Kevin Myers, Google, China, Celtic Cubs and unfortunately yet more bullshit about the ideals of 1916

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Wednesday February 08, 2006 18:49 by inverted antimatter atomised m-dimensional string being - anton la vey's sewing circle freedom_for_tibet at china dot com 1 Tibet House, Hong Kong House, Little Taiwan, Macau. six six six, six six six

Trendy tech sector is an extension of fascism/communism in China.

The usual meandering.

"Peoples" "Republic" "of" "China"

Last week in the Irish Times (Feb 2nd), Kevin Myers was up on his soapbox, warning the nation about how the influx of immigrants into the country was changing the ethnic make up of the population; and how by 2016 - the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising - roughly a quarter of the country would consider their "home" a place beyond the state boundaries, if the current rate of immigration continues. This spelled "trouble" in his opinion, because when the 100th anniversary rolls around, its aims and ideals would hold no meaning or historical significance for a sizable chunk of the Irish, be they the "new Irish" or the standard "old Irish".

Since when did anyone in this country take the ideals or the aims of the 1916 insurrectionaries seriously - to the point where they continued in the tradition of foolhardy rebellion against the state - whoever it was in power? As soon as we had our little catholic state set up, steeped in monocultural celtic identity and anti-British sentiment, all micro movements in the image of 1916'ers were crushed or branded as 'reds', especially in the 1930's when the government feared (or whipped up fear, funded and backed by the Church, they had the most land and wealth to lose) about a communist takeover. The cultivated image of the Irish as 'rebels' is more a marketing tool aimed at yank tourists than an encouraged way of life. The tradition of 1916 is long dead and gone, they're buried with shining glass office blocks built over the grave.

Nothing encapsulates the dead spirit of 1916 ideals more than the Irish - the native Irish - living in Ireland today. Superficially happy in their shining new cars and 100% mortgaged homes (apart from when it comes to sharing the road for several hours a day with all the other people of course), they are completely disconnected from all struggles of labour or independence. The hyper capitalist marketing dream of the individuals material needs and wants at the peak of the human spectrum of desire has been realised in the Republic.

A prime example of this is the recent decision by Google to extend their tentacles into China, with the domain Google.cn having all the Chinese Government's required filters on Tibet, Tianamen Square, Human Rights etc built into it. Google have also not extended the gmail or blog (online web log, or personal opinion site) services to the "People's Republic". For a company that supposedly prides itself on 'doing no evil', this was bowing to the demands of an oppressive, fascist government, purely for financial gain. They argued that if they didnt set up shop there, then some other company would in their place. That is not the point. No company should be dealing with the Chinese state full stop with its appalling human rights record, but when it comes to the almighty dollar, ethics fly out the window.

Hopefully, eventually, the Chinese communists will be thrown out of power in a 'velvet' or 'orange' style revolution that happened in Eastern Europe in 1989, or more recently in ex-Soviet republics. The number of protests there against state policy increases every year (last year there were approximately 80,000 - information on which is all suppressed by the communist authorities), and if/when this happens, the Western capitalist companies that supported the regime there should be taken to account. Ultimately somewhere down the line I hope that Google will be demonised in the same way that IBM were for their collaboration with the Nazis in processing Holocaust victims.

Google have their headquarters in Barrow Street. Located in the middle of the trendy new Dublin 4 Gasworks development - no social, shared ownership or affordable housing - their workplace and ethos is celebrated as the model for the new service economy workers. Celtic Tiger cubs on decent wages can relax in plush surroundings, chill out on a buddha bag on their lunch break, or play a bit of table football or pool when the mood takes them. Did any of the Irish workers there walk out of their jobs in protest at Google's support for the Chinese Government's suppression of free speech? Did they fuck. They were more concerned about access to gourmet food, relaxation spas, and overseas holidays than dissenting people being silenced, killed, or dumped in prison. Out of sight, out of mind. The internationalist spirit of the likes of Tone, Larkin or Connolly only matters when it relates to access to emerging markets - witness the glut of articles in Sunday supplements heralding property investment in the far east as a blue chip guarantee return.

Kevin Myers shouldnt really be worried about immigrants not having a historical sense of struggle in times past. Chances are they'll be able to work it out for themselves, when Irish bosses pay them below minimum wage and house them in squalid conditions for extortionate rents. They'll slowly come to understand the relationship between them and those who call the shots and treat them like shit, and their relationship with other immigrants living around them and how they too, are being exploited by the Irish. They might even fight back and organise against the bosses of the day, just like the Gama workers eventually found their voice, just like ordinary people did in 1913 and 1916. After all, who does Myers imagine will tell them about the significance of 1916 - the "native" Irish tech sector employees in their 06 SUVs and ivory towers, gorging themselves on "organic" pork and Starbucks lattés? I doubt it...

Wikipedia, Human Rights in China: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_People...China
Human Rights Watch: http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=china
Amnesty Campaign to free Shi Tao: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/chn-310106-action-eng
Kevin Myers' piece: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2006/0202/3591....html
Google's excuses: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/google-in-china.html
Google chooses Gasworks: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/commercialproperty/200....html