Author: Bridget Brassil

Ireland and Freedoms Compared

November 20, 2018 / Bridget Brassil / 2 Comments

Part A:

Highlighted as a fundamental freedom within the Irish Constitution is the freedom of speech. Like many other countries around the world, this right is seen as inalienable. Unlike other countries, there is a caveat to this law in Ireland. This right is “subject to public order and morality,” which can bring the interpretation that hate speech is not allowed. Moreover, the Irish Constitution states that “publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offense.” This prevents many groups from inciting violence or riots with their words, and allows for the limiting of speech. Interestingly, the Irish have a blasphemy law that has been on the books since the 1930s which outlaws impious or profane speaking of God or sacred things. Not only is it an article of their Constitution, but also the second of the Ten Commandments. In late October, Ireland held a referendum and citizens voted to remove this word from the Constitution and further reduced the restrictions on freedom of the speech in the country.

Similarly defined is the freedom of assembly. The Irish Constitution protects the right to assemble peaceably and without weapons. The way this law is outlined, protects against both riots and other events which might disturb the peace. The Irish Constitution is outlined in a manner which safeguards the republic and protects the people, from both riotous acts, hate speech, and hateful acts.

Following in the footsteps of France and Germany, Ireland implemented the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act of 1989, which criminalized threatening, abusive or insulting words, images, or sounds with the intention of stirring hatred against a group of persons on account of a manner of their characteristics. This law has come under fire due to the limited scope of prosecutions since its enactment. As of 2011, there were only 18 prosecutions for hate speech in general under this law, which raised the question among many citizens what the laws intention actually is. This law certainly did not go as far as the French and German laws, but it was a step in the right direction, curbing the freedoms which allowed for racism and other forms of hateful rhetoric to prevail. Unlike France which enacted a law specifically sanctioning a denial of the Holocaust, Ireland has no such laws. However, its hate speech prevention laws would most certainly allow for Holocaust deniers to be prosecuted.

Part B:

Russia has been very successful with its engagement with Ireland. Russia was the first country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Ireland from Great Britain and as such, they formed a positive relationship. Ireland began by establishing an economic relationship with Russia. Most recently, the Irish government has focused on introducing and strengthening its trade ties with Russia, increasing trade between the two nations by over 40 percent within the last year. From this strong economic relationship grew a political alliance of sorts. This connection, however, was demolished after a nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England in March 2018. Great Britain accused Russia of chemically attacking a man residing in the UK, despite there being limited evidence pointing to this. Ireland, on account of the relationship it had spurred with Russia denied this, and were hesitant to demand that the Russian ambassador to Ireland leave the country, something which many other countries across Europe were doing.

Great Britain gathered a coalition of countries who sided with them, and eventually Ireland along with 16 other European Union countries placed the blame on Moscow. Ireland only agreed to expel the Russian Ambassador to Ireland from the country, to appease Great Britain and keep the peace between the two countries during this divisive time. This choosing of sides decimated the positive and fruitful relationship that Ireland and Russia had once enjoyed. Expelling a Russian diplomat from Ireland destroyed their economic and political ties, making it harder for the two countries to enjoy the relationship they once had. Many Irish political leaders have denounced the decision to expel this minister, calling it the wrong decision and that it would move to destroy the Irish-Russian relationship. However, many within the European Union and European Council have stated this was the correct decision and it shows Russia that there are clear repercussions to their actions. Up until this past year, Ireland and Russia enjoyed a high-yielding relationship, the future of which is unknown.

Sources:

Ireland. Constitution of Ireland. Dublin, 1945.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/irish_constitution_1/constitution_fundamental_rights.html

McGary, Patsy. “Ireland Votes as One to Remove Blasphemy from Constitution.” The Irish Times. 28 October 2018.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/ireland-votes-as-one-to-remove-blasphemy-from-constitution-1.3678935

O’Brien, Cormac. “Ireland Pressed to Introduce Hate Crime Laws After LGBT Attacks.” Reuters. 25 July 2018.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ireland-lawmaking-lgbt/ireland-pressed-to-introduce-hate-crime-laws-after-lgbt-attacks-idUSKBN1KF2EW

Ryan, Danielle. “Russian Diplomat Expulsion.” The Irish Journal. 28 March 2018.

https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/russian-diplomat-expulsion-ireland-should-have-avoided-jumping-on-this-bandwagon-3926276-Mar2018/

Hurley, Sandra. “Expulsion of Russian Diplomat Will Not Go Unanswered.” RTE. 27 March 2018.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2018/0327/950312-salisbury/

Irish Foreign Policy

October 23, 2018 / Bridget Brassil / 0 Comments

United Kingdom and Ireland

Ireland has a long standing history with United Kingdom and the two countries are thought to be rather intertwined. Ireland does follow the lead set out by the United Kingdom. The two countries have a rather tumultuous history, one characterized by warfare, struggle, and negotiation. Since the two countries are so linked, both geographically and politically, the two follow similar trajectories in terms of their foreign policy. In the realm of foreign policy, the two countries have a number of agreements, which would point to Ireland following the United Kingdom’s lead. There are a number of settlement disputes, trade agreements, among other foreign policy measures. The first of these involved the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland border. One of the longest standing conflicts in the world surrounds this border, and it ended in 1997 with the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement designated the nature of both political, economic, and geographic relationships between Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, Ireland can be seen as following the United Kingdom in other economic and foreign policy deals. One of the most notable being the Schengen Area. Both Ireland and the United Kingdom are two opt outs to the agreement which aimed to ease the flow of goods and services throughout Europe. The Schengen area was established to abolish border controls and to coordinate visa and asylum procedures. However, Ireland and the United Kingdom felt it best for both of their countries, for security reasons to maintain their own discretion with the flow of people, services, and goods across the border.

