Michael O’Rourke ✍ It is accepted generally by historians that Ireland’s fight for freedom over the centuries has been central to and disproportionately of greater importance in geo-political terms to its actual size. 

 Our struggle against British colonialism and the British Empire was a constant rebuke marring its dreams of glory. Ireland’s struggle against British occupation inspired the peoples of the world, reigniting into the modern era with the heroic Easter Rising of 1916, it impacted worldwide, resonating and triggering the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and seen as a portent for the demise of the British Empire.

Naturally all republicans are familiar with this history and rightly proud of it, just as they are proud of the republican struggle against the continued occupation of the Six-Counties. However, needless to say, British imperialism and its partners, ie NATO, have not gone away; they still dominate the world through predatory military and financial means, and economic warfare on subject countries.

A cursory examination of the origins of NATO will show that it is in military terms the iteration of the British Empire. Britain is the second power in NATO after the U.S., and as we know they are currently pursuing a proxy war against Russia and the people of former eastern Ukraine by means of the fascist police state of Ukraine which they took over through the Nazi led 2014 coup in Kiev. At this time the war in Ukraine is the epicentre of the clash between Imperialism led by the U.S./UK and the lesser European powers, and any people or country resisting Western diktat and domination.

Therefore it is absolutely incumbent on republicans to call for the defeat of NATO and its fascist proxy regime in Kiev. We should demonstrate openly our support for the forces of Russia and Donbass through every means. We should consider picketing of U.S./UK embassies, EU Commission offices, and the pro-NATO, pro-Unionist RTE who dish out mountains of lies and propaganda daily on behalf of the Irish government’s obsequious support for the U.S./UK warmongering.

In directing our political energies in this way, we will be asserting the revolutionary and internationalist principles of our patriot leaders of 1916. We will demonstrate republican leadership against imperialism, and we will rebuke all of the Leinster House politicians who have shamed our country by siding with our traditional enemy against Russia and the civilian population of Donbass, currently enduring Storm Shadow missile bombardment supplied by Britain.

These same Leinster House politicians, while supporting NATO’s proxy war, have sought to completely marginalise republicans by moving ever closer to British imperialism and NATO. Consequently it is imperative for republicans to grasp the significance of a decisive political campaign against British NATO, which regardless of the numbers involved it will, without doubt, resonate internationally, bringing us greater support here at home and elsewhere.

This does not in any way mean a diversion from our immediate national priorities and political tasks. On the contrary it will be the opposite. It is these geo-political currents that are driving events here in Ireland, and it is our responsibility to intervene politically as part of our fight against British occupation and 26 county collaboration. In so doing we will not only win more support here at home, but we will also deepen our understanding of the complexities of the international context of the issues and tasks before us in furthering the republican agenda against the political establishment’s attempt to marginalise it. These matters are urgent, and they will be decisive regarding the political future of republicanism.

Indicating how far they have prostrated themselves before U.S/UK hegemony, Micheál Martin proclaimed in the Dáil that Ireland’s security is no longer safe, that we are in danger possibly from the Russian military. He was obviously alluding to his new favourite theme; Ireland joining NATO and bringing us back under the “protection” of the British military. Naturally though, it didn’t occur to Martin when he was alluding to this farcical nonsense about a Russian threat that his speech coincided with the 49th anniversary of the British/UVF Dublin/Monaghan bombings. Or that his government’s whole relationship with the British is founded on that bombing, only recently to be interrupted by a breakdown over Brexit.

Neither did he recall the more recent deployment by Boris Johnson of the Unionist paramilitary drug gangs, threatening to “march” on Dublin over their Brexit gripes with Dublin. Instead Micheál Martin sees no threat there and wants us to join with the British and their Unionist paramilitaries under NATO. Republicans need to oppose all this treachery of the Irish nation and Irish independence. We need to starkly stand out from the various political parties and groups who in one way or another are in tow with the pro-NATO 26 county government.

We will do this by standing on the side of Russia and in real terms the people of the whole world outside of the Western powers led by the U.S/UK. This is in line with the revolutionary principles of the 1916 leaders. It is incumbent on us therefore to politically fight against the reverberations of NATO’s proxy war and its supporters in our own country. And it is our pathway forward to a successful political future strengthening the republican cause.

🖼 Michael O’Rourke is a former POW imprisoned on behalf of the INLA.

The International Perspective

Michael O’Rourke ✍ It is accepted generally by historians that Ireland’s fight for freedom over the centuries has been central to and disproportionately of greater importance in geo-political terms to its actual size. 

 Our struggle against British colonialism and the British Empire was a constant rebuke marring its dreams of glory. Ireland’s struggle against British occupation inspired the peoples of the world, reigniting into the modern era with the heroic Easter Rising of 1916, it impacted worldwide, resonating and triggering the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and seen as a portent for the demise of the British Empire.

