1169 And Counting.....

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Last Letter of Seán MacDiarmada , 11th May 1916 .

We have recently received what is to us a virtual treasure-chest of old Irish Republican literature and other similar material , which we will publish on this blog beginning , properly , on Friday 27 April 2007 : the following post contains the words of the last letter written by one of the 1916 leaders , Seán MacDiarmada :

" Kilmainham Prison
Dublin
May 11th 1916 .

My Dear Daly ,

Just a wee note to bid you Goodbye. I expect in a few hours to join Tom and the other heroes in a better world . I have been sentenced to a soldiers death - to be shot tomorrow morning .
I have nothing to say about this only that I look on it as a part of the day's work . We die that the Irish nation may live . Our blood will rebaptise and reinvigorate the old land . Knowing this it is superfluous to say how happy I feel .
I know now what I have always felt , that the Irish nation can never die . Let present day place hunters condemn our action as they will , posterity will judge us aright from the effects of our action .
I know I will meet you soon , until then GoodBye . God guard and protect you and all in No. 15 . You have had a done trial , but I know quite well that Mrs. Daly and all the girls feel proud in spite of a little temporary and natural grief , that her son and the girls , their brothers as well as Tom are included in the list of honours .
Kindly remember me especially to Mrs. Clarke and tell her I am the same Seán that she always knew .

God Bless you all
As ever
Sincerely Yours

Seán MacDiarmada. "

Most of the rest of the material we received is from the late 1950's and will be published here shortly.

Friday, April 20, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

In acknowledging these issues as they exist , we are faced with no different a situation than that which faces socialist movements in countries as socially and politically developed as France , Spain or Italy : scattered pickets on laudable issues , or minority industrial action , cannot compensate for the realities of the general political situation .

Politics in the Free State , as in most bourgeois democracies , take place only at election times - at least insofar as political action visibly affects the mass of the people . There is no social revolutionary potential in the State at present so it must therefore be in the superfically reformist area of 'advice clinics' and elections that we will build our base , and in principled and patient work in other organisations , notably the trade union movement .

We cannot get around this gradualist process under the conditions that exist . As Che Guevara said - " Where a government has come into power through some form of popular vote , fraudulent or not , and maintains at least an appearance of constitutional legality , the guerrilla outbreak cannot be prompted , since the possibilities of peaceful struggle have not yet been exhausted . " ('1169...' Comment : some have obviously taken that to mean that they should join with those 'fraudsters' ....)
(MORE LATER).

TROUBLESOME BUSINESS .......
The book - 'Troublesome Business-The Labour Party and the Irish Question', by GEOFFREY BELL , was published by Pluto Press in 1982.
Reviewed here by Ciaran Dowd.
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982 .

The 'troublesome Irish' comments expressed by J.R.Clynes was typical of the core of British Labour's attitude towards Ireland - a 'troublesome subject' that they would much rather see go away peacefully . If one could sum up all subsequent policy on Ireland it would be the search for the 'middle ground' .

Concerning this , Geoff Bell notes correctly however that "...there is little evidence that there is a navigable middle way in Ireland , or that there ever has been.. " ('1169...' Comment : those who - before the rich pickings of political corruption set in - would have once agreed with that sentiment are now the loudest in condemning same!)

The only consistently democratic attitude would have been support for the Irish right to self-determination and the forces struggling for full independence without partition. In the years since the partitioning of Ireland in the 1920's, British 'labourism' has blown hot and cold over 'the Irish Question'.......
(MORE LATER).

GLOSSARY OF THE LEFT IN IRELAND : FROM 1960 TO 1983.......
These notes attempt to record the left-wing organisations which have existed in Ireland since 1960 . No attempt has been made to record purely local organisations outside Dublin and Belfast , or microscopic groups which never reached double figures . The larger organisations have been presented in more detail .
From 'GRALTON' magazine, 1983.
By John Goodwillie.
(NOTE : Links in the following article are as accurate as possible - not all the groups mentioned left a discernible 'footprint' .)

SINN FEIN THE WORKERS PARTY: Changed its name from 'Sinn Fein' in 1977 . Known in the North of Ireland as 'Republican Clubs - the Workers Party'. While their support in the North was much reduced from that at the time of the split with the Provisionals, support in the South was steadily building itself along fairly conventional lines , culminating with the election of one party member to Leinster House in 1981 and three party members in February 1982. This group changed its name to the Workers' Party in 1982 .

