The Thought of James Connolly

[Tsiolkovsky on the Moon]

What is your opinion on the thought of James Connolly, specifically his ideas that socialism and nationalism are essentially linked and one without the other is deficit?

For example, in "Socialism and Nationalism," Connolly says:
"Nationalism without Socialism – without a reorganisation of society on the basis of a broader and more developed form of that common property which underlay the social structure of Ancient Erin - is only national recreancy.

It would be tantamount to a public declaration that our oppressors had so far succeeded in inoculating us with their perverted conceptions of justice and morality that we had finally decided to accept those conceptions as our own, and no longer needed an alien army to force them upon us.

As a Socialist I am prepared to do all one man can do to achieve for our motherland her rightful heritage – independence; but if you ask me to abate one jot or tittle of the claims of social justice, in order to conciliate the privileged classes, then I must decline."

While I have seen many champion Connolly as a theorist who championed the infusion of nationalism and socialism, his writing to me seems more indicative of the idea that nationalism was a tool to be used to escape imperialist oppression; Connolly doesn't seem to explicitly endorse a continuation of nationalist and socialist principles once independence is secured.

[The Idler]

This came up already six months ago at this topic
http://www.revleft.com/vb/kind-marxist-whats-t188654/index.html?t=188654

[QueerVanguard]

What is your opinion on the thought of James Connolly, specifically his ideas that socialism and nationalism are essentially linked and one without the other is deficit?

Umm.. Being that this a *supposed* to be a Communist page, we are internationalists so Connollys reactionary, moralist Catholic, pseudo-Marxist Nationalist trash should be opposed by all of us. It's not so hard to understand.


While I have seen many champion Connolly as a theorist who championed the infusion of nationalism and socialism, his writing to me seems more indicative of the idea that nationalism was a tool to be used to escape imperialist oppression; Connolly doesn't seem to explicitly endorse a continuation of nationalist and socialist principles once independence is secured.

He doesn't "seem" to, huh? Point out just one time when he said he didn't support the continuation of nationalism once independence was secured. In that same article the dipshit praised "These agencies, whether Irish Language movements, Literary Societies or Commemoration Committees, are undoubtedly doing a work of lasting benefit to this country in helping to save from extinction the precious racial and national history, language and characteristics of our people." This is objectively reactionary. Communists don't support the preservation of "national history, language and characteristics," let alone fucking "racial" characteristics, we support the onward march of history. "Nations" as we know them are products of Capitalism and will end when Communist ascends and internationalism dominates our social relations.

tl;dr Connolly was a ethnic nationalist dildo masquerading as a Marxist. A proto-Nazbol.

[Zoroaster]

This came up already six months ago at this topic
http://www.revleft.com/vb/kind-marxist-whats-t188654/index.html?t=188654

I remember that. That was back when I liked Conolly.

[blake 3:17]

He's a great hero for our side. FYI -- he was queer too. That tends to get overlooked.

[blake 3:17]

Umm.. Being that this a *supposed* to be a Communist page, we are internationalists so Connollys reactionary, moralist Catholic, pseudo-Marxist Nationalist trash should be opposed by all of us. It's not so hard to understand.



He doesn't "seem" to, huh? Point out just one time when he said he didn't support the continuation of nationalism once independence was secured. In that same article the dipshit praised "These agencies, whether Irish Language movements, Literary Societies or Commemoration Committees, are undoubtedly doing a work of lasting benefit to this country in helping to save from extinction the precious racial and national history, language and characteristics of our people." This is objectively reactionary. Communists don't support the preservation of "national history, language and characteristics," let alone fucking "racial" characteristics, we support the onward march of history. "Nations" as we know them are products of Capitalism and will end when Communist ascends and internationalism dominates our social relations.

tl;dr Connolly was a ethnic nationalist dildo masquerading as a Marxist. A proto-Nazbol.

hahaha

Go Team America! Why don't those Irish just become English, and those effing Palestinians convert to Judaism and why don't native peoples love it when their land and culture is stolen.

[Lily Briscoe]

FYI -- he was queer too.

Not that it's actually relevant to anything at all (it isnt, asíde from my curiousity), but what...?

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

He's a great hero for our side. FYI -- he was queer too.
Where did you get that from? I've never read anything that even remotely suggested that.

EDIT: Do you perhaps have Connolly confused with Casement?

