On Easter Monday April 13th 2009 a march took place in Dublin to mark the 93rd anniversary of the Easter Rising. The march which began at Liberty Hall, the route taken by the men and women of the Irish Citizen Army, Irish Volunteers and the Cumann na mBann ninety three years ago, to the GPO was non party political and all were welcome. The attendance of around three hundred was encouraging considering the wintry conditions and the parade was headed by two pipers. The major themes of the oration, delivered at the GPO and Moore Street respectively, were the role of women in the struggle for Irish freedom 1916-1923, of which there were considerable and whom are often wrongly overlooked, and the states plans to demolish number 16 Moore Street. This building has been the centre of some controversy for some time because of its value as a historical monument. The argument is that number 16 Moore Street and the whole block of buildings thereafter was the last garrison to surrender on the 29th April 1916 and therefore is a site of national heritage, this argument is absolutely correct. This is the site where the petit figure of nurse Elizabeth O'Farrel, Cumann na mBann,l delivered a message to Brigadier-General William Lowe, Commander British forces Dublin, from Padraic Pearse, Commander In Chief Irish forces, wishing to "treat" on terms of surrender. This was to save Dublin for any furhter loss of life and destruction. It was this building where a seriously wounded James connolly had been moved to on a stretcher and despite many popular myths was the final stand of the rebel forces and not, as has often being sited the GPO.
It is the intention of the twenty six county government to destroy this block of buildings probably to make way for their friends in the property development business. As the speaker, from the National Graves Association, correctly pointed out "in any other European city this building would be protected for posterity"how right he was/is. Could anybody imagine the French pulling down buildings in Paris which had historical connections to 1789? or the Cubans destroying tributes to their revolution of 1959 and painting over the murals of Che Guevara? even the English maintain their sites of historical interest including a statue of Oliver Cromwell who had a kings head removed from his shoulders. However there are no such sentiments in Ireland, it is almost as if the state want to bury the events of Easter week 1916 and one must ask, if this is the case why? Is it because the very mention of 1916 evokes a feeling of national self determination and, regarding the six counties, unfinished business? , maybe.
Number 16 Moore Street and the accompanying block are not the first set of buildings connected to Irelands past and particularly the Easter Rising to be allowed to fall into a state of dereliction. But for the sturdy work of a team of volunters Kilmanham Gaol would have been left to collapse under its own weight due to neglect. Thanks to this work it is now a museum which attracts many tourists, republican and otherwise, who are interested in Irish history. How could any government of the twenty six counties allow a building like Kilmainham to fall into such a state. This is the place where fourteen of the sixteen men executed as a result of the Easter Rising met their executioners. It is the place, the spot marked by a cross, where James Connolly was shot strapped to a chair, being unable to stand due to the severity of his wounds, and yet it is the same site which was allowed to fall into disrepair by various free state governments. The team of volunteers who restored Kilmainham deserve praise and applause for their sturdy work. Now we witness the same attitude by government to number 16 Moore Street, but not without oppossition. There are still people, sane minded people, who care enough to volunteer their services towards the restoration of the building and opposse any government plans for demolition to benefit the interests of property developers or anybody else for that mater. The Irish Republican Socialist Party wish the campaign to save number 16 Moore Street the very best and every success.
Kevin Morley
Cumann Secretary IRSP Dublin
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
THE SYSTEM ISN'T WORKING: DON'T BE DIVIDED
Every day now we turn on our television sets and hear more of the HSE prescribed medicine of doom and gloom. We are constantly informed by congennitals about the "recession"and how if we are good boys and girls we may be out of the mess by the year 2011. These people choose their words carefully by emphasising we "may be out" of recession by the year 2011 and that is only if we are very good. By this they mean accepting lower wages leading to a lower living standards which, I might add, does not affect those who are doing the telling, accepting unemployment leading to, in many cases marriage breakup, in fact accepting anything the capitalist system deems fit to throw at us in order to maintain its existence. On many news bulletins we hear cases of unemployed people saying the such as "I've been out of work sinse Christmas, I look for work every day but there's nothing" we see ordinarily hard working people grovelling for such jobs as making hamburgers. We wittness homes being repossessed on an almost daily basis and in the extreme cases suicide. The irony is that many of these unfortunate people appear to a certain degree to blame themselves and not the capitalist system. Of course they do not actually say this but some of the orations they come out with appears to point in this direction. In february a large demonstration took place in Dublin, upwards of 120,000 people took part. Some of the participants were coming out with not very well thought out statements like "we don't mind taking a pay cut providing everybody does", music to the ears of any employer one would imagine. Others who had obviously given the subject a little more thought were coming out with the more sensible approach "why should we pay for the mess" and "we didn't cause the problem why should we pay for it". It is the latter of these approaches which bears the characteristics of sensibility. Why should working class people pay for the mess the capitalist benefactors of labour power have created. It is them and their system which is to blame, a system which we are constantly informed is the finest available to man kind. Well just look around you and make your own mind up on this ridiculous philosophy.