SOCIALIST LABOUR ACTION GROUP: Formed in 1970 to resist the rightward trend in The Labour Party, this group included members of 'The Young Socialists' organisation . This 'Action Group' was replaced by 'The Socialist Labour Alliance' in 1970 .

THE SOCIALIST LABOUR ALLIANCE: Formed in 1971 (after being in 'preparatory form' since 1970) following the coalition decision of the Labour Party conference . Most of The Socialist Labour Action Group joined , the 'People's Democracy' group affiliated to them as did Saor Eire, nominally . By early 1972 it consisted of the People's Democracy' group, the League For A Workers' Republic (with the remnant's of the 'Young Socialists') , and the newly formed Socialist Workers' Movement and Revolutionary Marxist Group. It ceased to function when the Socialist Workers' Movement disaffiliated on the ground that the organisation had become a mere 'debating society' .
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, April 19, 2007

HUNGER-STRIKE COMMEMORATION RALLY , DUBLIN , 2007 .

HUNGER STRIKE MEMORIAL RALLY , DUBLIN , SATURDAY MAY 5th , 2007 .

Between the years 1917 and 1981 , 22 Irish men died on hunger strike in their fight for Irish Freedom . That same fight continues today , as six Irish counties remain under the jurisdictional control of Westminster , which enforces that control with military occupation . The annual Hunger-Strike Commemoration -organised by the Republican Movement - will be held this year on Saturday , 5 May , when a picket and rally will be held on the traffic isle facing the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street , beginning at 1(one) P.M.
ALL WELCOME!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

Total grants , subsidies and loans from the EEC during the period of membership up to 1981 (ie 1972-1981) amount to a total of £3,777.7 million , while the total Free State contribution to the EEC in the same period amounts to £360.5 million .

Most people in the South believe that the 'recession' is due solely to world market forces , and that it will improve . And so despite the actual effects of the EEC on jobs and on small farmers there is no concrete mood for EEC withdrawal : an anti-EEC campaign based solely on economic opposition would not command support across a sufficiently wide spectrum of people .

Sinn Fein may well grasp the political realities that underlie the EEC , but the fact is that , as yet , the mass of people does not . The consideration of these complex issues in the confined space of this article has arguably been rather trite , but its basic assertion is that in the identified areas of economic and social issues Sinn Fein will not in the near future begin to build anything approaching an 'Economic Resistance Movement' in the South of Ireland.......
(MORE LATER).

TROUBLESOME BUSINESS .......
The book - 'Troublesome Business-The Labour Party and the Irish Question', by GEOFFREY BELL , was published by Pluto Press in 1982.
Reviewed here by Ciaran Dowd.
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982 .

The British Labour Party's manifestos in the two general elections of 1910 made no commitment to , or even mention of , Irish Home Rule : in 1916 , the British labour movement's newspaper , the 'Daily Herald', made this comment on the Easter Rising: " No lover of peace can do anything but deplore the outbreak in Dublin ." It is strange how pacifism always breaks out when the oppressed fight back !

When the inter-imperialist wars break out , labour leaders glorify the call to arms in the name of 'national sacrifice' . James Connolly was quite right when he told his comrades in 1916 that British socialists would simply not understand why he joined the Rising .

After Sinn Fein swept the board in the 1918 elections, British labour leader J.R. Clynes could only deplore that the Irish movement "...which treats this country and this House (ie Westminster) with contempt , and refused to come under it , * received the support of the great majority of the Irish people.." (* '1169...' Comment : Mr Clynes would no doubt be pleased with the actions of Westminster's 'newest' subjects.......) It was , stated Mr Clynes , the 'lawlessness' of Sinn Fein which was "...being especially encouraged by the government's neglect of this troublesome subject.."
(MORE LATER).

GLOSSARY OF THE LEFT IN IRELAND : FROM 1960 TO 1983.......
These notes attempt to record the left-wing organisations which have existed in Ireland since 1960 . No attempt has been made to record purely local organisations outside Dublin and Belfast , or microscopic groups which never reached double figures . The larger organisations have been presented in more detail .
From 'GRALTON' magazine, 1983.
By John Goodwillie.
(NOTE : Links in the following article are as accurate as possible - not all the groups mentioned left a discernible 'footprint' .)

