"Odd isn't it that during this same period people were flocking to America from all over Europe for exactly the same reasons that the Irish were emigrating – no accusations of genocide there though, strange really as in most of those countries their Governments did not lift a finger to help those fleeing."

A spurious argument at best... since the topic was the Irish Potato Blight which was co-opted into the Irish Famine... which involved a far greater proportion of the overall population than on the continent.

Now why don't we get down to the real case here and cut the BS...

my case has been that on one in the early part of the 1800's had the knowledge to properly deal with the blight... we have enough problems even today dealing with plant pathogens. So the crop failures were inevitable. I also indicated that some of the well meant relief efforts failed because of ignorance.

BUT... I see no reason to make excuses for some of the actions taken by those in power at the time that reflect a combination of callus indifference to the suffering of others coupled with a prevailing prejudice against the Irish in general and Catholics in particular.

Anymore than I make excuses for the