大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mun fhear-phoilitigs ainmeil Sir Iain MacCoinnich. Rugadh is thogadh e ann an taobh sear Rois ach ghluais e gu ruige New Zealand, no Sealan Nuadh, cuide ri bhean ann an ochd ceud deug is seasgad. Chaidh iad gu t矛r ann am Port Chalmers, faisg air D霉n 脠ideann anns an Eilean mu Dheas. Bha t貌rr dhaoine 脿 Alba a鈥� fuireach anns an sg矛re sin.

Leis gun do thogadh Iain mar ghille tuathanaich air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd, bha e comasach air c矛obaireachd is obair fearainn. Fhuair e obair sa bhad mar ch矛obair gu tuath air D霉n 脠ideann. Dh鈥檕braich e gu cruaidh. Bhiodh a bhean ag r脿dh gur gann gum fac鈥� i e nuair a bha solas an latha ann. Ach, taobh a-staigh d脿 bhliadhna, bha airgead gu le貌r aca airson tuathanas a cheannach. Thug Iain 鈥淎rdross鈥� mar ainm air an tuathanas 鈥� 脿s d猫idh an 脿ite anns an do thogadh e ann an Alba.

Chaidh Iain an s脿s ann am poilitigs aig 矛re ionadail agus ann an ochd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1881) chaidh a thaghadh mar bhall p脿rlamaid. Bha e gu bhith air falbh t貌rr dhen 霉ine ann am Wellington, pr矛omh bhaile na d霉thcha.

Bha e na bhall de na Libearalaich a bha l脿idir anns an Eilean mu Dheas, gu h-脿raidh ann an sg矛rean d霉thchail. Chuir e roimhe a bhith a鈥� d矛on nan tuathanach beaga, agus a bhith ag adhartachadh c貌raichean nan daoine beaga fearann a bhith aca. Chunnaic e an sgrios a rinn uachdranachd fearainn ann an Alba. Nuair a bha e c貌ig bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois, chunnaic e muinntir Ghleann Chailbhidh 脿s d猫idh gun deach am fuadachadh bhon dachannan.

Cha robh e idir airson 鈥檚 gun tachradh an aon rud ann an Sealan Nuadh. Agus fhuair e an cothrom a phoileasaidhean a chur an s脿s aig 矛re n脿iseanta. Bha e na Mhinistear airson an Fhearainn agus an 脌iteachais anns an Riaghaltas Libearalach eadar ochd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1891) agus a鈥� bhliadhna naoi ceud deug (1900).

Rinn e ceithir rudan a dh鈥檃tharraich sealbh an fhearainn ann an Sealan Nuadh. Thug e a-steach c矛s fearainn. St猫idhich e cothrom do dhaoine fearann a bhith aca air mh脿l gu s矛orraidh 鈥� rud ris an canar an 鈥�999-year lease鈥� ann am Beurla. Cheannaich an Riaghaltas oighreachd mh貌r, agus bhris iad an oighreachd airson tuathanasan beaga a chruthachadh. Agus st猫idhich e ann an lagh cead a bhith aig an riaghaltas fearann a cheannach an aghaidh toil an duine leis an robh e. Agus c貌rr is ceud bliadhna mus deach c貌raichean muinntir na h-Alba coiseachd far an togradh iad air beanntan na d霉thcha seo a st猫idheachadh ann an lagh, bha Iain MacCoinnich airson 鈥檚 gum biodh c貌raichean mar sin aig muinntir Shealain Nuaidh.

Mus robh MacCoinnich na Mhinistear airson an Fhearainn, bha uachdranachd fearainn a鈥� f脿s. Bha Sealan Nuadh a鈥� gluasad a dh鈥檌onnsaigh modal rudeigin Albannach, anns am biodh m貌ran fearainn ann an l脿mhan beag-chuid de dhaoine beartach. Bha cuid de dh鈥檕ighreachdan fearainn, gu h-脿raidh anns an Eilean mu Dheas, a鈥� f脿s m貌r m貌r. Ach, anns an deichead san robh MacCoinnich na Mhinistear, chaidh 1.3 millean acaire fhosgladh airson tuathanasan beaga a chruthachadh. Fhuair seachd m矛le teaghlach buannachd dh矛reach 脿s.

Ach bha aon bhuidheann nach robh toilichte oir bha fearann m貌r aca 鈥� gu h-脿raidh anns an Eilean mu Thuath. Na Maori. Ch矛 sinn mar a thug poileasaidhean MhicCoinnich buaidh orrasan anns an ath Litir.

Faclan na Litreach: fear-poilitigs: politician; Sir Iain MacCoinnich: Sir John McKenzie; Sealan Nuadh: New Zealand; D霉n 脠ideann: Dunedin; Eilean mu Dheas: South Island, Gleann Cailbhidh: Glencalvie; c矛s: tax; Eilean mu Thuath: North Island.

Abairtean na Litreach: cuide ri bhean: with his wife; comasach air c矛obaireachd is obair fearainn: capable of shepherding and agricultural work; 脿s d猫idh an 脿ite anns an do thogadh e: after the place in which he was raised; chaidh a thaghadh mar bhall p脿rlamaid: he was elected as a member of parliament; a鈥� d矛on nan tuathanach beaga: defending the small farmers; ag adhartachadh c貌raichean nan daoine beaga fearann a bhith aca: promoting the rights of small [ordinary] people to own land; an sgrios a rinn uachdranachd fearainn: the damage landlordism did; gun deach am fuadachadh bhon dachannan: they were evicted from their homes; a phoileasaidhean a chur an s脿s: to implement his policies; Ministear airson an Fhearainn agus an 脌iteachais: Minister for Lands and Agriculture; fearann a bhith aca air mh脿l gu s矛orraidh: to rent land forever; an aghaidh toil an duine leis an robh e: compulsorily, against the wishes of the person who owned it; coiseachd far an togradh iad: to walk where they wished; ann an l脿mhan beag-chuid de dhaoine beartach: in the hands of a minority of rich people; chaidh 1.3 millean acaire fhosgladh airson tuathanasan beaga a chruthachadh: 1.3 million acres were opened in order to create small farms; fhuair seachd m矛le teaghlach buannachd dh矛reach 脿s: seven thousand families derived a direct benefit from it; ch矛 sinn mar a thug poileasaidhean MhicCoinnich buaidh orrasan: we鈥檒l see how McKenzie鈥檚 policies affected them.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Cha robh e idir airson 鈥檚 gun tachradh an aon rud ann an Sealan Nuadh: he didn鈥檛 at all want the same thing to happen in New Zealand. This is an extension of the idiomatic use of airson meaning 鈥渨anting鈥� as in 鈥渁 bheil thu airson a dhol ann?鈥� (do you want to go?) or 鈥渁 bheil thu airson pinnt?鈥� (do you want a pint?). Here鈥檚 a couple more examples of the form in the Litir in which airson is followed by agus (abbreviated to 鈥檚) and a relative verbal form: tha mi airson 鈥檚 gum fan i tostach (I want her to remain silent); a bheil thu airson 鈥檚 gun tig an c霉? (do you want the dog to come?)

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: Bhiodh a bhean ag r脿dh gur gann gum faca i e nuair a bha solas an latha ann: his wife would say that she hardly saw him during daylight hours [when there was daylight].