Unfortunately we have a minority within the ranks of the working class who are falling for the ideas of the employer sympathising far right. The "Irish jobs for Irish people" brigade who peddle ethnic and racial prejudice which divides workers up and serves the interests of the employing class. Blaming the recession on "non-nationals" or a workers skin colour is about as practical as blaming domestic cattle for climate change. The issue at stake is not what colour a workers skin may be because they are still a worker and, like their caucasian counterpart, they are still exploited and will end up, again just the same, on the scrap heap. The issue in question is the private ownership of the means of production, control and exchange. All the modern technology and machinery which should make life more pleasurable for all of us are in the private hands of a few greedy capitalists. They use these commodities, as they do that other great comodity workers labour power, to amass huge profits. This done the wealth creators, the working class, are surplus to requirements. It is not "non-nationals" who have created this mess but caucasian capitalists. A recent example of workers discriminating against workers on the grounds of ethnic or national origin and/or skin colour is the Cork branch of the taxi drivers. The taxi drivers are in dispute nationally over reductions in living standards, quite rightly so, and in Cork a minority of drivers are denying "non-nationals" membership of their trade union. This is shallow narrow minded bigotry to say the least and ethnocentricm and racism would paint a more descriptive picture. These taxi drivers are playing into their tormentors hands by dividing themselves on these grounds. The "non-nationals" have applied to join the union and have been refused membership on the grounds outlined. This suits the government down to the ground. Fortunately the taxi drivers nationally have distanced themselves from these political illiterates but nevertheless these minority views, or lack of, must not go unchecked. If society repatriated all "non-nationals" tomorrow and a situation of "Irish jobs for Irish people" evolved within three months there would be Irish workers looking for work again just the same as now. The reason for this is nothing to do with "non-nationals", how could it be under this scenario they would have all gone home, it is to do with the ownership of the means of production, control and exchange. The private ownership of. If under the above scenario an employer, now employing "Irish workers", aquired a technologically advanced computerised piece of equipment which could do the work of ten people, be it in an office, factory or building site, then these workers, Irish or otherwise would be surplus to requirements. Who then would these bigots blame, people with grey hair because they are too old? or perhaps women workers?, the age old arument about womens place being in the home! Eventually they would have run out of scapegoats when, unfortunately, it is too late. Then the employers come to make the bigots and racists redundant and they cry for help and there is nobody left to answer their call. Remember a worker is a worker, the exploited are the exploited and ethnic and national origin or skin colour is of no relavence to this fact. Dont allow yourselves to be divided.
The only aspect of everyday existence which is not working is capitalism itself. Capitalism "is not intelligent, it is not beautiful, it is not just, it is not virtuous and it does not deliver the goods" (John Maynard Keynes economist). Take a look around you and evidence of these words are apparent every day. There are times when the capitalist system requires the services of working class people, until they find an advanced machine when they don't, and that is in what we are suppossed to call boom times to amass huge profits for the parasite class. When enough profits have been made the result is what we are wittnessing now on a daily basis. We have produced ourselves out of a job simply because we have been instructed by the bosses to do so. The bosses are constantly telling us about the merits of what they call "perfect competition" which there is nothing perfect about at all. This insane system has firm competing against firm and, more importantly worker against worker and, like all competitions from football onwards there has to be a loser. These losers can be seen seeking new employment daily, some blaming themselves for asking a living wage from their previous employer. Some actually feel sorry for their former exploiters and apportion a certain amount of blame to themselves for him/her going out of business. The fact that they, the former employers, are still millionaires or, in some cases, billionaires does not enter the equation. Even now we can hear the employers saying such tried, tested and failed statements as "we must become more competative again" normally through their mouthpiece IBEC (Irish Business and Employers Confederation). Albert Einstein described insanity as trying the same failed method again and expecting a different result. Just look around you as evidence of this scientists words.
