I Owe My Allegiance Only To The Working-Class

Seamus Costello once said the title for this post. He was the founder and primary leader of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement from it's formation in 1974 (partly by people leaving Official Sinn Fein) until his death in 1977.

I'm a republican-socialist in the Irish sense. Does that mean I support the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)? Overwhelmingly, today, no. Also, there are tons of republican-socialists in Sinn Fein, and to one degree or another in other republican groups, and there are independent ones. But as a good, if slightly misguided, republican-socialist, I did, in the late 1990s flirt with the IRSP. And I believe that during the period 1974-1982 it was amazing. But I have not supported the RSM since 2000 and this post is about the first several years of the IRSM, not the time since 1982 (some people would advise me to keep that praise about the early years to myself, but after YEARS of thinking about it I am convinced that Seamus Costello was a great republican-socialist).

Shortly I'll go into a lot of detail about why I like the IRSP during that period, and then I'll describe why I don't like them today, and then I'll offer some thoughts on the other dissident groups. But first I want to clear something up.

In 2001 I found an archived email to some left-wing list that contained a letter to the editor of the Irish News I had written (it was criticizing Sinn Fein over the NY City St. Patrick's Day Parade). At the top, the person who sent it said I was a member of the IRSP. Although I did come close to joining once, I never even sent in an application. The email was sent 2 years earlier, so I didn't bother issuing a correction to the list I wasn't even on.

More generally, at the time I was significantly closer to SF than to the IRSP. My support for the IRSP included:

1) I was on their N. American email list.
2) When the library of the INLA prisoners was somehow destroyed (it somehow involved a loyalist attack), there was an appeal for good pinko books. I sent a bunch, hopefully all/most were enjoyed.
3) At one point, for sort of stupid reasons, I sent them my copies of two amazing anti-unionist and socialist books.
4) When I sent them a check for some merchandise, after emailing a couple times about not receiving the stuff, I told them to just keep it as a donation (I'm not sure if I even checked if the check was deposited).
5) I put out a small amount of IRSP lit. when I was tabling.

I think that's it. To give you an idea of how I was NOT very close to the IRSP, shortly before I went on my first trip to the North right around Jan. 1st 1999, I was put in touch with the brother of one of the INLA 1981 hunger-strikers, who wanted to hang out with me in Derry. I declined- I didn't want to get in that deep with the IRSP. (In the late 1990s I was closer to supporting Sinn Fein than the IRSP in terms of literature I put out while tabling on campus and bringing speakers to campus)

Two general points before I proceed. Whether it applies to the early period or since 1982, the IRSP is a little bit, perhaps significantly, to the left of me- I don't think you'll find any people in the IRSP who use the term social-democrat (I call myself a democratic Marxist/lefti-wing social democrat). That's got almost nothing to do with why I don't support them today. And if I was politically active during that earlier period, although I would have also expressed some degree of support for SF, I probably would have primarily supported the IRSP.

Here's why I like the Republican Socialist Movement during that earlier period:

1. Electorally, they had the support of about 1% of the Nationalist community, although there were probably many who supported them but, as republicans and as revolutionary socialists weren't voting. Probably most of the 40% of the Nationalist community who supported the IRA also sort of supported the INLA, and probably most of the 40% who sort of supported the IRA kind of, sort of, supported the INLA (the first 40% is based mostly on solid election figures, the second is a pretty reasonable estimate, based largely on what I've heard about support for the hunger-strikers in 1981).

2. They gave their lives disproportionately on hunger-strike in 1981 (well, based on everything I've read, there's no way that INLA members were 30% of republican prisoners at that time, but they were 30% of those who died).

3. From 1978 to 1980 when he was killed, the Chief of Staff (leader) of the INLA was Ronnie Bunting Jr. His father was Ian Paisley's (the notorious anti-Catholic bigot) right hand man who organized attacks on the civil rights movement in the late 1960s.

I give Ronnie Bunting Jr. a lot of extra points for breaking from the sectarianism of his father. Also, and I'm not sure I'd bother saying this if it were just that he was a Protestant, but considering who his father was, I give the Volunteers of the INLA a lot of extra points for accepting his leadership. (that doesn't mean I'm saying that republican groups not led by Protestants are sectarian, but it's not insignificant that he was chief of staff)

4. Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey was Co-Chair of the IRSP for the first year. She left because she felt that too much emphasis was being put on the armed struggle, but she remained friendly with them, and has continued to be in recent years.

