Oppression and Revolt In Ireland
| Date: | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Workers Revolutionary Party |
| Author: | Jack Gale |
| Type: | Pamphlet |
| View: | View Document |
| Discuss: | Comments on this document |
| Subjects: |
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Commentary From The Cedar Lounge Revolution
6th October 2025
Many thanks to the person who scanned and forwarded this to the Archive. This book pamphlet, published in 1975 gives an outline of Irish history.
There are some notable aspects, the history of Ireland effectively ends with the Rising. For a reader outside of Ireland there is little analysis of the later (and from the date of publication, more recent) conflict on the island, nor any effort made to outline the contending forces. For example there is no mention at all of the split in the Republican movement, and no mention of it subsequent to the Border Campaign. The diagram on page 13 is also worth examining.
The Introduction does outline the aims of the WRP in relation to Ireland in the following terms.
The International Committee of the Fourth International (including its Irish Section, the Worker’s League, and its British Section, the WRP) calls for the unity of the British and Irish working class to demand:
Immediate withdrawal of British troops from the north of Ireland, the disbanding of the standing army and its replacement with a workers milita
The immediate release of all political prisoners in the North and South of Ireland and in Britain.
Disarming and disbandment of the UDR and all Unionist anti-working class organizations
Repeal of the Offences Against the State Act in the south of Ireland, all repressive legislation in the north and Jenkins anti-terror legislation in Britain.
Industrial class action in Ireland to defend jobs, living standards and democratic rights.
The default of British imperialism, the green and Orange tories of Ireland and the building of a United Socialist Republic of Ireland.
It also argues that: the aim of this book is to trace a part of the bloodstained history of British rule in Ireland, and of the courageous struggle of the Irish masses against it, despite the treacherous nature of their leadership. It’s purpose is to assist in the building of the sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
For more on the WRP, please go here. We also have an interview in the Left Archive Podcast series with Aidan Beatty, author of The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism.
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