Re: Rule Britannia? was Re: upheavals in England, 1640 - 1848

[Jeffrey Booth <booth2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary,
        I've met working class, Northern-Irish protestant marxists.  And
I've seen the kind of work they're doing along with Catholic marxists.
Not a wish but a concrete reality.
        And even if you were right:  what do you propose doing with the
six(?) million, unorganizable (by your account) working class protestants
in Northern Ireland?  Who's really being unrealistic here?

                        -- Jeff Booth


On Thu, 20 Jun 1996, Gary MacLennan wrote:

>
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> Adam, you are not, I am sure as you describe yourself an "argumentative
> bastard".  Leastways no more than me or I suspect, Rahul.
>
> Concretely, in Northern Ireland, protestant
> >workers are part of the solution, not the problem. Conversely, John Brutton 
> >or
> >Haughey or whoever are part of the problem, not the solution.
>
>
> Now this is an interesting part of your argument.  I used to go into a rage
> long years ago at Essex University at just this.  Always someone, usually
> from I.S. or Militant, would get up and denouce nationalism and come out
> with the ritual formula -Workers of N. Ireland Unite etc.
>
> Comrade Proyect has correctly urged us to be more empirical in our approach
> to formulating both theory and praxis.  Well all and I mean abosultely all
> the relevant data here suggests that the Protestant working class are
> totally committed to British Imperialism.  Theirs is the mentality of the
> white settler "colon". They are the pieds noirs of Ireland.  The irony is
> that the British would have done some deal long ago but for the last of the
> true blue imperialists- the Protestant working class.
>
> Did you know that one of the current "legends" among the Loyalist working
> class, a Gusty Spence by name, actually organised in the 50s a demonstration
> about Cyprus.  But the good spence was demanding that the British send more
> troops to crush the rebels!  Similarly I once kept a collection of the
> papers produced by the Protestant militias.  I threw them away in the end
> because they festered within me, such was their filth and racism.
>
> Now it gives me no joy whatsoever to say this.  I too would like the working
> classes to unite.  But wishing and facile sloganising as you, comrade, are
> indulging in will not make this happen.
>
> The enemy is British Imperialism.  While the IRA are confronting it, they
> have my support.  Critical of course, but support nevertheless.
>
> regards
>
> Gary
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