5. In 1975 they became one of the two first political parties in Ireland to call for gay rights and possibly the very first to support abortion rights.

6. UPDATE 1/29/09 In the late 1970s, according to Tim Pat Coogan, the Provisonal IRA (now known simply as the IRA), collaborated with the INLA.

7. Seamus Costello, who was the primary leader of the IRSP and was Chief of Staff of the INLA, was one of Ireland's three greatest republicans/socialists. That's based on the following:

A: He was on the following bodies when he was killed (they all appear to be in the Republic of Ireland):

Wicklow County Council, County Wicklow Committee of Agriculture, General Council of Committees of Agriculture, Eastern Regional Development Organisation, National Museum Development Committee, Bray Urban District Council, Bray and District Trade Unions Council (of which he was president 1976-77)

B: Nora Connolly O'Brien, daughter of James Connolly (Ireland's greatest socialist/republican) said after Costello's death that of all the people she spoke with who claimed to be followers of Connolly, Costello was the only one who fully understood what he meant.

C: Eamonn McCann wrote highly of him, sometime years after his death.

D: Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey spoke highly of him after his death.

E: Dr. Noel Browne (he was a senior minister in a coalition government in Dublin shortly after world war II) spoke highly of him.

F: Tony Gregory spoke highly of him.

G: His speeches and interviews indicate a very good understanding of the connections between national liberation and socialism. He also believed in anti-imperialist unity and in dialogue with Loyalists. Critically he believed that when talking with loyalists it was important to be honest with them about being republicans and socialists (apparently there was a history of republican and non-loyalist socialists not doing this). Also, at the conference mentioned below, there was at least one loyalist, so he did talk with them at least once.

H: When he attended a conference in America in 1975 to which participants to the conflict were invited, he spoke for three hours as scheduled, and was then later asked to speak for another two hours.

I: UPDATE 1/29/09 Sinn Fein, in at least two ways, indicated their respect for him after he died.


That's it for that period. I chose 1982 as a cut-off point because it's one year after the Hunger-Strike, and one year before Sinn Fein decided they would not share a platform with the IRSP.

Why do I not support them today?

1. If they ran candidates, they'd probably get something like .5% of the Nationalist vote. This causes two problems for me. First, I'm reluctant to support armed organizations with such a low level of support, and second, it makes me wonder if there are some things local people know that I don't- for example, is there a little bit of truth to allegations of for-profit criminality or sectarianism.

2. They're anti-Good Friday Agreement. I could, and might, do an entire post on that, but let me explain why I largely support it- A: it's not that bad and B: about 99% of the nationalist community voted for it. (Here is that post)

3. In the 1980s and 1990s there was a lot of feuding involving the INLA. I won't go into the details but will say that even though it's likely I should not hold this against them, it still generates some concern, when feuding happens.

4. In 1997 the INLA issued a statement. At the time I wasn't too bothered by it, but I have since decided that it represented some degree of stupidity or sectarianism in the INLA. It threatened that the INLA would kill Orange Order (an anti-Catholic organization (see this for more info on why they should not be marching through Catholic areas)) members if their marches were forced through Catholic areas. Now, Orange marchers should stay out of Catholic areas, but I'm not sure if they're so bad that they deserve to be shot in that situation (I think they're only something like 90% as bad as the Klan), and even though I wouldn't call it sectarian, huge numbers of people would interpret it as such. It would have made more sense to threaten the security forces who were forcing the marches through.

5. When Eamonn McCann praised Costello, he said that he wouldn't like today's RSM.

My thoughts on the other main dissident groups:

Republican Sinn Fein and the Continuity IRA: First, and this goes for the next Movement as well, they need to go on cease-fire and stay there (for the foreseeable future). From what I've read, in 1998 no more than about .33% of the Nationalist community supported the continuation of armed struggle, I have no reason to believe that's gone up more than a tiny amount. Second, as far as I can tell, they're fairly socially conservative, whereas SF is very progressive socially.

32 County Sovereignty Movement and the Real IRA: Once again, go on cease-fire. They're probably roughly as left-wing, maybe a little less, than SF.