Ireland and Brexit

Ireland decidedly relates to Brexit, as the Northern border is a key part of their negotiations. The Republic of Ireland, which currently remains a firm member in the European Union, is the only EU country who shares a land border with the United Kingdom. Currently, this border allows for free movement from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland. If the United Kingdom does withdraw from the European Union, however, they will likely institute border controls and stops. Checkpoints along that border have not been seen since prior to the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the fighting between the two countries. Currently, the Irish government aims to ensure as little barriers to both trade and travel between the land border. Within these negotiations, the European Union allowed the Irish government a veto over the Brexit negotiations, by requiring that the British government agree to certain guarantees regarding the trade relationship. This shows the importance of the relationship between the two countries, how Ireland has a deciding vote in the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union. The Republic of Ireland government has already threatened to veto talks because their demands regarding the trade relationship were not met. Other European Union institutions have also threatened to veto the talks, on Ireland’s behalf, as well. Ireland has been met with overwhelming support by the European Commission, and President Jean-Claude Juncker has publicly stated that Ireland is fully backed by all 26 countries of the Commission during these intense negotiations. Additionally, the European Parliament has stated that they will veto any deal made unless current United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May adjusts her approach to the Northern Ireland/ Ireland border. The Republic of Ireland has received overwhelming support from the entire European community, and all countries have stated their intent to ensure fair terms for Ireland in the Brexit negotiations.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44560870

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/ireland-brexit-171213121309274.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-european-parliament-veto-deal-theresa-may-irish-border-a8466406.html

Glencross, Andrew. 2014. “EU Policy-Making in Action.” The Politics of European Integration.

The Definitions of Europe

September 14, 2018 / Bridget Brassil / 1 Comment

What is “Europe?”

The question, “What is Europe,” can have many answers depending on what lens you view it through. For some, Europe is defined strictly by its geographical boundaries, the Caucasus and Ural Mountains separating it from Asia in the East, and stretching over to Ireland in the West. There has always been debate, however, about where to draw the boundary line. Should Georgia, Cyprus, Turkey, or Russian be included in the standard definition of Europe? Currently, European states are interchangeable with EU members. Overall uncertainty about what Europe encompasses leads to even greater uncertainty about who can join the EU. According to the EU, Cyprus, Turkey, Russia, and Georgia are not European states but 28 other countries are. The Council of Europe, however, extends membership to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, putting overall membership at 47 countries. The EU and Council of Europe are not selecting their membership based on purely geographical reasons. The EU, for example, accepts membership based on a series of factors, some of which include upholding four fundamental freedoms.

Related definitions about what Europe is, stem from the post-World War II period. Following the conclusion of the war, there was a strong call for European unity and the notion of “never again,” spread rapidly (Glencross, 23.) Many states which were involved in the war looked for an institutional outlet to solidify their newfound unity. Post-World War II definitions of Europe included those European states dedicated to the expansion of democracy and human rights throughout the continent. This notion of pursuing a European identity and furthering the European cause of democracy lasts to this day, and is upheld with institutions like the EU. Switzerland, Norway, and (soon to be) the United Kingdom, are all non-EU members, but all those states uphold values congruent with the rest of the EU member states and are dedicated to similar ideals, showing maybe there is another definition of Europe that is missing.

The Idea of Europe

Ireland has always been thought of as a traditional European state and is typically included in most standard definitions of Europe. Geographically, Ireland is located in continental Europe, separated from the mainland by the Celtic Sea and the English Channel. Not being directly connected to the rest of Europe could be the reason behind Ireland not exhibiting expected behavior for many other European countries. Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the EU during the 1972 enlargement, to reap the economic and political benefits.

Initially, Ireland was dedicated to retaining its sovereignty. Ireland is one of six members of the EU who is not a part of the Schengen Agreement. The Schengen Agreement was established to abolish border controls and allow for increased coordination with asylum and visa procedures. While initially done outside the bounds of EEC framework, this agreement has now become a part of supranational EU policy making. Ironically, the EU has founding values of allowing the free flowing of goods, people, services, and capital over borders. Ireland agreed to support those values, but would not sign an agreement allowing for ease of people into the county. Ireland remaining an opt-out to this agreement shows its dedication to remain its own country. Moreover, Ireland rejected the Lisbon Treaty and the slogan “Don’t be bullied,” was common among Irish voters (Glencross, 277.) In the end, Ireland ratified the treaty but the resistance voters initially demonstrated showed their unwillingness to be pushed around or agree to a treaty simply because everyone else did.

However, when it became necessary for the survival of their country, Ireland relied on its fellow EU members to rescue them from insolvency during the 2008 financial crisis. The Eurozone stepped in and rescued Ireland from full sovereign default, and Ireland’s history of being a European state allowed for them to saved. Despite holding membership in the EU and other international organizations, Ireland is committed to being an independent state. Ireland’s lack of participation in agreements such as the Schengen Agreement prove that there is more to being considered a European state than geography or shared agreements.

Work Cited:

Glencross, Andrew. The Politics of European Integration: Political Union or a House Divided? Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.