IRA

[OneBrickOneVoice]

Recently in an elective I take in school called why terrorism, my teacher implied that the IRA was/is a terrorist group. I realized that I know nothing about them except that they are kinda like the ETA of Ireland? Is there anyone here who could explain their ideals to me? Are they socialists? Are they terrorists? Thanks.

[Demogorgon]

It's a complicated issue, they do have similarities to Eta, they believe in a United ireland free of British iinfluence. Yes, they are socialists, though they weren't always, the move to socalism was relatively recent.

Are they terrorists? It's difficult to say, they used certain tactic latterly that could constitue terrorism, but that was mainly rogue lements. They were always called terrorist, but they targeted the miitary, not civilians. The problem with them has been all the petty crime unrelated to the cause that's gone along with them, not necessarilly something to look down on the movement for, but it's been hopeless at keeping some of it's members under control.

Also they have been on a pretty much permanent ceasefire for a long time now, which has led to some of them turning their attention to organized crime, pretty much a way to pass the time for them it seems. They made big news last year for a major bank robbery, not that I'm going to condemn them for attacking those bastards, but it wasn't their wisest move given that they ended up left with the problem of how to dispose of the money.

Also some of their members shot a guy (it wasn't a sectarian murder he was a sympathiser for the cause, it seemed to just have been a bar room fight gone wrong) but the IRA's ambivalent attitude afterwards didn't go down very well even amongst their supporters.

[Whitten]

They target too many civilians. Their terrorists.

[bolshevik butcher]

The IRA are not socialists, they have had some socialist members, eg Bobby Sands, but as an organisation the IRA is not socialist, the IRA of the Irish Independance and Irish Civil wars arguable was socialist, but the IRA of the recent 'troubles' in Northen Ireland was really little more than the armed wing of sinn fein.

[Leo]

IRA was left-nationalist in the past. Now it is just nationalist, plain and simple.

[Qwerty Dvorak]

While I personally believe that they were once a respectable and admirable organization, they have degenerated into a bunch of gangsters and thugs. They are not Socialist, and personally I don't think they give two shits about a United Ireland, either.

[RebelDog]

The IRA are not socialist. If any paramilitary group in Ireland is deserving of our support then it is the Irish National Liberation Army the armed wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Party. They only target military and political targets and are socialist. I believe some discontented IRA members have recently been attracted to the INLA.
There is no need to kill civilians. If you ask me the IRA has lost its way in recent years.

[Okocim]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,468...-103588,00.html (http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4680344-103588,00.html)

[OneBrickOneVoice]

another question, when people say they are 'Republican Socialist' does that have to do anything with the IRA's goals of a united Ireland?

[Whitten]

They want a united ireland. Since the south isnt socialist, it would be very hard to combine the two ideologies.

[The Grey Blur]

Gah we've had this debate so many times.

Socialist Line - The Provisional IRA were formed through the anger, poverty and tradition of struggle in Catholic areas in the North of Ireland. They practiced individual terrorism and were more than happy to ally themselves with the beurgeois of America nd the South. They had many Socialist members but were never a Socialist organisation.

Socialist Worker's Party Line - The IRA were anti-imperialist and thus they support them uncritically, even when they blew up kids or shot Protestant workers.

Irish Republican Socialist Line - They enjoy glorifying the armed struggle and revel in their 'glamorous' revolutionary image. Have a militant, secretive image and cling to their military past with reactionary views on drugs and other social issues.

Sinn Féin Line - The Provos were excellent but we must move on and privatise everything that's nailed down!

Personally I think the armed struggle was justified but that now with peace a non-sectarian Socialist solution should be built throughout Ireland, with a United Ireland being a secondary priority.

http://www.socialistparty.net/