Monday July 16 - Manchester
7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, Mount Street (behind the main library)
Tuesday July 17 - Birmingham
7.30pm, Bennetts Bar, Bennetts Hill
Wednesday July 18 - London
7.30pm, Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, WC1
Thursday July 19 - Oxford
7.30pm, Town Hall, Panel Room
On May 8 the re-opening of the Stormont executive in the North of Ireland saw the installation of the sectarian bigot Ian Paisley as First Minister and veteran Republican Martin Mc Guinness as his powerless deputy. The British left has been virtually silent on this historic collapse of Irish Republicanism. Belfast socialist John McAnulty explains:
The new Stormont rests on a tripod. The three legs are: The continuation of British rule in Ireland and the denial of democracy. The restructuring of sectarian privilege and the preservation in a modified form of the original basis of the Northern state - 'a Protestant parliament for a Protestant people'.
The new society is to be established by a reactionary social and economic offensive designed to smash the working class. Catholic workers will find that they remain second class citizens. Protestant workers will find that the authorities have handed over control of their areas to Loyalist 'community representatives' whom they have consistently rejected throughout the troubles. All will find themselves facing major economic cutbacks and the destruction of public services.
Support for the new order will come under strain quite quickly. The danger is that the collapse in support will be to the right and that those who loose faith in the Sinn Fein pipedream will turn to sectarian rivalry, competing with the other community, and increasingly with migrants also for increasing scarce resources.
Those who fight for a socialist alternative will have to begin now, keeping in mind a number of key principles:
Target the British - the main purpose of Stormont is to make British rule invisible - we consistently aim demands at the real rulers and begin to reactivate a solidarity movement in Britain.
Oppose sectarianism - The British are building sectarianism into every nook and cranny of the six counties, with the collaboration of the majority of forces in civic society. Our aim should never be so poor as to target the bigots alone - we must expose all, North and South, who are complicit.
Build rank and file opposition to the economic offensive - the trade union leaderships are in partnership North and South of the border and collaborate both in the economic and political offensive.
Build a 32 county movement. The Irish capitalists are the most enthusiastic supporters of partition and the neoliberal offensive. The only alternative to sectarian division is our common identity as members of the Irish working class.