IN 1784, Matthew Carey, a young man who flirted with the United Irishmen, decided like many republicans at the time to emigrate to the USA and, more importantly, to the hub of American intellectualism, Philadelphia. Fuelled by ideas of solidarity, equality and human rights, Carey hung around taverns and meeting houses, giving talks and listening to others espousing the fundamental rights of man. Like many others he became a pamphleteer, writing short essays on the rights and wrongs of the world as he saw it.
In 1789 — only five years after he had arrived in Philadelphia — Carey published what became the most exciting and influential work of the final decades of that revolutionary century. He printed the first picture of the horribly cruel and degrading conditions on a slave ship. Using a print originally made in Liverpool a year earlier of the slave ship ‘The Brook’, Carey achieved what no other abolitionists had succeeded in doing: he visually depicted the horror. Up until then, abolitionists who argued that the slave trade was inhumane had failed to jolt popular opinion. But Carey understood the power of the picture over the power of the pen and by meticulously producing an image of just how many poor, sick and terrified slaves were packed like sardines into those fetid and cavernous decks Carey changed world history.
Initially 2,500 prints were made, but this number exploded as the scale of the crime became apparent. The print showed hundreds of humans cramped and shackled together with barely enough room to move. Carey wrote: “Here it is presented to our view one of the most horrid spectacles — human creatures packed side by side almost like herrings in a barrel and reduced nearly to a state of being buried alive, with just air enough to preserve a degree of life sufficient to make them sensible of all the horrors of their situation.”
Carey’s ‘Remarks on the Slave Trade’, as the print was called, proved to be a bombshell. He substantiated his accounts by giving readers his own personal testimony of the transatlantic voyage from Ireland, explaining to people who had never travelled across the ocean the horrible conditions on ships from Ireland where the poor were stuck below deck in huge terrifying swells without enough food or water. Bad enough as it was, he argued, it could be nothing like the slave ships.
His work was printed and reprinted across America and gave huge impetus to the abolitionist cause. From then on, the economic arguments that the slave trade was crucial to maintaining the prosperity of American and Britain and Ireland became secondary to the moral arguments about human rights. Many on the pro-slavery side warned of economic Armageddon. They contended that the world economy, or at least the Atlantic part of it, was based on slaves and cheap labour and that to abandon it would be tantamount to economic suicide. Yet the abolitionists appealed to a higher calling and in 1807 slavery was abolished in Britain and 1865 in America. And the man who got the ball rolling was Carey who, like so many other significant Irishmen of the past, seems to have been airbrushed out of our history.
Now consider for a moment the environment and the ongoing degradation of the planet. Could it be possible that countries and companies that continue to pollute and destroy the planet might well face the type of opprobrium that the last of the slave traders suffered? Might the economic arguments about the need for cheap sources of energy be blown away by concerns about the greater needs of the planet? Many environmentalists certainly hope so. People’s attitudes are changing rapidly.
The world is faced with a simple dilemma: how do we reconcile the demands of six billion consumers with the finite resources of the planet? Can we in the West assume that we can continue to take the lion’s share of the world’s energy to support our lifestyles, while the billions in the poorer world go without? More significantly, as the world’s population is due to rise to nine billion by 2014, what will happen to the price of resources then?
It is very clear that, spurred on by events like the Copenhagen Summit, there is a huge groundswell of opinion which is beginning to realise that we can’t continue living as we are. In terms of economics, on-going basic depletion of the world’s resources means that we are not at “the end of oil”, but we are at “the end of cheap oil”. And given the use of petro-chemicals in fertiliser, we are at the end of “cheap food”.
In fact, with the mass use of fertiliser, we are in effect “eating” fossil fuels. The same applies to water and the rest of the world’s resources.
Taken together, it is not pushing it to suggest that we might be at an abolitionist tipping point where all the old rules are torn up in an effort to prevent more damage to the planet and the ecosystem.
This presents a great opportunity because there will be huge increases in investment in green technology in the years ahead and Ireland should try to position itself to garner some of this new business.
As far back as April 2008, this column was arguing that we should prepare ourselves for this tectonic shift in the way the world economy powers itself. Since then, the smart economy fanfare of last Christmas Eve seems to have evaporated. So yes, yet again in Ireland we are late to see the opportunities, but hopefully — given the huge changes that are afoot — someone will wake up and it will be better late than never.
Inert Article – David you must have been holding on to a cold stone when you were writing this.It is not in tune with the happenings of now at home it is too removed .There is Blue murder around us or it appears to be and a ‘Budget de Guerre ‘ appearing .First things first.
