Editorial 3 The Sinn Féin shift and the Fascist threat

t is a great pleasure to be producing simply alternating as the bosses’ A the world. Ithis issue of Irish Marxist Review and B teams, with only marginal Mainstream capitalist parties – in the aftermath of the stunning differences between them: Fine the Tories, the Christian Democrats, Yes vote in the referendum. To Gael economically slightly more to the US Democrats and Republicans have been doing the opposite, to be the right and more aggressively neo- – exist to defend the interests of attempting to ‘draw lessons’ from a liberal and slightly more socially the capitalist class and capitalist defeat, does not bear thinking about liberal; Fianna Fail slightly more system. That is their nature, their – there was so much at stake, and it populist on economic issues and whole raison d’etre. They can be was such a watershed moment. But slightly more conservative on social induced, by mass revolt and mass most of what needs to be said on the issues (as seen over Repeal). But in pressure, to retreat or compromise result and the campaign is covered terms of the nationalist/republican in the interests of their class, as they in our lead articles by Kieran Allen historical narrative there always did over water charges, but they and Bríd Smith. It doesn’t need seemed more affinity with Fianna cannot be ‘persuaded’ by rational repeating here. Fail, the party of Eamonn De Valera argument, or by Sinn Féin, or by However, there are two recent , than with , the Shirt any other coalition partner, to go political developments which I descendants of Michael Collins against the interests of their class, would like to comment on: Sinn and Eoin O’Duffy. Moreover, in the class on which they depend Fein’s opening of the door to terms of Sinn Fein’s electoral base for funding, leaders, cadres, and coalition with Fine Gael and the in the manual working class Fine influence. This is especially the true alarming fascist marches in Belfast Gael were always the most hated in that the real centres of power do and London. enemy. So this matters and it is a not lie in parliament or even in the That Sinn Féin should even substantial move rightwards. cabinet but outside in the unelected contemplate entering into a Naturally Mary Lou McDonald boardrooms and hierarchies of the coalition with Fine Gael is a and the Sinn Féin leadership can state apparatus. significant shift. Only a couple of give the move a positive, semi- Consequently, were Sinn Fein years ago their declared position, as radical, spin. ‘We stand ready to actually to go into coalition with represented by Eoin Ó Broin, was go into government to change this Fine Gael the effect would not be that Sinn Féin would only go into country! We are going to bring to pull the to the left but, coalition if it were the majority/ about real change for the Irish as happened to Labour in 2011- lead party in the government which people, North and South! We will 16, to be themselves captured and meant they were effectively ruling end austerity and inequality! And dragged to the right. All aspirations out coalition in the immediate to those who would exclude us, like of moving towards a socialist future. Even if many of us on the left and Michael Martin, Ireland, on which they have fed never believed this was their real we say it’s not up to you, it’s up to their rank-and-file for decades, position, the assumption tended to the Irish people! ‘ So it can be made would have to go out the window. be they would go with Fianna Fail, to sound ‘bold’ and ‘assertive’. But If, as is possible, Sinn Fein were to supposedly the more ‘republican’ in reality this is never how capitalist assume office in times of economic of Ireland’s two main bourgeois politics, capitalist parties and crisis,as the Greens and Labour did, parties. coalitions with them, work. There they would be forced, as a condition Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are is an abundance of experience of of remaining in government, to both completely capitalist parties, this from Ireland, with Labour and implement the austerity and vicious both committed to neo-, the Greens, and from numerous cuts demanded by their coalition both mired in corruption and countries and governments round partners, backed by the ruling class.

IRISH MARXIST REVIEW 4 In the process they, like Labour, over forty years. ist-Blairite offensive over anti-sem- might well shatter themselves as a Third, the fact that this occurs in itism may also have been a factor, party based in the working class. the context of international political along with the general weakness of For all these reasons we urge polarisation with rising fascist and the far left in Britain. all those in Sinn Féin who want to far right movements in a number But, however we explain things, stand up for the interests of working of countries including the US, certain conclusions are inescapable. people to raise their voices against Germany (the AfD – Alternative for These demonstrations must serve this turn. The truth is that any real Deutschland), Hungary (Jobbik and as a wake-up call. Anti-fascist, left party actually achieves far more parts of ) , Italy and others. anti-racist resistance can and must with, and for working people, as a Moreover the far right know this be built. as quickly and widely as party of resistance from below, of and are consciously building on possible. In Ireland in the South people power on the streets, than it it. From Steve Bannon of the Alt- we must be vigilant to try to ensure can as a party trapped in a capitalist Right, to Geert Wilders from the that the contagion does not spread government. Netherlands, Gerard Brennan of southwards or over the water and the rump UKIP and even Pauline we must be ready to respond if On Saturday 10 June far right racist Hanson from Australia, the far racist or fascist agitation rears and fascist mobilisations by the right united in support of Tommy its head in our communities. The Democratic Football Lads Alliance Robinson. next ’ Tommy Robinson’ march in and others in support of Tommy Fourth, there is a misogynistic London is scheduled for 14 July. As Robinson in Belfast and London, cultural backlash against the global an immediate step United Against attracted approximately 250 and rising of women which, through the Racism has called a 15,000 people respectively. There likes of Jordan Peterson, has gained against Racism and Rally are many reasons why we should widespread traction, particularly for the same day, Saturday 14 July, take this very seriously. amongst a layer of young men 2pm at the GPO. Irish Marxist The first is the character of the online, and which can serve as a Review urges its readers to be there. demonstrations. It can be argued transmission belt to fascist ideas. Finally this issue of IMR contains that not all the marchers were Lastly there was the smallness of a wealth of interesting material. I fascists, some were just ‘ordinary the counterdemonstrations on 10 would draw particular attention to people’ . This, of course, is true and June – only 30 or so in Belfast and articles on Catalonia and France – will be true of any demonstration- it less than 800 in London; in other we are fortunate to have ‘foreign applies equally to demonstrations words our side was massively out- correspondents’ i.e. comrades, on our side of the class struggle. numbered. Doubtless a number of engaged in the struggle in these Nevertheless these marches were in factors contributed to this. There countries and willing to write for support of a known fascist – Tommy is a wide layer of genuinely an- us; and to two pieces on aspects Robinson, real name Stephen ti-racist people – the kind of people of the environmental crisis – the Yaxley-Lennon, is a long standing who marched in their thousands to anthropocene and species extinction Nazi going back to the days of the commemorate Grenfell in London – by Dave O’Farell and Linda Kehoe EDL and the old BNP; were led by or packed Liberty Hall for a meet- and to Marnie Holborow’s review fascists and were dominated by ing demanding the Right to Work of Tithi Battacharya on Social fascist and racist slogans with large for asylum seekers – for whom the Reproduction Theory . These are amounts of Seig Heiling and ugly Democratic Football Lads Alliance ideas we all need to get our heads violent behaviour. Any person of and the threat they represent sim- around. colour, any Moslem, any woman ply hasn’t yet crossed their radar. Also I want to acknowledge the and any identifiable leftist in the Then there is the largely tokenistic considerable help, in the form of vicinity of these demonstrations response of the move- highly efficient proof reading, given was under immediate threat. ment and the current inability to by Eva Richardson McCrea. Second there is the size. 250 in mobilise, for anything other than Belfast is more than they achieved elections and intra- before and 15,000 in London is disputes, of Momentum and the quite simply the biggest street Corbynista left of the Labour Party. mobilization of the extreme right in Confusion in relation to the Zion- John Molyneux