IRISH REPUBLICANISM - THEORETICAL

[RedCeltic]

I agree that Irish Republicanism is a significant topic for this forum. I would like to post a clip from SinnFein's mailing list of republican news...

>>>>>> THE SILENT WAR


After another sickening litany of sectarian attacks by loyalists
in the last few days, Sinn Fein chief negotiator Mr Martin
McGuinness has accused unionist leaders of remaining silent about
violence against Catholics.

A creche, a church, a hospital and a sports club were among the
targets of loyalist bombers, gunmen and arsonists.

Families living near loyalist areas are being terrorised on a
daily basis, and tensions have reached boiling point.

"The unionists are not jumping up and down about the ongoing
attacks on the Catholic community," McGuinness said.

"David Trimble and many leaders within his party, and Mr Paisley
and others, are absolutely silent about these attacks whilst at
the same time they are jumping up and down effectively about the
guns that are silent."

[RedCeltic]

Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the Aug. 2, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------

NORTHERN IRELAND: TENSIONS AT A BOILING POINT

By Sue Kelly

In the six counties of north Ireland, gangs of "loyalist"
youths have been rampaging through cities and towns during
the annual summer "marching season" of these Irish right-
wing groups.

The term loyalist goes back to 1690, when the Protestant
king William of Orange defeated the Catholic king James II.
That battle has become the rallying cry and excuse for
bombs, murders, arson and destruction against Irish
republicans--those who want to end British rule so Ireland
can be a united, sovereign and independent republic.

The loyalists are an extreme faction of the unionist
movement, so-called because it is for continued union with
Britain. They have the support and collusion of the British
government, which still occupies the six counties 80 years
after the rest of Ireland won its independence.

This time of year also has meant even greater violations of
the civil rights and safety of the nationalist and
republican--predominantly Catholic--communities.

Homes, churches, a sports club and a hospital in the
nationalist communities have been among the targets of
loyalist mobs, bombs, snipers and arsonists in the recent
round of violence. A daycare school in north Belfast was
riddled with bullets.

A loyalist group called the Red Hand Defenders claimed
responsibility for attacking the children's center. They
stated, "All nationalist people [are] hostile and legitimate
targets." Seven children and daycare workers were forced to
huddle in a toy cupboard to avoid the shots.

A Catholic church in County Tyrone was bombed and Catholic-
owned small businesses in Newtownstewart were targeted by a
mob of nearly 100 loyalists in the early hours of July 12,
the high point of the Protestant marching calendar.
Nationalist residents were forced to flee their homes in
east Belfast as heavy rioting followed intense loyalist
provocations.

"Families living near loyalist areas are being terrorized on
a daily basis, and tensions here have reached a boiling
point," reported the Republican News on July 22.

In the meantime, the current Irish peace process, based on
the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA), is mired in the
refusal of the loyalist/unionist forces to cooperate. They
attempt--again with British government assistance--to blame
all delays on the nationalist/republican position,
specifically the Irish Republican Army and the nationalist
political party Sinn Fein. In fact, the IRA has maintained a
four-year-long cease-fire and Sinn Fein has honored every
promise it made since the signing of the agreement in 1998.

Sinn Fein chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin points out that
the key points of the three-year-old agreement have not been
implemented. These include ending the widespread violations
of human rights by the Royal Ulster Constabulary--the police
force in the six counties--and the removal of the thousands
of British troops stationed there.

The problem is the failure of the British government to get
out of the six counties, or even to live up to its
responsibilities under the GFA in all the key areas:
policing, human rights, criminal justice, demilitarization
and equality of treatment. A joint proposal from the British
and Irish governments is expected to be announced at any
moment, but many do not expect much.

- END -

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[email protected]. For subscription info send message to:
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[Jazz Terrorist]

As a Scotsman I too strongly believe in Irish Republicanism. And as far as Im concerned, any action undertaken to destroy, hurt or dismantle the destructive tendencies of British (or any other forms of) imperialism and capitalism are not only righteous but sometimes are the only solutions to this vile cancerous belief that still hangs around in the 21st century, namely that Britannia rules the waves. You're either part of the solution, or your part of the problem!

[paris.]

Echo, jazz terrorist. I fully agree.

