This is a piece from Joe Des of Galway East Sinn Féin in response to the two articles I have posted concerning Eoin Ó Broin and in particular the article written by Eoin in the Irish News.
A seperate point Joe made in his e-mail was what he saw as the relatively poor use Sinn Féin activists are making of the internet. He made the point that he was disheartened that comrades seem to be using the internet for trivial matters rather than posting their thoughts or aspirations of Sinn Fein, the Republican Movement or the project at hand. I must say I agree with you Des.
Anyway, back to the article. Des' response to Eoin ÓBroin article
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I was looking forward to someone getting these debates running so fair play to Eoin for grabbing the nettle. I’ve had a good read of the above http://sinnfeinkeepleft.blogspot.com/2009/07/sinn-fein-needs-to-make-its-republican.html , but the post just doesn’t do it for me. I suppose as a conversation starter it is good, but the debate will have to be much more challenging than this. The content is spot on, but it is bland, academic and unimaginative.
There are too many items that we’ve heard before. “We are in a period of transition and have yet to find our feet”. I’m really sick of hearing that one. It’s sometimes said “we’re on a learning curve”. If it is taking this long it is more of a roundabout than a curve!
We have been at this for some time and the Republican movement is full of intelligent and articulate people. It should not be taking this long to get the right people into the right places and working as unified movement. I think much of the talk of alliances’ and coalition strategies have distracted us and undermined our confidence in the ability of our local activists. It may have contributed in the publics’ perception that Sinn Fein is now “just the same as the rest of them”.
The fact that most of our Councilors (a majority of them in their first term) retained their seats in the last election shows that we are producing competent and capable public reps. That is encouraging. Cllr. Teresa Ferris points out that “we need to build the party around our community based councillors”. That makes sense and is practical. And in fairness this is very much in line with your analysis that “The key to our success is what we do locally – being embedded in our communities and empowering local people to take control over the decisions that affect their daily lives.”
But there are failings in the way we operate. This needs to be accepted and addressed.
When you say “We need to build alliances for change…” I don’t think that goes far enough. We need to 'up the ante' in the broader political arena. We need to be confident and display enough conviction to actually set our own agenda rather than mould ourselves to be more palatable to any existing or potential political alignments.
Again, referring to T. Ferris letter “Let’s get clear on who our potential supporters are and give them meaningful reasons to vote Sinn Fein” is a very clear and direct way to begin discussing the party’s position from a ‘solutions based’ approach. It should be employed by all activists and supporters as the starting point for future discussion.
As Republicans are we content with being ‘potentially influential’ in government policy decisions and administration? There may be merit in that. We have gained ground and perhaps should hold it until such a time that public opinion gives us the opportunity to express that influence to a greater degree.
Or do we need to look at our roots as a Revolutionary party, ally ourselves and engage on a deeper level with the social and economic influences that are forcing change within Ireland. I believe that the challenge for the Republican Movement is not to clarify our message, but to clarify our actions. Are we at the core or even openly engaging today’s popularist movements that might bring about dramatic change like education and students movements, employment, agriculture and the fishing industry? And more importantly, if we are, is that involvement serving that particular movement or is it serving Sinn Fein? Are we capable of setting up a de facto government on a 32 counties basis? Even if it means one council at a time. You mention the “progressive coalitions” that would be required to implement real alternatives. Are we courting them or should they be courting us?
Should we be thinking that way? The main government parties have all stated clearly that they do not want us in government. Perhaps we should make it clear that we do not want to be in their type of government. These are the questions of a Revolutionary Party.
good contribution Joe.
ReplyDeleteI was interested by your comment on the internet and how it can be best used. Its something I have been thinking about over the last few days. I started writing a post to submit to this site. Hope to have it finished and submitted by sunday. At least folks can start bouncing ideas about. This would be as much on the grassroots as anything else.
J
Joe,
ReplyDelete1. You say we should "ally ourselves and engage on a deeper level with the social and economic influences that are forcing change within Ireland." Who are these groups and influneces? I'm not sure what yo mean here.
2. You also seem to be supporting the idea that Sinn Féin will grow by letting local activism leading the way. I fully support local activism, but you must have a clear vision at the top as well. What do we wish to achieve? How will we do that.
And most importantly the leadership and the grassroots must all know what is happening. This to me is our problem. Where are we going and what is our strategy?
AV
Incredibly while we seem to be trying to be more inoccuous and careful along comes the Labour party and starts talking about building a new Republic.
