Fallen Comrades Of The Irish R. S. M.

[PRC-UTE]

Fallen Comrades of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement

*******

Ronnie Bunting
Ard-Chomhairle Delegate - Irish Republican Socialist Party
Staff Officer - Irish National Liberation Army
Assassinated on 15 October 1980

Ronnie Bunting was a staff officer in the INLA and the commander
of its Belfast Brigade, as well as a delegate to the IRSP's
Ard-Chomhairle (National Executive) and a member of the National
H-Block/Armagh Committee, formed to support the struggle of prisoners
of war within British prisons in the North of Ireland.

He grew up in a middle-class Protestant family, the son of Major
Ronald Bunting, a retired British Army officer who was an aide to Ian
Paisley. Because of this background, pro-British loyalists considered
Ronnie to be a "renegade Protestant" (an exact quote from a loyalist
magazine in the mid-1970s).

Bunting began his political activism in the 1970s while an arts
student at Belfast's Queens University. He was briefly a member of
the leftwing People's Democracy organisation before joining Official
Sinn Fein and the Official Irish Republican Army.

He was interned without trial in the British government's Long Kesh
prison camp during 1972. He was expelled from OSF and the OIRA
because of his support for Seamus Costello, who was then fighting
against reformist tendencies within the Official Republican Movement.
When Costello formed the IRSP and the INLA in December 1974, Bunting
was there with him.

Aged 32, he was assassinated in his home in the Turf Lodge area
of West Belfast. Although loyalists would later take credit, a unit
of the British Army's Special Air Service was suspected of carrying
out the assassination. Noel Little, a member of the IRSP and the
INLA, was also killed in the attack. Ronnie's wife, Suzanne, survived
being shot in the head. Three previous attempts on Bunting's life had
taken place between 1975 and 1978.

*******

Noel Little
Press Relations Officer - Irish Republican Socialist Party
Volunteer - Irish National Liberation Army
Assassinated on 15 October 1980

Noel Little began his political activism in the 1960s as a member of
the Northern Ireland Labour Party, later becoming involved in the
North's civil rights movement and helping to found the leftwing
People's Democracy organisation.

PD's opposition to the armed struggle would eventually lead to Little
leaving to join the small Red Republican Party. After discussions
with members of the IRSP in Belfast, he joined the IRSP and the INLA
in 1980. He was also a member of the National H-Block/Armagh
Committee.

Aged 44, he was assassinated along with Ronnie Bunting by what
was suspected to be a unit of the British Army's Special Air
Service, although loyalists would later take credit.

*******

Tony McClelland
Volunteer - Irish National Liberation Army
Killed in Action on 16 October 1979

Aged 25, Tony McClelland was a volunteer in the INLA's Armagh Brigade
when he was killed on active duty when the car he was riding in was
involved in an accident in Co. Monaghan during a police chase.

*******

They died as they lived: as Republican Socialists. Remember them with
honour and pride.

http://www.irsm.org/fallen/bunting/
http://www.irsm.org/fallen/lyttle/
http://www.irsm.org/fallen/mcclelland/

[choekiewoekie]

a guestion. what's really the political state of ireland at this moment? cause when i hear of ireland, it is most of the time about the ira or anti-ira movement. what is the status of socialists in ireland? are they in the government? just curious...

[PRC-UTE]

Socialist parties and movements are mostly small in Ireland. The working class in the north are bitterly divided along religious and political lines. Political identification is largely tribal. You are born into being a unionist / loyalist or a republican / nationalist.

The island is currently divided into two states, the 26 county state ( that is independent, yet pro-brit ) and the six c state of "northern Ireland" which is still ruled directly as a colony from London.

Most socialists are in the south and are very divided about the question of the occupation by England. The Socialist Party (http://www.socialistparty.net/mani.htm) of Ireland and the Workers Solidarity Movement (http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/wsm.html) do good work on class issues. Yet neither will confront the Orange state directly, although they acknowledge it is the source of division among labourers.

The worst are the SWP, whom are very unprincipled and essentially a personality cult centred around Eamonn "the Man" McCann. :lol: There is also a small group called Socialist Democracy, but they will not work with anyone else.

The Irish Republican Socialist Movement (http://www.irsm.org/) is the largest socialist movement on the island of Ireland. The IRSM will continue to grow as Sinn Fein sells out and other socialists ignore the struggle against british occupation of Ireland.

[DaCuBaN]

The IRSM will continue to grow as Sinn Fein sells out and other socialists ignore the struggle against british occupation of Ireland.

First of course, you have to explain why it would be 'better' for Ireland to be ruled by the IRSP rather than a mainland UK based socialist party. Any true socialist party would dissolve powers back to a local level, so it's a moot point surely ;)

[Louis Pio]

First of course, you have to explain why it would be 'better' for Ireland to be ruled by the IRSP rather than a mainland UK based socialist party.

I think the question is that of a socialist Ireland. Not that of a socialist party ruling a bourgious democracy as you seem to say.

[PRC-UTE]

First of course, you have to explain why it would be 'better' for Ireland to be ruled by the IRSP rather than a mainland UK based socialist party.

