IRSP statement on weekend violence

[Conghaileach]

Belfast IRSP Statement
12-9-05

RE- Unionist violence, Britain no ‘honest broker’ - IRSP

The IRSP are calling on working class communities to remain calm and vigilant in the wake of this weekend’s violence from within the Unionist community. There have been concerted attempts by loyalists to provoke the nationalist community by sectarian attacks on homes and people.

There needs to be no inquiry into the cause of the unrest in loyalist working class areas, the failure of the British Government and Unionist politicians to explain and promote the inevitable outcomes of even the limited democracy provided for by the Belfast Agreement lies at the core of unionist working class fears.

One of those inevitable outcomes is equality, no more unionist supremacy, no more ‘special favours’ from the British government.

If the Unionist community view each small step towards equality as a concession to the catholic community, it demonstrates that there has been no real work done by the British Government in the past eleven years and a direct example of how Britain’s attempt to portray itself as an honest broker rather than a major protagonist in Ireland leads directly to violence on the streets and attacks against the minority community in the six-counties.

In conclusion, Belfast IRSP representative Paul Little said;

“It is imperative that all those progressive elements within communities continue to explore all possible avenues open to securing real peace for the working class. To do otherwise, will be to return to the divisive, sectarian agenda of the ruling classes”

Communities that feel themselves under threat of sectarian attack should remain calm, vigilant and act only in a defensive manner.

Statement ends

Source (http://rsmforum.proboards23.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1126519540)

[h&s]

To those who are in the know (i.e. live in NI), what do you actually make of this violence?
Was it the pre-meditated attack that the police are telling us, or was there more to it than that?

[Des]

totally organized...

right now bomb scares all over belfast - closing roads left, right and centre... workers in town have been sent home early to make sure they can get home

mobile phone network down at present... perhaps just because of usage.. but maybe to stop the loyalists from mass organizing of riots.. they've been sending out txt messages to organize attacks..

[Des]

their leaders pretty much called for the riots... ian paisleys remarks on friday was a sure sign to go and riot...

and now hes saying he didnt call for the riots.. and just said what was going to happen and that he was right

[bolshevik butcher]

Is there any feeling of working class solidarity or anyhting over there. Or is it jsut a case of catholics against proteastants?

[slim]

When the protestants are the bourgoise it is a difficult question to answer straight.

[Conghaileach]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 12 2005, 04:38 PM
Is there any feeling of working class solidarity or anyhting over there. Or is it jsut a case of catholics against proteastants?
The problem is that sectarianism goes to the very root of the Northern Ireland state. The first prime minister of the six counties called it a Protestant state for a Protestant people, and until the British government instituted direct rule in 1972 the six-county state was essentially a one-party one. That was the (official) Unionist Party, which essentially represented the interests of the Protestant/Unionist bourgeoisie, but could drag the Protestant working class along with it by playing the Orange card, that is stoking up sectarian tensions by claiming that any attempt by Catholics to get civil rights, equality, etc. was a threat to the 'loyal Protestant people of Ulster'. Thus the class question has been tied up with the issue of the continued existence of the six-county state, in essence a colonial statelet still controlled by the British. The only times that the Protestant and Catholic working class has been united in a common ideology have been as Republicans - such as the United Irishmen of the 1790s or the Republican Congress, with the Communist Party of Ireland, of the 1930s.

As for how this issue can be resolved, well I'm sure that every left group in Ireland can give you its own view on that.

[bolshevik butcher]

Ah, doesn't sound great. I mean it's not like elsewhere in britain there is a protlatetarian movemnet mounting a class war but there are still feelings of soldiarity and trade unionism etc.

[bolshevik butcher]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2005, 03:54 PM
When the protestants are the bourgoise it is a difficult question to answer straight.
Sorry, but this implies that all proteastans are beugoirse. That's ridiculous. If they make up more than half the population they can hardly all be beugoirse WHat you mean is that hte beugoirse are proteastant?

[bunk]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2005, 03:54 PM
When the protestants are the bourgoise it is a difficult question to answer straight.
According to today's Guardian most of the rioters were Protestant working-class youth who feel alienated. Both sides need to reject their rulers, if you have seen the series Coast it told a story of Protestant and Catholic workers united together against their landlords

[Conghaileach]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 12 2005, 09:09 PM
Ah, doesn't sound great. I mean it's not like elsewhere in britain there is a protlatetarian movemnet mounting a class war but there are still feelings of soldiarity and trade unionism etc.
The trade union movement has done some good things over the past few years. For instance, when a postal worker called Daniel McColgan was killed by the UDA in January 2002, they organised a large anti-sectarianism rally to Belfast City Hall. A number of trade unions went on strike until death threats against Catholic workers were lifted.

There's still a problem in that the history of trade unionism in the North has been somewhat shady. I believe it was the GMB union that was once taken to court because of its sectarian policies.

But regardless, there are many who believe that the trade unions offer an opportunity to develop class struggle in the North. Sinn Féin at one point had a trade union department, and a number of members have spoken recently about the need to revive this group.