[Jazz Terrorist]

Thanks for the reply Valkyrie. I think its great that such a website as this exists where we can all come together and discuss what links and binds us all together - socialist belief in our brothers and sisters regardless of their race, gender, sexuality and nationality. As for Republicanism, well, thanks to the media all we ever hear about is the decommissioning of IRA weapons. I'd like to ask why we never hear about the decommisioning of loyalist weapons? Or is that conveniently forgotten about by the British Govt? P.s. Are there any comrades out there who have any thoughts about the Baader-Meinhof group or would like to start a discussion about them?

[Moskitto]

Even though I am English I agree with Irish republicanism. I have been to Ireland and I have come to the conclusion that the North shares more with the Republic than it does with the Union.

[celticsocialist]

The whole idea of the United Kingdom is a joke. I am glad to see fellow Scots sharing my views on Scotland and Ireland. With regards to the British occupation of Ireland, I would like to know how long is it after stealing something that doesn`t belong to you,before you can claim to rightfully own it.
The site of the union flag turns my stomach.
If anyone English is reading this I can assure you I am in no way anti English, but everything about Britain makes me sick. Its the year 2001 and still someone in this country can be born more important than someone else. I`m away to calm down now.

[Moskitto]

I regard myself as English not British.

[celticsocialist]

Glad to hear it Moskitto. Seems to me that this is becoming the general feeling in England, would you agree?

[Moskitto]

yeah certainly where i live it is. People don't see themselves as being connected in any way with the Scottish, Welsh or Irish. And we have a lot of Scottish people living here (strange since i'm about 50 miles north of London) and the English people don't really feel the same as the Scotish people so make a distiction.

[Son of Scargill]

Well I'm half English,Irish,and spent most of my childhood moving around the world as my father was a Brit soldier.Brought up as english,but don't feel much affinity with the place of my birth.Big interest in Irish republicanism 'cos of abuse you'd recieve if you admitted
any Irish ancestry whilst Iwas in school.

[Son of Scargill]

Does anyone think that the Republican Cause,although the most important issue in Eire,may have adversely affected the growth of socialist/communist issues in both the north and south?

[celticsocialist]

Scargill, there is no doubt about it. Certainly in the north there are only 2 types of political party, either orange or green and they rely on the one policy.
However I beleive Ireland is a socialist hotbed just waiting for the right time.
When Eire is united socialism will start to take over from republicanism.
Tiocfaidh ar la

[kevolution]

Celtic i used to belive that maxim, "a united ireland is necessary fro socialism to be built" but I have grown to believe that this is not true. If Britain were to pull out of the north tomorrow, i can envisage a bosnian style civil war, reminscant of the tit for tat sectarian killings of the mid 70's. Now that we have at least relative peace here, we must build socialism in both working classes and bring them together to realise their own common class interest.
This obviously will not be easy given the orange/green sectarian nature of northern politics. BUT my comrades in Socialist Youth are out there now, showing young people that there is an alternative to this, ie socialism. We have recieved a positive response thus far, but mainly from the protestant middle class, but hopefully when the assembly is more steady, people will start to realise that the 'socilaism' preached by Sinn Fein and the Progressive Unionist Party is a facade, and that they will (and are already, given SF's towing of the Blairite line as regards PPP and PFI, and the market diktats) betray the working classes on both sides. For example, after the closure of a hospital in Fermanagh (i think) SF health minister Barbara de Brun said "theres nothing we can do" she didnt fight the closure, but she did make sure that everyone got their P45's in both English and Gaelic. Oh how socialist of her. I will post more on this later, but now I must eat.
In the words of the great James Connolly...
"If you remove the English army, and hoist the green flag, unless you you set about establishing a socialist republic, all your efforts will have been in vain"

[Kez]

Long live the IRA,
the IRA have been scrwed up the ass for years, now it is their time to screw the british warmongers, and smash em up

LONG LIVE THE IDEA OF A UNITED IRELAND
comrade kamo

[Conghaileach]

Sorry, but I dont consider Sinn Féin to be a republican party, not any longer. To me, they're a constitutional nationalist party like the SDLP. Gerry Adams once rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange - just goes to show how he feels about the working class.

Anyway, the main problem right now among Republican Socialists is that you'd get a majority vote across the entire island for a united Ireland, but for a Socialist Republic you'd get maybe 30%. Ireland will most likely be united as a capitalist state, and continue to be screwed over by the US under the term "the Celtic Tiger." Also, with the Free State government becoming more and more Thatcher-like, many people feel that reuniting Ireland is only the first step in achieveing independence.

[Freiheit]

i totally disagree with the actions of the ira, and they must be punished.
but i support an independent northern ireland.
(the english left - almost - every colony, why cant they lieve nothern ireland?