Marxist Review, No. 3
| Date: | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Revolutionary Marxist Group |
| Publication: | Marxist Review |
| Issue: | Number 3 Spring '73 |
Contributors:
Info | James Conway, D. R. O'Connor Lysaght |
| Type: | Publication Issue |
| View: | View Document |
| Discuss: | Comments on this document |
| Subjects: |
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Commentary From The Cedar Lounge Revolution
19th July 2010
This document, very kindly donated to the Archive by Mark P and the Socialist Party, is of particular interest. We’ve already considered some material from the Revolutionary Marxist Group, but this expands upon their analysis and during a period of particular change on the further left on the island.
Just to briefly refresh memories, the Revolutionary Marxist Group was, as previously noted:
…an intriguing Trotskyist formation on the Irish left from the 1970s. Never very large it consisted of former members the League for a Workers Republic and Young Socialists.
The contents of this particular document is broad ranging, with essays on ‘The Leninist theory of Party Organisation’ by James Conway, ‘Connolly and the Revolutionary Party’ by D.R O’Connor Lysaght, ‘Class Consciousness and the Leninist Party’ by Ernest Mandel and ‘Once More - Trotsky on Ireland’ by James Conway.
Each is of specific interest in providing a sense of the discussions within the RMG and it’s position as regard other formations. The first engages with the issue of discipline, democracy, factions and so on within the context of the Leninist model of party organisation.
The second considers issues of Connolly and the revolutionary party in conjunction with a critique of the analyses of the British and Irish Communist Organisation.
The third is a reprint of an Ernest Mandel speech while the fourth also engages in part with BICO and the ICO.
Apologies for the quality of the scans. The original was printed in red ink and is very faint in parts.
More from Revolutionary Marxist Group
Revolutionary Marxist Group in the archive
Comments
Issue 1
By: Donald Church | 24th October 2020, 3:38pm
It's there .
Re: Issue 1
By: Aonrud | 25th October 2020, 5:05pm
Thanks Donald, much appreciated.
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You can join this discussion on The Cedar Lounge Revolution
By: NollaigO Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:04:12
More than one.
A female and a male.
They also had a supporter who became mayor of Limerick.
Reply on the CLR
By: Budapestkick Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:32:29
In reply to Budapestkick.
I never said disaster, I said never made a signficant impact. I wouldn’t characterise radicalising two or three significant people as much of an achievement. I take your point about internal cohesiveness and I assume the group had a seperate organ for interventions.
Reply on the CLR
By: WorldbyStorm Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:01:16
In reply to Budapestkick.
Ah no, I didn’t mean to say you said it was a disaster. The dangers of commenting at 1am.You’re right of course that many of these groups did relatively little or achieved relatively little, and no doubt some of the activity was a waste of time but in a context of low radicalisation generally something above the ordinary is no small thing. Like yourself I’d love people to gravitate into larger entities, but that doesn’t appear to be the way of it, so one makes do with what one can.
Reply on the CLR
By: Jim Monaghan Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:16:15
I, perhaps, also, gave you the journal.
Size of RMG;
Dublin about 15 vto 20,
Limerick max of say 5. They published the Bottom Dog there.
Belfast about 5.
Influence. Let history judge. Small groups with the right politics and the right time can do things and influence events. EG the attempt by the state to hang the Murrays. With a civil liberties approach I think the RMG helped bring the anti hanging campâign out of a self imposed ghetto.Merged with PD we played an important role in the H Block struggle, the SF outflanked us with a turn to the left, since reversed, in my opinion. But such is life.
2 were in RTE. 1 is an SIPTU official. I am retired.
I was a dissident and sceptical about what I regared as ultraleftism. I never thought that the Provos could succeed.
Main theorist was Brendan who wrote as Conway. I am reluctant to give explicit names as I beleive people may now want privacy.
Oh the Contraception Action campaign and other equality campaigns were initiated by the RMG.
Reply on the CLR
By: Starkadder Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:43:29
In reply to WorldbyStorm.
I think Betty Purcell in RTE was a RMG member at one
stage. I don’t know any other RMG members except
D.R. O’Connor Lysaght.
Reply on the CLR
By: Neues aus den Archiven der radikalen (und nicht so radikalen) Linken « Entdinglichung Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:41:37
[…] and Orders: The Belfast ‘Curfew’ of 3-5 July 1970 (1970) * Revolutionary Marxist Group (RMG): Marxist Review, Frühjahr 1973 * David Bleakley: Crisis in Ireland (1974) * Irish Socialist Network: Parting Company: Ending […]
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By: Left Archive: Socialist Republic (incorporating The Plough), Paper of the Revolutionary Marxist Group No. 1 c.1975 « The Cedar Lounge Revolution Mon, 16 Jul 2012 02:36:12
[…] documents in the Archive from the RMG include this and this and we have quite a number of other documents scanned and ready to post up. Share […]
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