💾 Archived View for gemini.spam.works › mirrors › textfiles › politics › SPUNK › sp000246.txt captured on 2022-04-29 at 02:23:59.
⬅️ Previous capture (2022-03-01)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title: Anarchism and Ireland
Author: Workers Solidarity Movement
Description: An introduction to the ideas of
anarchism, its relevance to Ireland and what
happened in Russia and Spain.
Keywords: Anarchism, Russia, Spain
Introduction to the second edition (1989)
In the intervening four years since the Workers
Solidarity Movement first published Anarchism and
Ireland the reasons for doing so again have been
more than demonstrated. Despite the great
technological advances, the huge wealth and
resources that now exist throughout the world,
millions continue to die from starvation and from
four major preventable diseases.
Ireland is no exception to the injustice and
inequality that prevails. The standard of living has
dropped for most working class people in the last
three years, while unemployment has gone higher
and emigration increased. The government has
used the climate of despondency to push through
its own cuts in the health service and in education -
putting the squeeze, more and more, on those less
well off. But meanwhile huge profits are being
made, not just by multinationals but also by some of
Ireland's own capitalists like Tony O'Reilly and
Michael Smurfit.
That this situation must be changed is beyond
doubt. Capitalism survives not just by physical
force but also by making people feel and believe
that they are powerless to do anything about it. It
convinces us that "this is the way things will always
be". Our real power to resist the inequality and
injustice around us, and ultimately to radically
change the way things are run, is obscured from us.
But it is none the less there.
Anarchism and Ireland aims to make this clearer, to
show the long tradition of ideas and action - our
history - that has sought radical change by
abolishing capitalism and replacing it with a better
society based on socialism and freedom.
Anarchist ideas are not new, though in Ireland they
have only a short history. The WSM aims to further
popularise these ideas, to convince as many as
possible that the solution to the problems around us
will not be found in electing a "socialist"
government to the Dail or any other parliament.
Rather it lies in our own industrial and social power
as workers. It lies in our ability to organise in
unions, to stop production to further our aims.
Ultimately it lies in the fact that it is we and not the
bosses who create the wealth of the world.
Kevin Doyle
The Workers Solidarity Movement is anarchist
organisation. We believe in a revolution by the
working class which will overthrow the bosses and
their governments, and create a society run and
controlled by those who actually produce the
wealth of the world. We believe that it is possible to
live without government and to put in its place
councils and assemblies where the "ordinary
people" can decide what happens to this wealth.
We believe in the equality of all and that maximum
solidarity is needed between workers and other
oppressed groups if we are to defeat those who live
off our sweat.
Anarchists are against chaos
When you hear about anarchists you are led to
believe that we are mad bombers. Every other
group that lets off a bomb is immediately labelled
'anarchist' whether they be nationalists, socialists or
even fascists. The myth is created that we believe in
violence for the sake of it. The other myth is that
anarchism is chaos It is claimed by politicians,
bosses and their hacks in the media that if there was
no government there would be chaos. But did you
ever wonder about society today and come to the
conclusion that perhaps we are already living in
chaos. At the moment thousands of builders are on
the dole yet homeless people need housing to live
in. The price of butter is scandalously dear yet
every year the EEC has to deal with a butter
mountain. Thousands of people are dying of
starvation around the world yet millions of pounds
are spent every day on nuclear arms which have the
potential for wiping us and the world out.
You might ask why is this so? We say that there is
one big reason - PROFIT! At the moment we live in
a society in which there are two major classes - the
bosses and the workers. The bosses own the
factories, banks, shops, etc. Workers don't. All they
have is their labour which they use to make a living.
Workers are compelled to sell their Labour to the
boss for a wage. The boss is interested in squeezing
as much work out of the worker for as little wages
as possible so that he/she can maintain high profits.
Thus the more wages workers get the less profits
the bosses make. Their interests are in total
opposition to each other.
Production is not based on the needs of ordinary
people. Production is for profit. Therefore although
there is enough food in the world to feed everyone,
people starve because profits come first. This is
capitalism.
What is the State?
There are other classes in society such as the self-
employed and small farmers but fundamentally
there are workers and bosses whose interests are in
opposition to each other. For workers needs to be
fully met we must get rid of the bosses. But this is
no easy task. The bosses are organised. They have
the media on their side. They also have the State
and the force of the army and police that go with it.
