The Politics of James Connolly

dublin | anti-capitalism | event notice Monday February 16, 2004 17:53 by jc - SWSS UCD

UCD Marxist Forum:

Wednesday 18th Feb at 1pm
Room B101, Arts Bloc, UCD

Speaker: Kieran Allen,
Author of the Politics of James Connolly

Some men, faint-hearted, ever seek
Our programme to retouch,
And will insist, whene’er they speak
That we demand too much.
’Tis passing strange, yet I declare
Such statements give me mirth,
For our demands most moderate are,
We only want the earth.

“Be moderate,” the trimmers cry,
Who dread the tyrants’ thunder.
“You ask too much and people By
From you aghast in wonder.”
’Tis passing strange, for I declare
Such statements give me mirth,
For our demands most moderate are,
We only want the earth.

Our masters all a godly crew,
Whose hearts throb for the poor,
Their sympathies assure us, too,
If our demands were fewer.
Most generous souls! But please observe,
What they enjoy from birth
Is all we ever had the nerve
To ask, that is, the earth.

The “labour fakir” full of guile,
Base doctrine ever preaches,
And whilst he bleeds the rank and file
Tame moderation teaches.
Yet, in despite, we’ll see the day
When, with sword in its girth,
Labour shall march in war array
To realize its own, the earth.

For labour long, with sighs and tears,
To its oppressors knelt.
But never yet, to aught save fears,
Did the heart of tyrant melt.
We need not kneel, our cause no dearth
Of loyal soldiers’ needs
And our victorious rallying cry
Shall be we want the earth!

James Connolly

Born Edinburgh, Scotland of Irish parents – said to
have first come to Ireland in his youth as a member of
the British Army – married in 1889 – active in The
Socialist movement in Edinburgh in the early 1890s –
came to Ireland in 1896 and founded the Irish
Socialist Republican Party – lectured on socialism in
Britain and U.S., 1902 – emigrated to U.S. in 1903 –
member of Socialist Labour Party (U.S.) and the
Industrial Workers of the World – founded the Irish
Socialist Federation in New York, 1907 – returned to
Ireland in 1910 as organiser for The Socialist Party
of Ireland – Belfast organiser of the Irish Transport
and General Workers Union, 1910 – acting Gen. Sec. of
I.T.G.W.U. and Commandant of the Irish Citizen Army,
1914 – Commandant General of Dublin Division of the
Army of the Republic, 1916 – executed following the
1916 Uprising.


Readings:

http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj80/jcon.htm

http://www.swp.ie/resources/The%201913%20Dublin%20lockout.htm

http://www.marxists.org/archive/connolly/