The services of working cl;ass people are once again required at that approximately five year event called election time. It is at this time when the democracy factor which partly comprises the formula called liberal democracy comes into play. Here for five minuets of one day we are allowed to partake in the political process by electing a government to run the affairs of, and for the benefit of, the capitalist class. As the former Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, once said: "If voting changed anything they'd abolish it", very true. However this is not to say don't vote at all because it is your only very limited democratic right left. Liberal democracy must never be confused with the real thing, and this farce takes place in all countries which we for some reason are pleased to call "advanced", which would include democratic accountability for all those elected to positions of authority. Access to these people on a daily basis, be it at work or at a local and national level, the common ownership of the means of production, control and distribution under workers control. Production for the needs of the people as oppossed to the profits of the few. A better stable more harmonious world for all would be the order of the day. It is possible but the penny must drop first. Stop blaming straw men for the problems of capitalism, stop being appoligists for a system which from cradle to grave is geared to exploitation of the many by the few. If it has been good enough for you, foolishly, don't let it be good enough for your children and grandchildren. "THE GREAT APPEAR GREAT BECAUSE WE ARE ON OUR KNEES. LET US RISE", often quoted from Camille Desmoulins by James Connolly.
Bill Haywood
Unfortunately we have a minority within the ranks of the working class who are falling for the ideas of the employer sympathising far right. The "Irish jobs for Irish people" brigade who peddle ethnic and racial prejudice which divides workers up and serves the interests of the employing class. Blaming the recession on "non-nationals" or a workers skin colour is about as practical as blaming domestic cattle for climate change. The issue at stake is not what colour a workers skin may be because they are still a worker and, like their caucasian counterpart, they are still exploited and will end up, again just the same, on the scrap heap. The issue in question is the private ownership of the means of production, control and exchange. All the modern technology and machinery which should make life more pleasurable for all of us are in the private hands of a few greedy capitalists. They use these commodities, as they do that other great comodity workers labour power, to amass huge profits. This done the wealth creators, the working class, are surplus to requirements. It is not "non-nationals" who have created this mess but caucasian capitalists. A recent example of workers discriminating against workers on the grounds of ethnic or national origin and/or skin colour is the Cork branch of the taxi drivers. The taxi drivers are in dispute nationally over reductions in living standards, quite rightly so, and in Cork a minority of drivers are denying "non-nationals" membership of their trade union. This is shallow narrow minded bigotry to say the least and ethnocentricm and racism would paint a more descriptive picture. These taxi drivers are playing into their tormentors hands by dividing themselves on these grounds. The "non-nationals" have applied to join the union and have been refused membership on the grounds outlined. This suits the government down to the ground. Fortunately the taxi drivers nationally have distanced themselves from these political illiterates but nevertheless these minority views, or lack of, must not go unchecked. If society repatriated all "non-nationals" tomorrow and a situation of "Irish jobs for Irish people" evolved within three months there would be Irish workers looking for work again just the same as now. The reason for this is nothing to do with "non-nationals", how could it be under this scenario they would have all gone home, it is to do with the ownership of the means of production, control and exchange. The private ownership of. If under the above scenario an employer, now employing "Irish workers", aquired a technologically advanced computerised piece of equipment which could do the work of ten people, be it in an office, factory or building site, then these workers, Irish or otherwise would be surplus to requirements. Who then would these bigots blame, people with grey hair because they are too old? or perhaps women workers?, the age old arument about womens place being in the home! Eventually they would have run out of scapegoats when, unfortunately, it is too late. Then the employers come to make the bigots and racists redundant and they cry for help and there is nobody left to answer their call. Remember a worker is a worker, the exploited are the exploited and ethnic and national origin or skin colour is of no relavence to this fact. Dont allow yourselves to be divided.
