It is neither Social Class nor Philosophy, but Democracy that is the issue today

Let’s make our own analysis of today’s conditions, to create a decent future is something we must do for ourselves.

James Connolly made a unique and original contribution to our history.

He revealed more on the fundamental truth previously highlighted, in particular by Wolfe Tone and by James Fintan Lalor, and gave it a modern context.

It has always been the case that the cause of labour has been the cause of Ireland – Connolly saw it since the destruction of the old Brehon system in Ireland and the consequent influence brought in from Europe and adopted by native chieftains.

Tone saw it in the ‘men of no property’ and Lalor in stating that Repeal of the Act of Union was not something worth fighting for – but that the land was all – the lives of the labouring people and control over the wealth of our nation was essential.

Without control over the nation’s resources it doesn’t matter too much what colour our flag is, we are enslaved. We have our tricolour now, but as a people we remain enslaved – the nation’s vast wealth is in service to mainly foreign finance capital.

Our country breaks world records for the scale of emigration we endure – persistent through generations – our resources are exploited in someone else’s interests.

The unanswered question of our history is to address this truth – that the cause of Ireland is the cause of labour – we must do this with modern understanding.

Today’s so-called socialism?

Today, some proclaim that there is no common interest of the Irish people, only class interests. They repeat badly what they understand from theory developed over 100 years ago, and add nothing new… they are dogmatists. They forget that today the working class is nearer to 95% of the population than 5%, and it is relatively highly educated.

If we accept that there are only class interests then we are diverted from defending our national interests. Only dogmatic ‘socialists’ accuse us of ‘narrow nationalism’ – they would leave us exposed to national enslavement.

James Connolly was an internationalist of the 1st order, he was also an Irish patriot. VI Lenin praised his involvement in the 1916 Rising and described the Irish Citizen Army as the first Red Army in history.

Two hours before being shot, Connolly said “My socialist friends on the Continent, will never understand why I am in this position. They will forget I am an Irishman.”

We must not repeat anyone’s dogma, we must create our own solutions. To the so-called socialists we say… if the majority today are the working class then is not the demand for the Empowerment of the People, for democracy, for our national self-interest, not the demand of the working class?