Ireland

A workers' guide to Ireland

This pamphlet is dedicated to all the victims of the crime the British Empire and the divided Irish bourgeoisie - Orange, Green, and Green-White-and-Orange alike - did by partitioning Ireland in 1922. It is dedicated too to the Irish labour movement on both sides of the border, which must fight its way out of the blood-soaked mess capitalism has made in Ireland and build the only republic that is not a grim and cynical mockery of the long struggles of the Irish people for freedom - the workers' republic. First published 1993. This e-book edition 2016. Download as a laid up PDF here . Table of...

An Irish Trotskyist Programme for Irish Unity (1948)

This leaflet was produced by the Irish Trotskyists of the Revolutionary Socialist Party in 1948. A section of the Cannon-Pablo-Mandel Fourth International, the RSP had adopted the politics of the Workers Party USA, the Shachtman organisation. The “coalition” referred to is the Dublin government formed after the the February 1948 election in the 26 Counties by Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Clann na Poblachta, Clann na Talmhan and the National Labour Party. It replaced De Valera's Fianna Fail, which had been in office since 1932. Fine Gael takes hostages Would Fine Gael, the party of the ranchers...

Provos, Protestants and Irish working-class politics - a dialogue

Download complete text as pdf here or read online: Introduction Session one: The issues stated Session two: A foothold for imperialism? Session three: Ireland, "permanent revolution", and imperialism Session four: Two Nations? Session five: A Provo socialist revolution? Session five, part 2 Appendix: a way to workers' unity?

Northern Ireland: new strikes set for 27-29 February

Following Northern Ireland’s huge public sector strike on 18 January over pay, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has said that “industrial action will continue” until an offer is made “that workers can accept.” Pay awards for public sector workers have not been made since the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) collapsed the devolved government in October 2022, in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements. The Northern Ireland (NI) Assembly and Executive were restored on 3 February, with public sector pay placed high on the agenda of incoming ministers. ICTU’s comments came after a meeting...

Sinn Féin wins First Minister

Stormont, the Northern Ireland parliament, was restored on Saturday 3 February. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ended its two year boycott in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements. A Tory-DUP deal has led to the restoration of the institutions and the nomination of Sinn Féin’s vice president Michelle O’Neill as the very first Irish republican First Minister. Though symbolic (the powers of the First Minister are no greater than those of the Deputy First Minister, a post which SF has held before), this marks a real change from the one-party Orange State that existed before 1972...

More action in Northern Ireland pay fight

An estimated 150,000 workers took part in 24 hours strike in the North of Ireland on 18 January, including nurses, teachers, bus drivers, carers, cleaners and civil servants from 16 unions. Their core demand was aimed at the British government: to release the £0.6m for public sector pay uplifts which it is holding back as a gambit to pressure the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its boycott of Stormont. The party collapsed the Northern Ireland power-sharing regime in February 2022 in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. Around 10,000 joined a rally in Belfast, with...

Stormont close to recall

Around 120 members of the DUP Executive met on the evening of 29 January to agree the outlines of a deal between the party and the British Government to resolve the stand-off over the Windsor Framework and restore the power-sharing executive at Stormont. The DUP Executive meeting descended into farce at some points, with the “top secret” location being leaked within hours and protestors gathering outside. More ominously, those in the DUP who oppose Donaldson’s compromise also apparently streamed the audio of the meeting to the loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, who tweeted updates live on Twitter...

Northern Ireland's second-biggest strike

Thursday 18 January has seen possibly the largest strike in the now century of Northern Ireland's history, discounting the paramilitary-enforced stoppage against powersharing in 1974.

1914-18 in Ireland: different sorts of anti-war

The currency of Catholic-hierarchy and narrow-nationalist versions of anti-conscriptionism, and the absence of international-socialist versions, explains why the revulsion against the World War in 1917-8 could take Catholic-nationalist-militant but socially-conservative forms.

The Dublin riots

On 23 November buses and trams were burned in Dublin and many shops looted. Far-rightists also targeted a number of buildings used to house asylum seekers and other migrants.

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.