This article is from the Irish Anarchist Paper =
Workers Solidarity, No 50 Spring 1997
NATIONALISM
Anarchists are for the defeat of British =
imperialism. We understand that the root cause of =
the troubles in the six counties lies with the =
British ruling class and the northern sectarian =
statelet. That is why we call for Troops Out. But =
we want more, we stand for the creation of a new =
society in the interests of the working class and =
against the bosses, both orange and green.
This is very different from the politics of =
nationalism, of Sinn F=E9in. We see the way forward =
as unity of Catholic and Protestant workers in a =
common fight against capitalism. Nationalists look =
for alliances of bosses and workers, they want co- operation with the SDLP and Fianna F=E1il. =
Because they see Northern Protestant workers as =
unpatriotic, as "pro-British elements"; their =
interest seems to stop at who can best control =
them. Hence Gerry Adams speech prior to the 1994 =
IRA ceasefire which said that Protestants needed a =
De Klerk to lead them to compromise. =
Nationalism tells us that people of a particular =
nation have more in common than they have dividing =
them. It is not supposed to matter if you are rich =
or poor, low paid worker or millionaire boss; =
we're all Irish. =
Anarchists are not nationalists, in fact we are =
completely against nationalism. We don't worry =
about where your granny was born, whether you can =
speak Irish or if you drink a green milkshake in =
McDonalds on St Patrick's Day. =
But this doesn't mean we can ignore nations. They =
do exist; and some nationalities are picked on, =
discriminated against because of their nationality. =
Irish history bears a lot of witness to this. =
The Kurds, Native Americans, Chechins, and many =
more have suffered also - and to an amazingly =
barbaric degree. National oppression is wrong. It =
divides working class people, causes terrible =
suffering and strengthens the hand of the ruling =
class. Our opposition to this makes us anti- imperialists.
Today, in most parts of the world, nationalist =
movements no longer fight for victory over their =
enemies. They seek compromise. The last few IRA =
bombs have not been aimed at getting the British =
state out of Ireland, they have been attempts to =
force the British to talk to Gerry Adams and Martin =
McGuinness. =
The last few years have seen this process, not only =
in Ireland, but in South Africa, Palestine, El =
Salvador, Nicaragua, Chechnya. A major factor in =
arriving at this position is an understanding that =
'independent' capitalist states which can take real =
control of their national economies are becoming a =
pipe dream. =
$1.3 trillion moves around the world each day in =
search of the greatest profit. It is a lot harder =
for big states to lay down conditions on the rich, =
it is impossible for a small state. If they won't =
do what the big bosses want, the investment money =
is moved to somewhere more 'co-operative'. =
And despite sometimes using 'revolutionary' =
language, the nationalist goal is essentially about =
maintaining capitalism with its division of society =
into bosses & workers, rulers and ruled. Though =
fighting against national oppression, the argument =
at the end of the day is about who the rulers =
should be. There is no thought of tearing down the =
social pyramid which puts most of us at the bottom, =
and few rich and powerful people at the top.
Anarchists certainly don't want to reduce humanity =
to one grey mass. We want to foster cultural =
diversity: languages, music, dress, lifestyles. A =
rich tapestry of diversity which is a good thing =
and can enrich the lives of everyone. =
But using a national culture (and the =
'traditionalists' should remember that cultures are =
constantly evolving and changing) to feel superior =
or to treat someone else less favourably creates =
suffering and plays into the hands of our rulers =
who know that people who are divided are easier to =
control and exploit.
So fight national oppression but look beyond =
nationalism. We can do a lot better. Changing the =
world for the better will be a hard struggle so we =
should make sure that we look for the best possible =
society to live in. =
We look forward to a world without borders, where =
the great majority of people have as much right to =
freely move about as the idle rich do today. A =
worldwide federation of free peoples - classless =
and stateless - where we produce to satisfy needs =
and all have control over our destinies - that's a =
goal worth struggling for.
******************** This we will maintain?
Office workers in the six counties are far worse =
off than their counterparts in England, Scotland =
and Wales. Latest figures show salaries between =
10% and 40% less than the British average.
A legal secretary in central London, for example, =
can expect to earn =A319,000 a year. In Belfast or =
Derry the figure would be around =A38,000.
To make matters worse, less than one third of six =
county companies provide any pension benefits - =
compared to a British average of approximately 65%. Source: SIPTU Newsline
Joe King ------------------------------------------------ This article is from the Irish Anarchist Paper =
Workers Solidarity, No 50 Spring 1997
The whole issue and previous issues can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2724/anpubdx.html
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