We only have to look at the miners strike in Britain
to see how the forces of the state can be used against
the working class. We only have to look at the
North to see to what extent the ruling class are
prepared to go to protect their interests.
The state (i.e. governments, armies, courts, police,
etc.) is a direct result of the fact that we live in a
class society. A society where only 7% of the people
own 84% of the wealth.
The state is there to protect the interests of this
minority, if not by persuasion then by force. Laws
are made not to protect us but to protect those who
own the property. Look at how the Ranks workers
were flung into jail when they decided to fight for
their jobs.
Compare this with the treatment handed out to the
multi-nationals who were able to take 500m in
profits out of the country tax free without the
government even knowing about it. If you think
that the state is there to protect you, think about the
fact that PAYE workers pay 88% of all income taxes
while the rest - farmers, self-employed ,and multi-
nationals pay only 12% between them.
Elections: Putting numbers on a piece of paper
We are led to believe that the state is run in our
interests. Don't we have elections to ensure that any
government not behaving itself can be brought to
task? Democracy is about putting numbers on a
piece of paper every four years. We are given a
choice all right but between parties who all agree
with the system of a tiny minority ruling the
country.
People often say that if we really want to change
things we should run in elections. Take a good look
at this idea and it becomes clear that it cannot be
done if we are to remain true to our anarchism.
Electioneering inevitably leads to revolutionaries
forsaking their revolutionary principles. Look at the
so-called Labour Party. First of all they do not go to
the people with a clear socialist message. They go
for whatever is popular and will ensure that they
get elected. This becomes more important to them
than educating people about the meaning of
socialism. It also means that they look on the mass
of voters as mere spectators. People are seen as
voters, not as people who can be actually involved
in politics and bringing socialism about. We do not
accept that we should hand over the running of our
lives to 160 odd people who are not accountable and
can basically do whatever they like.
Can socialism come through the Dail (Parliment)
There is another reason why we do not stand for
election. Socialism cannot come through the Dail.
If we look at a country like Chile we can see why.
In 1973 the people elected a moderate socialist
government led by President Allende. This
democratically elected government was toppled by
a CIA backed military coup. Repression followed in
which the workers movement was smashed and
thousands of militants lost their lives.
This happened for two reasons. The Chilean
socialists did not understand that real power is not
in the parliament but in the boardrooms of the
multinationals. It is those who have the money who
hold real power. Socialism does not come through
electing socialists to the Dail but through the direct
action of workers taking control of the factories and
land. For us socialism can only come from below,
not from the top.
This point is not understood by the so called
socialist parties of Europe which are in government
at the moment. In France, Spain and Greece
'socialist' governments are pushing working class
peoples living standards down because
international banks want loans repaid and
multinationals want to maintain profits.
The second reason is that the Chileans did not
smash the state but tried to capture it peacefully.
We must understand that the army and police are
against us. They are there to protect the wealth of
the ruling class. To make a revolution it will be
necessary to use violence, not because we believe in
violence for the sake of it, but because we recognise
that the ruling class will not give up its wealth
without a fight. Allende refused to arm the workers
and so made the job of the military much easier.
How ideas change
>From the moment we are born we are taught that
we must give up control of our lives to those more
capable of running things - that we must put our
faith and loyalty in government to organise our
lives. In school, in the papers and on television the
working class are portrayed as sheep who need to
be led and governed over. Even in the unions, the
organisation of the working class, workers are
discouraged from taking any initiative by
themselves. Instead they are treated by the union
bureaucracy supposedly on the workers' behalf.
However, capitalists in their mad rush for profits
are forced to keep workers' pay and conditions at
the lowest possible level. In times of recession
competition between capitalists increases, and if
profits are to be maintained capitalists argue that
workers must accept cuts in their pay and
conditions. It is when workers are forced into
conflict with their bosses, when they go on strike,
that they realise their own strength.
Without labour all production grinds to a halt. The
bosses simply cannot run the factories by
themselves. Workers who go on strike begin to rely
on their own collective strength, they realise that if
they are going to win they must stick together.
They become more aware of what they can achieve
and they become open to more ideas, new ideas.
This was seen in the 1984/5 British miners strike.