ReplyDeleteSinn Fein the party to build the Republic.
Maybe but lets not wait until the last minute otherwise Eamonn Gilmore will be the one trying to claim the reform the state mantle.
"We have an economic crisis, but it is part of a political and social crisis. The model that drove us since the late 1950s has been under pressure for some years. We built a strong open, exporting economy, but it was hi-jacked by property developers and speculators.
"We embraced the European Union, but we have failed to convince our people of the merits of that membership. We opened up society, and gave people greater freedom, but we have seen a coarsening of society in the wave of crime and death driven by drug crime.
"Too often, our people were treated as economic units, not as members of a society, - subjected to poor planning, high house prices, inadequate services, and now left with the bill."
"Summing up Eamon said that we are living through dark and difficult times."
"We are living though a period which is visiting pain on those who deserve no share of it. We have difficult days ahead. And yet, there is still the potential. There is still the opportunity, that we will sit in Glenties a decade, or two decades from now, and say, that this was the hour when we began to build a New Republic."
http://www.labour.ie/blog/archive/2009/07/22/learn-lessons-from-the-past-to-build-new-republic/
The world keeps on turning but we seem to be still. This is worrying me more and more.
J
Good post by Joe. What's exciting about this site is that people are engaging in real discussions without them being controlled.
ReplyDeleteLike AV says above, local struggle has a context. You can talk all you like about grassroots empowerment but if the resources are not there to deliver what is demanded - it goes nowhere. In fact, I can think of nothing more disempowering than not delivering after thorough community consultations, etc. If we don't change the economic base of the state then communities will not be empowered. The problem is to change the economics you really have to decide to prioritise the needs of people over the market. Now to do that you can't just increase taxes here and spend more there - it just don't raise enough and if you do force more to be raised through taxation you end up with capital flight and disinvestment. Net result is less money and less spending. So you either play ball with the market and encourage investment through lower taxation or you shove the market. The latter choice is called socialism. The former is what Fianna Fail does. Apparently some in our party believe that you can do something different but that's only because they don't understand economics - they try to justify this talking up the 'nordic' model without understanding that its not remotely relevant to a neo-colony like us (we don't have their capital base).
Further proof if it was needed that they don't understand economics is that when push comes to shove and they face realities, they end up powerless in the face of neoliberalist policies. That's why we adopt PFI/PPP and close schools/hospitals in the north. Do you think we want to? No. If tomorrow we got tax varying powers in the north -do you think we'd raise them to save those schools/hospitals or replace PFI/PPP? No we wouldn't because it would cause disinvestment and that runs against 'economic realities'. Z
From Joe Des
ReplyDeleteThank you for replying AV. What I mean by “ally ourselves and engage…” has come about from practical experience. The “groups and influences” I allude to will become clear by my examples from the area I live.
When promoting Sinn Fein initiated campaigns in the ‘recent past’ the resulting support did not always yielded the alliances it deserved in relation to the stance we were taking. We could get the signatures on health issues or get ‘our’ supporters out on a public protest like the day of action against Shell/Statoil. But it was too often ‘ourselves alone’ and while many privately would agree, they would not actively or openly support.
When SF activist openly participated in the public campaigns of market rights, pedestrian safety, playground development, hospital cut-backs, farmers markets, fishing (angling) and agricultural issues, hunting and sporting groups, turf cutting rights and rural development, these ‘groups’ were often interested in hearing our ideas and reservedly welcome to have a ‘Sinner’ involved, especially when the “hands up for volunteers” call is made. That is how I see SF getting involved “on a deeper level”… as supporters and participants to popular campaigns rather than instigators. Take you points, the goals will come.
The influences I refer to are generally representative of the problems facing the increasing number of marginalized in our society (and economy) due to mismanagement and unequal agenda of the right winged policies that ALL 26 county government parties or coalition adhere to. It is where our traditional alliances come from and where they should remain. It is where our inspiration and direction should come from. If you think courting alliances from traditional opponents has brought political gain, ask one of our ‘old allies’.
Republicans aren’t having an identity crisis. Maybe Sinn Fein is. I don’t need to ponder the creation of Che’s ‘new man’. The ‘new man’ exists and was out this morning helping his neighbour or getting involved in a local issue. Are we working along side him?
