What's to be done?

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis

Friday March 11, 2005 19:22

by Paddy Collins - Independent

mabuhay at eircom dot net

Dublin

A few observations on where the left is, should be and how to get there.

I’m interested. Interested in the views of as many people on the revolutionary left who care to comment on the ideas contained herein. I should, of course, say at the outset that this is not a news piece in the strictest sense of that term. However, I am hopeful that the administrators of this site will allow me some licence, and at the very least pass my scribbling of as an “opinion piece”. Thus permitting it to remain posted on their site, so as to solicit as many comments as possible.

In what follows I am, as it were, testing the waters. It is evident to me that the revolutionary left in Ireland, as in far too many countries around the world, is, for all intents and purposes, ineffectual and borderline insignificant. This is so notwithstanding the fact that, at present, society is ripe for revolutionary action and that the vast majority of Irish people are intuitively opposed to the imperialistic and neo-liberal agendas supported and advocated by our political elites.

To my mind, the most significant thing absent from the revolutionary left is unity. While the establishment parties may bicker and pantomime among themselves for the cameras, they are ultimately united around the essential parameters of social life. I take it as a given that this is commonplace to the patrons of this site.

In complete contrast to the establishment, the revolutionary left is, and has always been, fractured to a ridiculous and tragically comic degree. We have numerous socialist, anarchist, and communist organisations, not to mentions a wealth of independent socialists. Many of these groups and individuals put as much energy into tearing strips out of each other as they do attacking their real enemies.

The reasons for such intestine strife are many and varied. However, I believe that ultimately what divides those on the left is dwarfed by what unites them. The central objective, as I see it, for the revolutionary left in Ireland over the coming years will be how to work together for the long-term transformation of this society.

Ultimately, elections on this island should be contested by a “united left” block; the various organisations and individuals should pool resources and consult each other on deciding who the strongest candidate is in each area. Such unity and co-operation may be some time off, but I believe we should be thinking about such unity by the next general elections.

The revolutionary left has to pool its resources and present a united front if we are to make any inroads into the mind numbing lethargy that passes for politics in this country today. As a first step along the way, I would be interested to know what people think of the prospect of a left weekly newspaper, produced co-operatively through the work of the various groups on the revolutionary left.

Every journey begins with the first step; in some ways this was mine. I have been extremely disillusioned with the prospect for revolutionary politics in this country, however the simple truth is that we just have to do something. We have a better chance of succeeding if we try to do it together.