h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oliver Cromwell was an Evil Military Dictator who after organising the regicide of Charles I went on to run the country as a military dictatorship, dissolving parliament and using the Army to control the nation and installing a system of regional Military Governors to govern at county level.

... or am I just talking horse

In my opinion (it's very limited), Cromwell was a man who overthrew the king for the sake of the "democratic" parliament, and then gave himself powers ever greater than those of the king.

But then again, I'm Irish and so am probably biased.

Ah, the Wars he took us into without parliamentary approval, fighting the Spanish in France (Battle of the Dunes, Dunkirk etc.) , the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the taking of Jamaica (part of the Western Design), and the brutal butchery that was his trademark in Ireland (NB: Cromwell's persecution of Catholics in Ireland fitted with his actions at home, with things such as the brutal mutilation of the Quaker James Nayler giving the Irish ample forewarning of what to expect).

As for "powers ever greater than those of the king", the Instrument of Government which gave Cromwell his powers certainly did that at least in the opinion of Colonels Alured, Okey and Saunders who petitioned against the implementation of the Instrument. With the establishment of Triers to appoint all new clergy and Ejectors to expel inadequate ministers and schoolmasters, combined with the dissolving of the Protectorate Parliament and the Rule of the Major-Generals (in which the country was divided into 12 districts under military jurisdiction) Cromwell was (IMHO) certainly more powerful than any King since the introduction of the Magna Carte

and I thought it made sense

After going over it for the last 18 minutes, I think I finaly understand it.

ok, quick summary:
IMHO, Cromwell was an Evil Military Dictator

Agreed.

That said without Cromwell we probably would not have the Bill of Rights Act, 1689 (A727265) or The Act of Settlement 1701 (A695441) which are (IMHO) the cornerstones of the constitutional monarchy we live under today in the UK.

And there'd be more Irish people about today.

True. Cromwell came into Ireland, kicked every Catholic off their land, and forced them all into Connacht, which at the time was one of the biggest shitholes in all of Europe (mostly bogs, and a hell of a lot of overcrowding), hence the expression 'To Hell or to Connacht'. He then moved in English and Scottish gentlemen to take over, and forced the Irish to work as slaves on the land that had once been theirs. Any Irishman who figured that this wasn't so great was hung, drawn, and quartered. I'll be sure to dig up some more fun facts about Cromwell for tomorrow.

What do you mean Connacht was a s**t hole? It still is.

Good point. However, it has become a lot better since Cromwell's days.

Yeah, they now have that big pool in Galway.

That big, overpriced pool you mean. Still, it's better than the one in Tuam. And perhaps if Cromwell had never come to Ireland, there'd actually be a point to learning Irish.

Ah, one of the founders of the British Empire then? Perhaps this was worse than those who governed/colonized America or India or Australia or Africa. I guess thanks to the Irish literary tradition (as opposed to illiterate natives in many of the other areas) we can remember Cromwell's activities there from both pro and con perspectives.

There is a point to learing Irish. It keeps children off the streets during the day.

Cromwell wasn't fighting for a democratic parliament
for him the primary concern was religion
by the standards of the time he was tolerant
compare his actions to what went on in the religious wars in Germany that century

If we were to compare our morality with the morality of the Germans then we'd all be saints!

( to any Germans out there. I'm not a racist, I just tend to tell racist jokes a lot. )