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Pairtí Poblachtach Sóisialach na h-Éireann IRSP Derry For National Liberation & Socialism! |
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Welcome to the website of the Irish Republican Socialist Party in Derry City. |
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Brief History of the Republican Socialist Movement
BACKGROUND
The
Irish Republican Socialist Party was founded in 1974. Like Sinn Fein and the
Workers Party, its roots can be traced back to the broad republican tradition
in Ireland and in particular James Connolly and the Irish Citizens Army.
Following
the disastrous border campaign in the 1950's, serious debate took place within
the Republican movement about exactly how they could become more receptive to
the needs of the people, in an Ireland vastly different from that of the
1920's.
Given
that the Republican Movement was not ideologically united, there emerged
several "factions". The socialist faction advocated that the
movenent should immerse itself in the everday affairs of the people, whilst
not denying the need for armed struggle to confront imperialism, it was felt
that armed struggle should go hand in hand with building a solid political
base. Abstention from elections, long considered one of the main tenets of
republicanism, was no longer thought politically viable, instead, it was
argued that participation in elections should be considered as a tactic, not a
principle. But within this faction there was also developing a totally
reformist position, which was later to become the predominant force.
The
other dominant trend within the Republican movement was the old traditionalist
faction who believed that only the national question had any relevance to the
Irish people. Participation in elections was considered to be in total
opposition to republicanism. This faction later emerged as the Provisionals.
Events
outside the control of the movement were to push it into the position where a
"split" became inevitable. During the civil rights campaign, the
state, in collusion with militant loyalists, launched repeated attacks on the
nationalist community culminating in the pograms of August 1969. The I.R.A.
were unable to adequately defend the nationalist community and blamed this on
the new social policies being pursued by the leadership of the movement. This,
coupled with the dropping of abstentionism, led to the Republican Movement
splitting into the Provisional and Official wings.
Those
who still believed that the national class question was inextricably linked
remained with the Official camp. This element was led by Seamus Costello. When
the Provisionals launched their offensive military campaign against the
British, the Officials found themselves also committed, not because it was
what the leadership wanted, because they did not, but because the rank and
file in the six counties saw an opportunity to expand the struggle.
However,
by 1972-73, those with radical and militant policies had become more and more
isolated by the forces of reform. A split was inevitable and with the
expulslon of Costello in 1974 there was no alternative but to leave the
"Officials" and form a new party. Revolutionary republicans came
together with trade unionists and other socialists to form the Irish
Republican Socialist Party under the slogan "For National Liberation and
Socialism". There were widespread defections from the Officials.
The
fledgling party soon came under armed attack from the Officials and three
members were killed and forty people wounded. Those who had refused to fight
against the armed forces of British occupation, freely turned their weapons on
those who posed an alternative to their reformism.
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STATE
REPRESSION
The
I.R.S.P. saw the necessity not only to confront British lmperialism in the six
counties but to mobilise the working class in the 26 counties. Thus it soon
came under sustained attack from the Free State government.
In
an attempt to criminalise and intimidate the I.R.S.P., over 40 of its members
were arrested following a train robbery in Co. Kildare. Many of those arrested
were tortured and several were subsequently convicted of the robbery on the
basis of statements signed under duress. The medical evidence of torture was
overwhelming, and after a lengthy campaign both in Ireland and abroad, and a
long and painful hunger strike by Nicky Kelly, one of those convicted, all
were eventually freed.
In
1977, Seamus Costello was assassinated by the Workers Party, and this was to
be followed several years later by the assassination of other leading members
- Miriam Daly, Ronnie Bunting and Noel Little, almost certainly by the S.A.S.
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POLITICAL
ACTIVITY
From
its inception, the Party was involved in all aspects of politlcal struggle in
Ireland; participating in the compaign for political status for
republican/republican socialist prisoners, culminating in the Hunger Strikes
of 1980/81 in which ten prisoners died, including three I.N.L.A. volunteers,
Patsy O'Hara, Kevin Lynch and Micky Devine; it campaigned against the 'supergrass
system' in the mld 198O's, and was involved locally in numerous campaigns
against repression. At the same time, the Party was consistently involved on
class issues, including the fight against cut backs in health and education,
the water tax, it was prominant in the compaign to introduce divorce in the 26
counties and was active in supporting strike actions.
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POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Because
of the sustained attacks against the party, it had little breathing space and
was unable to develop a clear ideology nor define its politics beyond the
slogan "For national liberation and socialism" and a vague call for
a "Broad Anti-imperialist Front". It was not until the 1984 Ard
Fheis, that an attempt was made to give the party a coherent balance of theory
and practice, with the adoption of the teachings of Marx, Engels and Lenin as
the essential basis for a revolutionary party. These proposals were passed
unanimously and without argument.
Those
who opposed the public declaration of Marxism/Leninism did not appear at the
Ard Fheis to voice their arguments. Instead, they chose to distance themselves
and engage in a campaign of smear, innuendo and outright physical intimidation
which eventually culminated in the counter-revolutionary attacks on the party
in 1987, when five comrades were murdered and several wounded.
Since
the attacks, the IRSP has been totally committed to building a genuine
revolutionary communist party, and it is through the pages of our national
paper, "An Camcheachta/Starry Plough", that we are encouraging
debate amongst the working class around the major political questions facing
the struggle in Ireland today.
The
Party is also active in the campaign against the health cuts, against
extradition, as well as being involved in local activity on a day-to-day
basis. Whilst we believe that participation in certain elections is a
necessary tactic, we also recognise that there is no parliamentary road to
socialism.
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