Historical inaccuracy about Sir Roger Casement

Switching on Radio 4 late at night, just before it switches to BBC World Service, I heard the Irish politician or ex-politician, Mary McAleese [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McAleese], reading some of her memoirs.

I was surprised to hear Mrs McAleese say that Sir Roger Casement [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Casement] had been executed for treason “because of his support for the Easter Rising.” Not so.

Casement was put on trial for treason because, as a British subject (indeed, he had been a civil servant, first at the Colonial Office and then at the Foreign Office) he had committed various acts which were not only adjudged treasonous in the First World War but which would still be, on similar facts, today. Indeed, in WW2, some others were executed for far less. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Casement#Capture,_trial,_and_execution

William Joyce [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Joyce] was hanged merely for having broadcast from Germany [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Haw-Haw].

The last statement of William Joyce: “In death as in life, I defy the Jews who caused this last war, and I defy the power of darkness which they represent. I warn the British people against the crushing imperialism of the Soviet Union. May Britain be great once again and in the hour of the greatest danger in the West may the standard be raised from the dust, crowned with the words – “You have conquered nevertheless”. I am proud to die for my ideals and I am sorry for the sons of Britain who have died without knowing why.”

It is not generally known that dozens of other actually-British people (Joyce’s nationality was and remains disputed) who broadcast from the Reich during WW2 were either not prosecuted or received short prison sentences. In other words, in Joyce’s case, as in that of Casement, political rather than legal expediences proved determinative.

John Amery [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Amery], who was hanged after WW2, did more or less the same as had Casement in WW1. He toured POW camps trawling for potential recruits etc. Indeed, Casement did more than that and, after all, was eventually arrested (by a solitary sergeant of the Royal Irish Constabulary) after having been landed ashore —awaiting an arms drop— on the “lonely Banna Strand”, from a German U-boat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Casement#Irish_revolutionary.

In fact, the Irish rebels’ operation was a total botch: “Casement did not learn about the Easter Rising until after the plan was fully developed. The German weapons never landed in Ireland; the Royal Navy intercepted the ship transporting them, a German cargo vessel named the Libau, disguised as a Norwegian vessel, Aud-Norge. All the crew were German sailors, but their clothes and effects, even the charts and books on the bridge, were Norwegian.^{[citation needed]} As John Devoy had either misunderstood or disobeyed Pearse’s instructions^{[citation needed]} that the arms were under no circumstances to land before Easter Sunday, the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU) members set to unload the arms under the command of Irish Citizen Army officer and trade unionist William Partridge were not ready. The IRB men sent to meet the boat drove off a pier and drowned.” [Wikipedia]

It can be seen that, however unfortunate in many ways Casement was, Mrs McAleese’s statement that he was hanged, as her memoirs seem to imply, simply because he “supported” the Easter Rising, seems to me to be disingenuous at best.

Until I looked her up on Wikipedia yesterday, I knew nothing much about Mrs McAleese. Seems that she was appointed a professor of laws at Trinity College, Dublin, when only 24 years of age, failed to get elected as a would-be politician, but was eventually adopted as Fianna Fail candidate for the Presidency of Ireland; she served two terms (14 years).

Casement, though not much known by the general public these days in England, is still a major historical figure in Ireland.

Tweets seen

In the real sense (not the formal legal sense), what the LibLabCon-men (and women) have done in the past half-century is far more treasonous than whatever Sir Roger Casement did; and he was hanged for it…

While I certainly agree with Cummings (and have blogged so from the start) that Boris-idiot is unfit to be Prime Minister, Cummings is himself a personification of the crazy way in which Britain is run. Are there other countries where a person with effectively no track record could become such a power behind the political throne?

A degree in History, a few unsuccessful years trying to make money in Russia (including an airline which only made one flight), then an office bod at Conservative Party HQ for a number of years, then…all but running the UK’s administration. It’s mad. https://ianrobertmillard.org/2019/08/10/les-eminences-grises-of-dystopia/; https://ianrobertmillard.org/2020/01/03/dominic-cummings-a-government-of-dystopia-and-lunacy-posing-as-genius/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Cummings

Remembrance of Cummings’ times past: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/dominc-cummings-lockdown-rules-boris-johnson-oxford-university-press-conference-a9532451.html

Afternoon music

Alison Chabloz

Usually-reliable sources report that the persecuted satirist and singer-songwriter, Alison Chabloz, is now resting at home, having been released from Bronzefield Prison earlier today.

More information will be published in this blog later today, or on another day.

Alison’s appeal against conviction and sentence is scheduled to be heard in Crown Court (probably at Southwark) on 3-4 June 2021, i.e. next week.

Late tweets

I shall blog another day about the upcoming Batley and Spen by-election. My first thought about Galloway’s candidature is that he is a busted flush, with no real chance of even saving his deposit. On the other hand, if the by-election is as close as it might be (i.e. as close as I, provisionally, think that it might be), then Galloway getting, say, 2% might be the difference between a Conservative win and a Labour win.

Late music