Before the strike most miners believed womens' role
was in the home minding the children. But as the
strike began, women took the initiative and set up
support groups to aid the strike. Women actively
took part in picketing as well as fund-raising. Faced
with this many miners changed their sexist ideas.
Their ideas about the police and the courts also
changed. In conflict, they realised the main purpose
of the police and courts was to protect the bosses
and smash the strike.
This is not to say that workers going on strike set
out with socialist goals in mind. However when
workers win on `bread and butter' issues, their
confidence increases and so does their faith in their
own ability to organise themselves. That is one of
the reasons for the WSM being involved in
supporting strikes - to build the links between
workers' day-to-day struggles and our aim of a
truly equal society.
Socialism from Below
Central to our politics is the belief that ordinary
people must make the revolution. Every member of
the working class (workers, unemployed,
housewives, etc.) has a role to play. Only by this
participation can we ensure that anarchism is made
real. We believe in a revolution that comes from the
bottom up and is based on factory and community
councils. Freedom cannot be given, it has to be
taken.
This is where we disagree with what is called the
"revolutionary left". While they say that they agree
with all this they still hold to a belief that a party is
necessary to make the revolution for the people.
Most of them base their ideas on Lenin who
believed that workers were only capable of
achieving what he called "trade union
consciousness". According to him they needed a
party of professional revolutionaries to make the
revolution for them. The result of this thinking is to
be clearly seen in the Eastern Europe of today.
What we see in Russia has nothing to do with
socialism. Power rests in the hands of a tiny party
elite. The state is the boss and the workers are still
exploited and told what to do. This is state
capitalism. Workers do not control their
workplaces. All power is held by the bureaucracy.
A workers revolution will be necessary to
overthrow this bureaucratic elite and bring in true
freedom.
Of course the likes of the so called Workers Party
have no problem supporting the Soviet system
because that is what they aspire to. They were very
quiet when Solidarnosc was suppressed in Poland.
They support the Russian system up to the hilt so
they decided for the sake of electoral advantage to
stay quiet and not say anything. The reason for
their attitude is that their vision of socialism is one
where the state controls all. Socialism will come
through nationalising everything. They would have
no problem turning Ireland into a satellite of the
state capitalists in Moscow.
So we say it is up to ordinary people. Some ask is
this possible? Would it not be chaotic? Of course
not. At the moment capitalism would collapse
without the support of the working class. We make
everything, we produce all the wealth. It is possible
to organise production so that the needs of all are
met. It is also possible to create structures that
allow everyone to participate in making the
decisions that affect them.
Democracy and Freedom
As already stated society would be based on factory
and community councils. These would federate
with each other so that decisions could be made
covering large areas. Delegates could be sent from
each area and workplace. They would be recallable,
i.e. if those who voted them in are not happy with
their behaviour they can immediately replace them
with someone else. With the new technology it will
be much easier to involve lots of people in making
quick decisions.
Within this society there would be genuine
individual freedom. Individuals would have to
contribute to society but would be free to the extent
that they do not interfere with the freedom of
others. Fundamentally we believe that people are
good and if they won freedom would not easily
give it up or destroy it.
So where does the Workers Solidarity Movement fit
into all this? We are a new organisation - small in
numbers but rich in ideas. We don't set ourselves
up as "the leaders who know it all". We believe that
our ideas are good and are worth trying out. We
believe it is necessary for those agreeing with them
to organise together so that our ideas will spread
and be understood by a lot more people. To us it is
important that those revolutionaries active in
different areas are brought together so that
experiences can be shared and learned from. We
believe that in day-today struggles or in campaigns
it is important that the message is driven home that
only a revolution made by the working class can
give us the freedom to run society so that all our
needs are met. We see our role as encouraging the
initiative of working people and arguing for
structures which allow people to take part in local
or workplace activities.
We do not believe that the revolution is around the
corner. We believe that making it is a slow process
during which there may be huge jumps forward.
Overall though it is a slow process of spreading
ideas and building peoples confidence to bring
about change. We accept that winning reforms and
short term demands are all part of this process.
Below we set out some of our ideas in relation to the
Irish society of today.