SINN FEIN: Formed in 1905 originally , after the 1930's it was no longer a mass movement but had renewed its ties with the IRA . It lost its four seats in Leinster House in 1961 and in 1962 the IRA called off the Border Campaign: Sinn Fein then began to consider a move to the left , and a re-orientation to radical activism took place with an ideology approaching that of the Communist Party. The failure to provide guns in the North of Ireland and the ending of the abstentionist policy with regard to seats won in Leinster House led to the split between the 'Officials' and the Provisionals- 1969 on the military side and 1970 on the political side .

The Officials , known in the North as the Republican Clubs, continued their movement , increasingly emphasising the winning of parliamentary seats, and changed their name to 'Sinn Fein The Workers Party' in 1977 .

The Provisionals' greater emphasis on military methods of struggle brought them more recruits , and their concentration in Nationalist working-class areas helped them to begin their own move to the left and their popular support led to the contesting of the 1982 Assembly elections when they won five seats.
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

2007 MEMORIAL RALLY FOR IRISH HUNGER-STRIKERS.

MEMORIAL RALLY FOR IRISH HUNGER-STRIKERS , Saturday 5th May 2007 .

On Saturday May 5th next , in Dublin ,the Republican Movement will hold a Memorial Rally for the 22 Irish men that died on hunger-strike between 1917 and 1981 :
Thomas Ashe, Kerry, 5 days, 25 September 1917 (force fed by tube , died as a result).
Terrence McSweeny, Cork, 74 days, 25 October 1920.
Michael Fitzgerald, Cork, 67 days, 17 October 1920.
Joseph Murphy, Cork, 76 days , 25 October 1920 .
Joe Witty, Wexford , 2 September 1923.
Dennis Barry, Cork, 34 days, 20 November 1923.
Andy O Sullivan , Cork, 40 days, 22 November 1923.
Tony Darcy, Galway, 52 days, 16 April 1940.
Jack 'Sean' McNeela, Mayo, 55 days, 19 April 1940.
Sean McCaughey, Tyrone ,22 days, 11 May 1946 (hunger and thirst Strike).
Michael Gaughan, Mayo , 64 days, 3 June 1974.
Frank Stagg, Mayo , 62 days, 12 February 1976.
Bobby Sands, Belfast , 66 days, 5 May 1981.
Frank Hughes , Bellaghy (Derry) , 59 days, 12 May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh , South Armagh , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Patsy O Hara , Derry , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Joe McDonnell , Belfast , 61 days, 8 July 1981.
Martin Hurson , Tyrone , 46 days, 13 July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven (Derry) ,71 days, 1 August 1981.
Kieran Doherty , Belfast , 73 days, 2 August 1981.
Tom McIlwee , Bellaghy (Derry) , 62 days, 8 August 1981.
Micky Devine , Derry , 60 days, 20 August 1981.
A picket and rally will be held on the traffic isle facing the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street , beginning at 1(one) P.M.
All Welcome.

Monday, April 16, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

THE EEC:

Sinn Fein is the predominant group among a small number of organisations in Ireland calling for withdrawal from the EEC : in 1972 , Sinn Fein correctly predicted that EEC membership would result in the destruction of native industries and warned that the parallel policy of welcoming multinationals would not provide a long-term alternative .

The 23,000 jobs lost by the collapse of industries such as textiles and leather-working were replaced in the short-term by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), and , as has been discussed earlier in this article , the massive increase in unemployment since 1972 has not yet led to a total collapse of the Free State economy , which of course no longer exists as an independent reality .

In agriculture it is the small farmers who have suffered from the EEC : another 5,000 farmers currently face ruin over the EEC milk super levy, but the medium and large farming sectors have benefitted substantially from the net balance between Free State contributions to the EEC and EEC subsidies to the Free State , at the expense of other social groups - when the following figures are examined , the 'profit' going to those 'in favour' and , indeed , the reason why they are 'in favour' , becomes clear.......
(MORE LATER).

TROUBLESOME BUSINESS .......
The book - 'Troublesome Business-The Labour Party and the Irish Question', by GEOFFREY BELL , was published by Pluto Press in 1982.
Reviewed here by Ciaran Dowd.
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982 .

