Is This The Republic We Fought For?

cork | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Wednesday March 22, 2006 20:41 by Irish Freedom Campaign

Public Meeting to address the crisis in Republicanism

Since the signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998 republicans have been divided and ineffective in all efforts to bring about the “Republic”. Those who backed the agreement have sunk deeper and deeper into reformism and the embrace of both states. Those opposed are splintered and factionalised. The security of the British imperial project has never been stronger in the last thirty years. Capitalism is entrenched north and south and seems unassailable. All this in a country where the obvious division between rich and poor seems to grow daily.

Nonetheless the desire for something better is obvious to many people. In the last number of years we have seen hundreds of thousands of people mobilise around the Iraq war and Irelands participation, in support of the Irish Ferry workers and most recently a strong countrywide campaign in support of the people of Rossport. These are but a few of the more headline examples of a vast swathe of agitation and struggle occurring throughout the land. How do republicans propose to address this? How do republicans make it plain that all these struggles are but one struggle for a common objective of defeating imperialism and capitalism and building a Workers Republic?

Socialist Republican ideas still have great currency and many people look to them for inspiration and guidance. But the movement is failing to fight its corner in the battle of ideas, still languishing in the aftermath of defeat. Some have even capitulated to the system they were pledged to fight.

It is in this context that the Irish Freedom Campaign invites you to this meeting. We hope a process of discussion can help break the logjam and aid the revitalisation of our movement. Even if you don’t fully agree with these sentiments surely you will see the need to have this debate.

When Thursday April 6th 8.00pm Where Metropole Hotel Mac Curtain Street Cork
Who Tommy McKearney (Former Hunger Striker, editor Forthwright) Gerry Ruddy IRSP