Comrade, you seem to misunderstand our ideas on socialism. The IRSP exists to agitate, educate and organise in the community, labour unions, our paper, at demonstartions, etc. Many of our members are trade unionists themselves and we organise within our class to struggle for socialism.

We are not a vanguard to lead anyone to freedom. We don't seek to rule over our class.

We try to promote the politics of Marx and Connolly and argue for an Ireland free from imperialist oppression and capitalist exploitation.


Any true socialist party would dissolve powers back to a local level, so it's a moot point surely

Why should we be fetterd to the slow and reactionary politics of England? The workers of Ireland are inherently more revolutionary as they are not as tied to imperialism and live more precariously. At the same time they are a part of the biggest economy in the world, whereas England is not.

More importantly, the issue is not as you put it every time we talk, ie: should Ireland be independent or be a part of the Empire. The 26 counties are now in the EU and England holds the six counties hostage to prevent Ireland becoming, (in their own words) "another Cuba".

That is the issue which you don't seem to understand. So the success of "UK (sic) based" socialist party would not matter to the rest of Ireland.

[DaCuBaN]

The IRSP exists to agitate, educate and organise in the community, labour unions, our paper, at demonstartions, etc. Many of our members are trade unionists themselves and we organise within our class to struggle for socialism.

We are not a vanguard to lead anyone to freedom. We don't seek to rule over our class.

This is not what I wished to intimate: I was enquiring as to whether your party had hopes of electoral successes.


Why should we be fetterd to the slow and reactionary politics of England? The workers of Ireland are inherently more revolutionary as they are not as tied to imperialism and live more precariously. At the same time they are a part of the biggest economy in the world, whereas England is not.

So the IRSP wishes Ireland united within Europe? Surely not...

As to the differences between Irish and English (presumably Scottish and Welsh too), I would dispute this fact: England is a significantly larger country (in terms of population) than any of the other "British" lands, and hense the situation is always going to be more complex.

I'm sure however, there are many English "revolutionaries" who would dispute your claims of their reactionary nature.

I would certainly agree however, that the problem of the imperialist mindset is not so prevolent in the "fringe" regions of "Britain" (I can't think how else to put that) - I would be intruiged as to why you believed this to be so.


More importantly, the issue is not as you put it every time we talk, ie: should Ireland be independent or be a part of the Empire. The 26 counties are now in the EU and England holds the six counties hostage to prevent Ireland becoming, (in their own words) "another Cuba".

That is the issue which you don't seem to understand. So the success of "UK (sic) based" socialist party would not matter to the rest of Ireland.

Again, we return to the idea of a united Ireland in Europe. I fail to see the "socialism" in such a move. I'm not saying the chances of success are better if the six counties stay in the UK, I'm simply saying that you're selling up your comrades on the mainland to false hope. Europe is not the way forward for socialism, I'm sure you agree - neither is the UK, but my point is that by advocating Irish Republicanism, you step no closer to socialism than if you were to advocate the other.

[PRC-UTE]

I was enquiring as to whether your party had hopes of electoral successes.


Our party believes that "there is no parliamentary road to socialism." So the answer is no.


So the IRSP wishes Ireland united within Europe?

We wish to see the world organised as a Free Federation of Free Nations. There's no reason for there to be a centralised or united socialist state of europe. The entire world will be unified.


As to the differences between Irish and English (presumably Scottish and Welsh too), I would dispute this fact: England is a significantly larger country (in terms of population) than any of the other "British" lands, and hense the situation is always going to be more complex.

The differences between Ireland and England are much larger than you think. All English parties that have any chance of coming to power are pro-imperialist. England is simply the US's lapdog.


I'm sure however, there are many English "revolutionaries" who would dispute your claims of their reactionary nature.

I didn't say all English were reactionary, I of course support their revolutionaries.


I would certainly agree however, that the problem of the imperialist mindset is not so prevolent in the "fringe" regions of "Britain" (I can't think how else to put that) - I would be intruiged as to why you believed this to be so.

I'm confused about what you're asking me. I agree the imperialist mindset is not as prevelent in the south of Ireland which has little to do with England and is in the EU, versus the north where there is an occupation by England.


Again, we return to the idea of a united Ireland in Europe. I fail to see the "socialism" in such a move. I'm not saying the chances of success are better if the six counties stay in the UK, I'm simply saying that you're selling up your comrades on the mainland to false hope. Europe is not the way forward for socialism, I'm sure you agree - neither is the UK, but my point is that by advocating Irish Republicanism, you step no closer to socialism than if you were to advocate the other.

We don't count on Europe for socialism. The IRSP maintains that the EU is a capitalist body, modeled on the USA.

You always say that Ireland should be part of the UK, you said you would reincorporate Ireland into the UK if you could. My point is that most of Ireland is already seperate from England so the real issue isn't seperatism but reuniting Ireland by ending partition. Certainly you can see from the history of the 20 Century that partition has been one of the worst things to ever happen in Ireland - it unleashed the "carnival of reaction" James Connolly warned about.