Quite often when I’m out for a Beer with other English teachers of various nationalities we’ll always end up having a good old argument about Politics. Was America too late entering the second WW, Should the Queen be Canada’s head of state, which country is responsible for Bob Geldof?
But often, particularly with more mature students, and whenever I seem to teach from Proficiency Masterclass – some quite difficult political questions get thrown my way. Often about Northern Ireland, Gibraltar or the Falklands.
It seems that the pre 1989 Polish communists took great pride to make Britain out to be some kind of imperialist dog holding onto the scraps of its empire – abusing and manipulating the poor citizens of these benign countries and depriving them of their freedom.
This means I quite often get questions like this (and I’ve included my answers), It’s not that Poles are ignorant; it’s just the ‘propaganda’ takes a lot of time to wear off.
Q. Teacher, Why does the U.K. interfere in Northern Ireland?
A. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. and it’s position in the U.K is of equal status as England or Scotland. It’s not interfering, it’s governance!
Q. Teacher, why does Britain still occupy places like NI, Gibraltar or Falklands?
A. It’s not occupation if the people in those places WANT to be part of the U.K. People have the freedom to do what they want, if they want to remain part of the U.K. why should anybody change that? These places are all integral parts of the U.K.
Q. Teacher, Why don’t we have a united Ireland like it was before? Why does the U.K try to stop that?
A. There was never a united Ireland until the English unified it. Islands in general quite often contain more than one nation so why not here.
So that’s my spin on some difficult to explain political questions, especially for people living in a self contained nation like Poland.
wow, are you Margaret Thatcher?
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think from polish point of view, even though the media those things, most poles 'rooted'? for the U.K. to win in things like the atlantic or Irland :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it is communist propaganda, or we just like Irish (and we often compared Poland-Russia situation in 19 century to UK-Ireland).
ReplyDeleteBesides - Irish culture is trendy here, there are many Polish songs about Ireland ("Kocham Cię jak Irlandię" Kobranocka, "Irish" T.Love, "Irlandia" Kowalski).
So IMHO propaganda has nothing to this.
BTW - how do you know you are not basing your opinions about NI on UK propaganda :) After all in 19 century whole Ireland island was UK, and the same arguments you used, could be used to defend that situation (no offence, maybe you are right, I'm just asking).
Thanks for your comments everybody,
ReplyDeleteOdrzut - I know Polish people like the Irish, so do I. But what most people don't understand is that there are those people who choose to be Irish British (People who live in NI, just is I am English British), and those who didn't.
i.e. Being Irish and British is not mutually exclusive.
I just think that NI is the place for Irish Brits and Southern Ireland is the place for Irish Republicans, why change that status quo? everybody has a place. If NI becomes part of souther Ireland, where do all the Irish Brits go?
I take your point though, I quite often spout U.K. propoganda, it's my side job ;)
I have also faced this charges, which do seem to have been encouraged by the communists, but I also think it is more a matter of Polish sympathy for peoples seeking freedom.
ReplyDeleteI follow the point of view in your second answer, but if you had known supporters of Irish unity, you would understand that their real question is "why does Britain still occupy part of Ireland?". It is absolutely clear that the majority of the inhabitants of Ireland do not want this. It is only by assuming that Northern Ireland should be part of the UK that you take the (roughly balanced) point of view of people in NI into account to the exclusion of others.
Your other two answers are factually incorrect.
Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain and does not therefore hold equal status with Scotland and England.
Henry II's unification of Ireland, if that is what you are referring to, followed a dispute between the High King and one of the subordinate Kings, not rivalry between completely separate kingdoms. Even so, Ireland remained a nominally independent and united country with an English ruler. Why then, does Britain still occupy pert of Ireland?
What seems to have happened is that Polish people have heard complaints about the terrible imperialist English and naturally support those who still seek their freedom from our ancient oppression. They may rarely understand the complexities of these issues, but one should nevertheless sympathise with their line of questioning.
It's the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - I would agree with the original post that all the countries of the union have equal status.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the tone of the orignal post, as long as NI have free elections and can choose their own destiny, NI should remain part of the U.K. if it wants to, why would any one want to go against the will of the people in this respect. I quickly googled the subject and the large part of voters in NI support unionist parties.
But you know, I think Russia always sympathised with the British on this matter, the Russians have had a long history of battling separatists.
Thanks for all your comments on this one, I've been to the BC library this week to research some books for interested students to read and I'm trying to balance the material to cover all perspectives on the situation.
ReplyDeleteIf anybody else could recommend a good book or two, let me know!