The fourth issue of the Revolutionary Communist is now out! Read the editorial of this issue below, and get in touch to order your copy now! You can also pick up a yearly subscription to support the communist press.
“It’s the end of the world as we know it.” So warned a panicked piece in the Irish Times. And, for once… they are right.
Under the hammer blows of crisis, the world order that has dominated capitalism since the end of the Second World War is collapsing before our eyes. Globalisation is unravelling. Barriers are being erected. The opening shots of what could quickly escalate into a devastating trade war have already been fired.
Everything that has underpinned the relative stability of Irish capitalism – North and South – over the past 30 years now hangs in the balance. In the snap of a finger, unprecedented budget surpluses, GDP growth, and other ‘success stories’ in the South can turn into their opposite. The national question in the North threatens to erupt with renewed force.
If you thought the last few years were rough, let us give you some advice: buckle up. We are heading towards a storm!
Perspectives
In such tumultuous times, the first task of Marxists is to step back from the immediate, and analyse the long-term processes driving the development of the class struggle.
Our regular readers will notice that this issue of the Revolutionary Communist is unlike any before. Instead of the usual collection of articles, we dedicate these pages to one crucial document: our 2025 Perspectives for the Irish Revolution, unanimously approved at the April Congress of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland.
In developing Perspectives, we analyse the main trends that are shaping Irish politics and the class struggle, tracing the most likely line of development. Only armed with this understanding can we forge the strategy and tactics needed to build the revolutionary party.
The document was initially drafted all the way back in January. And despite all the turns and twists of world politics since, it still reads with a striking freshness.
World
As we explained then, Trump 2.0 was going to be significantly different from his first term. But Trump’s nationalist protectionism is no solution to capitalism’s crisis (American or otherwise): it is only petrol on the fire.
Since January, the world has edged even closer to the precipice of a new slump. When Wall Street panicked, treasury bonds lost value, and oil prices plummeted, Trump himself was forced to beat a (temporary) retreat on his ‘reciprocal’ tariffs.
But make no mistake – this is just a lull before an even greater explosion. The global situation is now more unpredictable and fragile than it has been in decades.
Ireland
The Irish ruling class is staring into the abyss. And true to form, their only response is to cling tighter to their imperialist masters and prepare new attacks on workers.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe openly declared in the Dáil: “We need to build up our fiscal buffers and exercise restraint.” Translation: all the promises made during the election campaign are already being torn to shreds.
Meanwhile, desperate to ingratiate themselves with one camp of the fracturing West alliance, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have eagerly abandoned even the pretence of neutrality. They are scrapping the Triple Lock, pledged to almost triple military spending, and even indicated their readiness to send Irish troops for a British-led (suicidal) mission to Ukraine!
As we explained in the document, any celebration by the Irish ruling class of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s ‘victory’ was sorely misplaced. Indeed, in less than one hundred days, this has already become one of the most unpopular governments in the history of the state.
According to a recent Irish Times poll, only a meagre 15 percent support the two ruling parties making a coalition deal with Michael Lowry and the independents. And these ladies and gentlemen have the cheek to preach about democracy!
The North
If the South is seething, the North is a powder keg ready to explode.
Since the document was first drafted, Starmer has unsheathed the knives, slashing welfare benefits for the most vulnerable while handing billions to the arms industry.
The message is clear: the poorest will have to pay for the crisis of British capitalism. The Six Counties are already one of the poorest region in North-Western Europe as it is – before the coming recession hits the British and Irish economy. The consequences will be nothing short of catastrophic for workers and youth.
A recent poll by King’s College London found that just one in ten people in the North have confidence in political parties. And a similarly low number trust parliament or the press.
Here you have it: a deepening crisis, a profoundly discredited establishment, and a history of sectarian strife. These contradictions could burst through the surface at any moment.
Revolutionary Communism
Only 4 months after the document was first drafted, the situation has only further deteriorated for World and Irish capitalism. Is it any wonder the mood among the ruling class is one of foreboding?
Only revolutionary communists look to the future with optimism – an optimism rooted in our understanding of perspectives and the processes taking place beneath the surface. The death agony of capitalism, in all its twists and turns, is stirring up the masses.
The working class and revolutionary youth will sooner or later stamp their authority on events which will open new and greater avenues of struggle. The groundwork for revolution is being prepared, but we must understand scientifically how this will take place, so we may seize every opportunity to advance the cause of communism. This is why we have decided to publish our perspectives document in full in this issue.
On the back of the titanic events shaking the world, many are questioning capitalism and drawing revolutionary conclusions. Marxists work in the confidence that the working class will rise ever stronger in its struggle against capitalism. Our task is that of building a revolutionary organisation that can lead that struggle – and with urgency!
The future belongs to revolutionary communism!
