Ireland’s president, Michael D Higgins, has made a sharp critique of British imperialism and the “feigned amnesia” of academics and journalists who refuse to address its legacy. His article comes in advance of a seminar on imperialism he is to host on 25 February. “I am struck by a disinclination,” he says, “in both academic and journalistic accounts to critique empire and imperialism. In 2014 Higgins made the first address to the British parliament by an Irish president. In a speech last December he urged Irish people not to stereotype British people because of Brexit and its destabilising impact on Northern Ireland.

Source: The Guardian February 11, 2021 12:56 UTC