The Trade Unions Unions are defence organs of the
working class. They are not revolutionary
organisations. Today the majority of unions have
become conservative institutions with a lot of
emphasis being placed on the role of the full time
officials as problem solvers and negotiators. Whole
sections of the trade union bureaucracy have
become outright defenders of the status quo. This is
typified by the use of the two-tier picket (where
groups of workers from another union in the same
job are encouraged to pass pickets). Within the
unions decision making has shifted from the
shopfloor to the bureaucrats. With this the rank and
file have become more isolated from control of their
unions and thus more apathetic.
For us the unions have to be made into real fighting
organisations which are run and controlled by
workers on the shopfloor. We do not think you can
change the unions by capturing the full-time jobs at
the top. Our role is to encourage the self-activity of
as many workers as possible. The bureaucracy itself
has to be torn down.
We believe in building a rank and file movement
which would embrace workers from different
workplaces and areas of work. Its main function
would be to encourage solidarity between all
workers. It would support all strikes, fight for the
election of all full-time officials so that they are
responsible to the workers, fight for equal rights for
women and ultimately resist any attempts by the
bosses to make us pay for their crisis.
We see the organised labour movement as an
essential area of activity for revolutionaries. Politics
have to be brought into the workplaces and unions
as it is here that we have strength and can inflict
real damage on the bosses.
Unemployment
Unemployment is always a direct effect of living
under capitalism, it is used by the bosses to depress
wages "there are plenty of people out there who
work for less money than you" is a common threat
as is "behave yourselves or I'll close down". The
chaotic nature of also leads to regular crisis which
cause massive unemployment
Unemployment will not be stopped while the
capitalist system exists but there are immediate
demands that can be put forward. Any workplace
threatened with closure should be occupied as the
workers in Ranks and Clondalkin Paper Mills did.
The workers should demand continued
employment whether it be under a new owner or by
nationalisation. We believe it makes little difference
because, for us, nationalisation is not a cure-all. It is
no guarantee of better wages or job security and it
does not bring us any nearer to socialism. There is
no essential difference between a boss who is a civil
servant and one who is a private employer. We also
call for a shorter working week, an end to
systematic overtime and double jobbing and an end
to all productivity deals. Basic wages should be
high enough so that workers do not need to work
excess hours.
We believe that the unemployed should accept no
responsibility for the situation. Dole payments
should be increased substantially. Where possible,
the unemployed should organise themselves to
defend their rights and link up with the broader
trade union movement.
Women's Freedom
We believe that women are oppressed as a sex.
They are denied equal rights, such as the right to
control their own fertility and the right to work, and
thus cannot fully participate in society. They have
been assigned the role of cooks and child minders,
their place is in the home. This kind of thinking is
reinforced in Ireland by the catholic church which
controls the educational system. The church can
flex its muscle when it pleases and clearly showed
its strength during the campaign to change the
constitution in relation to abortion.
We believe that the root of women's oppression lies
in the division of society into classes, and the
economic and social relationships that created. We
thus believe that for women to be really free we
have to smash capitalism and build a society based
on anarchism. We disagree with those feminists
who think that all you have to do is for women to
become bosses and politicians to achieve equality.
We want to destroy the existing power structures.
We also disagree with those who think that men are
the cause of women's oppression. We do not deny
that men gain from this but we identify the source
of this oppression as the class system, not
individual men.
Women's oppression is not purely a struggle for
women as it is a class issue but we hold that women
have the right to organise separately because it is
they who suffer the oppression. We do believe,
though, that the priorities of the woman's
movement have reflected the fact that it largely
consists of middle class women. We believe that it
must become more relevant to working class
women. Our priorities are those issues which
immediately effect thousands of working class
women e.g. work, childcare, housing, etc.
We believe in the right of women to control their
own fertility. Women must be free to decide to
have children or not, how many and when. Thus
we believe in the right to free contraception and
abortion on demand.
For these demands to won as many working class
women as possible must be brought together to
build confidence and defeat the isolation that comes
from being in the home. Thus in campaigns to win
these demands our emphasis is on building in
workplaces and on the estates where women are
directly affected.
Picture: Young women who occupied their factory
take to the streets of Drogheda
The National Question
This country was partitioned to suit the interests of
the ruling classes of Britain and Ireland. It divided
the working class in this country - a division which
has yet to be overcome.
