Viewpoint: Thump the bully, and put up with the pain

"The children are OK. The younger boy knows it's a war. But he thinks it's like a computer game."

The written word is still the most powerful medium, and that paragraph in Tony Connelly's report on the RTE website this morning graphically sums up a very human part of the tragic situation in Kyiv, writes Brian Byrne.

As we watch our own computer and TV screens with increasing and numbing horror, there's not a lot we can do directly as individuals. The bully is rampant in his playground, in typical bully fashion from a safe distance using his gang members to intimidate, injure, maim and kill. All we can do is make our voices heard in whatever way we can. And in those voices urge our support for the maximum sanctions against Russia until they deal with the bully in their midst themselves. All bullies need to get a bloody nose before they turn and run. Thumping a bully on his nose inflicts pain, but it also pains the thumper. If we stand up to this global bully we will all feel pain ourselves. We need to be prepared to take it for the greater good.

In 2020 Ireland exported $508 million worth of goods to Russia, including cosmetics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, machinery and electronics. We imported €333 million, including oil, fertilisers, and animal fodder. Our balance of trade is positive, but in the scheme of things relatively small. We should be prepared to forgo that business and immediately cease all trade with Russia. We should also, without qualification or waffling constraints on number allocations, open our country to people fleeing Ukraine. Now. Tell your TD.

At a local level, taking Russian beer off their shelves in Nugents Carry Out is a tiny gesture. But as Roy Thompson noted, "simple acts of solidarity can speak volumes, collectively". We need to look at whatever other simple acts of solidarity we can make. A donation to the Red Cross for refugee relief might be a good start.

The Russian Embassy's phone number in Dublin is (01) 4922048. It is interesting that at the moment they hang up as soon as any call goes through. I guess they don't like the message they've been getting. The ambassador, who speaks in the same deliberately misleading language as his boss back home, needs to go home. Now.

Meantime, read Tony Connelly. Now. Unlike the rest of us here, he hasn't been just watching this war on a screen. 

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