The drawing in the Times UK

This one was even worse, the sense of entitlement.

Written by.

I've been enjoying how horrified some of the British media are at Ireland and Irish affairs being given precedence over them this week.

When Brexit was voted in, I believed there was an underlying sense of denial in the UK of their place in the world order. They are no longer the superpower that they were in their colonial heyday, many just didn't and still don't realise it.

Many also have little awareness of the misery that millions across the world endured under their colonialism, including in Ireland. The perspective on this visit by Joe Biden is comical. Never mind the centuries of oppression and mass murder your country inflicted on it's neighbour, the real horror is that the US president is prioritising his relationship with that country over you for a few days...

While it is vital for peace, security and stability that political alliances and 'friendships' are prioritised, many British are yet to grasp that they are no longer 'in charge' and that outside the UK, nobody wants them to be. On this island, and within Europe, they are now outliers. That is what they voted for, and they cemented it with the farce of the negotiations to leave the EU.

The cartoon is without a doubt racist in nature, it would not be published if it were relating to an African or Asian country that was a former colony. But thankfully we are long past the days where this nonsense has any power over our society. Ireland has its own independent government and society, and our own international position and alliances, including with Britain. This rubbish drawing is simply a further reflection of their own sour grapes that the position of Britain as a falling star with waning influence has been projected in technicolor onto the world stage.

In that sense, I am glad it was published, it makes it clear how many are really feeling, and how the legacy of colonialism lives on, no matter how much it is denied. It didn't take much for the mask to slip now did it?

I'm not sure why you believe the cartoon you are showing is much more offensive?

Are you aware that during British colonisation of ireland, cartoons depicting Irish people as stupid and ape-like were hugely popular in the UK. They greatly contributed to the popular view that Irish people required the civilisation the British were violently enforcing as they were to stupid / drunk / etc to manage their own affairs.

Racism requires one party to be in a dominant position to the other, with the support of legal or other systems. The British ruled the Irish during the period of those popular cartoons, they were part of the historical story of racism the Irish were subjected to under British rule.

Therefore, this cartoon is not simply humorous stereotyping, the roots of it are far more sinister than that.

“I've been enjoying how horrified some of the British media are at Ireland and Irish affairs being given precedence over them this week”

Im surprised how horrified some of the Irish are at a Newspaper cation this week.

I thought this tweet I read just hits the mail on the head. Irish people need to think about this. You can’t have it both ways.

“You aren’t TIRED of this. You plaster the same caricature on your Paddy Wagons. You dress up as leprechauns on St Patrick’s Day and at rugby matches. Your shops on O’Connell Street groan under the weight of this tat. Spare us the faux outrage. Either it’s good fun or it’s not.”

and anyhow the dig is at Biden, not the Irish - unless of course you think he is Irish

You plaster the same caricature on your Paddy Wagons - What, where and when is this being plastered? By who?

You dress up as leprechauns on St Patrick’s Day - It's often tourists do this, not many Irish people at all. The overwhelming majority of Irish people are wearing their normal clothes on St Patrick's Day, sometimes including or adding something green, or with shamrocks etc. Also, so what if someone puts on a fancy dress costume on the day of a festival?

and at rugby matches - as above, overwhelming majority at matches wear normal clothes or sports tops, same as in all other countries

Your shops on O’Connell Street groan under the weight of this tat - I agree, it is tat. Tourist tat. It is not Irish people buying it. Same as the tourist rubbish for sales in cities across the world, just like all the Royal family/Union Jack/Tube etc tat for sale in London. A very small handful of businesses make money from it.

Overall, to me that tweet simply demonstrates that the person who wrote it does not know much about Irish people. They seem to be basing their view on the stereotypes, and a few people who are shown on tv at matches, precisely because they have dressed up.

Do you think that a cartoon depicting descendants of African, Indian or Pakistani people as ridiculous dancing drunk caricatures would be acceptable for publication in the UK?

BTW, I don't even think I'm too outraged, I think I'm not actually as outraged as I should be. I just don't feel like staying quiet this time.

Other people, who are not Irish, telling Irish people all the reasons why this is not or should not be offensive to them, demonstrates the problem. People are actually smart enough to know what they see, and know what they have been subjected to in the past, even the ridiculous, dancing, drunk Irish people.

Who cares. The posters on this site are always on about permanently offended PC snowflakes and now this stupid cartoon is seen as a problem.

You need to think about what you are saying. Biden was on a visit to Ireland and he dropped in to the Uk for a few hours on his way. Of course Ireland would be his focus - that was the whole purpose of the trip.

I hear some saying Sunak only had a short time with him. Sunak didn’t even attend bidens only engagement in Uk at ulster university as he said he is meeting him four months in a row ie March, April, may and June so no need. You are reading far too much into this all

Most people in ni think he stayed too long. If he wants to do selfies with mass murderers of the people of ni then he shouldn’t expect the red carpet. He couldn’t even follow protocol with his flags on his car. I think you are blaming the wrong people for this one.

We've been through this before, Downcow. One part of the island doesn't have a flag; the other does. What else was the guy to do? It's not his fault that NI can't get it together to adopt a flag.

You're right. Maybe one day we'll be less sentimental about silly pageantry like the country next door.

What expense did the people of Mayo have to go to?

Great and I'm doing a fairly obvious p1ss take of Brits complaining about being broke but tolerating a golden carriage pulling around a king.