Re: Prods

[Danielle Ni Dhighe <nidhighe@xxxxxxxx>]

At 09:02 AM 6/25/2002, paul moloney wrote:
>So Gary, Danielle and John how do you see the future
>of Northern Ireland, particularly where does the
>Protestant majority fit in

We'll be talking about a real (as opposed to a gerrymandered) majority of
*Catholics* in 20 years or less.  How the Loyalists will react to that is
anyone's guess, but unless things change significantly, I'm sure it will be
violent.

That said, I think a unified Ireland is inevitable.  I just don't think it
will be anything but a pro-capitalist, pro-imperialist state.  An
improvement in that the British occupation will be over, but still a long
way to go for those of us who want to see a socialist Ireland.

Where will Protestants fit in?  I think that's partly up to them.  Whether
they identify as Irish or as British who happen to live in Ireland, they'll
have to reject their traditional role as the enforcers of colonialism.  On
the other side, any unified Irish state will have to make genuine efforts
to respect the rights of the Protestant minority.

>And has the triumvirate given up on the starting point
>for socialists - worker's unity.

I haven't given up on it, but the dominant ideology among Protestant
workers is still one where they see themselves as privileged in relation to
Catholic workers, even if most of the privileges they once enjoyed no
longer exist.

Now obviously engaging with Protestant workers is important, but it's just
as important to recognise that many of them identify with an utterly
reactionary ideology, i.e. Loyalism.  Genuine socialists and
anti-imperialists should make no compromise with Loyalism, even while
trying to raise the class consciousness of Protestant workers.

>I make no excuses for the fact that I come from the
>Official tradition and view things differently.

We'll try to forgive you for that particular deviation, comrade.  ;)

Danielle Ni Dhighe
Puget Sound Chapter, Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
nidhighe@xxxxxxxx - http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html
Free Dessie O'Hare! - http://www.irsm.org/irsp/free_dessie/


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