Irish Socialist, No. 127 (1973) — Communist Party of Ireland

Date:	1973
Organisation:	Communist Party of Ireland
Publication:	Irish Socialist
Issue:	Number 127 June 1973
Contributors: ^Info	John McDonnell, Máirín Mooney, Sam Nolan, Seán Nolan, Con O'Farrell, Michael O'Riordan, John Riddy
Type:	Publication Issue
View:	View Document
Discuss:	Comments on this document
Subjects:	Suggested subject

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Commentary From The Cedar Lounge Revolution

20th October 2025

Many thanks to Fergus White for forwarding this to the Archive.

An edition of Irish Socialist from the Communist Party of Ireland, this dates from June 1973. As noted previous Irish Socialist was published initially by the Irish Workers’ Party and later the Communist Party of Ireland, after the former merged with the Communist Party of Northern Ireland.

This edition strongly criticises worker-directors on the boards of State Industries. The piece notes that ‘it is assumed that this will be a first step to extending the idea to private enterprise firms’. It also notes that then Minister for Labour (and later Fine Gael TD) Michael O’Leary, speaking to the Dublin Council of Trade Unions ‘projected this move as the beginnings of Workers’ Democracy in Irish Industry’. It argues that without a ‘clear objective of workers’ ownership’ this ‘can be nothing more than a device to get the workers to accept the decisions of management’.

Another piece argues that ‘Foreign Policy: some advance but still tied to Britain’. Michael O’Riordan asks ‘Was it such a great budget?’ Another by George Jaffares looks at ‘Watergate: the tip of corruption’. And there’s a critique of the Port on the Status of Women.

The editorial discusses ‘Law and Order’. It notes in passing:

A British officer interviewed on UTV revealed that there is close cooperation between the British Army and the Garda in the Border areas. We are utterly opposed to the present campaign of violence in the North but this form of cooperation with Britain means nothing less than making this country a junior partner in the manoeuvres of imperialism.