A number of people in the British left have chirped in on the issue as well. I found this article, Workers' Unity Alone Can Defeat Sectarianism (http://www.marxist.com/Europe/northern_ireland_workers_unity.html), on the Marxist.com website, and the CPGB paper Weekly Worker (http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/2005.html) has had a discussion on Sinn Féin, the IRSP, and socialism in the North over the past few issues, going back as far as May.

[Conghaileach]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2005, 09:26 PM
According to today's Guardian most of the rioters were Protestant working-class youth who feel alienated. Both sides need to reject their rulers, if you have seen the series Coast it told a story of Protestant and Catholic workers united together against their landlords
I don't think I've ever heard of this show. When was it broadcast?

[TheReadMenace]

Conghaileach -

How do you think this stuff can be resolved? I'm just curious, because you seem to know quite a bit about it, heh.

Andrew

[chebol]

Even saying "the bourgeoisie are protestant" misses the picture.
There are plenty of catholics up there too. The division of the working class along religious lines is designed to hinder the development of class struggle.

[bunk]

I don't think I've ever heard of this show. When was it broadcast?

I think it might have finished. It was mostly about British isles coastline but when doing NI coast they talked about coast paths and the history behind it. It wasn't that good

[The Grey Blur]

Why should I care?
I live in Belfast, never had any contact with IRSP in my life, apart from that little building with the protective fence on the Falls Road, I have never talked to one SF or Provo who has any true comradeship with them, as they haven't done anything ever they should disband and perhaps they can have jobs serving tea to Sinn Féin.

Last bit was a joke, I just want to make the point that your average catholic/nationalist schoolkid on the street who will be the next generation of voters has never heard of IRSP.(apart from dat building...)

[The Grey Blur]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2005, 04:07 PM
When the protestants are the bourgoise it is a difficult question to answer straight.
WHAT?!?!?!
Where are you from fool? Every single rioter was working-class thugs/loyalists from Sandy Row, Village etc. The burgeois protestants are the *****es that used to vote UUP but switched to DUP when the former got massacred at the ballots.

(Kind of like how better off catholics used to look down upon SF and voted SDLP.)

[Conghaileach]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13 2005, 01:35 AM
Conghaileach -

How do you think this stuff can be resolved? I'm just curious, because you seem to know quite a bit about it, heh.
I know nothing! ;)

Honestly though, it's an extremely difficult question to answer. When dealing with different people you find that a kind of paradox arises - some believe that you cannot unite the working class until you smash partition, some believe that you cannot smash partition until you unite the working class.

As far as I'm concerned, the only real hope for working class unity lies in the Protestant working class breaking off the shackles placed on them by their Orange Tory masters and reclaiming their radical democratic heritage, going back to the United Irishmen in order to go forward to socialism.

[A_E]

I'm with RATM, the only contact I've had peronally is walking/driving past Costello house on the Falls, the IRSP don't interest me as they don't seem active, you may say they are but not from what I can see (I see Gerry Adams in my street (once a year average) more than any IRSP member) during the troubles fair play to the Irps they weren't like the sticks and were still active throughout, but now it seems their just following the Provies/SF's lead.

[bolshevik butcher]

God the orange order just said they didnt have anyting to do with the violence :lol:

[A_E]

Comedy or what! There were Orangemen with swords eggin the peelers on, and the heli-telly caught hundreds at the front lines (they removed their sashes but since when do rioters were pristine white shirts, black trousers and black shoes? Come on)

[The Grey Blur]

Originally posted by Josh+Sep 12 2005, 08:26 PM--> (Josh @ Sep 12 2005, 08:26 PM)
[email protected] 12 2005, 03:54 PM
When the protestants are the bourgoise it is a difficult question to answer straight.
According to today's Guardian most of the rioters were Protestant working-class youth who feel alienated. Both sides need to reject their rulers, if you have seen the series Coast it told a story of Protestant and Catholic workers united together against their landlords [/b]
What do you mean reject their rulers? Do you mean they should reject the people they voted into power in the first place?

-Also- Why was A_E banned?

[bunk]

What do you mean reject their rulers? Do you mean they should reject the people they voted into power in the first place?

I mean reject the richer elements on both their sides

[Redmau5]

Why should I care?
I live in Belfast, never had any contact with IRSP in my life, apart from that little building with the protective fence on the Falls Road, I have never talked to one SF or Provo who has any true comradeship with them, as they haven't done anything ever they should disband and perhaps they can have jobs serving tea to Sinn Féin.

Like Sinn Fein are really better. All they care about now is £££, and in my eyes have lost all crediblity. Im not a big fan of the IRSP or the INLA for that matter, but at least they haven't sold out. There's hundreds of graves in Milltown and the City cemetary of IRA martyrs, and for what? So Sinn Fein politicians can sit and do fuck all yet still rake in a massive salary? Fuck that.


(Kind of like how better off catholics used to look down upon SF and voted SDLP.)

Sinn Fein and the SDLP are basically the same nowadays, except the SDLP have stayed true to their policies from the start.