The Need for a United, Revolutionary, 1916 Commemoration

national | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis Sunday April 08, 2012 00:13 by Nico

Here in Ireland there are many 1916 commemorations that are held annually by various groups and parties, but unfortunately, only a very divided fraction of those celebrate it from a revolutionary point of view.

As we enter an even deeper economic crisis of uncertainty and destitution, the choke hold of capitalism continues to tighten its grasp among its hapless victims. What we are witnessing now, is how our history, both past and present, are inextricably linked together through struggle. And how that time and time again, capitalism continues to dominate over our very lives, everyday.

What’s needed is a united approach for an independent 1916 commemoration with a more revolutionary meaning, linking both our past history to the present situation today. One organised by those on the left who adhere to the ideals of James Connolly and all those who fought and died in the name of national and economic emancipation.

Now, more than ever, do we need to resurrect that revolutionary spirit that once existed among our forefathers as they marched out united, from the mighty pillars of the GPO to face the foe.

A united 1916 commemoration, linking both our past history to the present day situation we all face, would certainly help mobilise the left and aid in the revival of the flame that has been left out fluttering in the breeze, one that has almost but not entirely, been extinguished. A commemoration that will help fan the flames of resistance and lay the foundations from where we can organise and mobilise comrades from far and near so as to build a platform for which all struggles in Ireland can be amalgamated against capitalist and imperialist dominance, and be brought together by one massive, mass influx of organised activists, to combat all the issues we face today, head on, and move forward towards the goal of our national and economic liberation. And in order for all of the people on this island to have a fair slice of the cake, when the means of production, distribution and wealth in Ireland, are finally liberated from the hands of the usurpers, from the set of landowners, the elite, and those who continue to rule and abuse their power under the protection of representational democracy.

In the spirit of 1916 and the gallant men and women who rose up against an empire, let us reflect upon the words of Comrade Connolly, as we ponder a noble cause, the cause of labour and the fulfilment of a Socialist Republic.

“Therefore, friends and comrades in the fight, the Workers’ Republic salutes you with joyfulness as it salutes our oppressors with defiance, and “RESURGAM”, “I will rise again” is its cry as it is the cry of the disinherited the world over. Robbed and despoiled as we are, exiles in our own land wherever that land may be, degraded to the lot of “human tools to build another’s pride”, we of the working class, toiling painfully up the ages from ignorance to knowledge, from superstition to science, from Bondage to Freedom, crushed into the earth as our fathers have been, we yet proudly take up their burden and, casting aside all thoughts of compromise with the forces of iniquity, we devote ourselves anew to the task of uprooting the last traces of slavery from this old earth of ours.”

“Let the great ones of the world note this cry, the cry of the revolutionary spirit, welling up from the hearts of their rebellious slaves:”

“RESURGAM: I will rise again.”

- James Connolly