> I think that the progressive has a much
> better chance of success by building progressiv
> eenclaves, or even states and writing off those areas
> that are generally hostile to progressive politics.
The problem with that in an Irish context is that you'd be leaving the entire country to the people "that are generally hostile to progressive politics." We did that for sevety years. In the end it was the capitalists who brought us (limited) liberation from holy officers.
> As to your remarks on the belief in Catholic dogma in
> Ireland - organized religion is not just about
> theology, buy above all, about social control and
> fascist-nationalist-populist mobilization. For
> example, the Italian fascists under Mussolini were not
> well versed in Catholic casuistry, but they
> nonentheless used Catholic institutions to control the
> population and undermine socialist organizations. Ditto for
> nationalist
> populism in Poland today. They
> are for the most part ignorant of the Catholic
> theology - they use religion only as a rallying cry
> for their cause. I doubt that this is any different
> in Ireland.
Fascism, eh? The Christian Solidarity party doesn't do so well in elections here, you know. In fact, it'd be a bit of a stretch to call them fascists (though their logo does look a bit ITP-like). Idiots, yes.
While there is little doubt about religion being a factor in what you're talking about, I don't think its directly relevant to contemporary Ireland. Irish 'nationalism' is, on the whole, republicanism and while hugely uneven it is far from being falangist. A curious mixture of conservatism, socialism, liberalism, defenderism, armchairism, self-delusionism, lying-to-oneselfism and unthinking-ism, more like.
I have no idea what the situation is like in Poland but the situation in Ireland is *entirely* unlike how the Polish issue is presented in the media.
On 2007-05-03 00:22:21 +0100 Bill Bartlett <billbartlett at aapt.net.au> wrote about Catholic schools in Tasmania being desirious of discrimination.
So what? If secular education was the norm this would not matter.
Make state schools areligious and let the Catholics (and all the rest of them) do whatever they like. Religious schools should be entitled to disriminate on the basis of relgion, the only problem is when religious schools and public schools are one and the same thing.
Jason.
PS regarding the title of this thread, it's pretty instructive. Political battles going on in the courtroom and none in the political realm.