The only aspect of everyday existence which is not working is capitalism itself. Capitalism "is not intelligent, it is not beautiful, it is not just, it is not virtuous and it does not deliver the goods" (John Maynard Keynes economist). Take a look around you and evidence of these words are apparent every day. There are times when the capitalist system requires the services of working class people, until they find an advanced machine when they don't, and that is in what we are suppossed to call boom times to amass huge profits for the parasite class. When enough profits have been made the result is what we are wittnessing now on a daily basis. We have produced ourselves out of a job simply because we have been instructed by the bosses to do so. The bosses are constantly telling us about the merits of what they call "perfect competition" which there is nothing perfect about at all. This insane system has firm competing against firm and, more importantly worker against worker and, like all competitions from football onwards there has to be a loser. These losers can be seen seeking new employment daily, some blaming themselves for asking a living wage from their previous employer. Some actually feel sorry for their former exploiters and apportion a certain amount of blame to themselves for him/her going out of business. The fact that they, the former employers, are still millionaires or, in some cases, billionaires does not enter the equation. Even now we can hear the employers saying such tried, tested and failed statements as "we must become more competative again" normally through their mouthpiece IBEC (Irish Business and Employers Confederation). Albert Einstein described insanity as trying the same failed method again and expecting a different result. Just look around you as evidence of this scientists words.
The services of working cl;ass people are once again required at that approximately five year event called election time. It is at this time when the democracy factor which partly comprises the formula called liberal democracy comes into play. Here for five minuets of one day we are allowed to partake in the political process by electing a government to run the affairs of, and for the benefit of, the capitalist class. As the former Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, once said: "If voting changed anything they'd abolish it", very true. However this is not to say don't vote at all because it is your only very limited democratic right left. Liberal democracy must never be confused with the real thing, and this farce takes place in all countries which we for some reason are pleased to call "advanced", which would include democratic accountability for all those elected to positions of authority. Access to these people on a daily basis, be it at work or at a local and national level, the common ownership of the means of production, control and distribution under workers control. Production for the needs of the people as oppossed to the profits of the few. A better stable more harmonious world for all would be the order of the day. It is possible but the penny must drop first. Stop blaming straw men for the problems of capitalism, stop being appoligists for a system which from cradle to grave is geared to exploitation of the many by the few. If it has been good enough for you, foolishly, don't let it be good enough for your children and grandchildren. "THE GREAT APPEAR GREAT BECAUSE WE ARE ON OUR KNEES. LET US RISE", often quoted from Camille Desmoulins by James Connolly.
Bill Haywood
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
GET RID OF THIS LIABILITY
On Monday the 23rd of March, 2009, the bourgeois media could triumphantly inform us that one of the states largest trade unions, IMPACT, had failed to secure the required two thirds majority to take part in strike action on Mondy 30th March organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) . The strike which is schedueled for one day only, not really long enough to have any major impact, is to demonstrate workers anger at government and employers cuts in public spending resulting in even more inferiour public services, job losses, pension levies, pay cuts and freezes etc. etc . IMPACT received a 65% majority in favour of taking part in the strike which was a mere 1% short of the two thirds needed which is ridiculous.
This rule is a liability to any form of organised fight back and, noticibaly, is undemocratic. It is a liability because it is weighted towards the benefit of the employers who only need a 35% minority to vote against strike action thus cancelling out the will of the majority who are in favour. Could anybody imagine this rule reversed. Let us say that 35% voted for strike action and 65% against and the union went ahead with the action there would be cries of undemocratic, communist dictators, union barons holding the country and their own members to ransom and may more reactionary orations. This liability rule not only applies to this particular day of action it applies, unless there is a rule change, to all strikes in the future. ICTU and the IMPACT leadership should ignore the fact that a two thirds majority was not achieved and concentrate on the democratic will of the majority and go ahead with taking part in the strike. When the time comes that a 35% minority can dictate to the 65% majority then even by the limited democratic machinery of liberal democracy the word, democracy and its workings, must be called into question. Let us not forget the present capitalist system only pays lip service to democracy and only then when it suits the ruling class and their governmental puppets. Remember 65% is a far larger majority and therefore mandate than those who masquerade as government in the Dail have ever received.