The Northern state was artificially created with an
in built protestant majority. It is a sectarian state
where marginal privileges are offered to Protestant
workers in return for loyalty. Unionist workers see
their interests as tied up with those of the ruling
class in the North.
The British army was not sent into the North to
keep the Catholics and Protestants from tearing into
each other but to protect the interests of the
establishment. They have stayed because it is not
possible for the British (and Irish) governments to
come up with a solution which will ensure stability
in the North. The British do not want an area of
instability so close to their own front door.
We believe that the British troops must get out and
that the Orange state must be destroyed. We
believe that it is only possible to do this on the basis
of anarchism. It is no longer possible to unite the
country on a capitalist basis. We must go forward
on the basis of anarchism and the class interest of
the working class.
We reject Sinn Fein's notion that we must unite the
country before we can have socialism. Their basic
belief is in "National Liberation". They put the
"nation" before the working class. They organise
around the slogan of "One Nation - One People". In
this country there is not one people - there is a
ruling class and there is a working class. Their
interests are not the same, in fact they are in total
opposition to each other. What the Provos want is
state capitalism of the sort found in Cuba or some of
the third world countries.
We believe that to defeat British imperialism the
maximum working class unity is needed. We
accept that most Protestant workers are tied to
loyalism which is reactionary and has nothing to
offer them as workers. We also believe that the
objective conditions are there to act as a basis for
building workers unity in the North. Protestants
are suffering from the crisis as well. This is not to
say that we are so naive as to think that Protestant
workers will automatically make common cause
with their catholic counterparts. It will be a hard
struggle.
The spread of multinationals thoughout the 32
counties has undermined to some extent the
traditional patterns of employment In the country
as a whole and in the North in particular. there is a
need to build on the basis of "bread and butter"
issues. This does not mean hiding the fact that we
are against the British army, U D.R. and R.U.C. or
that we forsake our anti-imperialism as the Workers
Party have done.
We do not accept that minorities of any sort can
bring about socialism. That includes armed ones.
We recognise the need for self-defence but as an
offensive strategy, the armed struggle cannot win.
The movement to get the British out must be used
on the organised working class, North and South.
This is but a most basic outline of our ideas on these
main issues. We do not see them as separate from
each other. They are obviously related. One role
for our organisation is to make the links between
the struggles. That is why we say that real
liberation for workers, women, gays or any
grouping oppressed by the present system can only
come through social revolution.
Anarchism in Action
You probably agree that what you have read so far
are mostly good ideas. You probably accept that the
wealth of society should be distributed equally and
also that ordinary people should have more say in
the running of their lives.
Like most people who hear about Anarchism you
probably believe that it is a good set of ideas but
unfortunately it would never work. People are
naturally greedy and selfish, if there was no
government to look after our interests there would
be complete chaos".
It has already been stated that we believe capitalism
is chaos. It does not and never can meet the needs
of ordinary people. On the other hand, a society
run by those who actually produce can. This kind
of society is not myth we have dreamed up. At
various stages of our history it has become a reality.
Working people have taken their destinies into their
own hands and made a success of it. Far from being
naturally greedy and selfish these experiences
actually show that given the right conditions people
can co-operate and act in a spirit of mutual aid.
In the Beginning
As Anarchists we trace our tradition back to the first
International Working Mens [sic] Association where
the Anarchists formed a distinct tendency
influenced mainly by the ideas of Michael Bakunin.
Since then Anarchism has always been deeply
rooted in the working class. Contrary to popular
belief Anarchists do not spend their time plotting in
back rooms. For most their activity means bringing
their politics into the daily struggles of the factories,
the offices and the communities. Anarchists have
been involved in all major modern revolutions They
have been there arguing and fighting for the right
and necessity of working people running society as
opposed to any so- called "socialist party" or
bureaucratic elite.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Workers Solidarity Movement can be contacted at
PO Box 1528, Dublin 8, Ireland
Some of our material is available via the Spunk press electronic archive
by FTP to etext.archive.umich.edu or 141.211.164.18
or by gopher ("gopher etext.archive.umich.edu")
in the directory /pub/Politics/Spunk/texts/groups/WSM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Due to the double-blind, any mail replies to this message will be anonymized,
and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
Please report any problems, inappropriate use etc. to admin@anon.penet.fi.