Burleigh

nacho libre

A RESPECTED Oxford historian has launched a vitriolic attack on Irish 'sacred cows' such as rock star Bono, the TV personality Terry Wogan and the Irish multimillionaires who are buying up London.

But his strongest criticism is reserved for former Blackrock College student Bob Geldof, whom he describes as "a mouthy sloven".

"England has undergone the reverse cultural colonisation of the erstwhile oppressed. As fluent talkers, the Irish have colonised entire areas of British television, with the benignly unctuous Terry Wogan succeeded by the vulgarly queer Graham Norton, whose sexually obsessive innuendo even managed to fall below the (very) low standards of British television comedy," says Michael Burleigh in his new book Sacred Causes.

The book, published by Cecelia Ahern's publishers, goes on: "However, the decline of English culture is at least matched by what has happened across the Irish Sea, which despite the lingering flutey-voiced sentimentality has become a vulgarised version of Essex."

Burleigh, an eminent historian and writer, deals with the role of religion and politics from "European dictators to al-Qaeda" and, in one engagingly politically incorrect chapter, he has a lengthy swipe at Ireland and the Irish.

He belittles the "minor poets" who have won the Nobel Prize for literature and adds: "Various provincial cliques and coteries, whether eccentrically Anglo-Irish, or just plain Irish, are inflated out of all proportion to their actual significance by their admiring fellows in the metropolitan British media".

But it is for such sacred cows as 'Sir' Bob Geldof and Bono that he reserves his most strident ire.

"Any cook or pop star can become a celebrity seer nowadays in a culture where other forms of authority have withered. Superannuated rock musicians have boarded this bandwagon, with saint-cum-sir Bob Geldof in the van of vulgarly formulated attempts to strong-arm governments seeking the youth vote into giving away more money that by and large finds its way into the Swiss bank accounts of African kleptocrats.

"It is startling to watch British politicians lapping up abuse from this mouthy sloven, until one notes that knowledge of pop music is nowadays a crucial part of obtaining high office.

"Ireland's professional moralists are represented, at most disasters and 'tragedies' by Irish television news reporters, again omnipresent on British TV, with a nice line in emoting about the world's starving, a sight that makes many of the cooler disposition long for the old days of stiff upper lip."

Wallowing in victimhood is "an essential element in the Irish problem" he says and it provides emotional and moral justification for "bullying, intimidating and killing" those who don't subscribe to their point of view.

"The Celtic warriors are as risible as Islamist militants," he says, going on to give the opinion that Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich "colluded" in giving hunger striker Bobby Sands "a Christological air".

The scholar and author also turns his attention to the new mega-rich class of Irish businessmen who have invaded the British property market buying up landmark buildings in the heart of London.

"Some of Ireland's most prominent businessmen have a, doubtless ill-deserved, reputation for ruthlesness. Fans regard such figures as genially piratical; others think they are greedy and mean-spirited, a description that might also apply to large swathes of the Irish in the English building trades, although competently reliable young Poles are displacing this horde of bodgers and shysters."

While acknowledging that Ireland has now become "much richer" than neighbouring Britain, Burliegh has put this down to "its affluent diaspora and the European Union" while Northern Ireland "is kept afloat by an inflated public sector providing outdoor relief to its middle class".

Burleigh, taught at Oxford, the London School of Economics and Cardiff Universities as well as a number of important educational institutions in the United States.

Verbatim quotes from newspapers sans comment from the poster are not allowed here.

It would also be desirable to credit the article you just pasted above to it's writer.

Please give your own opinion and please read the charter-thank you.

In the absence of this,the thread will be locked.

ballooba

nacho libre wrote:

The book, published by Cecelia Ahern's publishers, goes on: "However, the decline of English culture is at least matched by what has happened across the Irish Sea, which despite the lingering flutey-voiced sentimentality has become a vulgarised version of Essex."

I think it's all fair game apart from the above. Where the hell is he getting this from? Maybe if you judge Ireland based on Temple Bar. This country has a million times more culture than England.

nacho libre

Its writer is Liam Collins, he wrote this article in the Sunday Independent. If you want to lock the thread go ahead. I would agree with his comments about Bono and Bob Geldolf. As for the rest...he comes across as an intellectual thug and seems to be in need of therapy due to the high level of projection displayed in his views.

The empire is long gone, it seems people like Burleigh is having a hard time accepting this fact.

gurramok

That is a racist article and the man should be not be allowed to publish a racist tirade in this day and age.
From the looks of it, the so called historian has a problem with any race nevermind us Irish.

sceptre

I'm rather slow to defend Irish people merely because they happen to be Irish; however...

the vulgarly queer Graham Norton, whose sexually obsessive innuendo even managed to fall below the (very) low standards of British television comedy," says Michael Burleigh

Sorry, kid, if I blame anything for that it's the Carry On movies of days yore. Graham Norton may be as camp as Fanny Thomas from Knowing Me, Knowing Yule and personally I'm as likely to watch prime-time Norton as I am to tune into ITV to watch Ant & Dec but apparently it's what the public want. If he's a monster you created him.

The book, published by Cecelia Ahern's publishers

I'll say nothing except to say that a few months ago, the woman in Easons clutching an Ahern creation to whom I said "if you keep buying them, she'll just keep writing them" wasn't all that impressed.

He belittles the "minor poets" who have won the Nobel Prize for literature

Winston Churchill won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. I'd be a little more concerned by that.

Wallowing in victimhood is "an essential element in the Irish problem" he says

I've been saying that for years. On the other hand, Burleigh appears to have acquired the knack of "woe is me" himself pretty quickly.

going on to give the opinion that Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich "colluded" in giving hunger striker Bobby Sands "a Christological air"

Not new and pretty much true.

On the whole, I'd say he'd just like to see more Brits on British TV. Which may sound racist until we consider what'd happen if the shoe happened to be on the other foot and we found English people presenting Irish-based shows (note, I'm drawing a distinction between this and TV3 becoming ITV-Ireland(South)). Having said that, it just looks like he wants to get his name in the paper. Nothing significant here, just another Oxford don who doesn't like Gordon Ramsey or Westlife and thought someone else would care. Burleigh just doesn't like the fact that Dermot Desmond and his ilk have bought half of London. His ramblings won't make any difference to that.

gandalf

Damn it he just resents the fact that the British Empire fell apart after we left and stopped running it for them.

One a final note all that one can say is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN7y0Sb0s6Y

Hotblack Desiato

nacho libre wrote:

As fluent talkers, the Irish have colonised entire areas of British television, with the benignly unctuous Terry Wogan succeeded by the vulgarly queer Graham Norton, whose sexually obsessive innuendo even managed to fall below the (very) low standards of British television comedy," says Michael Burleigh in his new book Sacred Causes.

The irony is that Wogan took British citizenship in order that he could be awarded a 'proper' knighthood and not an honorary one. So any problems that git has with Wogan aren't our fault
As for Norton.. if you watch that sort of rubbish what right do you have to claim to be offended
The rest was just your standard issue Daily Mail / Telegraph racist rant. oops but it's not racist when it's the Irish, Scots or Welsh because they're all part of the "Great British Nation" , puke.