Reconciling Republican Left and Other Socialist Views

My opinion is that the NI issue is that of one of class oppression and without going into too much details I have posted on why I believe such an issue exists. On the other hand, my fellow PW Republican users are of the opinion that such an issue is down to tribalism and imperialism by the British state of which they have provided ample evidence to assert their claim . With the two issues having such commonalities is it therefore sensible that we reconcile both the Republican left and the Trotskyist, Stalinist and other traditions that exist within a new left wing framework? Im not for one moment suggesting that we merge Republican and other left wing ideaologies but we look for common ground and work together. There has already been some work on a local level from such groups as Eirigi and the ULA and as such there are some links there. Sinn Fein and ULA have a lot of policies which are similar and the major difference is the view of NI and how the issue is dealt with. Could commonalities be found that could bring the different traditions of the left together to work as one force to counter the effects of current status quo and that of any new right wing party that emerges?

Education system produces fodder for the Capitalist system...

In France philosophy is a cornerstone of the educations system,children learn about Plato right through to Sartre and everything in between, they learn to understand why people have an opinion, what shapes it and how it can be viewed. Look at the flip side of things and the Irish education system. Irish people learn via rote learning with teachers second guessing (but with good guess work) questions that will come up on the Leaving Cert and then encouraging the children to learn via rote learning so that it can all be regurgitated over two weeks in June. Traditional subjects that require some analysis and argument like English (interpret a poem) or History (qualify a particular view point with evidence) are now coming to encourage children to learn vast passages of interpretation, it does not allow them to freely think. The net result of all of this is children come into the university system or into the working world with no critical thinking and are unable to come to a viewpoint as to how they may ameliorate a situation or look at various angles as they have been indoctrinated. Am I alone in thinking this? Critical thinking would have stopped this social malaise of indifference that we are experiencing at the moment...

Left Wing Republicanism vs Right Wing Republicanism

Simple question really. Is there a division between a lot of them in terms of political ideaology and has there ever been an attempt to find common ground between them? Right wing republicanism held a lot of sway in that their views were shaped pretty much by their religious fevour from their catholicism and if I am right (or wrong I apologise if I am) there was a move to more left tendencies from the view that British occupation was imperialism. Is there still that gulf there ?

Radical Politics - What are you scared of?

Radical politics have come in for a lot of criticism recently from all sections of society including both the left and the right from where they see it as being somewhat too grandiose and idea and the very people who think radically are attached with some sort of stigma that follows them for being involved in radical politics. The left seem to believe that we are selling out our sovereignty and the right has come to the conclusion that such right politics are the preserve of loony lefties intent on some sort of anarchy to disrupt society, the centre remains indifferent and will do whatever gets them votes. Republicanism seems to have a chip on its shoulder with radical politics and this comes as surprising seen as the radicalism that has come out of Republicanism with its violent past. Republicanism was radical at one stage and has since run out of fuel .

Radicalism offers a solution to the problems we are facing and by looking at the other philosophies in place we can look at the perhaps the best ideaologies and what applications these may have to providing a radical solution to the future we are faced with.

Communitarianism is a dirty word in the circles of radical politics. Often it is associated with authoritarian regimes however some of the principles it guarantees are basic rights that we should enshrine in good old Bunreacht na H-Eireann such as access to healthcare, education but most importantly the right to work . Jobs have been seen to be a privilege, how often has it been heard by the dog on the street that “You’re lucky to have a job” as if it some reward. Communitarianism is built on the basis that communities should mould the individual which then pushes the common good for all concerned. Ireland at the moment is experiencing something of a crass indivudualisation with a heavy dollop of materialism that is creating no social movement and breathing apathy. The comparison with authoritarianism is idiotic In the extreme as authoritarinsim is accompanied by use of violence to co-erce a people into a way of thinking or subduing them as is being done by the democratically elected government of Greece. Working together as a community ensures that we all benefit and working together casts of the shackles of capitalism to ensure a fair world. This is done through the use of community projects or solidarity as exemplified by the Campaign Against Household Waste or other similar movements that galvinise a community together in the face of financial oppression.

Through Progressivism we can achieve a more democratic orientaited society that is built by the people for the people. Too often we are left with the faceless bureaucrats or politicians lining their own pockets for their own benefits,we need a system which will benefit us , the people to empower ourselves and take back the structures of society back so that we can run things as a collective society. A lot of progressives made great inroads in the inner city deprived areas of Chicago where welfare reforms were set up and social workers and properly trained people were put in place to address the issues that they were faced with. These included back to work programmes, back to education programmes and the creation of a programme where children were guaranteed at least one meal a day . Labour laws which were very anti child were reformed to ensure that those whom were the most vunerable in society were changed so that they got an education and matured so they could benefit importantly themselves and then secondly society as a whole. Following on from this there was more of an empowerment of unions which worked for the people as in complete contrast to now where they are agents of the bourgoise and work for no one but themselves.

