Originally posted by Daddy!!:
Hi i copied out from google searches. the information is public.
Irish hate English rule, period.
Then open your world map, the English island is stucked at a
miserable far corner between the european continent and republic of
ireland. Compare this to their empire before WW2. their decline is
almost comparable to the fall of the roman empire. where is rome,
the capital of the roman empire, today? it is a tourist spot.
History
After the establishment by treaty with Great Britain of the Irish
Free State (Jan., 1922), civil war broke out between supporters of
the treaty and opponents, who refused to accept the partition of
Ireland and the retention of any ties with Britain. The antitreaty
forces, embodied in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and led by
[b]Eamon De Valera, were defeated, although the IRA
continued as a secret terrorist organization. William Cosgrave
became the first prime minister. De Valera and his followers, the
Fianna Fáil party, agreed to take the oath of allegiance to the
British crown and entered the Dáil in 1927.
In 1932, De Valera became prime minister, and
under his administration a new constitution was promulgated (1937),
establishing the sovereign nation of Ireland, or Eire, within the
Commonwealth of Nations. De Valera's policies aimed at the
political and economic independence and union of all of Ireland.
The loyalty oath to the crown was abolished, and certain economic
provisions of the 1921 treaty with England were repudiated, leading
to an economic war (193238 ) with Britain.
During World War II, Eire remained neutral and vigorously protested
Allied military activity in Northern Ireland. The British were
denied the use of Irish ports, and German and Japanese agents were
allowed to operate in the country. However, great numbers of
Irishmen volunteered to serve with the British armed forces. The
people of Eire suffered relatively little hardship during the war
and even profited from increased food exports. The postwar period
brought a sharp rise in the cost of living and a decline in
population, due in great part to steady emigration to Northern
Ireland, Great Britain, and other countries. In 1948, Prime
Minister Costello demanded total independence from Great Britain
and reunification with the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland was proclaimed on Apr. 18, 1949. The
country withdrew from the Commonwealth and formally claimed
jurisdiction over the Ulster counties. It was admitted to the
United Nations in 1955. Nothing came of the claim to Ulster, and
during the 1950s and 60s the republic and Northern Ireland improved
their economic relations. The later decade also saw an all-time low
in Irish population, 2.82 million in 1961. In the late 1960s the
problem of Northern Ireland flared up again in bitter fighting
between the Protestant majority and Catholic minority there,
aggravated by the actions of the IRA, which was headquartered in
the republic.
In 1973, Erskine H. Childers succeeded De Valera as president of
Ireland, and Liam Cosgrave, at the head of a Fine GaelLabour
coalition, replaced Jack Lynch, of Fianna Fáil, as prime minister.
In the same year the republic joined the European Community (now
the European Union). Childers died in 1974 and was succeeded by
Cearbhal O. Dalaigh. Lynch led Fianna Fáil back into office in
1977; in 1979 fellow party member Charles Haughey replaced Lynch as
prime minister. In 1981 a Fine GaelLabour coalition headed by
Garret FitzGerald defeated Fianna Fáil on an economic platform.
Although ousted in 1982, the coalition was governing again six
months later. Beginning in the late 1970s the republic's political
situation was more fluid than it had been; there were several
general elections and a variety of party schisms. In 1987, Haughey
again became prime minister. As unemployment soared, especially
among young people, outmigration increased, reaching a peak of
44,000 in 1989.
During the 1990s, the economy grew significantly, buoyed by EU
subsidies and new foreign investment. By the end of the decade,
unemployment was below the EU average, although pockets of poverty
persisted. In late 1994, after the IRA and Protestant militias
agreed to a cease-fire, efforts were begun to negotiate a
settlement of the the Northern Ireland issue. Despite some
setbacks, agreements were reached in Apr., 1998, and approved by
voters in both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland in May.
Women's issues, such as the government's strong antiabortion stance
and the constitutional ban on divorce, also became a focus in the
1990s; a referendum legalizing divorce passed by a narrow margin in
1995. In 1991, Ireland elected its first female president, Mary
Robinson, and in 1997 Mary McAleese became its first president from
Northern Ireland. In 1992, Albert Reynolds, of Fianna Fáil,
replaced Charles Haughey as prime minister, and when the governing
coalition collapsed, Reynolds successfully formed another. The
Reynolds government fell in 1994, and Fine Gael leader John Bruton
succeeded him, heading a Fine GaelLabour coalition. Bertie Ahern
became prime minister in 1997, heading a Fianna FáilProgressive
Democrat coalition; his coalition was returned to office in 2002.
Revelations in Sept., 2006, that Ahern had received loans from
business acquaintances in 199394 while he was finance minister and
had not yet repaid them sparked controversy. Ahern said his
attempts to repay them had been refused; he did repay the loans
soon after they were became public.
A Political Currency
The whole premise of the Euro is unique in the modern world.
Normally, a new currency is created after some sort of political
unification. But, the Euro's key purpose is to promote political
unification. With everyone using the same money, political harmony
will follow. Yes, trade within the Euro zone will be easier without
having to deal with exchange rates and bank fees. But, the Euro is
above all else a political statement rather than simply a medium of
exchange.
With the switchover to the Euro for everyday business, the point
has been driven home to hundreds of millions of European citizens.
This European business is really serious. It's not just about
grabbing subsidies and watching political bigwigs parade in front
of the cameras.
The obvious fact is this. Who controls the money controls
everything.
On 8th January 2002, Ireland, like the other 11 members of the
Eurozone, started using Euro notes and Euro coins for cash
transactions. Within a few months, the old coins and banknotes in
Punts have been withdrawn.
[/b]
Kewl!!! Ireland ranks 14th in
World Audit's Democracy ranking.