And I’m not impressed with someone that can quote Connolly to substantiate an understanding of Left. I would rather hear Connolly’s message being explained by the small businessperson or farm family. They have a real-time analogy of ‘Left politic’ without even identifying it as so. That is what I’m getting at. Letting go of some of the ego and have Republicans become more servants to the cause and the Republic. There are scores of people that do it by default everyday. That needs to be our identity.
As per Ceistanna 2 I do see local activism leading the way. I’ve seen scores of talented people come to SF because they identified with the movement. But because of the, dear I say ‘diktat’ put on them not so much from the top, but by ‘middle management’ if you will, they have left. In most cases they not only left Sinn Fein as an activist, but no longer support the party either. The best people to employ local activism are the local activist. Middle management should be deployed to communicate the successes of one local area to the next. Servants of the servants.
In most cases the message from the top was clear. I can attest to this because it WAS bringing people to Sinn Fein. But on more than one occasion, the structured attempts to achieve this message left the new activists simply saying, “This isn’t what I thought Sinn Fein was about!”
As for the separate point of the poor use of social forum by our activists, I must repeat one aspect of activism that should always remain very dear to us. “We all have a part to play”. There are many who do not need to articulate the ins and outs of Left ideology. They are Republicans, they know who they are, they know who they support and why. They are generally the first to lend a hand when needed and they play Mafia Wars on facebook. I think the creator of this KEEP LEFT forum has filled the void of ‘better use’ of the Internet by Sinn Feiners, so I’m happy now.
Joe
joe paragraph 2 and 3 . with you all the way. was having a similer conversation up here recently. SF's ideological scope is huge. language, social justice economics national soverty etc. every member has a passion for at least one. but the passion gets dulled out in the medicocerty of electoralism, which i accept is necessesary, but we could do more with it. spring boarding people out may be a better way. is this debate being fed in internaly, it should be, the internet is great but if this turns in to the cyber space version of the meeting over a pint after the meeting then whats the point. the usual 'didn't agree with that'
ReplyDelete'yeah why didn't you say it at the meeting?'
Amen Joe to the meddling/problems caused by 'middle-management' especially in the Galway region.
ReplyDeleteToo often these people have encouraged factionalism and bickering in order to hold control of power in the area...
Z,
ReplyDeleteyou talk about capital flight if we raise taxes. Why do the northern European countries not suffer this? What do you think of Eoin's piece on raising taxes that I have put up on this site?
Nordic countries don't risk capital flight because they are not dependent on inward investment to create jobs. That is a fundamental difference between ex-colonial and imperial states. Ireland was de-industrialised by colonialism. The Nordic countries did not experience this. Besides, it is highly idealist to try and make simplistic comparisons on the Berlin/Boston models without looking how those economies are structured in the real world. Take Finland, it has a very small population but has a strong cutting-edge technological sector e.g. Nokia and good natural resources. Sweden again has a small population but has one of the world's best car manufacturing sectors and has developed a lead in green sectors as well as a good natural resource base. Norway has a massive oil and gas industry (so big that it can stay out of the eurozone) and has a strong fishing sector. We have nothing like these countries - the only world-class companies we have are Diageo and Ryanair (and only the latter is Irish - and is much smaller than it says it is). We are neither integrated into the big imperialist processes e.g. Denmark nor have any industries with significant comparative advantage. Comparing with the Nordic countries in this simplistic manner exemplifies the sort of poor economic thinking within the party.
ReplyDeleteThere were political economic theories which were developed to explain the imperialist roots of social reformism. Eg British social reformism which is built around finance capital.
The Nordic countries are simply not capital dependent in the way Ireland is - or even China is yet! That is, of course, not to say that we couldn't strive to get where they are at - but if anything the past 18 months have proven that this can't be achieved through anything less than a socialist process of capital accumulation.
Z.
After the latest capitalist crash, I find it odd that anyone would still think conservative politicians and the bankers and industrialists they service understand economics. What they understand is short term economics which deliver them obscene profits quickly, for very little risk; and what good is that when it comes to building a long term prosperous society with equality for all.
ReplyDeleteThose Scandinavian high tech industries and motor manufactures did not fall out of the sky, they were created, often with generous State help or within State/Private partnerships. Reasonable rates of Taxation never stopped them from trading in Scandinavia, now did it? Indeed I would suggest without a healthy tax base, it is almost impossible these days to get the skilled labour business worthy of having in ones country need to operate.
If you think that you must either play ball with the short termism of the market and encourage investment through lower taxation you will end up in shit creek, you know where we live today.