Not everyone welcomed the involvement of the 'Social Democratic Federation' in the Irish land struggle issue , although some were : the great revolutionary and member of the Fenian Brotherhood, Michael Davitt, was so impressed by this show of solidarity that he declared -

" The rising democracy in England are not animated by feelings of hatred towards the people of Ireland . I believe , on the contrary , they are willing that Ireland should have these rights , political and social , that they themselves are demanding . " Unfortunately this was not to be . Charles Parnell, leader of the Irish Home Rule Party, although not in Davitt's radical mould , was ironically more realistic in his estimation of the English labour movement -

" We are told of some great wave of English democracy which is coming over here to poor Ireland to assist the Irish democracy . The poor Irish democracy will have , I fear , to rely upon themselves in the future as they have had up to the present . " In Britain subsequently , the democratic or socialist forces were to prove how 'vacillating' they were , collapsing often into naked imperialist chauvinism : the nascent British Labour Party (formed in 1906) began by simply ignoring Ireland - the first ten conferences were taken up by such 'vital' matters as cab trade legislation , vaccination and the laws governing motor traffic.......
(MORE LATER).

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Saturday, April 14, 2007

HUNGER STRIKE MEMORIAL RALLY , DUBLIN , SATURDAY MAY 5th , 2007 .
Between the years 1917 and 1981 , 22 Irish men died on hunger strike in their fight for Irish Freedom . That same fight continues today , as six Irish counties remain under the jurisdictional control of Westminster , which enforces that control with military occupation . The annual Hunger-Strike Commemoration -organised by the Republican Movement - will be held this year on Saturday , 5 May , when a picket and rally will be held on the traffic isle facing the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street , beginning at 1(one) P.M.
ALL WELCOME!

Friday, April 13, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

WOMEN'S RIGHTS :

The women's movement is not of course in any sense a mass movement , and where women have mobilised it has been in the area of civil liberties on issues which primarily affect them . But the Anti-Amendment Campaign, and campaigns for contraception and divorce , are democratic demands which cross class divides and are not in themselves revolutionary demands , except insofar as they challenge the 'confessional nature' of the 26 County State .

Although changes in family law and other areas are absolutely worth fighting for , can anyone seriously argue that they have any real revolutionary potential ? Class demands for women - equal employment opportunities for working-class women , equal pay and the release of working women from the family home - are of central importance for the building of a progressive women's movement , but the current potential of these demands - and for the foreseeable future - is as limited as is the current revolutionary potential of the working class as a whole.......
(MORE LATER).

TROUBLESOME BUSINESS .
The book - 'Troublesome Business-The Labour Party and the Irish Question', by GEOFFREY BELL , was published by Pluto Press in 1982.
Reviewed here by Ciaran Dowd.
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982 .

Geoff Bell , the author of this short book , and himself a member of the British Labour Party, concludes unequivocally that "...the attitude and relationships of the British Labour Party to Ireland have been neither honourable , international nor socialist . "

While this can scarcely be news to Irish republicans , the book does serve nonetheless the useful purpose of documenting the progress of this dishonourable , chauvinist relationship from the days of the Black and Tan war up to the 1981 hunger-strike. Although it is in fact heavy on recording events and somewhat lacking in analysis , Geoff Bell's book is extremely readable and useful as a reference for dates and quotes . Overall , as the first book of its kind , it is recommended reading .

During the 1880's one of the small left-wing predecessors of the Labour Party, the 'Social Democratic Federation', threw its weight behind the campaign of the Land League and pledged itself to "...end coercion in Ireland.." . This solidarity was met with a mixed reaction from groups already campaigning on that issue.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

In the public service sector , with almost 100 per cent trade union membership , the unions have shied away from large-scale industrial action despite Garret FitzGerald's threat of cuts of £500 million in the 1984 budget which will result in thousands of white-collar redundancies . Even the notably militant National Busworkers Union has developed a caution in taking industrial action which contrasts with its previous practice . The Civil and Public Services Staff Association was forced to suspend its strike action when other public service unions - including the progressively-led Local Government and Public Services Union - decided the climate was not right for major industrial action .

