IRELAND

(Continued from previous issue)

The socialist movement in Ireland is split into a number of splinter groups none of them with any mass influence, except perhaps the Northern Ireland The Stalinists in Ireland show their opportunism by recognizing partition to the extent of having two separate organizations, one for the north, one for the south. The Northern Ireland Communist Party, because it cannot approach the ending of partition from a class basis, has evolved the happy formula of just not mentioning it in its programme. In the south the movement has been destroyed time and time again by following the ruinous policies put out by the Comintern or the Cominform. — On top of all this, emigration has bled the Left-wing movement white.

Despite all this it is not impossible to begin to think seriously of laying the basis for an all-Ireland socialist republican party based on Marxism. Within the country itself the very bankruptcy of all parties leaves the road open to one uncompromised by betrayals.

An example of this was the very rapid development some five years ago of the Dublin unemployed movement, which not only fought and won considerable concessions but also had its own paper The Torch and returned its own member of parliament, Jack Murphy.

Socialist Labour League discussed Just recently the ruling party (Fianna Fail) :.’tempted to remove the proportional system of voting, which allows small _parties more chance of returning candidates than the straight vote in Britain. They linked this change to the election of De Valera as President, hoping to use his name to push the thing. This move was defeated by quite a substantial vote, which is a tribute to the good political sense of the people.

While I was there I was able to open a discussion on socialism and the Socialist Labour Teague and I received a number of sympathetic enquiries from young people anxious to know more about us.

Our movement has a great opportunity and responsibility to help in the training of hundreds of young Irish socialists. The Ireland of today mirrors the future that British capitalism has in store for its own working class, and our struggle to build a socialist organization that can assist in the establishment of an Irish socialist republic is no skin off our nose, but a positive organization in England with a correct attitude ‘owards the Irish can play a decisive part in helping to determine the future of the struggle.

One of the great tasks of our movement must be to make available the writings of James Connolly to Irish workers in Britain. They can be read with profit by all socialists, but to the Irish they can be political dynamite. There ‘s hardly a problem that faces us today that Connolly has not written on. More to the point. the Socialist Labour League is the true heir to the teachings of Connolly.

Since 1926 almost one million Irish workers have emigrated to Britain, making the Irish the biggest immigrant grouping. We have the responsibility of bringing as many of these workers as possible into the Socialist Labour League, so that they can fight jointly with us for our revolutionary programme. (concluded)

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