Basis of Struggle For a Nationally Independent and Unified People’s Republic of Ireland

Many thanks to Conor McCabe for forwarding this to the Archive.

This states on the introductory pages:

Released by the National Executive of the Communist Party «of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist). Adopted by the Third Consultative Conference of the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist- Leninist), held on the weekend of the 60th Anniversary of the Easter Uprising, April 17-19, 1976. This statement is released by the Party based on an assessment of the ‘experience of struggle against British imperialism, especially over the Last ten years. The statement is released as a guide for the struggle against British imperialism – the basis for struggle – and also, therefore, as the basis of unity for all the working people of Ireland.

Across sixteen pages the documents is divided into numbered paragraphs.

They outline a range of points regarding the CPI (M-L’s) approach to unity.

For example they position the struggle for independence in an international context as follows:

The Irish people’s struggle for national independence and reunification must take its stand in alignment with other peoples fighting for national liberation, and against imperialist hegemony, aggression and domination, and, through mutual assistance and building ties of friendship, assist the people of other countries and so build the People’s Republic of Ireland as part of a new world order where all countries, including small countries like Ireland, can live without fear of imperialist domination and aggression. In this light the Irish people must side with all the oppressed people against the old imperialist order headed by today’s two superpowers, U.S. imperialism and Soviet social-imperialism, and must side with the Third World countries who are in the forefront of struggle against imperialist hegemony. The People’s Republic of China and the People’s Republic of Albania are important allies in this struggle.

They argue:

In the struggle between the Irish people and British imperialism it is certain that the Irish people will eventually win, because the facts of the matter are on our side and the defeat of British imperialism conforms with the laws of the world. On the side of the Irish people are:

1. that their struggle is just
2. that it is in the interests of the people and enjoys broad support
3. that the old system of imperialism and capitalism is now expended and can only be replaced by the socialist system.

On the other hand, the “cause” of British imperialism :

• is totally unjust
• is opposed to the interests of the people and serves only a tiny minority
• as a system it is doomed.

And:

Furthermore, the Irish people’s demand for independence and reunification enjoys the support of working and oppressed people and progressive countries all over the world, including the British working class and the peoples and nations of the Third World, whilst British imperialism enjoys only the support of the two superpowers and a handful of other imperialist powers, and enjoys little or no support from the people of the world. It is for that reason that the British government vetoes any attempt to bring the case for Irish independence up in the U.N. , shamelessly labelling it as “an internal problem of the UK” whilst actually being terror-struck at the support the Irish people’s cause would get there.

In terms of its strength, of course, British imperialism has tremendous strength, with the army, courts, police, prison system, propaganda and news media etc. all under its control; but all these institutions, whilst receiving hundreds of millions of pounds from the Exchequer regularly and appearing to be very strong, are in fact wrought with contradictions. Their very existence reveals the weakness, not the strength, of the British imperialist domination of Ireland and the fact is that so unjust and so unpopular is their cause that they have to rely on a heavily financed and controlled propaganda machine to turn out lies and slander s and on a network of state repressive legislation.

All the factors in the war favour the Irish people; only the temporary strength and superior force of British imperialism is the hurdle and it is certain that the Irish people can defeat those forces.

The document concludes:

In this way, the Irish people, who are a heroic, hard-working people with a glorious history of heroic and militant sacrifice and struggle and with a high degree of skills and rich cultural heritage, are bound to win. The land which by right belongs to the Irish people is very rich agriculturally and in resources and it is certain that with the great initiative of the Irish people and the resources of the land, Ireland can be a healthy and economically prosperous country under the government of the People’s Republic of Ireland, and the Irish workers and small farmers can for the first time control their own affairs, be masters of the land and achieve economic prosperity, peace and genuine democracy.

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