Call out to Republican Socialists!

[Brownfist]

Hi, I wanted to start this thread so that the republican socialists on the board could briefly virtually congregate and talk. I would like to propose that we start educational threads on Irish republican history and the ideas of James Connolly and other republican socialists. This will not only better equip us politically but will also serve as building a network of republican socialists. So, anyways hello to you all.

[sabotabby]

Well, I wouldn't identify as a republican socialist (not being Irish and all), but I'm sympathetic to their ideas and into Irish republican history. And, as you know, quite enamoured of rebel tunes!

As a starting point, the James Connolly Internet Archive is here:

http://www.marxists.org/archive/connolly/

(But you probably already knew that.)

[The Grey Blur]

It is interesting that there are probably more Irish on this board than any other country outside of England or Britain (must be something in the water)

I wouldn't identify myself as 'Republican' as in reality a lot of modern-day Republicanism or Socialist Republicanism is based on the assumption that "once we get a United Ireland we can concentrate on other things" instead of willingness to fight working-class battles today on non-sectarian (unofficial or otherwise) lines

Still, I admire many Republican martyrs and certain elements of the PIRA's guerilla campaign

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i59/ulstersocialist/redfisttric.jpg
:lol:

[rouchambeau]

TOTALZ DUDE! LETS WORK WITHIN A SYSTEM DESIGNED BY AND FOR CAPITALISM TO AACHEVE ANTICAPITALIST GOALZ!!!

[Brownfist]

Well I am not Irish. I am just a supporter of the republican socialist struggle. This is part of my internationalism, supporting national liberation struggles around the world, especially when they movement is infused with a working-class/peasant conciousness.

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

By republican socialism do you just mean support for the Irish republican socialist cause? Or more generally for some form of socialism organized on the level of a republic, or achieved through within a republic? or what? lol

[Brownfist]

Well I think in the context of this thread I am largely thinking of Ireland and Scotland. I am hesitant to universalize it as a model for socialist organization around the world just because there are already existing movements in most countries which have their own ideas of what they want the future to look like for their people. Rather, I am interested in possible interstices between different movements around the world and solidarity.

[Armed_Philosopher]

Do you think the Jacobins would also be concidered "Republican Socialists"?

[Brownfist]

Well I think that we need to be more specific what kind of Jacobins. I mean if we look at the French Jacobins, I think that they definately did have republican tendencies, however, many of them were not socialists. I mean some of them were imperialists that were very intent on insuring that capitalist relations would be protected. This can be especially seen in their relationship to Haiti in which the self-styled Black Jacobins fought for their own republic. I think that Republican Socialism would broadly be defined in relation to James Connolly and his theoretical antecedents. I dont know if there are non-Connollyite forms of republican socialism. From what I understand Connolly best articulated republican socialism.

[Armed_Philosopher]

What about Jean Paul Marat, Jaques Roux, and Robespiere?

[Brownfist]

Sorry, I am not up-to-date with my French revolution figures and their political ideologies. However, I think that there needs to be something said for people who identify their own political ideology as something. So for example we can see some elementary forms of socialism in certain french revolutionary practices however, it would be in incorrect in my opinion to impose a theoretical formation which only arose in the mid-19th century onto an earlier time. Thus, republican socialism arises due to specific particularities in Ireland in the 20th cent. Subsequently, there have been movements in Scotland and Ireland that have adopted such theoretical arguements. It would be improper for exam to call the Nepali Maoists, republican socialists although they do believe in republicanism and socialism.

[Armed_Philosopher]

You might be interested in a movie called "Marat Sade".