The Irish Crisis [antikvár]

PREFACE The fundamental argument of this book may be summarized as follows : There is a clash of interest between English monopoly capitalism on the one hand and the Irish people on the other. This expresses itself in economic, political, constitutional, legal and cultural conflict. The present suyp^erior strength of imperialism is expressed in the determining fact of enforced partition. Economically, partition imposes severe disabilities on each part of Ireland, but especially on the part denied political sovereignty, comprising six counties. These disabilities are made to press one-sidedly on the Catholic and Nationalist minority in the north, who are denied civil rights so as to render them politically powerless and encourage them to emigrate. Just as partition in its application to Ireland as a whole prevents the unity of the national forces against imperialist exploitation, so discrimination and the denial of civil rights in the six counties enfeebles both Protestant and Catholic opposition to the political power of Unionism, until there can be found a means of uniting. The result is that partition influences every aspect of the class struggle within Ireland, so that all other issues must be related to it and cannot be understood otherwise. In virtue of these circumstances English imperialism is rgspjomible for the resultant evils, and the British people are of necessity involved. The intervention of the British people against imperialism, on the side of the Irish struggle for national freedom, can ciestroy the position of imperialist superiority and reverse the balance of forces. This intervention, which must not be understood as an intervention in Irish ioternal ajfairs, but as an intervention against imperialist involvement in Irish internal affairs, must be applied progressively in accordance with the needs of the struggle in Ireland, but can ultimately help to remove the obstacles that have been placed 5