Britain’s lead – I doubt if any cop in the UK sports either a fáinne or a pioneer pin.
I never thought of the health and safety aspect though.
Did Fintan O Toole lift his IT column yesterday from you too?
Great minds and all that.
Turbans or no turbans, I agree that just because they do something over in Britain is not the right reason to do it here. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if Ireland tried a little harder to by-pass the British curtain behind which it lives.
A Chainteoir – Thank you so much. At long last someone has understood the crux of this post instead of going off on a tangent to suit their own agenda.
As I said in my reply to Lina this post is not about Gardaí wearing turbans or not. As a blogger and journalist I admire, I allowed her to draw me on my personal opinion as an aside to the main topic. I am sure she would reciprocate if asked.
Colours to the mast time. Sorry for going off on a tangent. It was infromed by my experience as an immigrant in Germany, in the third largest Turkish city, Berlin. I don’t want to see that kind of parallel universe here.
We should be looking at Germany (who had damn all empire but have plenty of immigrants) as well as the former Empires Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands. And the US.
Maybe we can avoid their mistakes. Of course, how many of our commentariat can read the Frankfurter Allegemeine or Le Monde?
We are tied to Britain in some ways because our legal system is basically the same, so it’s easy to import their models.
But….
Aonghus – Here again there are different circumstances. Germany approached the people of Turkey and actively encouraged them into the country to stem a labour shortage. She made promises at that time and those commitments still have to be met. We need a different model.
But there are German models we could follow. For example, in the mid-80’s Germany had a recycling system that was far more advanced than that we have today.
My point is that our law makers, who seem unable to develop their own solutions, should study all models not just Britain’s. Yes, we are tied to her because we have the same legal system. Of course we are – we copied it. That is not to say Britain’s methods should be ignored.
And I agree with your point. (I’m more likely to comment on something I disagree with then to say “me too”
)
But taking, say ASBOs as an example, I think the case there was that the plain people of Ireland were aware of ASBOs and thought they were a suitable solution when floated by McD.
And that’s not surprising, given the number of English papers sold here, and the fact that the Irish papers pay a lot of attention to foreign English language press, but damn all to other languages.
Aonghus – The plain people of Ireland didn’t have much of an opinion on ASBOs at the time. It was just another one of McD’s knee-jerk policies we were all sick to the teeth hearing him come out with. The reaction of the plain people was to roll their eyes yet again.
Agreed on the Irish papers. From original post: Why do our journalists and politicians always insist on using Britain as a role model?