Its OUR Sovereignty.
Day 607, 02:22
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Published in Ireland 
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by
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by Lord Rhindon
The New World has entered a time of ruthlessness, subtlety and uncertainty. As has Ireland.
Our region specifically is under particular pressure, as this space between the two adversaries has seen intense diplomatic focus and has shouldered a great deal of passing-through military presence.
Despite the fact we may not be top-priority politically or diplomatically to the stakeholders of this worldwide struggle (thank the Irish luck we're not) - we have experienced pressure from both sides to join their respective cause, thus designating us as a *far* more prominent player emerging gullibly into bloody conflict. As appealing as that seems to some of our men, I wouldn't hesitate to say that this would become a miscalculation we would all very quickly regret.
Both PEACE and eUSA *have* attempted to rope us in. Course they have! Gathering maximum support is the very essence of war.
A wargame offer in Wales.
A wargame offer in Cork and Kerry.
A neighbor's statement of benevolence.
And in chorus together, a proclamation of their respect for Ireland's freedom of choice.
However well intended some of these proposals may have been, the fact of the matter stands: the feelings of our citizens would have, and already have, been diplomatically affected by the above situations. An unintentional side-effect, maybe, but these players are pretty clever, and I certainly wouldn't presume to discredit that.
This is the present day of The New World.
The ground is trembling underneath the march of world-class soldiers. Very powerfully. So much so that it has consequently trembled our neighboring statemen into a frenzied exhibition of smiles, laughs and gift-giving to those they once characterized as fierce enemies to their young children at bedtime.
The ramparts have been approached, the siege has commenced, and the besieged have made an attempt with us to initiate a mutual friendship, and in doing so potentially gaining us very powerful enemies.
Both have knocked on our door.
Shall we allow either in?
Neutrality is not weakness! It is strength. It is independence. It is sovereignty. All of which would be sapped viciously from the oaks of our forests should we throw aside this reality. Oh yes, it makes our overseas relations uncertain, our future unforeseeable and our lands approached by dark stormclouds....
But that, dear Irishmen, is the nature of sheer bravery itself! Would we be cowered into decisions we'd rather not make? No. Would we ever speak untruths with clenched fists and through gritted teeth, because we could not summon the courage to proclaim our independence, of either side? Absolutely not. That is not us, and it most definitely never will be.
The tidal surge of the seas have crashed against Britain's white cliffs of Dover, and have swept unchallenged into the soil, and the heart of the nation. Continuing on with great success, the ripple effect of these waves may beat against the rocks of these shores, our mainland, and may wet our grasses, but the Irish being as they are, would most certainly find itself cascading back into the heaving waters it came from, hand-in-hand with its opposing counterpart that similarly realized the absolute power of the cry of freedom, the resilience of liberty.
After all, a stout oak needs its water to thrive, and in these pouring torrents...we likewise will blossom.
I will leave you with the words of a man who compromised erroneously, who bent to the will of those he felt intimidated by.
I just sit there, and let the thoughts flood
And I remind myself it's all right, it's all good, its all love...
Its not though.
Cause there's a kink in the armor
A pot hole I'm sinkin' in, the more I think of the drama
So I stand up, I start to pace in my living room
Set my eye to the highway, knowin' that I'll play chicken soon
There's a vanity plate, with my name on it
There's a Davy Crocket hat with a masonic fat cat under it
A musket rifle spittin' at my feet
They want me to dance in the middle of the street
And I respect my elders, so I do as I'm told
But I've offset the bell curve when I do it...losin' control...
Guilty feet do have rhythm
They just dance to the wrong theme music to amuse the villain
Instead of killin', I spare the raccoon
And start fillin' sand bags as I stare at the moon
And let the thoughts flood, blessed are those who are damned
When the levy broke, how many choked on the steps of a slow dance
A staircase to a hug with no hands
Accountability hung out to dry on the line of command
We let the thoughts flood, we remind ourselves it's all right, it's all good, its all love...
Its not though.
Cause there's a kink in the armor
A pot hole I'm sinkin' in, sharing a drink with my father
It's a family affair, the vanity we share
The water line is rising and we do is stand there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q03an75XH0
Sovereignty for Ireland, and glory to those championing it!
Lord Rhindon
Former MoI
Junior MoFA Minister
Director of Rhindon Arms Trading
Proud Irishman
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Comments
When all the world is sick of war, we shall still be Irish!
"Neutrality is not weakness! It is strength. It is independence. It is sovereignty."
The man speaks sense, people.
Well written. Voted
Another very well written article I absolutly agree with.
Poetic!
Very well written, excellent article.
However I disagree with leaving Ireland without any war games. How about we propose some war games on our own terms so that we are not being used as a pawn.
i.e. we start a war game in NI where we are the attackers.
Every day that the battle rages elsewhere is a day that our troops fall behind the rest of the world in strength, more wasted opportunities for experience. Time is slipping by and we are left twiddling our thumbs.
Or are we to become a land of saints and scholars with nothing to defend ourselves but a quill...
^ This is well explained. My article in no way suggests that war games should be abandoned - my own company needs it to survive. What's important, is that we choose the *right* mock adversary, as it has very, very substantial diplomatic ramifications. I believe this is a difficult challenge (due to our geographical location) our administration is currently working on.
Well if it ever comes down to the "Quill".....then WE will WIN.
Nice pictures there mate, very inspiring words! It seems the UK is incapable of maintaining neutrality, but for those who can, best wishes 😃
Your faithful allies & friends always 😉
i love your spin. Very effective...
