Mistrusting The Government Since 1922

The Irish fought a civil war, although it didn't get the press coverage of that family spat in America back in the 1860's.

The Irish fought in that one as well, but there wasn't much for doing in Ireland at the time and it was a tremendous job opportunity for a man willing to emigrate.

At any rate, the Irish did battle over a decision to split the island nation into an independent, Catholic section and a smaller Protestant enclave that would remain a colony of England (there'd be no United Kingdom if not for that little bit of Ireland). Not everyone liked the treaty.

Especially not my ancestors.

The war in the 1920's was fought largely in the west of Ireland, a rural area populated by people who did not follow the government's rules because they hated the government. It was the Brits at first, and everyone connived and cheated to avoid onerous taxes and laws designed to wipe out Catholicism. Then it was the pro-Treaty crowd with De Valera at its head, crowing about how much he hated the Treaty once he got wind of the public's discontent with a policy he helped promote.

So in places like Donegal and Limerick, the whole conniving and cheating way of life became incorporated into the DNA. It should come as no surprise to hear that the areas of Ireland that are the most lax in paying the new homeowner's tax are residents of those areas.

The property tax has come about because the nation is skint and money must be raised. The good people of western Ireland see the bankruptcy as the result of the politicians in Dublin, and they aren't going to turn over their hard-earned money to a group of wastrels.

So they refused to pay.

There are threats to fine the offenders, but if your re-election depends on forcing the majority of your constituents to pay a tax or risk a fine, how likely are you to push the issue? There aren't many jobs in Ireland. Everyone wants to keep theirs.

The boycott is an Irish invention with roots in the Land Wars of the 1870's. The worst of that fighting? In the west of Ireland.

Nothing much has changed in the last century.

Maybe the esteemed members of the Dail should turn to history and see how the British handled boycotts back in the day....although the British aren't ruling in Dublin anymore. That's not the end result Fine Gael is looking for.