In 1950 I foresaw that civil war was inevitable unless some concessions were made to the suppressed minority in the North-East of Ireland. So I accepted an invitation to stand for Greenock as Irish Anti-Partition Candidate having two essential negative qualifications - I was neither RC or Irish. The press seized on my candidature with joy. What a good joke!

The SNP disowned me twice with increasing enthusiasm. The only opponent I had - and a virulent one at that! - was Father Daniels - the local priest - who was a stalwart Labourite. Finally my keenest supporters presented me with an ultimatum - either I must support the English RC schools or else - I refused to budge and found myself like Edward Bruce, - the Scot who also took up Ireland’s cause - excommunicated and deserted.

Honesty is a luxury which no professional politician can afford. Let us enjoy it!

I got 700 votes. My comment was: "I appealed to the intelligent section of the electorate and the result shows that I received their unanimous support.

My triumphant opponent - one of the most friendly personalities I have known - died shortly after. He had attended a cocktail party on the Queen Mary.

The greatest advantage that Ireland has derived from self-government is that an ambitious Irish politician does not need to base his career on the betrayal of his country. No more Castlereaghs!

This is the centenary year of James Connolly who was shot by the British of 1916, sitting in a chair because he was already badly wounded. He died praying for his executioners.

When the captured Irish were taken through the city after their hopeless fight for their country’s freedom they had to be protected by the British from the fury of their fellow countrymen. We have never fallen so low!

Connolly is the only man of political distinction that Edinburgh has produced in a century.

Under threat of pitiless war the Irish were compelled to accept the Oath of Allegiance and to join the Commonwealth (defined as "a free association of free peoples".) These paper restrictions were treated by the Irish Government as so much worthless paper.

The British have learned nothing from their ridiculous errors.

In the course of Tory party propaganda which I attended at Glasgow University and which was called "History" I learned that the Irish died in 1848 because of the failure of the potato crop. I was not told that the same country had bumper crops in every other form of agriculture and that grain ships left a starving country to feed the inhabitants of London.

The English used to laugh at the Irishmen who was asked by the USA immigration officials

"What are your politics?"
"I have none!"
"Everybody has politics."
"Well, is there a Government?"
"Yes! Well I’m agin it!"

This was intended to prove that the Irish were ungovernable. Actually it proved that the Irishman associated the word GOVERNMENT with the English — therefore an enemy institution. The English, with the simplicity they attribute to the Irish but which is their innate characteristic were telling a story against themselves. Now the Irish have the most stable constitution in Europe except where the English rule in their N.E. corner.