Finally those unions who operate this ridiculous one sided two thirds rule should seriously consider revising their rule books. A simple majority of 50.5% should be adequate to call strike action, though this it could be argued is too close to call so let us say 53%. This would give clear daylight between those in favour of strike action and those oppossed. This rule amendment should apply to all unions, ICTU affiliated or not and whether the employers and government like it or not.
Joe Hill
This rule is a liability to any form of organised fight back and, noticibaly, is undemocratic. It is a liability because it is weighted towards the benefit of the employers who only need a 35% minority to vote against strike action thus cancelling out the will of the majority who are in favour. Could anybody imagine this rule reversed. Let us say that 35% voted for strike action and 65% against and the union went ahead with the action there would be cries of undemocratic, communist dictators, union barons holding the country and their own members to ransom and may more reactionary orations. This liability rule not only applies to this particular day of action it applies, unless there is a rule change, to all strikes in the future. ICTU and the IMPACT leadership should ignore the fact that a two thirds majority was not achieved and concentrate on the democratic will of the majority and go ahead with taking part in the strike. When the time comes that a 35% minority can dictate to the 65% majority then even by the limited democratic machinery of liberal democracy the word, democracy and its workings, must be called into question. Let us not forget the present capitalist system only pays lip service to democracy and only then when it suits the ruling class and their governmental puppets. Remember 65% is a far larger majority and therefore mandate than those who masquerade as government in the Dail have ever received.
Finally those unions who operate this ridiculous one sided two thirds rule should seriously consider revising their rule books. A simple majority of 50.5% should be adequate to call strike action, though this it could be argued is too close to call so let us say 53%. This would give clear daylight between those in favour of strike action and those oppossed. This rule amendment should apply to all unions, ICTU affiliated or not and whether the employers and government like it or not.
Joe Hill
Monday, March 23, 2009
RELIGION STILL THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES
I was interested to read in the March edition of the Catholic church magazine "alive" about a twelve year old girl supporting the pro-life stance on abortion using the youtube. The headline on page 16 read '12-yea-old Lia's oro-life talk a big hit on youtube'. The article went on to inform us triumphantly, 'Lia a twelve year old girl in Toronto, Canada, caused ructions in her school and has become a youtube sensation with a five minute pro-life talk'. The talk was part of a school topic which the school tried to talk the child out of on the grounds that it was 'too mature and controvercial', and that if she stuck to it she would be disqualified'. Her mother tried to talk her out of it but to no avail. In the end she relented saying "I really believe it's something that God put in her heart", does not sound much like talking her out of it . Much to the delight of the church Lia won the competition, after a great deal of comotion including one pro-life judge stepping down after she was initially disqualified. The rest of the panel then reversed their decision and declared her the winner.
What I can not understand is why a girl of twelve would choose such a subject without some form of brainwashing. Accepting that she is very academically advanced for her age, and this advancement should not be stifled, and given the state of the global economy would it not have been more appropriate to speak on something more topical, like the state of the world economy, which she could still have brought her religion into, after all did Jesus not kick out all the capitalists from the temple?, the very people who have caused the global economic crisis we are now witnessing. Of course this would not have gone down too well with the Catholic hierarchy, themselves pro-capitalist, and would perhaps not have been allowed to go out as her topic. A twelve year old girl, scientifically barely able to concieve, giving a talk on the de-merits of abortion does not ring true unless somebody, not divine intervention, was pulling the strings. In todays world it would have been expected that a twelve year old girl of such mental development would be more likely to speak about a womans right to choose, which would make more sense. One problem with this and that is the church would not approve but since when has this mattered to the planets twelve year olds?, unless some form of brainwashing has taken place.
It is perhaps time that the church, all religions and denominations, were stopped from filling childrens heads with something which may or may not have happened. It must be very confusing for children of impressionable ages coming out of one lesson on religion and then going into a class on Darwinism. You can not believe in both it is a total paradox and all the scientific evidence points to the correctness of Darwin.
