IRSM Gives Up Armed Struggle
11 Oct 2009
It is with regret that the International Republican Socialist Network relay this statement released by the Irish Republican Socialist Movement. This is not because the IRSN are militarists or because the comrades of the IRSN were anxious to have the INLA resume a campaign of full armed struggle in the present period. The reason for our regret is because we continue to hold the perspective that the IRSM did for the vast majority of its history as a movement: that the question of armed struggle is not a question of principles, but a question of tactics. As such, it is impossible to state at any point that armed struggle has no role to play in the liberation of the Irish working class. So long as the British and Irish states, representing the forces of international imperialism and native capitalism, continue to wield arms in opposition to the needs and objectives of the Irish working class, the Irish working class must maintain access to the tactic of armed struggle in pur!
suit of its liberation as a class. Accordingly, we are forced to view the statement below by the IRSM as being inherently contrary to a Marxist analysis and seriously misguided. Moreover, we view the statement as representing a policy that puts the Irish working class in a posture that leaves it ill-prepared to defend itself against its class enemies.
Why the IRSM considered such a statement necessary after 11 years on cease-fire is unknown, but it is regrettable that the IRSM has invoked the correct analysis of Thomas 'Ta' Power again as justification of a position that Ta would clearly never have endorsed and which bears no relationship to the important reforms in the IRSM that Ta championed.
Through the position expressed by the statement below, the IRSM has removed from the revolutionary working class forces in Ireland a force in arms, leaving it dependent upon organisations which do not reflect the purely working class perspective of which the IRSM represented the most advanced consciousness in Ireland.
We in the IRSN can only hope that this position will be repudiated by revolutionaries with the IRSM or that a new revolutionary republican socialist movement will arise to replace the vacuum left by the INLA foreswearing the use of armed struggle for all time as soon as is possible.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network
************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 October 2009
Irish Republican Socialist Party
STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE IRISH REPUBLICAN
SOCIALIST MOVEMENT
The Irish National Liberation Army and Irish Republican Socialist
Party were formed in 1974 in order to create a 32 County Socialist
Republic. In those 35 years, military volunteers and political
activists have fought with courage and honour and have struck at the
heart of the British military and political machine in Ireland and in
Britain. The INLA is a key constituency within the Republican
Socialist Movement. The INLA recognised that its struggle was based
upon two distinct phases:
1. Armed Resistance
2. Political Organisation
In 1994, the INLA put in place a no first strike policy and in 1998
called a complete ceasefire. Both of these decisions were based on
its political analysis and monitoring of the changing military and
political environment. The recent progress on loyalist
decommissioning can be traced back to the INLA's no first strike
policy of 1994 and the INLA acknowledges this progressive step by
loyalism.
The RSM has been informed by the INLA that following a process of
serious debate, consultation and analysis, it has concluded that the
armed struggle is over and the objective of a 32 County Socialist
Republic will be best achieved through exclusively peaceful political
struggle.
The RSM agree with this analysis and are fully supportive of the move
to build a left wing party that has a clear objective of a 32 County
Socialist Republic based on the principles of equality, justice,
inclusion, human rights and dignity.
It is within the above objective that the RSM opposed the Good Friday
Agreement and continues to do so. We as a movement believe that the
SixCountyState is not a viable political entity, which cannot be
reformed and fitted into a flawed two state solution.
The RSM has always aspired to the principle of the primacy of
politics as espoused by Ta Power.
The future struggles are political. We urge all comrades, members,
volunteers and supporters to join the political struggle ahead with
the same vigour, commitment and courage that was evident in our armed
struggle against the BritishState.
To paraphrase James Connolly, "let us arise," build a left political
alternative in Ireland and support the struggle against global
capitalism.
Ultimately our allegiance is to the working class. Onwards to victory.
It is with regret that the International Republican Socialist Network relay this statement released by the Irish Republican Socialist Movement. This is not because the IRSN are militarists or because the comrades of the IRSN were anxious to have the INLA resume a campaign of full armed struggle in the present period. The reason for our regret is because we continue to hold the perspective that the IRSM did for the vast majority of its history as a movement: that the question of armed struggle is not a question of principles, but a question of tactics. As such, it is impossible to state at any point that armed struggle has no role to play in the liberation of the Irish working class. So long as the British and Irish states, representing the forces of international imperialism and native capitalism, continue to wield arms in opposition to the needs and objectives of the Irish working class, the Irish working class must maintain access to the tactic of armed struggle in pur!
suit of its liberation as a class. Accordingly, we are forced to view the statement below by the IRSM as being inherently contrary to a Marxist analysis and seriously misguided. Moreover, we view the statement as representing a policy that puts the Irish working class in a posture that leaves it ill-prepared to defend itself against its class enemies.
Why the IRSM considered such a statement necessary after 11 years on cease-fire is unknown, but it is regrettable that the IRSM has invoked the correct analysis of Thomas 'Ta' Power again as justification of a position that Ta would clearly never have endorsed and which bears no relationship to the important reforms in the IRSM that Ta championed.
Through the position expressed by the statement below, the IRSM has removed from the revolutionary working class forces in Ireland a force in arms, leaving it dependent upon organisations which do not reflect the purely working class perspective of which the IRSM represented the most advanced consciousness in Ireland.
We in the IRSN can only hope that this position will be repudiated by revolutionaries with the IRSM or that a new revolutionary republican socialist movement will arise to replace the vacuum left by the INLA foreswearing the use of armed struggle for all time as soon as is possible.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network
************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 October 2009
Irish Republican Socialist Party
STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE IRISH REPUBLICAN
SOCIALIST MOVEMENT
The Irish National Liberation Army and Irish Republican Socialist
Party were formed in 1974 in order to create a 32 County Socialist
Republic. In those 35 years, military volunteers and political
activists have fought with courage and honour and have struck at the
heart of the British military and political machine in Ireland and in
Britain. The INLA is a key constituency within the Republican
Socialist Movement. The INLA recognised that its struggle was based
upon two distinct phases:
1. Armed Resistance
2. Political Organisation
In 1994, the INLA put in place a no first strike policy and in 1998
called a complete ceasefire. Both of these decisions were based on
its political analysis and monitoring of the changing military and
political environment. The recent progress on loyalist
decommissioning can be traced back to the INLA's no first strike
policy of 1994 and the INLA acknowledges this progressive step by
loyalism.
The RSM has been informed by the INLA that following a process of
serious debate, consultation and analysis, it has concluded that the
armed struggle is over and the objective of a 32 County Socialist
Republic will be best achieved through exclusively peaceful political
struggle.
The RSM agree with this analysis and are fully supportive of the move
to build a left wing party that has a clear objective of a 32 County
Socialist Republic based on the principles of equality, justice,
inclusion, human rights and dignity.
It is within the above objective that the RSM opposed the Good Friday
Agreement and continues to do so. We as a movement believe that the
SixCountyState is not a viable political entity, which cannot be
reformed and fitted into a flawed two state solution.
The RSM has always aspired to the principle of the primacy of
politics as espoused by Ta Power.
The future struggles are political. We urge all comrades, members,
volunteers and supporters to join the political struggle ahead with
the same vigour, commitment and courage that was evident in our armed
struggle against the BritishState.
To paraphrase James Connolly, "let us arise," build a left political
alternative in Ireland and support the struggle against global
capitalism.
Ultimately our allegiance is to the working class. Onwards to victory.