Did Robert Southey predict the rise of Sinn Féin?
An article in The Belfast Telegraph has compared Sinn Féin to the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1930’s Germany but is Mary Lou really the next Führer?
In my opinion, we must go back a century before the Nazis to really understand what happened and to look at the adventurous anecdote written by Robert Southey.
Southey first published his unusual account of a civilised group being invaded by a complete outsider and the chaos that followed, in 1837.
It is a well-known fable that parents tell their children when they are young and has been rewritten in various forms over the last two centuries.
The story tells of a civilised group that left their home and when they returned, they found all of their things had been interfered with.
Southey’s The Three Bears tells the story of a girl who wanders into the woods after disobeying her mother. Goldilocks, as she has become known, finds The Three Bears’ house and wanders into their home where she proceeds to taste their food, test their beds, and sit on their seats.
Mary Lou is Baby Bear in this story and the fair-haired electorate has strayed into the wilderness despite being told not to, and after tasting their treats and getting into bed with two of the bears, Sinn Féin took almost a third of the seats.
Whatever happens next, has yet to be written and in some versions, Goldilocks runs away from the three scary bears and in other accounts, she stays and plays and befriends the trio.
People are a little scared for the future, they had invested in poppa bear’s banks and found momma bear’s lack of hospital beds to be a big concern. I predicted this election would be historic as it was happening one week after Britain Brexited Europe.
There will always be people quick to label others as Nazis and fascists, I do it all the time, there are many authoritarian examples out there but I can't imagine Mary Lou is the bogeyman that children should fear and if she is the next Adolf Hitler, at least feminazis should be happy with a female leader.
Sinn Féin appeals to people on both the left and right of the political spectrum and they are the only party in the North and South but as Goldilocks discovered, I am hoping that they aren't "Just right."
There are hungry and homeless people to be worried about and if the hospital beds and porridge aren’t just right, Baby Bear might find herself losing some seats but that is a story for another day.
Please Note:
Not to gloss over the many important points the Belfast Telegraph made in relation to Sinn Féin's past, The Three Bears, in my opinion, is a better example of why Sinn Féin won so many seats in the February 8th election rather than the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s but register for free with The Belfast Telegraph to access Ruth Dudley's commentary for yourself. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/ruth-dudley-edwards/sinn-feins-rise-akin-to-that-of-nazis-in-1930s-and-is-a-threat-to-democracy-on-this-island-38940177.html
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