David.
Excellent article.
I agree entirely with all points.
Sustainability is the future.
Make. Less. Babies.
Like Bill Hicks said: “Can you calm down on your rutting just for a couple of seconds until we can figure out this food, air deal?”
subscribe.
Came across this recently:
http://www.spiritofireland.org/solution.php
Maybe we should be using some of the funds currently going to NAMA to at least run a pilot scheme and test viability.
David,
Anti-slavery was a progressive campaign which was a product of the humanist Enlightenment values of liberty, equality and fraternity. Today’s ecomiserabilism is borne out of a profound regression (in Western society) from the belief in the potential of human potential to improve life.
Sustainability and sustainable technology are simply apologies for the lack of technological and commercial dynamism. Societies that hope to grow economically solely through cleantech will discover that long-term economic growth demands a business environment that is neither risk-averse nor sustainable.
WOW – 6bn to 9bn growth by 2014 .Geeze thats just around the corner .Maybe property is not so bad after all !
Now that David has informed us that we are eating fossil food when will we be getting ‘foot & mouth disease?’ Its the same fundamental diet as the cows.
I would welcome your advice.
Married
3 Small children ( 1 with CF )
Still have a job ( at the moment )
In the process of selling our house
( hopefully )
Thinking of emigrating (maybe France )
Would you Yes Or NO
Really don’t want to go but i don’t want my children paying for the casino culture that brought us into the gutter.
All comment’s welcome.
Now, analyse the benefit and dependence of our consumer lifestyle upon the labour of the workers in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam apart from the exploitation of natural resources from South America and Africa at no benefit to the population. Apart from the direct correlation between hydro-carbon energy production of goods, distribution of goods, and consumption of goods , the operation of post-industrial society relies upon control of capital and intellectual property, patents, brands, trademarks, licences, royalties, etc. to extract payment from the production and distribution system without responsibility for the people or the environment, who are left to the… Read more »
Ian – I am a Francophone so I always say its a great place and easy going .My bolt hole there is Nice and thats where I am now until 22nd .Its hilarious watching the bankstas down here hiding with their politico friends .Everything here is fully regulated 500% and the State spends its money very well on fantastic infrastructures.
The collapse of the current global system in human catastrophe beyond any conception of scale in the film 2012 is the only event capable of dislodging the current arrangements in favour of global corporate control and private equity domination of liquidity beyond the reach of any government of G20.
All Careys came from Tipperary .I wonder how they keep population control under wraps .Oh yes….emigration.
The desert fathers of early Christianity fled the collapse of the Roman empire, into the deserts of Egypt. Fuge, tace, quiesce, were the three words to guide them. Escape or flee, don’t be babbling or be silent, and learn to find tranquillity, calmness and discernment in your spirit. We are exactly at the opposite point by becoming global, twittering uselessly, and being completely bamboozed with images and information to the point of idiocy and despair. The entire culture is now oriented in the direction of chaos and disintegration. Wise persons are advised to escape from any dependency upon the present… Read more »
Revolving Twist :
I think the Earth once upon a time started to change directions and is now revolving in the opposite to what it did and likewise the population movement .Presently everyone is moving from East to West and intelligence is moving the opposite direction as in internet, mobile phones etc .This will not change in the foreseeable future.
In a different world people did move from West to East as in the Mayans to Ireland….or westland as it became known afterwards .Maybe it was Eastland then!
FF gov pleasing it’s new NWO masters with introduction of the scamarama known as carbon tax.
David,
You must have been reading Jesse Ausebel’s Paper on Five Worthy Ways To Spend Money.
http://phe.rockefeller.edu/five_worthy_ways/
While this paper is written with the USA in mind, we could adapt it to Irish circumstances, and maybe prosper from it.
We need to get a sense of perspective on the global pollution problem. Most opinion formers live in densely crowded cities; flying from one capital to another they easily forget about the vast spaces in between. It’s worth remembering that if everyone on Earth came to live in Ireland, each person would occupy a space 12 feet square on this island. Certainly it would be a bit crowded, but Bord Failte would doubtless be happy to find each of them a bed. Pollution might be a problem, but we could adopt Glasgow’s solution with its sh1t ship coming down the… Read more »
All hail the United irishmen and their noble objectives.
But Jesus David, this sounds fierce like Ryanair ????
“The print showed hundreds of humans cramped and shackled together with barely enough room to move. Carey wrote: “Here it is presented to our view one of the most horrid spectacles – human creatures packed side by side almost like herrings in a barrel and reduced nearly to a state of being buried alive, with just air enough to preserve a degree of life sufficient to make them sensible of all the horrors of their situation.””