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Umm.. Being that this a *supposed* to be a Communist page, we are internationalists so Connollys reactionary, moralist Catholic, pseudo-Marxist Nationalist trash should be opposed by all of us. It's not so hard to understand.
"The struggle of the oppressed nations in Europe, a struggle capable of going all the way to insurrection and street fighting, capable of breaking down the iron discipline of the army and martial law, will 'sharpen the revolutionary crisis in Europe' to an infinitely greater degree than a much more developed rebellion in a remote colony. A blow delivered against the power of the English imperialist bourgeoisie by a rebellion in Ireland is a hundred times more significant politically than a blow of equal force delivered in Asia or in Africa."

That was written by Lenin months after the Easter Rising in 1916. Within the political context of that era, dismissing Connolly as "pseudo-Marxist Nationalist trash" is absurd.

[consuming negativity]

This came up already six months ago at this topic
http://www.revleft.com/vb/kind-marxist-whats-t188654/index.html?t=188654

from this link, i thought that this post was good:


Connolly was a republican socialist. It's safe to say that he was more or less syndicalistic, he certainly was greatly influenced by Daniel DeLeon.

Now for the supposed nationalism. This may annoy people like QueerVanguard who have clearly not read much of Connolly, but this nationalism ascribed to him is rather silly, to say the least.

If anything, Connolly's views on national liberation were rather nuanced from Lenin's. Lenin, of course, supported the self-determination of nations. But Connolly pointed out that self-determination without it being part of a struggle for socialism was mere folly if it did not include the building of a socialist republic. His nationalism merely meant ending the rule of the English that Ireland was subjugated to for so long. He saw no merit in the nationalism that, as he said, was just "morbid idealising of the past". He was quite clear "If you remove the English army to-morrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organisation of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain. England would still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs." His position can, more or less, be summarised as: Imperialism is a global system. Because of this, genuine national liberation must be tied to socialist revolution.

He was not willing to conciliate with a national bourgeoisie for independence "as a Socialist" he continues "I am prepared to do all one man can do to achieve for our motherland her rightful heritage – independence; but if you ask me to abate one jot or tittle of the claims of social justice, in order to conciliate the privileged classes, then I must decline."

A breath of fresh air compared to some of the forms of anti-imperialism the self-described left has propagated in the past, I must say. I will not go into criticism of national liberation, of which there are many, but surely this is completely in line with Lenin when he talked about recognising the right of self-determination. It is very easy to yell buzzwords like "catholic", "conservative", "moralist", "nationalist" or "Proudhonist reactionary", but this does not contribute to the discussion at all and is merely, that, yelling buzzwords.

i was very hesitant to ever agree to something that combines both "nationalism" and "socialism" (even decades before nazis existed) but this does not seem to be an encouragement of nationalism so much as a critique of it thinking that simply having independence as a state means that it is independent from global capitalism. what he seems to be upholding is not nationalism (and the accompanying capitalism) but rather the preservation of culture.

[blake 3:17]

Where did you get that from? I've never read anything that even remotely suggested that.

EDIT: Do you perhaps have Connolly confused with Casement?

Source: sweet whispers from a boyfriend many years ago. He grew up in Dublin, got beat by nuns, wasn't so pro IRA as me.

[blake 3:17]

An old comrade has been writing/researching/improvising on the thought of republicanism -- this is a good one: http://publicautonomy.org/2014/10/23/social-republicanism/

[Lily Briscoe]

Source: sweet whispers from a boyfriend many years ago. He grew up in Dublin, got beat by nuns, wasn't so pro IRA as me.

Seems...legit....:unsure:

[blake 3:17]

I'm sorry I'm such a shitty historian -- accusing Connolly of Faggotry!!! -- My science is very poor.

http://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/61344

[Art Vandelay]

I'm sorry I'm such a shitty historian -- accusing Connolly of Faggotry!!! -- My science is very poor.

http://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/61344

The only time James Connolly's name comes up in that text, it says nothing in regards to his sexuality. I doubt anyone here would care if Connolly happened to have been queer, but you know, you'd expect it would have come out by now...that maybe one of his biographers would of uncovered this information...not some Irish expat in Toronto.

Just seems odd to propogate the notion that Connolly was queer, when there is literally no evidence to support the claim.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I'm sorry I'm such a shitty historian -- accusing Connolly of Faggotry!!! -- My science is very poor.

http://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/61344
It certainly supports that there were lesbian and bisexual women serving in the ICA with Connolly, but it says absolutely nothing about Connolly's sexuality.