Excellent article, I am not surprised!
Evils prevails when good men do nothing
(or women, patton)
SOLIDARITY, SOLIDARITY! SOLIDARITY FOREVER!
Voted... keeps the high standard of its preceeding articles!
FOR eIreland and no-one else!
I propose a toast
"For Ireland!"
*skulls a bottle of 100 year old whiskey*
@ Iain, thanks for the comment. Ireland very much does desire a friendship with the UK, but in light of the recent events, it would best happen if you could prove yourselves to us. And if that occurs, I believe you'd have very committed friends in us.
Oh and Irasian, I'll pop the cork of a Dolcetto Shiraz, if you don't mind!
@ LR, Iain is somewhat different than your average Englishman, and already an acquaintance of mine. He will be living under different flags now though, so your point is valid still.
An acquaintance of mine too from a while ago, actually, but I wasn't aware he was shifting?
LOL
This article certainly personifies the great Irish spirit I spoke about upon my arrival. Thank you for your insight.
It's foolish to stand in the middle of a world war with no allies. Ireland's days are numbered for as long as we can look at the political layout and see "Irelan😛 0 allies".
This stance dooms us to falling to the first attacker. We can't stand alone.
@ Slamz, welcome to Ireland. As I said to your comments on Severins thread, (check back to save me repeating myself here)you have much to learn about us, since you are so recently arrived.
Some respect to your new host-nation will not go amiss. We are not fools, Corporal, and as your friends list is looking so dismal right now, a fresh start for you seems just about right.
We, as a nation, don't stand alone.
It appears, for now, that you do.
Hmmm. All very fine words. I am reminded of The Netherlands at the start of World War 2. Their neutrality didn't even register as a speedbump when the panzers rolled through.
And yet, the Netherlands regained their freedom, culture and language, have an international reputation for foreign business and technology development, a favourable tax regime, socialist laws and customs and are home to many exiles.
They are now the seat of the International Criminal Court for War Crimes, Walsinham.
And what of their stance in WW1? I think that worked, don't you?
Great article, well done
Actually, Grainne raises an interesting point: from what I've seen, the current conflict resembles the clash of alliances of WWI more than it does WWII, which was largely the result of one man's actions. It's something to bear in mind, certainly; especially given that WWI was exacerbated largely by a series of international treaties, which might be a caveat for those who would have us join with others.
Another point occurs, while I'm waxing historical: Ireland's neutrality during WWII. Now, of course, we were actually less neutral then than we are now; there was a heavy bias in place in favour of the Allies. It's often considered one of Dev's finest moments, in particular the speech he gave in May 1945 after Churchill criticised Ireland's neutrality (which is well worth looking up).
Just something to bear in mind; if people insist on using history to put forward their arguments, I feel it's only right to do so myself.
😃 Fromm
a reader, be-dad.
Well, yes, and if eRep simulated conflict similar to that in 1939 or even 1914 you might have a point. However, as has been pointed out, in this war, we are placed right in the middle, armies cross oceans without fleets, and while not strategically critical, we are not in a position to stand aloof as in the second world war. Our situations is more like that of Holland or Belgium. And while they did regain their freedom, it was at a cost of five yeas of hell and over 100,000 citizens sent into forced labour and death camps. Also, they were liberated by the Allies because they were on the path to Germany. Poland, on the wrong side of Berlin, was left under tyranny for another 45 years.
Now, you would be right to point out that having Britain as an ally didnt save the Poles, and more than being neutral didn't save the Dutch.
My point is, that if your location/resources/whatever make you a target, that when war comes, being neutral is just a way of not having anyone to call on for help. Having allies may not save us, but having none _definiteley_ won't.
Yes, an alliance with one or the other power may provoke an attack. But that attack is coming anyway. We cannot stand alone. We should look for support from our friends, and offer our own.
When we see the troops land in Shannon, it will be too late.
I see your point, of course, and I understand where you're coming from. I'm afraid, however, that we must agree to disagree. I don't believe we are, as many have characterised us, essentially in the place of that man from the famous Tiananmen Square photo, standing in front of the tank. We are neither in as precarious a situation, nor are we as helpless.
This war can carry on perfectly well without us. To put it very simply, what would we be needed for? If anything, we'd be a mere distraction from the main part of the war. Say we get invaded by PEACE; while they're busy trying to subdue us, what's to stop them being hammered back elsewhere? Frankly, I'm not even sure we're worth the effort.
Added to that, I'm sure we could put up a good fight. I'm not saying, of course, that we could hold back the combined forces of PEACE, but we could certainly present some kind of challenge to them. And I'm only talking about the initial conflict here, leaving aside resistance wars.
Finally, there is one other point to this neutrality, and it is a simple, but powerful one: it defines us. We are eIrishmen and women. We don't stand for aggression, nor do we represent imperialism. eIreland is a neutral country; while the rest of the world is embroiled in its petty struggles, we stand aloof and proud. This is a sentimental argument, I know, and it's not going to hold back anyone. But I believe it's one that should be borne in mind by all the citizens of this country: do we allow the fires of conflict to change our very nature, to warp that which defines us?
Well spoken, Fromm. I've said enough in my article, another elaboration from me isn't necessary.
I respect the view, and even partly agree with it - in particular the sentiment.
Also, I fervently hope that behind the scenes our leaders are hammering out contingency plans in case we are invaded.
At least we can thrash these arguments out in public, and agree to disagree with a fair degree of civility.
In the UK every second posting is descending into name calling and pointless invective.
Here's to eIreland.