Even where relatively advanced leadership has been provided by the Dublin Congress of Trade Unions, the results have been transitory or disappointing ; for instance , the PAYE protest marches and the attempted unemployment campaign of 1981-1982 .

The hard fact is that the prevailing mood in the organised working class in the South is one of fear of unemployment rather than real anger at the underlying political system . Progressive political groups can point to a poverty of ideology as the root of this trade union quiescence , but it will only be when socialist ideology has been developed within the trade unions under a broad progressive leadership - not foisted patronisingly from outside - that there will be hope for improvement . Sloganising will achieve nothing , hard work by republicans within trade unions might do something.......
(MORE LATER).

GLOSSARY OF THE LEFT IN IRELAND : FROM 1960 TO 1983.......
These notes attempt to record the left-wing organisations which have existed in Ireland since 1960 . No attempt has been made to record purely local organisations outside Dublin and Belfast , or microscopic groups which never reached double figures . The larger organisations have been presented in more detail .
From 'GRALTON' magazine, 1983.
By John Goodwillie.
(NOTE : Links in the following article are as accurate as possible - not all the groups mentioned left a discernible 'footprint' .)

NEW EARTH: Formed in 1973 . An anarchist group composed mainly of ex-members of Official Sinn Fein. The 'New Earth' group ceased to function in 1975 .

NORTHERN IRELAND LABOUR PARTY: (sic) This organisation changed its name from the 'Labour Party of Northern Ireland' (sic) in 1927 . Since 1949 this group has been in favour of the 'union' with England . Despite the affiliation of many trade unions , it never achieved a breakthrough , and its showing at elections declined from 4 seats in 1958 and 1962 to 1 seat in 1973 and 1975 . Since then its decline has preceeded apace and its existence is virtually nominal .

PEOPLE'S DEMOCRACY: Formed in 1968 around the core of the Young Socialist Alliance, this group was a force to be reckoned with briefly as the left wing of the Civil Rights Movement, but soon declined in size and adopted a more definite membership and Marxist policy . Following the merger with the Movement for a Socialist Republic in 1978 it has affiliated to the United Secretariat of the Fourth International.
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

RSF EASTER COMMEMORATION ,DUBLIN 2007 :

A report , pictures and comments on the Easter Monday RSF Commemoration at the GPO in Dublin can be viewed here and here.
As you will read , proceedings went ahead with only two minor hitches - an unexpected Commemoration and the weather! The RSF event was well organised , well attended and was a credit to that organisation , which conducted itself with a dignity befitting its Republican heritage .
Well done to all involved !

Monday, April 09, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

It seems likely that as long as most unemployed are relatively short-term and protected to some extent by Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI), and until the young urban jobless spread out of the traditionally disadvantaged communities , the spiralling growth of unemployment will nonetheless not have any substantial effect on the political balance . In fact , a mildy reflationary policy by a future Fianna Fail government might well be enough to defuse the discontent which rising unemployment is undoubtedly causing but which , even so , is not causing any real challenge to the acceptance of capitalism in the 26 counties .

TRADE UNIONS :

The political problems facing trade unions in the South , despite the affiliation to them by 65 per cent of the insured workforce , are as substantial in their way as those confronting hopeful revolutionaries . Published figures by the Federated Union Of Employers (FUE) on the last wage round show the pressure workers are currently under despite the demise of the objectionable 'national' wage agreements . In the annual pay round up to October this year (1983) , a massive 71.3 per cent of all agreements contained a 'No Strike' Clause, while in only 12 out of 655 pay negotiations involving the FUE was there any industrial action in pursuit of wage claims.......
(MORE LATER).

I HAVE NOT GARNERED GOLD .
by Padraic Pearse (Patrick Henry Pearse [Padraic Mac Piarais]).

"I have not garnered gold;
The fame I found hath perished;
In love I got but grief
That withered my life.

Of riches or of store
I shall not leave behind me
(Yet I deem it, O God, sufficient)
But my name in the heart of a child."

A Commemoration to honour the men and women of 1916 will be held today , Easter Monday (9th April) in Dublin : those wishing to attend should assemble outside the Garden Of Remembrance in Parnell Square at 12.45pm , for a Parade to the GPO.
Organised by the Republican Movement. Details of other Republican Easter 1916 Commemorations can be found here.
All Welcome!