“In terms of economics, on-going basic depletion of the world’s resources means that we are not at “the end of oil”, but we are at “the end of cheap oil”
Why not re-appropriate our oil resources? And take the diplomatic war from the US and Britain. Why not? If we are on the precipice, cornered, then let’s pull out the big guns and go out fighting. Jesus, this is OUR country. Stop tipping caps to foreign corporates and grow some balls.
“As far back as April 2008, this column was arguing that we should prepare ourselves for this tectonic shift in the way the world economy powers itself. Since then, the smart economy fanfare of last Christmas Eve seems to have evaporated. So yes, yet again in Ireland we are late to see the opportunities, but hopefully – given the huge changes that are afoot – someone will wake up and it will be better late than never. ” Hear hear David, but is there anything of substance coming from the Farmleigh encounter? is there a commercial visionary push to stand… Read more »
“Planet’s polloters are moral equivalent of slave traders”. I disagree. Pollution might be wrong. But it is not the simple topic being depicted. British Nuclear Fuels is polluting the Irish Sea, Britain, the North Sea, and Scandinavia. But who exactly are the exploited – most of the pollution is happening in Britain. Yes wasteful usage of the earths resources is happening. And future generations are being robbed. Second the main driving force of the Abolitionist movement was religious sentiment. In the British Empire this was Wilberforce. In the US this existed in the Aboltionist movement who helped slaves escape up… Read more »
You are right, David, it is the vested interests, and not public opinion or any rational economic argument, that are holding back the changes towards sustainability. Last week the IFA president Joe Walshe and MEP Maireád McGuinness completely rejected Paul McCartney’s modest suggestion (too modest in my opinion) that people should reduce carbon emissions by going without meat for just one day a week. Meat production has other harmful effects as well by using land and water to grow crops to feed cattle instead of people. I’m afraid that the Copenhagen conference will turn out to be a non-event because… Read more »
Concerning the PIGS and the ECB and the Euro interest rate, this is the next shoe to drop. Actually this is a heavy boot, that hits the floor with a thud.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/spain-stocks-fall-as-sp-cuts-outlook-to-negative-2009-12-09
As long as we are borrowing we liable to suffer fallout from this sort of event. As the ratings agencies are spotting the obvious.
Sorry, but the renewables aren’t going to be enough. I’m afraid anyone who thinks otherwise has simply not done their sums. Nuclear power is absolutely necessary; inevitable. Our political leaders (perhaps I should say political followers, as they do not shape public opinion but rather are slaves to it) will never contemplate this until it becomes totally–and painfully–undeniable. They will then bleat that things have changed (or perhaps that nobody could have predicted this) but it will all come at least 10 years too late to avoid major economic disaster.
Everybody clean up their own back yard first before going around sticking their oar in.
Folks, the fact that the entire Labour Party abstained from the vote on the “Carbon Tax” motion in Dail Eireann speaks volumes. The memebrs of An Dail are elected to represent the people through the voting process – not abstension. I am all-for “green technologies”, but the GP using budget-time in the Dail tonight to continue arguing with FG over the counting of every frog in Ireland is beyond ridiculous. Placing an extra tax on the transport industry, the supply-chain of trucks and vans using diesel, is ridiculous. I installed a solar-hot-water-system last February, but there is some kind of… Read more »
“Resistance is futile!” RT @eimearmccormack: RT @Littlesapling:Warning! Warning! #primetime #budget10 http://twitpic.com/sug64 (via @mcj66)
“THe Budget is a declaration of war on the poor”…
Quote from vincent browne show.
I agree.
Hi David, Thanks for an uplifting article on a very bleak bludgeon of a budget day. It’s certainly time to break for an interval wherein Adam Smith 2.0 syncs with Web 3.0! http://blog.irvingwb.com/blog/2008/04/adam-smith-20-t.html We are all part of this ‘mass summoning/mass consciousness event’ which is ‘the apocalypse in slow motion’: Spinning faster in a variety of personal, societal and environmental gyres. We have been enslaved by our ‘thought-forms’; the basis of our current realities and the basis of any possible future reconfigurations of said realities. Whether it’s Pollyanna techno-corporocratic B.A.U Cornucopian / Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian / Islamic Fundamentalist or…..something else: The… Read more »
Finally! I am allowed to “log-in” (is anyone else having that problem? I have been “locked-out all night!) Ian and DavidH, I strongly urge you to wait; read for a while, before you attack the likes of Deco and wills. These are very helpful, educative and productive posters, here – but, judge for yourself (wait a while, first, though). As people begin to understand the real ramifications of today’s Budget, more comments will appear here. wills, feel free to use my coinage anywhere you can: we must spread the word on the “Inverted Robin-Hoodism” any chance that we get! RuairÃ,… Read more »
Deco, you do not need a defender.