There are other denominations of Christianity all equally guilty of the same system of brainwashing. The Protestant religion, for example decided to re-write the rules to suit the needs of a King who wanted a divorce and, more importantly, the new aspiring class in society the mercantile capitalists. If the original Bible was true how then can the re-written one with a few alterations be also true? Why, before the industrial revolution, was the Bible written in Latin which only the priests could understand? When it was decided that people needed to learn the basics of literacy they were tought to read selected pieces from the Bible, now written in English and other relavent languages. The reason for the need to read and write, very basic at that, was so they could understand how to operate the new machinery owned by the new industrialists. While learning to read and write they could brainwash themselves by learning from the Bible. The only day they got away from the eternal slavery of work was Sunday and guess what, to enable them to go to church. While at church these early proleterians, like their predecessors from feudalism, could learn how to be a poor man on this earth but be rich in the kingdom of heaven. If this was not programming not to question and accept their lot down here, that being poverty, what was?
Then we have our overpaid clergymen and in certain denominations women, who get paid a fortune to ensure this state of ignorance continues. However when the capitalist class found they could increase profits by making Sunday to all intents and purposes a "normal" day the fact that this was suppossed to be Gods day is conviniently forgotten, similar to all the other inconvinient things attached to religion which affects profits.
Marx was right with his description of "religion being the opiate of the masses" and the day it ceases to be is the day the capitalist system will disgard it.
Caoimhin
Dublin
What I can not understand is why a girl of twelve would choose such a subject without some form of brainwashing. Accepting that she is very academically advanced for her age, and this advancement should not be stifled, and given the state of the global economy would it not have been more appropriate to speak on something more topical, like the state of the world economy, which she could still have brought her religion into, after all did Jesus not kick out all the capitalists from the temple?, the very people who have caused the global economic crisis we are now witnessing. Of course this would not have gone down too well with the Catholic hierarchy, themselves pro-capitalist, and would perhaps not have been allowed to go out as her topic. A twelve year old girl, scientifically barely able to concieve, giving a talk on the de-merits of abortion does not ring true unless somebody, not divine intervention, was pulling the strings. In todays world it would have been expected that a twelve year old girl of such mental development would be more likely to speak about a womans right to choose, which would make more sense. One problem with this and that is the church would not approve but since when has this mattered to the planets twelve year olds?, unless some form of brainwashing has taken place.
It is perhaps time that the church, all religions and denominations, were stopped from filling childrens heads with something which may or may not have happened. It must be very confusing for children of impressionable ages coming out of one lesson on religion and then going into a class on Darwinism. You can not believe in both it is a total paradox and all the scientific evidence points to the correctness of Darwin.
There are other denominations of Christianity all equally guilty of the same system of brainwashing. The Protestant religion, for example decided to re-write the rules to suit the needs of a King who wanted a divorce and, more importantly, the new aspiring class in society the mercantile capitalists. If the original Bible was true how then can the re-written one with a few alterations be also true? Why, before the industrial revolution, was the Bible written in Latin which only the priests could understand? When it was decided that people needed to learn the basics of literacy they were tought to read selected pieces from the Bible, now written in English and other relavent languages. The reason for the need to read and write, very basic at that, was so they could understand how to operate the new machinery owned by the new industrialists. While learning to read and write they could brainwash themselves by learning from the Bible. The only day they got away from the eternal slavery of work was Sunday and guess what, to enable them to go to church. While at church these early proleterians, like their predecessors from feudalism, could learn how to be a poor man on this earth but be rich in the kingdom of heaven. If this was not programming not to question and accept their lot down here, that being poverty, what was?
Then we have our overpaid clergymen and in certain denominations women, who get paid a fortune to ensure this state of ignorance continues. However when the capitalist class found they could increase profits by making Sunday to all intents and purposes a "normal" day the fact that this was suppossed to be Gods day is conviniently forgotten, similar to all the other inconvinient things attached to religion which affects profits.
Marx was right with his description of "religion being the opiate of the masses" and the day it ceases to be is the day the capitalist system will disgard it.
