The World Stands at a Tipping Point | My Internment by Roseleen Walsh | Climate Crisis

 

The World Stands at a Tipping Point

In themonths leading up to the invasion of Iraq by American and British forces andothers in March 2003 Martin McGuinness and I warned Tony Blair and PresidentBush not to invade. We pointed out that it would be a breach of internationallaw. At one particular meeting in Mr. Blair’s office in Downing Street Martinand I urged the British PM to learn the lessons of British involvement inIreland and in other conflicts. We told him and his officials they were livingin cloud cuckoo land; “if you go into Iraq it will be another Vietnamand it will be a huge mistake.”

One Britishofficial told us that it would all be over in a matter of months. Martin toldhim “... given the previous history of successive British militaryexpeditions to Ireland, that certainly would not be my view of how thesituation in Iraq is going to move in the next short while." 

We raised our concerns regularly with Tony Blair in the runinto the Anglo-American attacks on the people of Iraq. It became obvious to methat Mr Blair was not listening to what we had to say. He was set on joiningGeorge Bush in his ill-considered offensive. If anything Mr Blair was morehawkish than Mr Bush. 

Martin andI were right. They were wrong. The consequences for the people of Iraq wereenormous. The estimates of those killed vary from several hundred thousand toover one million. The political and environmental infrastructure of the countrywas devastated. The political ramifications in terms of global instability arestill playing out today.

The Israeligenocide in the Gaza Strip and the pogroms against Palestinian towns andvillages in the west Bank strike a similar note today and a lesson for theinternational community. The support of the British Government and the WhiteHouse for the Zionist assaults on the Palestinian people is shameful. It isalso, like the war in Iraq, short sighted and counter-productive. 

Over 60,000Gazans have been killed – mostly women and children and 80% of theinfrastructure of Gaza has been destroyed; a thousand are dead in the westBank; south Lebanon is ablaze; Israeli forces have moved deeper into Syria, andthe US President is seeking to expel the Palestinian people of Gaza from theirhomeland. The world stands at a tipping point amid the real risk of a possiblewider conflagration. 

The westernstates who were part of the Iraqi War have failed to learn the lessons of thoseevents. Instead of upholding international law and supporting the InternationalCriminal Court and Court of Justice they have grievously damaged and underminedthese legal institutions. As a result, almost two million people – thepopulation of the six counties – have been forcibly displaced in Gaza and mosthave lost everything.

The history of the last forty years or so reflects a litanyof these militaristic adventures by the larger Western powers. Who hasbenefitted from this? Not the people of the countries or regions on thereceiving end of this aggression. Thankfully saner voices have been raised insupport of peace, human rights and international law.  Unfortunately,the Irish government has not always been as principled as it should be.Uachtarán Micheál D. Ó hUigínn has been much more consistent. 

The Irish government is currently watering down the OccupiedTerritories Bill which would block the import of goods and services into theIrish state from Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land. Thegovernment should be honouring the aims and objectives of the Bill and thefinding by the International Court of Justice that all states must abstainfrom economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the occupied Palestinianterritory. 

They must also support the right of the people of Gaza toremain in their homeland and for international law to be defended. Interferencein the affairs of other countries rarely work out well for the people of thesecountries. Ask the people of Iraq. Or Afganistan. Or Libya. Or Lebanon. If 77years of Israeli occupation and apartheid have taught us anything it is thatthe Palestinian people will defend their right to national self-determinationwhatever the cost.

 

My Internment by Roseleen Walsh

Roseleen Walsh is one of 36 women who were interned in theearly 1970s. Her latest book – My Internment – tells the very personal story ofher life as a young woman in west Belfast in the late 60s and early 70s. Of theconstant pressure and danger of living under British occupation and of her timeas an internee in Armagh Women’s Prison.

Roseleen has been writing for many years, including duringher time in Armagh Prison. She is a writer of great skill including of poetry,plays and books. She is also a very determined individual as her account of herfirst days in Armagh makes clear. When her cell door was opened for the firsttime she remembers that “there before me was, not a mess, but a blankcanvass. Immediately I knew white walls would suit me best for I intendedmaking those walls a work of art! I would surround myself within the comfort ofmy own words.  Since I was young, I had found it hard to express myself toothers until I discovered that poetry was a wonderful way to articulate what Imeant… The walls were to become like pages of a diary.”

Of course this was Armagh Prison and writing on the wallswas not acceptable to the prison authorities who told her that this was “considereda form of vandalism and I would be obliged to remove everything I had writtenon them, presumably with another coat of paint.”

Later a senior prison officer arrived to read thepoems. “After studying some of the poems, she sighed deeply then walkedout without speaking… After that there was no mention of vandalism or having toremove my poetry from the walls! I was to enjoy and develop the creativefreedom I had in my cell.”

My Internment also tells of the hard times. Of the disputeswith the prison system. Of coping with the news of a comrade’s death in theconflict outside the prison walls. Of facing her accusers in one of the corruptso-called courts set up to determine whether an internee could be released. Italso explores the comradeship that has always a hugely important part of theprison experience for republican political prisoners and political prisoners inother struggles around the world.

Roseleen’s website reflects her remarkable creative output.Take the time to visit. You will enjoy the experience: https://roseleenwalsh.org/

 

Climate Crisis

January was a month of climate opposites. Storm Éowyn is nowbelieved to have been one of the worst to ever hit the island of Ireland. Itbroke wind-speed records; forced the cancellation of flights andferries; and within hours had cut power supplies to over one millionhouseholds and businesses north and south.  Tens of thousands were alsoleft without water as treatment plants lost power.

Although last month Ireland was colder thanusual January was still the hottest month ever recorded across the world.More worrying it is the 18th month out of the last 19 when the averageglobal temperature was greater than that set by the world’s governments.  

In the last decade governments have pledged to keep anyincrease in the world temperature to 1.5C is above the average conditions thatprevailed before the industrial revolution. However, Copernicus which isthe EU programme that monitors our planet’s changing environment and climate,has just reported that 2024 was the warmest year on record. It was alsothe first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the annualglobal average temperature.

To add to this growing crisis President Trump has pulled theUSA out of the Paris Accords on climate and most world governments, whowere due to submit new plans this month for a major conference later this year(COP30) will fail to meet this deadline.

The result of climate warming is more extreme weatherevents, heatwaves, storms, droughts, melting glaciers and changing rainfallpatterns. For humanity it means millions facing serious water and foodshortages and significant political instability.

All governments must play their part in tackling the climatecrisis. The COP30 conference in November is an opportunity to prioritise afairer approach to funding global climate change efforts, particularly those oflow-income countries. They need financial support by the wealthier states todecarbonise. Greater investment is required in renewable energy and thetransition away from fossil fuels. There is not a lot of time left.