Sunday, April 08, 2007

The Fool
by Padraic Pearse (Patrick Henry Pearse [Padraic Mac Piarais]).

" O wise men, riddle me this: what if the dream come true?
What if the dream come true? and if millions unborn shall dwell
In the house that I shaped in my heart, the noble house of my thought?
Lord, I have staked my soul, I have staked the lives of my kin
On the truth of Thy dreadful word. Do not remember my failures,
But remember this my faith
And so I speak.
Yea, ere my hot youth pass, I speak to my people and say:
Ye shall be foolish as I; ye shall scatter, not save;
Ye shall venture your all, lest ye lose what is more than all;
Ye shall call for a miracle, taking Christ at His word.
And for this I will answer, O people, answer here and hereafter,
O people that I have loved, shall we not answer together? "

A Commemoration to honour the men and women of 1916 will be held tomorrow , Easter Monday (9th April) in Dublin : those wishing to attend should assemble outside the Garden Of Remembrance in Parnell Square at 12.45pm , for a Parade to the GPO.
Organised by the Republican Movement. Details of other Republican Easter 1916 Commemorations can be found here.
All Welcome!

Saturday, April 07, 2007

1916 EASTER RISING COMMEMORATION , DUBLIN , 2007 .

The Fool
by Padraic Pearse (Patrick Henry Pearse [Padraic Mac Piarais]).

"O wise men, riddle me this: what if the dream come true?
What if the dream come true? and if millions unborn shall dwell
In the house that I shaped in my heart, the noble house of my thought?
Lord, I have staked my soul, I have staked the lives of my kin
On the truth of Thy dreadful word. Do not remember my failures,
But remember this my faith
And so I speak.
Yea, ere my hot youth pass, I speak to my people and say:
Ye shall be foolish as I; ye shall scatter, not save;
Ye shall venture your all, lest ye lose what is more than all;
Ye shall call for a miracle, taking Christ at His word.
And for this I will answer, O people, answer here and hereafter,
O people that I have loved, shall we not answer together?"

A Commemoration to honour the men and women of 1916 will be held this Easter Monday (9th April) in Dublin : those wishing to attend should assemble outside the Garden Of Remembrance in Parnell Square at 12.45pm , for a Parade to the GPO.
Organised by the Republican Movement. Details of other Republican Easter 1916 Commemorations can be found here.
All Welcome!

Friday, April 06, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

Unemployment in the 12 month period up to August 1983 increased by 36,000 to a total of 192,000 , yet despite this increase the most notable feature is the high turnover on the register . For example , from December 1982 to April 1983 , while 66,000 went on to the unemployment register , 48,000 came off it . Currently , only 46,000 (or approximately 25 per cent of those on the register) have been receiving unemployment benefits for longer than 15 months .

This figure represents roughly 5 per cent of the total potential workforce and actually compares favourably with the 7 per cent to 8 per cent level of long-term unemployment which was the norm during the 1960's .

In the supposedly explosive Dublin area there are currently 18,000 recent school leavers on the dole - yet they are concentrated in relatively few areas of the city , such as Finglas and Ballyfermot , which have traditionally experienced high levels of deprivation . Outside of Dublin , the scattered nature of the Industrial Development Authority - sponsored industrial base means that with few exceptions (e.g. Dunlop , and potentially Ford's at Cork) no great concentrations of industrial workers exist in any one area which could provide a strong impetus for anti-unemployment action . This is despite the harsh reality that more industrial workers are currently unemployed than are in work , and that traditionally major sources of jobs - such as the construction industry - are in collapse.......
(MORE LATER).

A SEGREGATED JAIL .......
Formerly Sinn Fein's national organiser , 28-year-old Belfast republican Jim Gibney has been imprisoned on remand since last January , one of many who have been held solely on the word of an RUC informer . Most of this period on remand has been spent in Belfast's Crumlin Road Jail.
In this article , smuggled out of Crumlin Road , Gibney outlines the daily routine in the jail , in which segregation between republican and loyalist prisoners -one of the hunger-strikers' five demands- plays a central , if 'officially' unrecognised , role .
From 'IRIS' magazine ,November 1982 .
By Jim Gibney .

