EIRE ALOOF

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1941, Page 2

EIRE ALOOF

CLOSE CENSORSHIP. LONDON, December 14. One of the closest censorships m Europe, clamped down on Eire newspapers, is responsible for the remarkable lack of interest by the Irish in a war being fought almost on theii doorstep. Englishmen reading Eire newspapers are astonished by the extraordinary remoteness of the news, from which it might be imagined that the war is being fought somewhere in the South Seas, rather than around Ireland’s coasts. The Premier, Mr. De Valera, carefully pursuing his policy of neutrality, has made sure that the war news is made as colourless as possible. However, as the Irish Times courageously points out, the muzzling of responsible newspapers is one of the first and most dangerous symptoms of dictatorship. The censorship has already prevented the free ventilation of many domestic issues, and caused the Senate last week to express great disquiet concerning the methods adopted.

Newspaper reports of Parliamentary debates are censored, although the official report has not yet been tampered with. Even photographs are controlled. A newspaper which submitted a picture showing a great volunteer rally on College Green, Dublin, being addressed by a Minister, was informed that the censor insisted upon the Royal Arms on the Bank of Ireland, which is the did Parliament House, being cut out. Senator Sir John Keane declared that the censor even dictates and regulates the position in which news matter appears, and the prominence of the headings. The Manchestei’ Guardian, while emphasising that the censorship is purely a domestic affair, points out that the close control of news is not without a bearing on Irish opinion. DE VALERA AND SHAW. Meanwhile, Mr., de Valera and Mr. George Bernard Shaw have figured in a sharp brush regarding Eire’s refusal to open her ports to the British Navy. Mr. de Valera says that a recent article by Mr. Shaw could be read as an incitement to the British people—harassed and smarting with the wounds of war—to attack Eire. “Stripped of its casuistry, M”. Shaw’s doctrine is that the very existence of the weak should be sacrificed to the strong,” said Mr. de Valera. “Mr. Shaw knows that the moment we allowed any part of our territory to be used by one belligerent against another, our country would be open to attack by the aggrieved party, and Eire would be made a cockpit of war, similar to Beiguim.” Replying to this, Mr. Shaw said: England is holding her hand very hard. No other country in the world would have accepted the situation. Mr. de Valera is asking Mr. Churchill to imperil his 40 million people for the sake of the mere paper neutrality of 4,000,000 hostile Irishmen.

“Mr. de Valera wants to make Eire another Switzerland, but he cannot. He hasn’t even got his country behind him, because the people are disunited. “If and when it is found that Mr. Churchill must take the ports, he will have the United States behind him. If Germany attacked Eire, England would be compelled to fight in Eire, which should call in England before that happens.”