What do you think about the police?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

But the rule of law WAS in place. There were laws limiting how much land Irish farmers could tenant, which crops they could grow, and what happened to that product. How is that not the rule of law?

Boru

Because it was almost a textbook example of institutional racism. There was no equality before the law. Laws that applied to Catholics did not apply to Brits.

Try really, REALLY hard to understand this: if institutional racism is based on the laws of a state and those laws are enforced, that’s the rule of law (henceforth ‘ROL’). ROL means only that laws are applied equally, regardless of social status, it does not guarantee that there will be no discriminatory laws.

If a law is passed in a country (let’s say Croatia) requiring that all left-handed albinos are to have their thumbs cut off, ROL is in place as long as that law is applied to all left-handed albinos. If the President and Prime Minister of Croatia are left-handed albinos but are exempted from having their thumbs cut off, ROL hasn’t happened.

As you said earlier (but appear to have forgotten), ROL means only that no one is above the laws. It does NOT ensure that the laws themselves will be fair or just.

Boru