Naturally all republicans are familiar with this history and rightly proud of it, just as they are proud of the republican struggle against the continued occupation of the Six-Counties. However, needless to say, British imperialism and its partners, ie NATO, have not gone away; they still dominate the world through predatory military and financial means, and economic warfare on subject countries.

A cursory examination of the origins of NATO will show that it is in military terms the iteration of the British Empire. Britain is the second power in NATO after the U.S., and as we know they are currently pursuing a proxy war against Russia and the people of former eastern Ukraine by means of the fascist police state of Ukraine which they took over through the Nazi led 2014 coup in Kiev. At this time the war in Ukraine is the epicentre of the clash between Imperialism led by the U.S./UK and the lesser European powers, and any people or country resisting Western diktat and domination.

Therefore it is absolutely incumbent on republicans to call for the defeat of NATO and its fascist proxy regime in Kiev. We should demonstrate openly our support for the forces of Russia and Donbass through every means. We should consider picketing of U.S./UK embassies, EU Commission offices, and the pro-NATO, pro-Unionist RTE who dish out mountains of lies and propaganda daily on behalf of the Irish government’s obsequious support for the U.S./UK warmongering.

In directing our political energies in this way, we will be asserting the revolutionary and internationalist principles of our patriot leaders of 1916. We will demonstrate republican leadership against imperialism, and we will rebuke all of the Leinster House politicians who have shamed our country by siding with our traditional enemy against Russia and the civilian population of Donbass, currently enduring Storm Shadow missile bombardment supplied by Britain.

These same Leinster House politicians, while supporting NATO’s proxy war, have sought to completely marginalise republicans by moving ever closer to British imperialism and NATO. Consequently it is imperative for republicans to grasp the significance of a decisive political campaign against British NATO, which regardless of the numbers involved it will, without doubt, resonate internationally, bringing us greater support here at home and elsewhere.

This does not in any way mean a diversion from our immediate national priorities and political tasks. On the contrary it will be the opposite. It is these geo-political currents that are driving events here in Ireland, and it is our responsibility to intervene politically as part of our fight against British occupation and 26 county collaboration. In so doing we will not only win more support here at home, but we will also deepen our understanding of the complexities of the international context of the issues and tasks before us in furthering the republican agenda against the political establishment’s attempt to marginalise it. These matters are urgent, and they will be decisive regarding the political future of republicanism.

Indicating how far they have prostrated themselves before U.S/UK hegemony, Micheál Martin proclaimed in the Dáil that Ireland’s security is no longer safe, that we are in danger possibly from the Russian military. He was obviously alluding to his new favourite theme; Ireland joining NATO and bringing us back under the “protection” of the British military. Naturally though, it didn’t occur to Martin when he was alluding to this farcical nonsense about a Russian threat that his speech coincided with the 49th anniversary of the British/UVF Dublin/Monaghan bombings. Or that his government’s whole relationship with the British is founded on that bombing, only recently to be interrupted by a breakdown over Brexit.

Neither did he recall the more recent deployment by Boris Johnson of the Unionist paramilitary drug gangs, threatening to “march” on Dublin over their Brexit gripes with Dublin. Instead Micheál Martin sees no threat there and wants us to join with the British and their Unionist paramilitaries under NATO. Republicans need to oppose all this treachery of the Irish nation and Irish independence. We need to starkly stand out from the various political parties and groups who in one way or another are in tow with the pro-NATO 26 county government.

We will do this by standing on the side of Russia and in real terms the people of the whole world outside of the Western powers led by the U.S/UK. This is in line with the revolutionary principles of the 1916 leaders. It is incumbent on us therefore to politically fight against the reverberations of NATO’s proxy war and its supporters in our own country. And it is our pathway forward to a successful political future strengthening the republican cause.

🖼 Michael O’Rourke is a former POW imprisoned on behalf of the INLA.

3 comments:

  1. Are you for real? Where is your solidarity with an independent nation that won its independence from the Soviet Empire (peacefully) only for Putin to invade it on the grounds that as part of Greater Ru, Ukraine has no national culture or narrative. Have you heard of the Ukrainian Holmodor inflicted by Stalin in the 1930s their An Gotta Mor multiplied to the power of four? Your defence of the war criminals of Bucha, Dnipro, Mariupol is as contemptible as it gets from the so-called anti-imperialist far left (or should I say far right, what's the difference?)

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  2. Sometimes my enemies enemy is worse than my enemy.

    To allow Russia retake imperial possessions is as bad as siding with Britian over the north of Ireland. The Donbass is the same as the Ulster question: does a Soviet settled population (who drove out indigenous Tatar and Ukrainian population) have right to secede to join Russia?

    To be an Irish republical, we have to answer "No".

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  3. Luckily NATO worked out you either fight Russia in Ukraine now or fight them in central Europe later.

    ReplyDelete