fionntan
13th October 2011, 13:34
http://s4.hubimg.com/u/5574719_f260.jpg (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Ronnie-Bunting-Remembered#)
Irish Republican Socialist Movement (IRSM) co-founder Ronnie Bunting's anniversary occurs on 15th October each year. Ronnie Bunting (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Ronnie-Bunting-Irish-Republican-Socialist) and his comrade, Noel Little, were assassinated and his wife, Suzanne shot and seriously injured, by a pro-British death-squad (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/CollusionState-Sponsored-Murders-in-the-North-of-Ireland) on 15th October, 1980 at their home in west Belfast. There is strong evidence, including statements from Suzanne Bunting and their Downfine Gardens' neighbours, that the killers were members of an undercover British army unit (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/RUC-Collusion-Exposed).
Contemporary comrades of Ronnie Bunting who are still involved with Irish Republican Socialism often relate that his contribution to the IRSM was on a par with that of Seamus Costello (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/An-Online-Oracle). It is often overlooked that Ronnie Bunting's political journey began with early involvement with the Trotskyist Peoples Democracy movement at Queens University, Belfast. There is no doubt that the political journey which Ronnie Bunting undertook, that brought him eventually to becoming a co-founder of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Irish-Republican-Socialist-Party) (IRSP) and the Irish National Liberation Army (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Peoples-Liberation-Army) (INLA) was a considerable one. His father was the prominent Paisleyite, Major Ronald Bunting, which made his involvement in Irish Republican politics all the more unusual but ultimately testament to the distinctly non-sectarian nature of the IRSM. Contemporaries of his in the IRSP confirm that although Ronnie and his father had diametrically opposing views, they still maintained a non-estranged and cordial father-son relationship. Due to the sectarian demographics (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/A-Visitors-Guide-To-Northern-Irish-Sectarianism) in the North of Ireland, the realities for the Bunting family maintaining relationships with family members in Unionist areas would have been fraught with difficulty and danger.
There is no doubt that whoever directed the death-squad that assassinated Ronnie Bunting knew that his removal would be a severe blow to Irish Republican Socialism (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Irish-Republican-Socialism-VersusTraditional-Republicanism). The forces of reaction, often in collusion with counter-revolutionaries, have consistently murdered the IRSM's most articulate and able leaders on an all too regular basis. Prior to his murder in 1980, Ronnie Bunting had survived earlier murder-bids orchestrated by the Official IRA (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/The-Lost-Revolution-The-Story-of-The-Official-IRA-And-The-Workers-Party) and Loyalist paramilitaries (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/State-Sponsored-Murder-in-Ireland-Project-Echoes), no doubt aided by the RUC who often threatened him with assassination during interrogation at the infamous Castlereagh holding centre. British imperialism could not afford to let such able foes as Ronnie Bunting continue to live and sent it's proxies out to cut him down like it did with other outstanding Socialist revolutionaries in the IRSP such as Seamus Costello (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Seamus-Costello-In-His-Own-Words), Ta Power (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/The-Ta-Power-Document-Part-2) and Gino Gallagher (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Gino-Gallagher-Irish-Republican-Socialist).
Old comrades of Ronnie Bunting, such as Peadar McGiolla Dubh speak highly of Ronnie Bunting's dynamism and hope to eventually commemorate him much more extensively. The politics that Ronnie Bunting gave his life for have survived him and will hopefully help provide the impetus for the creation of Connolly (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/James-Connolly-Irelands-Marxist-Revolutionary)'s vision of a united Irish workers republic.
"Revolutionaries are dead men on leave." (Ta Power (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Ta-Powers-Legacy))
© Iskra
Irish Republican Socialist Movement (IRSM) co-founder Ronnie Bunting's anniversary occurs on 15th October each year. Ronnie Bunting (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Ronnie-Bunting-Irish-Republican-Socialist) and his comrade, Noel Little, were assassinated and his wife, Suzanne shot and seriously injured, by a pro-British death-squad (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/CollusionState-Sponsored-Murders-in-the-North-of-Ireland) on 15th October, 1980 at their home in west Belfast. There is strong evidence, including statements from Suzanne Bunting and their Downfine Gardens' neighbours, that the killers were members of an undercover British army unit (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/RUC-Collusion-Exposed).
Contemporary comrades of Ronnie Bunting who are still involved with Irish Republican Socialism often relate that his contribution to the IRSM was on a par with that of Seamus Costello (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/An-Online-Oracle). It is often overlooked that Ronnie Bunting's political journey began with early involvement with the Trotskyist Peoples Democracy movement at Queens University, Belfast. There is no doubt that the political journey which Ronnie Bunting undertook, that brought him eventually to becoming a co-founder of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Irish-Republican-Socialist-Party) (IRSP) and the Irish National Liberation Army (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Peoples-Liberation-Army) (INLA) was a considerable one. His father was the prominent Paisleyite, Major Ronald Bunting, which made his involvement in Irish Republican politics all the more unusual but ultimately testament to the distinctly non-sectarian nature of the IRSM. Contemporaries of his in the IRSP confirm that although Ronnie and his father had diametrically opposing views, they still maintained a non-estranged and cordial father-son relationship. Due to the sectarian demographics (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/A-Visitors-Guide-To-Northern-Irish-Sectarianism) in the North of Ireland, the realities for the Bunting family maintaining relationships with family members in Unionist areas would have been fraught with difficulty and danger.
There is no doubt that whoever directed the death-squad that assassinated Ronnie Bunting knew that his removal would be a severe blow to Irish Republican Socialism (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Irish-Republican-Socialism-VersusTraditional-Republicanism). The forces of reaction, often in collusion with counter-revolutionaries, have consistently murdered the IRSM's most articulate and able leaders on an all too regular basis. Prior to his murder in 1980, Ronnie Bunting had survived earlier murder-bids orchestrated by the Official IRA (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/The-Lost-Revolution-The-Story-of-The-Official-IRA-And-The-Workers-Party) and Loyalist paramilitaries (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/State-Sponsored-Murder-in-Ireland-Project-Echoes), no doubt aided by the RUC who often threatened him with assassination during interrogation at the infamous Castlereagh holding centre. British imperialism could not afford to let such able foes as Ronnie Bunting continue to live and sent it's proxies out to cut him down like it did with other outstanding Socialist revolutionaries in the IRSP such as Seamus Costello (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Seamus-Costello-In-His-Own-Words), Ta Power (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/The-Ta-Power-Document-Part-2) and Gino Gallagher (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Gino-Gallagher-Irish-Republican-Socialist).
Old comrades of Ronnie Bunting, such as Peadar McGiolla Dubh speak highly of Ronnie Bunting's dynamism and hope to eventually commemorate him much more extensively. The politics that Ronnie Bunting gave his life for have survived him and will hopefully help provide the impetus for the creation of Connolly (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/James-Connolly-Irelands-Marxist-Revolutionary)'s vision of a united Irish workers republic.
"Revolutionaries are dead men on leave." (Ta Power (http://iskra1916.hubpages.com/hub/Ta-Powers-Legacy))
© Iskra