Back Showing posts tagged #irishpolitics

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in our March episode of the Irish Left Archive Podcast (@ILAPodcast@podcast.leftarchive.ie) we spoke to two members of the Irish Anarchist Network about organising the newly-formed group, practical activism and direct action, and the contemporary political landscape in Ireland.

https://podcast.leftarchive.ie/@ILAPodcast/episodes/irish-anarchist-network

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🎙 New episode of the Irish Left Archive Podcast @ILAPodcast@podcast.leftarchive.ie!

In this episode we speak to two members of the Irish Anarchist Network about the formation and growth of the network and how they went about organising and structuring it; their orientation towards direct action and the balance between practical activism and theoretical discussion; their own individual backgrounds and attraction to anarchism; and contemporary issues in Irish society and approaches to the far-right.

https://podcast.leftarchive.ie/@ILAPodcast/episodes/irish-anarchist-network

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15th March 1970, the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) was reconstituted, with the merging of the Irish Workers’ Party (IWP) and the Communist Party of Northern Ireland (CPNI).

The party had divided in 1941 amid tensions over the entry of the Soviet Union into the second world war.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/on-this-day/03/15/#event-5791

On This Day, 15th March

Irish Left Archive

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"Workers Solidarity Movement closing statement"

Having decided to dissolve the organisation in 2021, this new article provides detail analysing the successes of the WSM and their reasons for dissolving.

http://www.wsm.ie/c/workers-solidarity-movement-closing-statement

Workers Solidarity Movement closing statement | Workers Solidarity Movement

www.wsm.ie

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New document:

Fight, Starve or Emigrate: A History of the Irish Unemployed Movements in the 1950s

By Evanne Kilmurray, 1989, for the Larkin Unemployed Centre.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/6349/

Fight, Starve or Emigrate (1989) — Larkin Unemployed Centre

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When did the practice of leaving a "sorry I missed you" note at houses when out canvassing for election start?

This article from Labour in 1967 seems to imply it was a novel idea then:

"[A] most thorough canvass was made—down even to leaving a special note to anyone who was not at home when his house was visited."

The text is from the article "Labour Breakthrough in Sligo—First Ever Seat", in their eponymous paper, Labour, available here: https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/view/292/?page=8

View Document: Labour, Vol. 1, Nos. 5-6 - Labour

Irish Left Archive

A scanned section of a newspaper column, with the following text highlighted in yellow: a most thorough canvass was made—down even to leaving a special note to anyone who was not at home when his house was visited.
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You'll find more on the 8th Amendment campaign and the long history of activism on abortion and reproductive rights in this document collection on the subject, which has been updated to include new material.

It contain documents from campaign groups including Irish Women United, Irish Women's Right To Choose Group, Abortion Rights Campaign, and Together For Yes, as well as parties from across the Irish left -- The Workers' Party, Revolutionary Marxist Group, SWP, Socialist Party, Sinn Féin, and People's Democracy.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/collection/2041/

Document Collection: Abortion and reproductive rights

Irish Left Archive

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Scanned article headlined: The Votes are Counted
Scanned article headlined: The Votes are Counted, second page
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For a Republican, All-Islands, Internationalism From Below Coalition

A series of articles from Allan Armstrong of Republican Communist Forum (@rcfscotland@mastodon.scot).

https://republicancommunist.org/blog/2022/03/25/21248/

Allan Armstrong has written reviews of three books which address the political situation Socialists face, first of all in Ireland. He has extended this to Scotland, Wales and England, and their position in a world of competing imperialisms. The purpose in doing this is to build the case for a Republican, all-islands, ‘internationalism from below’ coalition to challenge the UK state and its imperial allies.

For a republican, all-islands, internationalism from below coalition – Emancipation, Liberation & Self-determination

republicancommunist.org

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New document:

British and Irish ‘Communist’ Organisation – Trotskyite Thugs, Sham Marxist-Leninists and Agents of British Imperialism

Seas le fíor-dhearcadh réábhlóide na hÉireann! Seas le Marxachas-Lenineachas-Smaoineamh Mao Tsetung!

Differentiate between sham and genuine Marxism-Leninism to unite the revolutionary forces and defeat the enemy

From the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist), 1977.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/6318/

British and Irish ‘Communist’ Organisation – Trotskyite Thugs, Sham Marxist-Leninists and Agents of British Imperialism (1977) — Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)

Irish Left Archive

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Policy documents from the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), early 1980s.

The DSP was formed in 1982 by a merger of the Socialist Party of Ireland (SPI), Jim Kemmy's Limerick Socialist Organisation and individuals including members of the British & Irish Communist Organisation (BICO).

The DSP was the Left of Labour, and strongly anti-Nationalist. (The constituent groups had previously co-operated in Socialists Against Nationalism).

The party ultimately merged with Labour in 1990.

You can see them in our Timeline of the Irish Left here: https://www.leftarchive.ie/page/timeline-of-the-irish-left/#find-DSP

Timeline of the Irish Left

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Front cover of DSP Outline Poiicy on Church and State
Front cover of DSP Outline Poiicy on Full Employment
Front cover of DSP Outline Poiicy on Northern Ireland
Front cover of DSP Outline Poiicy on Taxation
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We're reposting some previous episodes to make use of our new federated host for the podcast. You can follow directly @ILAPodcast@podcast.leftarchive.ie

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At a Workers Party Ard Comhairle meeting on 22nd February 1992, several members and six of the party’s TDs left the party and formed a new party led by Proinsias de Rossa. Initially called New Agenda, it was renamed Democratic Left at its founding conference the following month.

Divisions in the party between more Marxist and social-democratic orientations had culminated in a special conference at which a motion for significant restructuring of the party — proposed by De Rossa (then party leader) and allies — was narrowly defeated.

The Workers’ Party analysis of the split is outlined in this document:

Patterns of Betrayal: the flight from Socialism
Papers and Viewpoints which set out The Struggle for The Workers' Party
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A list of pubs to boycott who wouldn't serve women, from 1976.

Taken from Banshee, magazine of Irish Women United.

The practice of refusing to serve women in some bars didn't end completely until the late 1990s.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/view/2728/?page=15

View Document: Banshee, Vol. 1, No. 2 - Irish Women United

Irish Left Archive

Scanned magazine clipping, reading: 

MORE PUBS TO BOYCOTT

DOLLYMOUNT INN, Dollymount — Women not served a all

BLACK SHEEP, Coolock — Women not served at all

FAGAN'S BAR, Upr. Drumcondra Rd. — No Pints served to women in Lounge and Bar exclusive to males

— AND A CHIPPER ...

For the dubious pleasure of parting with 20p for a single and 15p for a portion of beans after 9 p.m. at DI MASCIOS in MARLBOROUGH STREET, you'll have to have a male in tow.

Dogs and pushcars are not allowed at any time and after 9 p.m. the axe falls on “unaccompanied ladies”. 

Are they afraid we'll attack the long ray!
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Also added to the timeline: https://www.leftarchive.ie/page/timeline-of-the-irish-left/#find-IAN2022

We try to keep the Timeline of the Irish Left up to date, so if you know of an organisation that's missing or spot any errors, please let us know!

Timeline of the Irish Left

Irish Left Archive

A screenshot of a section of the Timeline of the Irish Left diagram showing anarchist organisations from 2000 onwards, with an information card open and showing the Irish Anarchist Network logo.