Caoimhin
Dublin
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Permanent Crisis of Capitalism
As the world economic system staggers from crisis to crisis and the politicians try to tamper and reform the irreformable and come up with new words such as"recapitalisation" reffering to the banks it becomes increasingly more clear that they have not got a clue what to do. Workers are once again being asked to bail out a system by accepting pay reductions, pension levy's, another word for pay cuts, a system which in times of what passes for normality exploits them, denies them a sizable chunk of the wealth they have created under the name of profit, simply because the bourgeoisie have not got a clue what to do. The irony is the level of workers anger goes from mild indignation to radical protest, though still short at the moment of revolutionary fervour. Some workers have been heard to say we don't mind "paying our share" as long as everybody else does. This of course is the wrong argument and other workers take a more militant stance by stating the more radical view "why should we pay" which is somewhat more correct. Why should an already exploited proletariat bail out the ever hungry bourgeoisie out of the mess them and their imbecile system have got us all into? The answer is the working class should not bail the system out and our advice is don't. Instead of the ICTU unions calling one day strikes serious consideration should be given to calling an all out indefinate general stoppage. If the union leadership are unable, unwilling or both to give this lead then the proletariat should set up their own shop stewards committees over the heads of their collaborating leadership. Don't moan organise.
We are told there is going to be a "mini budget" in Ireland during April when those who masquerade as politicians will tamper with the system again, pretending to have some idea what they are dioing and fooling nobody. There is one thing they will not do, either through pretentions or reality, and that is question the validity of the capitalist economic system itself. They will never put it up to the exploiters of labour that it is their greed and constant pursuit of ever greater profits which are largely to blame for this mess. They will never critisise the theory of "perfect competition" of which there is very little if anything perfect about,just look around you. They certainly will not advocate complete nationalisation of the banks leading to one state controlled central bank, after all who needs all these small private banks? During the days of the Soviet Union, despite its grotesque distortions, did the State Bank of Moscow ever go bust? No it did not.
In the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown keeps reliably informing us that the economy is in a problematic state because the problem is "global". If the British economy is in a state it may well be affected by the condition of international idiocity, capitalism, but this does not stop them spending millions of pounds per day waging war in other countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting organisations they helped to put there in the first place. The United States are even more guilty of this crime, after all was it not them and, to a slightly lesser extent Britain, who supplied the mujaheddin when they were fighting the Soviet Union who, incidentally were there through invitation of the then socialist (of sorts) President of Afghanistan, and it was a CIA backed coup in Iraq 1978 which placed Saddam Hussein at the helm in that country. These operations and ventures tend to make a mockery of statements such as "there is no money" which we are now more than used to hearing.
What the 26 county government should be doing, but rest assured will not, is advocating a strong hands on economic policy based on planning. Drop the myth of perfect competition which sets firm against firm and therefore worker against worker, which it is designed to do and nationalise all large industry including the multinationals US or otherwise as well as indigenous companioes. It should be remembered that the profits of these multinationals are not calculated into the GDP of Ireland but the GNP of the sending country. This is money, like all wealth, is created through labour in Ireland and now Ireland needs that money therefore take it.
The Irish state are very good when it suits at remembering the 1916 leaders one of whom was a revolutionary marxist, James Connolly, yet they do everything which would have been an atithesis to everything Connolly stood for. After nationalisation all the means of production should be put under workers control and a system of production for the needs of the people as oppossed to the profit of the few adopted. Once again rest assured we will hear non of these sentiments from Brian Cowen (Biffo) in the budget, such a system will have to come from below, from the disspossesed working class through popular revolution the question is are we ready for such revolutionary change?
Kevin
IRSP Dublin
We are told there is going to be a "mini budget" in Ireland during April when those who masquerade as politicians will tamper with the system again, pretending to have some idea what they are dioing and fooling nobody. There is one thing they will not do, either through pretentions or reality, and that is question the validity of the capitalist economic system itself. They will never put it up to the exploiters of labour that it is their greed and constant pursuit of ever greater profits which are largely to blame for this mess. They will never critisise the theory of "perfect competition" of which there is very little if anything perfect about,just look around you. They certainly will not advocate complete nationalisation of the banks leading to one state controlled central bank, after all who needs all these small private banks? During the days of the Soviet Union, despite its grotesque distortions, did the State Bank of Moscow ever go bust? No it did not.
In the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown keeps reliably informing us that the economy is in a problematic state because the problem is "global". If the British economy is in a state it may well be affected by the condition of international idiocity, capitalism, but this does not stop them spending millions of pounds per day waging war in other countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting organisations they helped to put there in the first place. The United States are even more guilty of this crime, after all was it not them and, to a slightly lesser extent Britain, who supplied the mujaheddin when they were fighting the Soviet Union who, incidentally were there through invitation of the then socialist (of sorts) President of Afghanistan, and it was a CIA backed coup in Iraq 1978 which placed Saddam Hussein at the helm in that country. These operations and ventures tend to make a mockery of statements such as "there is no money" which we are now more than used to hearing.