Eirigi: I'm not too familiar with them, they emerged during the last 4 years when I was only reading about 50 articles a week relevant to the North. I know Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey is friendly to them, so is the Troops Out Movement (A British group that is close to SF). As far as I can tell, a significant part of their disagreement with SF is over policing, which SF generally supports. Also, there's no doubt they're solidly left-wing. They have no connection to an armed group and generally do not support the continuation of armed struggle.

In a 2007 survey, only 2% of Catholics said the GFA was a bad thing.

So, if you decide to ignore the opinion of roughly 98% of the Nationalist community that either supports the GFA or who think it doesn't matter (21% of those surveyed), not to mention the 55% that support SF and the (likely) 75% of the poorest half of the Nationalist community that supports SF, and support dissidents, I strongly recommend you go with either the IRSP or Eirigi.

Also, what are my current feelings about the RSM?

1. I hope that their members are neither arrested nor killed (same for all dissidents).
2. I would support political status for their POWs (same for all dissidents).
3. The INLA, as far as I can tell, have been on a VERY solid cease-fire since shortly after the Good Friday Agreement, in respect of the fact that there is almost no popular support for armed struggle.
4. I assume that some majority of their members maintain the politics of Seamus Costello.

I want to say something about the killing of Seamus Costello. He was killed by the Official IRA. I could do an entire post on them, but I'll keep this brief. They, and currently they're represented politically by the Workers Party, are horrible. They had absolutely ZERO justification for attacking the RSM when a bunch of Official IRA and Official SF (the Officials were the other side of the split in late 1969/early 1970 that produced the Provisionals, now known simply as SF and the IRA) followed Seamus Costello to form the RSM. Including Costello, four IRSP members were killed. Although Costello was a military leader, he was also a civilian leader of the IRSP and held many positions in public or semi-public bodies, and was not a legitimate target.

Lastly, I leave you with a song and lyrics, by Ray Collins.. The YouTube video is here, the lyrics, preceded by some notes, are below:

1. As far as I can tell, like most republican songs, there are multiple versions- these lyrics should be about 99% accurate.
2. "Saoirse Go Deo" means "Forever Free."
3. The reference to Airey Neave. In general I don't approve of killing elected politicians, but Neave was almost 100% horrible- he was a Thatcherite Tory, may have been involved with dirty tricks against political opponents, and was calling for harsher measures in Northern Ireland, and was on the verge of becoming NI Minister.
4. "The Blanket" refers to a prison protest where republicans were demanding to be treated as POWs instead of as criminals.
5. Towards the end it refers to four of the 1981 hunger-strikers who died as part of the protest against criminalization. Patsy O'Hara said, as his last words, "let the fight go on."
6. When I sing this song it's dedicated to the early period of the INLA.
7. The Starry Plough is the flag of republican-socialism.

I'll sing you of an army brave
Who fights from the cradle to the grave
The people will be no longer slaves
With the INLA freedom fighters

Followers of Connolly
They fight to bring us liberty
Socialism we might see
With the INLA Freedom Fighters

Saorsie Go Deo is our cry
The Starry Plough, our flag flys high
England's tyranny we defy
We're the INLA freedom fighters

Rising throughtout the land
Connolly in head, gun in hand
The working class will take a stand
With the INLA freedom fighters

Fighting for the working-class
The priest condemns us at the Mass
That will not turn us from our task
As INLA freedom fighters

To make the Tory tyrants grieve
A Volunteer a bomb did leave
To kill Imperial Airey Neave
Twas they- the freedom fighters

Murder, torture, imprisonment
Our movement is still not spent
We vow to make our foes relent
We're the INLA freedom fighters

The Brits try to criminalize
Our comrades who on The Blanket lie
We'll make sure the struggle does not subside
We're the INLA freedom fighters

Captured guerrillas to prison are sent
As prisoners of war their time is spent
With heads unbowed and knees unbent
UNBROKEN Freedom Fighters

The news in 1981
A hunger-Strike for rights begun
A hollow victory was won
For ALL the Freedom Fighters

At British hands died Booby Sands
McCreesh and Hughes for the Five Demands
O'Hara's death, our symbol stands
We're INLA Freedom Fighters

Aye on beneath our banners high
To avenge our comrades who have died
"Let the fight go on" as Patsy said
We're the INLA freedom fighters