They will see…..
Just keep doing what you do, please?
David, Plenty of people are already awake to the possibilities. Ireland has some advantages that really place it head and shoulders above other developed nations in adapting to the absolute certainty of increased energy costs, and supply insecurity. The most important of these are a low population density, and plenty of land to spare. We also have significant wind resources that happen to be accessible from agricultural marginal land in the west. Spirit of Ireland has been mentioned several times, and while this won’t entirely solve our problems, it provides flexibility and is really a no brainer economically. Hell, we… Read more »
Andrew – welcome back stay around over the season to enrich the contributions here . There is more than music that connects the Atlantic corridor from West Africa to Ireland and that is the ‘ Curragh’ boat .The reason is that the original name is African and it means ‘ splash boat’.This is understood by the front uplift design to ride the waves .The mother boat of this is known as the ‘Gal’ .This is a far bigger version and holds many people and its name comes from the Walof language in West Africa.It is on the Gal that many… Read more »
I don’t think that Jackie Healy Rae is a full gombeen, but just uses that veneer of gombeenism to get re-elected here by the plain people of South Kerry. Now I know some of ye are shocked by Jackie’s stroke of the new 42 bed OSSSpidal for KINMARE, but you see that comes with the territory down here, with “the Bull” and all-Ireland football medals. Jackie gave the game away on himself here a few weeks ago when I overheard him singing in the Snug of the Pub. After some exhaustive research on the net (ye can thank me later)… Read more »
Tull-
What vuneer my bouy tully shur we all dont know who we are never mind where we are so how do we know what direction we are going at least if i can show the plain people in south keerie their new Ospital they will believe anything i will say….. now move on tull and pick a nice girl for yourself.
inacarcerated in keerie
Folks, new post-budget article here:
http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2009/12/10/minister-and-his-mandarins-forecast-neither-boom-nor-bust-so-why-trust-them-now#comment-68265
found some of comments on this article intesting..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234598/British-taxpayers-pay-1-billion-year-help-poor-countries-fight-global-warming-new-deal-backed-Brown.html
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_bird_flu.htm
[…] Planet’s polluters are moral equivalent of slave traders […]
To claim that some Irish guy kick started the move to abolish slavery is the same mistaken overstatement that doomed our economy. William Wilberforce played the major role in Britain, plus there were cynical British economic considerations, not the impact of an appeal to some higher power. The claim (I had to check if it was April 1st) denigrates the work of many thousands of people including the master African-American orator, Frederick Douglass (who incidentally spoke out for the cause of Irish liberty in Cork, Dublin and Belfast) and said the conditions of the Famine Irish were on a par… Read more »
I watched this iplayer programme – such a shame that people outside of UK can’t access iplayer. Perhaps one day they will have a subscription service. Irish peoples license money is so wasted on RTE and it’s fat cats It’s about human population growth. Sir David Attenborough, anyway, basically the human population has gone into exponential growth since the 19 century. Prior to that 2 adults would on average only be survived by 2 of their children, but that’s all changed. In 50 years, the population of the earth has doubled. It’s set to double again in next 30. We… Read more »
Hi again David, Yes, I agree that with the end of cheap/easy oil, energy supply chains may change and Ireland certainly can try and participate in that. However, we dont have any extra smarts or key attributes which make us any more likely to be a key player than any other country. We could have been a player in Oil as it burgeoned just as much. Indeed we have some gas but we are no gas experts. We have wind but Vestas is a Danish company. etc, etc. There are opportunities all the time but we are small and there… Read more »
oh look, who is out to make money out of global warming
http://www.theclimategroup.org/
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20091213/tsc-uk-climate-copenhagen-blair-011ccfa.html
they guy who today admitted what we all knew anyway, that he would go to war with iraq wmd or no wmd
I can’t take anything Cowen says seriously..
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/brian-cowen-climate-change-threatens-every-nations-economy-1978654.html
Looks like he is more worried about the Maldives than his own flooded back yard
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1236497/STEPHEN-GLOVER-50-days-save-world-I-listen-doomsayers-werent-ludicrous-hypocrites.html