All prisoners are locked up from 12.30pm to 2pm ; then , at 2pm , loyalists have an opportunity for exercise , following which they have their tea in the canteen . Again all prisoners are locked up between 4.15pm and 5pm . Republican prisoners get two hours' association starting at 5pm , one hour of which is spent in the yard and the second hour in the canteen . On alternate days , this procedure is reversed and operated in the loyalists' favour .

As can be seen , the routine is a cumbersome one to operate , especially when between 100-200 prisoners are in each wing . It could not be worked without the full co-operation of the prison administration but the 'official' acceptance - at the prison administration level - of the need for segregation , does not stop at the day-to-day running of the prison only . At the weekly remand courts on Tuesdays and Fridays , republicans and loyalists are segregated , and even in the area of education classes in Crumlin Road Jail, segregation has been implemented - a development which was unheard of prior to the hunger-strike .

As recently as September last (1982) , during discussions between the Board of Visitors and republican representatives , the Board agreed that segregation did exist and that they would argue for improvements within this established procedure . Republicans , however , regard the Board of Visitors as a toothless animal.......
(MORE LATER).

GLOSSARY OF THE LEFT IN IRELAND : FROM 1960 TO 1983.......
These notes attempt to record the left-wing organisations which have existed in Ireland since 1960 . No attempt has been made to record purely local organisations outside Dublin and Belfast , or microscopic groups which never reached double figures . The larger organisations have been presented in more detail .
From 'GRALTON' magazine, 1983.
By John Goodwillie.
(NOTE : Links in the following article are as accurate as possible - not all the groups mentioned left a discernible 'footprint' .)

LEFT ALTERNATIVE: An alliance between the Communist Party Of Ireland, Official Sinn Fein and the Liaison Committee of the Labour Left. Formed in 1975 , it produced two economic manifestos and operated quietly in various areas but collapsed in 1976 because the participants had other priorities .

LEFT REVOLUTIONARY GROUP: Formed in 1976 as a breakaway from People's Democracy on the basis of stronger support for the military struggle and an analysis of the Loyalists as fascist . Changed its name to the Red Republican Party.

LIAISON COMMITTEE OF THE LABOUR LEFT: Formed in 1971 to re-group those left-wingers in the Labour Party who had not defected to the Socialist Labour Alliance. The 'Committee' collapsed in 1977 when the majority of leading members participated in the events which led to the formation of the Socialist Labour Party.
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, April 05, 2007

EASTER MONDAY COMMEMORATION , DUBLIN , 2007 :

" The people were tired of the RIC and their overbearing , strutting tyranny . The 'Law' and the 'Force' . Yes , and the Crowbar and the Battering Ram . The Torch and the Buckshot . The Bayonet and the Bullet and the Baton . These tools had been always associated with the 'Law' . The 'Force' was the eyes and the ears and the power behind the 'Law' . This is how my mother taught me the English alphabet :
A for the Army that covers the ground ,
B for the Buckshot we're getting all round .
C for the Crowbar of cruel ill-fame ,
D for Davitt , a right glorious name...... "

...an extract from Micheal O'Suilleabhain's book , 'Where Mountainy Men Have Sown', (Anvil Books , 1965).

It is in memory of , and to pay respectable homage to , the men and women of that era and , indeed , the men and women of today and of each generation over more than the last eight centuries , that the Republican Movement has organised , in Dublin , an Easter Monday Commemoration (9April 2007) : those wishing to attend should assemble outside the Garden Of Remembrance in Parnell Square at 12.45pm , for a Parade to the GPO.
All Welcome!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

WHICH WAY FORWARD IN THE FREE STATE....... ?

In the wake of Sinn Fein successs in the North , republicans are increasingly having to confront the problem of building a realistic strategy for the very different political situation that exists in the 26 Counties . In this controversial analysis , Sinn Fein ard comhairle ('National Executive') member Paddy Bolger , argues that the Sinn Fein concept of an 'Economic Resistance Movement' , put forward in 1971 and expanded eight years later , is seriously over-optimistic , and that the national question remains the central revolutionary issue on which Free State workers can be mobilised in a painstaking and gradualist approach .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

Just as the Republican Movement can , with hindsight , be accused of naivity in the early 1970's in its confident assertions that each coming year would be 'Freedom Year' , it may well be that we are now assuming naively that the Free State establishment faces a politically insoluble economic crisis , and that all that is needed to spark the crisis is the touch-paper of republicanism's socialist ideology .

