Workers' Weekly, Vol. 2, No. 8
| Date: | 27th July 1974 |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | The Workers' Association |
| Publication: | Workers' Weekly |
| Issue: | Volume 2, Number 8 |
| Type: | Publication Issue |
| View: | View Document |
| Discuss: | Comments on this document |
| Subjects: | SDLP |
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Commentary From The Cedar Lounge Revolution
24th November 2008
As mentioned a couple of weeks back on this thread, here is Workers Weekly, a publication of the Workers Association, also of the British and Irish Communist Organisation. This dates from July 1974.
I have a few more of these which I will post up in future months, but I think this gives an useful insight into the political position of BICO during the early 1970s. Worth noting their stance as regards the UDA and the SDLP in the aftermath of Sunningdale. Worth noting also the following sentence…
‘Granted that Catholics are not likely to be voting for out and out unionists in the near future, the Loyalists have at least attempt [sic] to get through to the SDLP, if only make it clear to all concerned (including the Catholics) that it is only their inability to get rid of their aspirations that is standing in the way of a peaceful settlement’.
They appear entirely antagonistic to a Council of Ireland and dismissive of internment and its pernicious impact on Nationalists in the North. Or how about the following?
“The Civil Rights agitation itself was an attempt to divert attention away from the need for the Catholic community to drop its anti-partitionism and integrate fully into society in Northern Ireland. Instead of facing up to the fact that their isolation from society was due to their leaders continually campaigning for destruction of the state, they insisted on blaming the ‘other side’ and attributing their (largely self-imposed) isolation solely to ‘Unionist bigotry’.”
Or what of this attitude to Irish culture?
As socialists, we have always imagined that everyone would be better off under socialism, which would be even more efficiently organized on an even larger scale than capitalism. If however socialism means confinement in a tight little turf-powered economy with everybody speaking a language that is of merely antiquarian interest to the rest of Europe, then we’ll be quite happy to settle for capitalism (and for that matter, ‘imperialism’), until something better comes along.
I leave it for your consideration.
For a further interesting - if subjective - analysis of BICO this is worth a visit .
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By: Paddy Crerand Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:02:23
Up the Hutu. Up David Irving. UP the Kaiser. UP the killers of Robert McCartney. Up the IPR, viva, viva IPR, the best thing to come out of Athol Street since Workers Weekly, viva viva IPR, Angela and Brendan, Jack and Pat, all revising their past and giving us crap, viva viva IPR.
A Christmas tune. (Knees up Mother Brown).
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By: WorldbyStorm Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:23:13
That’s a bit coat-trailing slawomir to enquire as to whether gomez has a specific interest. So what if s/he did, or doesn’t. I don’t and I think the IPR line is unpleasant and barmy, particularly the idea that Margaret Hassan had any functional – nice dehumanising phrase this too – “role in the apparatus of Anglo-American imperialism in Iraq”.
PJ, it may not be praise but it’s certainly moving towards an intellectual position that is suspect. If, that is, it hasn’t already arrived. Again – and I’m not addressing this to you – , the idea that Hitler was the intellectual equal of Lenin? Gimme a break.
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By: PJ Callan Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:33:04
He wasnt close to VI in intellectual terms but the content of his ideas expressed in exact form the aspirations of the most reactionary section of the German bourgeoisie. I dont think the statement in any way is “moving towards” anything like support for Hitler.
As far as I know B Clifford does not pretend to be a communist these days but others connected with IPR have written about reviving the Bolshevik tradition.
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By: sara Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:37:32
good info
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By: TUV Leader Jim Allister Lies About Rasharkin Attack to 'Out-Fenian' DUP - Page 13 - Politics.ie Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:27:32
[…] Irish Communist Organization. Basically the brains behind Unionism/Revisionism in the 26 counties. The Irish Left Archive: Workers Weekly,Workers Association, British and Irish Communist Organisation… So can you recommend any good Unionist histories of the origin of the […]
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By: Irish Left Archive: Northern Ireland – For Workers’ Unity: A reply to the Workers’ Association Pamphlet [BICO] “What’s wrong with Ulster Trade Unionism”, Militant, c. « The Cedar Lounge Revolution Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:56:23
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By: Anton Sun, 18 Sep 2011 08:06:43
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