Finally the one thing we need to do to effect change is anarcho-pacifism and a revolution. Anrchopacifism is the use of non violent means in order to achieve this as so used by Ghandi to great effect. Mass strikes, boycotts, cyber anarchy , actually anything that disrupts society . This needs to coincide with a revolution in the way we think. We need to revolutionise the the thinking of the proletariat in this country to crack the corridors of power that are in existence. Seems awfully romantic how it is phrased but it’s the truth.

Radicalism is not a dirty word, it’s a way of thinking. Don’t be scared by it, think outside the box….

Is Latin American Socialism a Success?

Chavez's recent election as president of Venezuela further underlined that the people in Caracas see socialism as the answer to some of their woes and not all but over all is it a success?




Socialism in South America could be considered to have started with Simon Bolivar, the revolutionary who drove the Spanish out of South America and established Gran Colombia in what is now modern day Colombia and Venezuela. Bolivar was influenced by the French Revolution and by the American Independence movement which he greatly admired and thought to have been one of the greatest political movements. From these admirations he established a number of ideas which formed the basis for modern Latin America and which would go on to influence Che Guevara and others rights up to Chavez. Bolivars legacy however while one of liberation was also one of a dictatorship. Bolivar himself feared being ruled by those of a mixed race which may have lead to him assuming a dictatorship. Aside from all this though, one of Bolivars most enduring ideas is that of a pan American federation of South American states to fight against imperialism and establish a system with good education, health system and legal system.







Fast foward sixty odd years and Che Guevara enters the frame. The idea of a pan American united front appealed to Che so much so that he was considered the ultimate revolutonary. Through his activities in Bolivia and Venezuela and not withstanding Cuba , his visions are seen to have been crucial in socialism in Latin America. Che can be single handedly attributed with bolstering the health system in Cuba and improving literacy with most Cubans now having a degree of some sorts.




After Che though Socialism seems to have fallen apart some what in Latin America. Numerous dictatorships posted up with various puppet governments and most notably now with Chavez who is an abject failure. There is a huge poverty in Venezuela with no job creation and people are only getting by through subsidised food. A glaring gaping hole in the national finances is being plugged by oil money ! Is this socialism proper? Are the workers being united through struggle?




Brazil, long disassociated from the Pan American idea as they are Portugese speaking and see such ideas as foreign have sold themselves out. Dima Roussef is a politician who is centre left however a lot of her policies have seen her move somewhat to the right. A dam construction project in the Amazon has been beset by workers rights issues and long hours for very little pay (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/wo...est.html?_r=2&) . Her environmental policies and rights on LGBT are leaving a lot to be desired.




Would Che be spinning in his grave?...


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Does the strife and tension in the world at the moment a sign Capitalism is not working?

Capitalism favours a system where there is a hierarchy of people gaining profit on the back of people whom are paid enough to keep them in a job however whom cannot move from one job to another easily enough. You pay a man a wage and also control him with the net result that corporations and large business gain power. Capitalism may have some benefits but by and large is it not the largest contributor to the issues we have at the moment in the world in terms of strife? No one need look any closer than to the US where there has been an inequal health care system, social welfare system and where minorities were treated like second class citizens for years. Large insurance companies own the vast tract of the health care market, social welfare is cut off after a year as people are expected to be wage slaves and large business is predominantly white. Capitalism itself has contributed to the cause of divisions within society with African Americans, Latinos and other minorities all being treated with disdain by large corporations in the pursuit of materialistic wealth. Access to housing, employment, education and other benefits is restricted to a large swathe of white America whom are intent on oppressing those whom they cant make a quick buck from. Israel has seized land from Palestinians in the hope of expanding to make a larger country, more resources means more profit and the pursuit of financial goals inflicts more misery on the people of Palestine.

The divisions that afflict such groups can be seen as to be beneficial to capitalists and their ilk. The worker that is not united is the worker that will not fight, that will not empower themselves and rise up and fight for the rights they are entitled to.

Revolution in a Modern Context

The world is in a state of flux at the moment with the working man coming under more pressure from the establishment to give up more of his wage and people being sidelined as the cogs of the capitalist machine roll on and on. The use of clichés can be forgiven as this is not a metaphor but in a lot of cases this is the actual situation that is taking place. Through years to come and in time that has passed , the more the working man is thrust into the mud, the angrier he becomes but how is this anger to be channelled directly?

Currently the energy is, rightly or wrongly directed at the state through marches and protests with the most notable being the Occupy Dame Street while garnering a lot of attention did not really achieve much bar a footnote in the Indo and pictures of protestors rolling out the same old clichés when questioned by journalists what they are about (it was akin to them having a book of stock answers that they would answer out of, heaven forbid they should think for themselves in a hive entity).  Most weeks Richie Boyd Barrett can be seen marching in the name of something or other and Ming can be seen tending to the needs of the bog cutters but is this revolution? Are these going to make a difference? From memory the only marches that stand out as being successful in Ireland is the march the pensioners took for medical cards. These marches only work when a whole community gets together (as did the African American community in America to fight for rights ).  On the other flip side of the coin is those whom call for a “bloody revolution”, a revolution of guns and for the blood of others to be spilled all in the name of achieving a goal of a socialist state. There must be a happy medium surely between these two?