It is not a case of dumping the market, but making business and the wealthy pay their fair share of Taxes, if they refuse, let them go, but you need international cooperation to blacklist their goods. The problem with the Neo-liberal system of enticing business with low taxes and government grants which have no strings, should be obvious to all, once the multi nationals have bled the tit dry they up and leave to sup on the next political idiots free milk. This must stop!
For example, why should say a US conglomerate like Apple be allowed to sack US workers and manufacture their computers etc in China, when their main market is in the US? There is absolutely no reason why they cannot take a little less profit and manufacture in the USA, it is time someone said so.
Extreme profits benefit only the few, if there is a single lesson to be learnt from the Celtic tiger it is that, we need to get our heads around that fact and act accordingly. Businesses without markets are bankrupt, the EU is one of the largest markets in the world. When politicians tell us there is no alternative they are either lying or are bankrupt idiots.
How long ago was it when we were all told the market knows best? If I were a member of SF I would demand my leaders bin such economic crap they learnt whilst supping from Clinton and Blair putrid tit; and revert to a modern reading of Mellows and Connolly. If Republicans cannot create a better society for the workers and middle classes than what is currently on offer, they need to get out of the game.
By the way, I doubt anyone joined SF to close hospitals, schools or adopt PFI/PPP, if there is no tax raising powers in the northern setup that is because both the British and Unionists wanted it that way, which in itself raises questions about participating in such an administration.
Just throwing a comradely pebble into the pond.
After the latest capitalist crash, I find it odd that anyone would still think conservative politicians and the bankers and industrialists they service understand economics. What they understand is short term economics which deliver them obscene profits quickly, for very little risk; and what good is that when it comes to building a long term prosperous society with equality for all.
ReplyDeleteThose Scandinavian high tech industries and motor manufactures did not fall out of the sky, they were created, often with generous State help or within State/Private partnerships raised from taxpayers coin. Reasonable rates of Taxation never stopped these companies from trading in Scandinavian high tax economy, now did it? Indeed I would suggest without a healthy tax base, it is almost impossible these days to get the skilled labour business worthy of having in ones country need to operate.
If you think that you must either play ball with the short termism of the market and encourage investment through lower taxation you will end up in shit creek, you know where we live today.
It is not a case of dumping the market, but making business and the wealthy pay their 'fair share' of Taxes, after all the average joe has to pay their whack, if businesses refuse, let them go, but you need international cooperation to blacklist their goods. The problem with the Neo-liberal system of enticing business with low taxes and government grants which have no strings, should be by now obvious to all, once the multi nationals have bled the tit dry they up and leave to sup on the next political idiots free milk. This must stop!
For example, why should say a US conglomerate like Apple be allowed to sack US workers and manufacture their computers etc in China, when their main market is in the US? There is absolutely no reason why they cannot take a little less profit and manufacture in the USA, it is time politicians said so.
Extreme profits benefit only the few, if there is a single lesson to be learnt from the Celtic Tiger it is that we need to get our heads around that fact and act accordingly. Businesses without markets are bankrupt, the EU is one of the largest markets in the world. When politicians tell us there is no alternative they are either lying or are bankrupt idiots.
How long ago was it when we were all told the market knows best? If I were a member of SF I would demand my leaders bin such economic crap they learnt whilst supping from Clinton and Blair putrid tit; and revert to a modern reading of Mellows and Connolly. If Republicans cannot create a better society for the workers and middle classes than what is currently on offer, they need to get out of the game.
By the way, I doubt anyone joined SF to close hospitals, schools or adopt PFI/PPP, if there is no tax raising powers in the northern setup that is because both the British and Unionists wanted it that way, which in itself raises questions about participating in such an administration.
Just throwing a pebble into the pond.
Very interesting discussons. I think that after the dissappointing results of the latest elections republicans need to consider how we are going to progress our national struggle and bring it forward. The startegy that we have adopted in the past have not succeeded as well as we had expected and we have to decide how to progress. O Broin's article has helped start the discussion on where we need to position ourselves to attract support in Irish political life. The anger felt by the plain people of Ireland did not translate to an increased SF vote in any real way. But it is quite obvious that there is a dissaffected population out there sick of the corrupt politics of twedle dum and tweedle dee and are looking for a principled party to articulate their anger - this shoul be us.
ReplyDeleteShould we go back to our roots of connolly and mellows, re examine he democratic programme of the first dail and demand the protection and rights of all our citizens but in real terms.
How do we do this - this should be where our discussion takes us