Word: valera
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...neutral citizen of neutral Eire. He has one grief: his unneutral son, John Francis. Early in the war John turned up in Germany, broadcast Nazi propaganda, was dubbed the Irish Haw-Haw. Last December John came back to Eire by Nazi parachute, was seized by the De Valera Government, clapped in a Dublin prison. A fortnight ago John escaped, hopped a train from the capital, grubbed sympathy and sandwiches from fellow passengers, got off at Limerick, beat his way through forest & field to his father's home...
When the counting ended, the Taoiseach (Gaelic for Prime Minister; pronounced tee shock) and his Fianna Fail had a clear margin of 14 seats in the Dail instead of a deficit of four. Even if all other parties voted solidly against him, De Valera could win on any foreseeable issue. Now he had what he had demanded: power to match his responsibility...
...Eamon de Valera, Eire's election was a personal triumph and a bright green light. Tired of trying to rule with a minority in the Dail (House of Commons), he had astutely seized the opportunity offered three weeks ago by an otherwise unimportant defeat (TiME, May 22), asked the people for a solid majority. Last week he got what he wanted...
...this popular interest, and for his majority, De Valera had the U.S. Government to thank. Its recent pressure, reluctantly seconded by Britain, against Eire's neutrality had simply made Eire's Irishmen more devoted to their own belligerent neutrality than ever. Eamon de Valera symbolized neutrality and Eire's independence, hauled in the votes when the test came...
...once, Eire's old master had taken a leaf from the book of his old foe, Winston Churchill. Last month Churchill bludgeoned a vote of confidence from Britain's House of Commons. Last week De Valera, riding a wave of Irish resentment against U.S. and British demands that Dublin get tougher with Germany, was playing a similar, all-or-nothing game...