This past Saturday, October 18th, the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland hosted our largest event to date: The Communist Day School of Anti-Imperialism.
The energy at the School was palpable, with over 60 attending throughout the day. The growing turnout at our meetings is testament to the growing thirst among the youth for the ideas of revolutionary communism and the dedication of our members in building for the event.
The Day School featured three main discussions on Imperialism, Ireland and Palestine. These talks served to educate ourselves for the tasks ahead as well as consolidating a number of new recruits we’ve made in the past month.
Indeed, such was the enthusiasm during the day, that four new members have agreed to join us in the fight to build the RCI on the spot! Further, the discussion has whetted comrades’ appetite for revolutionary theory, as testified by the over €250 worth of Marxist literature we sold throughout the day.
Revolutionary theory
The day began with a foundational analysis of imperialism. Here Lenin’s masterpiece of Marxist analysis, Imperialism: the highest stage of capitalism, was laid out clearly. The capitalist tendency towards the concentration of production and capital amongst a small number of firms leads to the formation of monopolies which come to dominate their home markets and are then forced by the pursuit of profits to invest their capital abroad in foreign markets.
This process continues until the whole world has been divvied up among the dominant powers, only to enter a new age of redevision decided on the basis of struggle between the ruling classes of different nations, and the working class paying the highest price. These lessons are more important than ever before in this new epoch of global turbulence.
The next talk gave an inspiring look at the legacy of James Connolly in the face of British imperialism and the fight for socialist revolution in Ireland. The revolutionary legacy of Connolly was explored, showcasing his genuine ideas on the path to national liberation. Connolly denounced class collaboration on the national question and urged the working class to rely upon only their own strength, stressing that “only the Irish working class remain as the incorruptible inheritors of the fight for freedom in Ireland.”
The consequences of the betrayal of the Irish revolution at the hands of the reformist labour leaders and the petty bourgeois nationalists is what leaves us here today – with our economy wholly dominated by American, European and British imperialism. A century of independence for the 26 Counties on paper has never been realised in reality. The answer for us today is the same answer Connolly arrived at over a century ago: combining the fight for national liberation with the fight for a workers’ state.
The final talk presented an urgent examination of the Palestinian struggle. After two years of escalation, a fragile ceasefire has been established. However, peace cannot be obtained while the underlying causes for the outbreak still exist, and Palestine is under heavy occupation.
The history of the struggle was explored in depth, from the Nakba to the first Intifada. From Britain’s creation of what their Military Governor Ronald Storrs called a “Little loyal Jewish Ulster” in the Middle East through to today, the people of Palestine have suffered constant displacement, murder and genocide. The chains of global Imperialism bind us all, and breaking the chain anywhere helps the oppressed everywhere.
A world to win!
The discussion after each talk only deepened the understanding of all attending. The war in Ukraine, tariffs, the history of Ireland and what tasks lie ahead of us were fleshed out. What emerged from every discussion was the urgent need to build a Bolshevik party capable of carrying these ideas out of the room and into the movement of the working class and youth.
This strong showcase of our ideas inspired everyone in attendance as well. Seven new people expressed interest in becoming members, with four of them agreeing to join on the spot. All who attended had nothing but praise for the professionalism and revolutionary spirit on display.
Last weekend’s Day School was a significant milestone in the building of a genuine communist revolutionary organisation in Ireland. But we need to go much further! Our cause is the socialist revolution, and we call on all class-conscious workers and youth to join us in working toward that goal!
