How the Hell was this possible?

Well, as my work at my bachelor thesis seems to slow down, at least the progress has, I think I will, just for the craic, illustrate the theory I’m using to explain the growth of Sinn Féin the last 20 years. I think I will try to explain how they act as a peripheral party in opposition to both London and Fianna Fáil. So, now I will to illustrate this theory that Stein Rokkan created back in the 1970s as he found European political history rather significant important to explain the current development in Europe (60s and 70s). I have quite a good time in Paint. So to start, this is the Schematic view of the theory:

The Centre – Periphery conflict thesis is a simplification of the state and nation building process. It starts as a centre, that be specific region or city, using their power to penetrate the periphery, that rural, less urbanized regions, inlands, surrounding isles or any other land masses without (if any) strong organizing of their central administration to benefit economically (Blue line). By doing this the Centre forces the periphery to use their currency, weight standards, measures and so on, to make the conversion of goods and trades more practical for the rulers. Call it harmonizing the internal marked. Then, as the times goes on, the rulers; knights, kings, nobles, bishops and such finds out that they want more than just earn money on the peasants “beyond the Pale”. Therefore they finds out that if they are going to have some wars against another ruler they can’t outstand, they want to trust their own subjects, and if they should lose a war, the population still will be shaped in their own image, hence staying loyal to them, and rebellious towards their new Masters. This starts the Standardization, the Cultural Standardization of the periphery (Red Line).


The standardization may take for as a struggle for the right to use certain symbols (Northern Ireland), the central bureaucracy and function of the state (The American Civil War), the Faith itself (Tudor England, the Spain, and the Thirty Years’ War), which language should be spoken (Denmark-Norway, Post Unified Italy, the building of the Second German Reich 1871 etc), traditions and national Myths. The easiest way of enhancing such is by build out Acadamies, make School and Church attendance mandatory, put your own priests to write every Bible in your language, and make it mandatory to use it, or believe it, if a bloke from a peripheral place wants to attend the Royal Academy, serve as an officer or as a white collar in the running of the State.The process happens both through force and through law making. Well, dear reader, you might see that this is about building a nation state, not democracy. This is about forcing parts of the population into a pattern that suites the ruling segment of society. The Class struggle and the Church-State conflict are less important. So, this is what we are up to in a British Isles Case:

The Centre, London and England, who formed a united state already under William of Normandy compared to the clan based societies in the Celtic areas of the Isles, were able to consolidate their power much earlier and develop certain infrastructures to handle the economical penetration of the Celts and the creation of a standard culture.

In other words, the British followed the pattern. They subjected the Welsh only merely a century after their own consolidation. Then the work continued in Scotland when English nobles gained power, the economy today are quite similar in both countries, the English language prevailed the Gaelic, the rebellions were suppressed by the 1700s and the way of government ended up pretty the same (Laws, parliamentary traditions etc). In Ireland, in this case should also have same faith as the Scots, as the society was based in a clan-like style around small scale farming. However, the Irish never surrendered to the Anglo way of life. The Catholics stayed catholic, the traditions and myths stayed in the People and the economic penetration never got a grip outside the Lagan Valley. Penal Laws excluded the vast majority of population from participation, but that really never devastated the Irish, then Cromwell had an attempt to slaughter them to another opinion, whit little success. The Famine some 200 years later perhaps led to some urbanization and the fall of the Gaelic language, but no major standardization where able to get a foot within Ireland outside Ulster. Then Daniel O’Connell the Emancipator lived up to his name, the rulers in London had to treat the catholic part of the population as humans and that was basically the end of the nation building at the Isles. However, Ireland were heavily depended on British trade throughout the years, the old Irish pound were for several years fixed to the British one, and a significant part of those emigrating ended up in UK. So the economical penetration are much stronger then the cultural standardization. Wales and Scotland follows the standard pattern.

But, it is one thing that makes me think. This Centre-Periphery thesis implies that some, or both, parts in this conflict at some stage need to use force - armed force – to get their will through: The suppressed culture against the suppressing culture, and of course, the Church versus the State, and even the King against the parliament. The economical elite will fight for their material resources and the economical periphery will defend, unite, and fight back. The cultural elite and periphery will do the same. But, it is one thing that’s always keeps me wondering: what about the people fight and suppressing each other? Let’s look at some representatives for the nations:

An self sacrificing Welshman which passion should make us aware of certain effects certain acts could lead to.

A casual dressed Scotsman, posing in A Kingussie suburb on his way to Tesco in Inverness, who dislike to know that his tax money is used to bail out some London Bankers.


Um…an Irishman with…a..uhm…storey to tell. Radical mind and clear visions.

This is the guys that are populating the periphery. So please somebody, tell me how it is physical possible for those being subjected to this Centre:

I guess The Time Lord could be a significant force to be counted for, but: he is of Scottish origin. So is the best James Bond-guy (Sir Connery is even a hard core Nationalist), and the second best is Irish; both mr. Bonds is out of the question. Then, the guy to the right is the only one left, right? Mr. Bean as a imperialist. Great. Cultural speaking: How the Hell was this, the English superiority, possible?