Let us begin by accepting honestly that we are not currently a major political force in the Free State - except in the reflective context of events in the North - and look briefly at the areas of unemployment (of youth in particular) , the trade unions , women's rights and EEC withdrawal as issues on which we can potentially mobilise :

Unemployment .
One frequent assertion by republicans is that the effect of the seemingly endless rise of unemployment will be to alienate the working class , and the young in particular , from the capitalist system. By the beginning of 1984 - most observers agree - the toll of jobless in the Free State will top 200,000 , or about 22 per cent of the working population - but where is the expected bubbling ferment of disillusioned youth ? A look at the annul live register goes some way to providing an answer........
(MORE LATER).

A SEGREGATED JAIL .......
Formerly Sinn Fein's national organiser , 28-year-old Belfast republican Jim Gibney has been imprisoned on remand since last January , one of many who have been held solely on the word of an RUC informer . Most of this period on remand has been spent in Belfast's Crumlin Road Jail.
In this article , smuggled out of Crumlin Road , Gibney outlines the daily routine in the jail , in which segregation between republican and loyalist prisoners -one of the hunger-strikers' five demands- plays a central , if 'officially' unrecognised , role .
From 'IRIS' magazine ,November 1982 .
By Jim Gibney .

Those in charge of prison policy at the 'NIO, such as 'Lord' Gowrie, know and accept that a system of segregation is being operated : their 'official' denial of such a reality , in typical British double-talk , claiming that it is the prisoners themselves who work this set-up and not the administration , is theoretically right but in actual practice is far removed from the truth . A look at an ordinary working day in Crumlin Road Jail shows clearly that peace exists because the prison administration operates a limited system of segregation -

- the day begins at 7.30 am when prison warders arrive on the landings . Prisoners awaken to a shout from a senior prison warder to the effect that either the 'RC's' (republicans) or 'Prods' (loyalists) are in the canteen for their breakfast . If it's the republicans , we will then eat our breakfast in the canteen while the warders supervise the 'slopping out' of those prisoners remaining in their cells . Then , when the republicans return from the canteen , we 'slop out' while the loyalists are washing and showering . At 9am exercise begins for the non-political prisoners , who are now located in 'B' wing : this , in itself - keeping non-political prisoners in a separate wing - is further evidence of the administration voluntarily operating a form of segregation .

The exercise session for the non-political prisoners ends at 10am and is followed by republicans exercising from 10am to 11.15am and , while we are exercising , loyalists continue to wash and 'slop out' . They then collect their dinner from the canteen and eat it in their cells , while republicans eat in the canteen . 'Lock Ups' are next on the agenda.......
(MORE LATER).

GLOSSARY OF THE LEFT IN IRELAND : FROM 1960 TO 1983.......
These notes attempt to record the left-wing organisations which have existed in Ireland since 1960 . No attempt has been made to record purely local organisations outside Dublin and Belfast , or microscopic groups which never reached double figures . The larger organisations have been presented in more detail .
From 'GRALTON' magazine, 1983.
By John Goodwillie.
(NOTE : Links in the following article are as accurate as possible - not all the groups mentioned left a discernible 'footprint' .)

LABOUR YOUTH: Formed in 1979 as the youth movement of the Labour Party. MILITANT quickly established itself as the dominant influence .

LEAGUE FOR A WORKERS' REPUBLIC: Formed in 1968 as a hard Trotskyist breakaway from the Irish Workers' Group. Affiliated to the Organising Committee for the Reconstruction of the Fourth International (known as 'Lambertists', and then 'Fourth International', and then 'International Committee For Reconstruction'. ) The 'League' played an important role in the Young Socialists, and following the failure of the Socialist Labour Alliance re-oriented itself to the Labour Party in 1976 . Some members participated in the Socialist Labour Party in 1977-1978 .

LEAGUE FOR WORKERS' VANGUARD: Trotskyist organisation formed in 1970 as a breakaway from the League For A Workers' Republic on the basis of support for the International Committee Of The Fourth International (known as 'Healyites') . The 'Vanguard' group changed its name to Workers' League in 1971 .
(MORE LATER).