IRISH TROOPS DEPLOYMENT WITH EUfor

EUFor- Irish contribution - Chad Mission


Of all the Eu countries , we have least interest in engaging in a EU military mission in a post colonial situation. ; The French have colonial interests in Chad ; the Chinese have more immediate economic interests in Sudan , with their ever increasing thirst for oil . We have no colonial interest anywhere. We just emerged from British colonialism , and some would argue - not quite completely To be seen now to prop a post colonial regimen by sending in Irish troops is a gross error. We have served with distinction from the Congo to the Lebanon , East Timor Namibia , Liberia etc.
To think that the rebels will distinguish between a EU for force and a French force is naive . It is as much an absurdity to reason that they will either look at the colour and texture of the uniform or the flag , than to expect our blue eyes to inure our troops from enemy fire ; They have declared that they will treat our troops as enemies - there is no ambiguity on the rebel's behalf.
Moreover , and more hideously while the French general in charge of 'Indigenous ' French troops will be based in Chad , the Irish general in charge of the EUfor troops will be based in Paris.

* It is ill judged, based on a supercilious notion of military grandeur associated with our ineffable belief that since our new found wealth we are are masters of European destiny - that our hour has come to show Europe that we are indeed worthy to be considered as equals .
* We seem preoccupied in convincing Europe that we are no longer the feckless indigents of a time we seem obsessed to erase from our collective memory.

We have come a long way since our old fashioned cap-in-handedness ; so much the pity on this account.
We are entering a new and dangerous arena by associating ourselves with former colonialists. We have preserved our independence and mantained our neutrality often against adversity;
It was not universally deemed so ultra noble of Ireland to remain neutral during WW" .
My own late father server with val our as a dentist ; he fought alongside thousands of honorable Irishmen in El Al AAMain .
They returned home often to face hostility from their countrymen who choose to see WW2 as being '' England's difficulty is Ireland 's opportunity.
Needless to say these public house bravadoes were too selfish , introspective , indulgent to care about the deliverance of Europe from the Nazi tyranny. Many of them have spawned a generation of hedonistic idlers , sybarites you couldn't trust to save their own mother's very honor.These same soulless malcontents had the temerity to poke derision and scorn at the returning soldiers.
Houses were marked - cars watched ; movements recorded ;always a lurking cowl of squinting windows ; an ever present threat of implicit terrorism.
And Irishmen did this to their brothers.
It was a travesty that so many more Irishmen sacrificed so mush during WW1 ; in the belief that Ireland would be granted Home Rule in return for Irish soldiers volunteering to serve in British regiments.
The sad Irony about WW1 was that it was purportedly all about the protection of small nations.
Yet here we were on the western reaches of Europe still under British occupation.
An occupation we were trying for generations trying to be rid of.
The perfidiousness of Lloyd George wast vastly underestimated.
Collins saw one way of dealing with oppression and even he was outmaneuvered by the canny Welshman.
But to return to EUfor ;
We will regret this jingoistic blunder.
Our tears and remorse may come much sooner than any expected kudos or scintilla of international admiration.
When the first body bags are brought back we might then reflect on this monstrous miscalculation .