Marching can only achieve so much, the net effect of marching as can be seen from the Occupy Dame St is that people are only tolerant of so much and the malaise of indifference can settle so much so , that really in the end no one cares. On the other hand a bloody revolution effects change quick but inflicts so much suffering and torture on the innocent, we have to question, is it really worth it? Is it worth spilling the blood of those whom we are intending to protect? This begs the question, how is a modern revolution going to work and if so how can it be done?

Rosa Luxembourg discussed the issue years ago and called for a revolution lead by the people with no leadership but that it must be a proletarian revolution.  This revolution must be led by the people and assume a role of spontenaiety , catch the bourgoise and the capitalists by surprise.  This can be explained in a modern context through the use of the internet. The internet acts as a tool in real time allowing people to work, in a lot of cases anonymously and in other cases not, to organise and create everything from a flash mob to hooligans and everything on the spectrum in between. The internet provides a powerful tool for creating a revolution by which we can effect change in this country. A mass movement by people to change the indifference that is suffered by others could very well move the proletariat forward. The government sees how unpopular they are and they themselves lose confidence and therefore lose the will to govern and call an election. Strikes can be called nationwide in order to get better working conditions for workers whom are struggling after numerous attacks on them by the current government.

A revolution is needed but it needs to be modern, it needs to effect change and will only work with the people on board.

http://www.socialistaction.org/revolution.htm

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/89581

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxemburgism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletarian_revolution

An Irish Socialist Utopia Project

This occured while thinking of how we could set up a model for humanity to co exist and this idea popped up. Its off the wall but just go with me. Punch holes in the idea and add or subtract from it and improve as you see fit.

Take an uninhabited island off the West coast. Supply them with seeds , solar panels, high speed internet access and the means for self sufficiency.

-First off build housing that is low cost and self sufficient, the houses are powered by solar power and use membranes off the tides and wind power. There will always be a source of energy to power the house .

-Ensure that that the island is connected up to high speed broadband to allow conncection with the outside world.

-Set up (and this is the most important part) a Co-op which is a viable business. Use this to gain a profit which is then put in to building up the commune and supply finances for another co-op business. Each of these should exponentially grow.

-The land becomes self sufficient to grow blight resistant potaotes and other hardy crops .


If we have people here on the asylum list , offer them Irish citizenship and a home o n the island or others here whom are facing hardship. Its a chance for a new beginning and a chance to see if this model could work overall.


Am I missing anything?

Does the class system work against us?

I take it we are all familiar with the class system here and how it works. Does it work against us though in a way? The Us vs Them scenario that we create divides us into two groups essentially along economic lines. Those who do not have the money and those who do not. Can we not change this? Instead of creating a society drawn along humans lines we create a society based on the needs of humans as per the Human Scale of Development (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_human_needs). Class strucuralism as described by Marx etc can be applied in a modern context but its a little too rigid so perhaps we need a new socialist movement based on the intentions of the original structure as described by Marx and re-empower the proleteriat?

Ideas to help struggling families

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...e-2941229.html





I read this and felt my heart strings being tugged. The Indo to me is gutter press, I dont like its journalism but this piece above I thought was fairly good. The article goes into how much people will be losing if they have child benefit cut.





If people were to adopt a family (could be phrased better I admit) or perhaps help out people who were struggling to buy food or other basics or perhaps cook a hot meal and include a struggling family or person in their locality when they cook. A network could be set up and people give their details and people willing to cook put their names in as do people whom are struggling. Would form friendships and perhaps reinforce that sense of community that has been lacking recently?

Anarchopacifism - lets play the capitalists at their own game

Mulling over an idea. What about if we were to try and play the capitalists at their own game? Capitalism is an ethicless ideal, the exploitation of people for their own financial gain making a two tiered society but say we were to play them their own game? A number of people create a company to challenge the dominance of current corporations such as Chiquita (who whinged when the Honduran govt was going to raise the minimum wage by 60 percent , people there are in dire economic straits more info here http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/07/...latin-america/). We pay decent enough wages but we dont aim for profit which allows us to have minmum profit margins and anything we do make we pour back into the poor countries. I know there is the idea for co-ops and places like that but the problem with that is in places where there is military dictatorships co-ops are seen as a bad idea as the govt is in the pay of some corporations as happens in places like Colombia. Any company created could move in to pay decent wages to the workers and muscle in on the money being made by these corporations . Its guerilla captialism with an ethnic twist, hit the corporations where it hurts, financially.