What the 26 county government should be doing, but rest assured will not, is advocating a strong hands on economic policy based on planning. Drop the myth of perfect competition which sets firm against firm and therefore worker against worker, which it is designed to do and nationalise all large industry including the multinationals US or otherwise as well as indigenous companioes. It should be remembered that the profits of these multinationals are not calculated into the GDP of Ireland but the GNP of the sending country. This is money, like all wealth, is created through labour in Ireland and now Ireland needs that money therefore take it.
The Irish state are very good when it suits at remembering the 1916 leaders one of whom was a revolutionary marxist, James Connolly, yet they do everything which would have been an atithesis to everything Connolly stood for. After nationalisation all the means of production should be put under workers control and a system of production for the needs of the people as oppossed to the profit of the few adopted. Once again rest assured we will hear non of these sentiments from Brian Cowen (Biffo) in the budget, such a system will have to come from below, from the disspossesed working class through popular revolution the question is are we ready for such revolutionary change?
Kevin
IRSP Dublin
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
New Years Statement from Leadership of IRSM
1st January 2009
The IRSP send greetings to all our members and supporters as we enter 2009 . We send sincere solidarity greetings to all republican Prisoners, at home or abroad. We express our fullest solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip enduring a barbarous assault by the pro-imperialist Israeli regime. We stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who resist the forces of imperialism and reactionary ideologies.We are confident that the way forward not only for all the people on the isle of Ireland but also throughout the world is through the struggle for socialism. The current crisis of capitalism is leading to an attack on the living standards of millions of working class people. Unemployment will rise, more will sink into poverty and the dangers of war increase. The only viable alternative is Socialism, which will replace the anarchy of the free market with a planned economy that caters for the needs of the majority.It is clear to many Republicans a that the current set up at Stormont is not a steppingstone to a Republic but a cementing of British rule in Ireland. The IRSP will continue to work with other republicans to expose the hollow fallacies at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement. We will not be deflected by the campaign of arrests, harassment denigration and lies carried out by pro-imperialist forces north and south of the border on our membership.We urge all republicans to work in harmony with each other to expose the weaknesses of the current constitutional set up. It is not a time for “ourselves alone” philosophy.At the same time we urge all republicans and socialists to step up our activities in both the social and economic fields. Unless and until republican socialists take ownership and leadership of the day today class struggles then our struggle will not succeed.Finally we salute all our former political prisoners, all our former and current volunteers who have stood loyally by the ideals and principles of republican socialism.
The Struggle continues.
The IRSP send greetings to all our members and supporters as we enter 2009 . We send sincere solidarity greetings to all republican Prisoners, at home or abroad. We express our fullest solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip enduring a barbarous assault by the pro-imperialist Israeli regime. We stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who resist the forces of imperialism and reactionary ideologies.We are confident that the way forward not only for all the people on the isle of Ireland but also throughout the world is through the struggle for socialism. The current crisis of capitalism is leading to an attack on the living standards of millions of working class people. Unemployment will rise, more will sink into poverty and the dangers of war increase. The only viable alternative is Socialism, which will replace the anarchy of the free market with a planned economy that caters for the needs of the majority.It is clear to many Republicans a that the current set up at Stormont is not a steppingstone to a Republic but a cementing of British rule in Ireland. The IRSP will continue to work with other republicans to expose the hollow fallacies at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement. We will not be deflected by the campaign of arrests, harassment denigration and lies carried out by pro-imperialist forces north and south of the border on our membership.We urge all republicans to work in harmony with each other to expose the weaknesses of the current constitutional set up. It is not a time for “ourselves alone” philosophy.At the same time we urge all republicans and socialists to step up our activities in both the social and economic fields. Unless and until republican socialists take ownership and leadership of the day today class struggles then our struggle will not succeed.Finally we salute all our former political prisoners, all our former and current volunteers who have stood loyally by the ideals and principles of republican socialism.
The Struggle continues.
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