Censoring carried out on our behalf
"The insane political and economic priorities created by revolutionary gun culture," referred to by Mr Myers, which apparently plunged us down the pecking order in wealth creation, totally ignores, as usual, the unjustified violence of colonisation inflicted on this country, yet condemns, as usual, in the clearest manner possible, the justified violence of resistance to such colonisation.
By any standards, Mr Myers' critique of Irish life since independence, focusing specifically on the Censorship Board as he did, is unwarranted, as most, if not all, fledgling states in finding their feet, so to speak, evolve in their own time until their standards are identified and reflected in legislation.
"The open air lunatic asylum," which Mr Myers disparagingly refers to Ireland as, was not by any means unique in its censorship laws.
Take for example Britain, where Mr Myers is from.
Chris Moore's 'The Kincora Scandal' was banned for alleging British cover-up over Satanic abuse.
'Rights of Man' (Thomas Paine) was also to fall victim to the censors, as was Peter Wright's' 'Spycatcher' in 1987.
Even George Orwell fell victim to censorship.
'Star Trek -- The Next Generation' suffered the same fate when an episode which referred to the conflict in Northern Ireland was withdrawn.
In 1985, the British government intervened to prevent a 'Real Lives' documentary on BBC, 'At the Edge of the Union', being aired. This action led to a strike by the NUJ to defend the independence of the BBC.
From 1988 to 1994, the voices of Irish republicans were banned on UK television and radio, with actors re-voicing the words.
In 1988, Channel 4 dropped plans to invite an elected member of parliament, Gerry Adams, to appear on the night-time talk show 'After Dark', following an appeal from the British prime minister.
I think we can assume that no society or country holds copyrights on censorship, nor should we be disproportionately judgmental of others.
What Mr Myers seems not to grasp is that the banning of books or other items and the subsequent unbanning of them was carried out by an organ of the Irish Government, acting on behalf of the Irish people.
We made our mistakes and we rectified them ourselves without reference to a foreign state. This is the legacy of 1916. This is our inheritance.
TOM COOPER
DELAFORD LAWN, DUBLIN 16
