“What The Proclamation
Means To Me”
By Gareth Murphy (General Secretary, Connolly Youth Movement)
“90 Years on and we are Still Fighting!”
Today, the fifth of September 2006, 90 years
after the anniversary of the 1916 rising The Irish Independent staying true
to its colours featured an article by Kevin Myers on John Redmond. The
article was entitled ‘A Tribute to a Forgotten Hero!’ This article sums up
the essence of Irish State politics, north and south. Whether it is the
media, politicians or celebrities like Bono and Bob Geldof, Redmond is the
essence of the governing ideology and the governing class. What is this
governing ideology? It is Ireland latching on to imperialism in the hope of
being fed its scraps, just enough to keep our wealthy rich and our poor from
revolting.
Redmond sent thousands of young men off to die on the continent and fed them
the lie of home rule and self-determination. Today Bertie Ahern, without our
consent, sells our neutrality and sovereignty (the little 26 counties have)
and signs us up to military agreements and wars for a couple of euro and
dollars. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the PD’s, Labour, the Greens, even parts of
Sinn Fein, RTE, TV3, the Irish Times, Bono the list goes on and on all
support without question global Imperialism and Ireland’s role in it and
subservience to it. Whether it is Bush’s war on people everywhere, the EU’s
undemocratic building of a neo-liberal super-state, or the acceptance of the
continued British occupation of Ireland, the above list sponge and feed off
imperialism like a bunch of parasites. For let us make no mistake Ireland’s
wealthy are parasites, they do not create, they leech, while the
overwhelming majority of people on this island either perish or struggle to
live comfortably. John Redmond may be Myers hero but to all democrats he is
a scoundrel, just like McDowell, McCreevey, and Ahern are too.
Where there is a ruling class there is a ruled class. The ruled class are
all the hard working people across this island looking to survive and, if
possible increase their lot in what is an unfair and cruel world. They do
not own much and have little say in governing but they have the richest of
histories and culture which when tapped into produce magnificence. The
‘Proclamation of Independence’ is one such gem.
They have John Redmond but we have Wolfe Tone, James Fintan Lalor, Michael
Davitt, Charles Stewart Parnell, James Connolly and Padraig Pearse to name
just a few. The latter two being the dominant authors of the Proclamation.
In its most limited form this document represents the most progressive
constitution of its time. It represents a victory for women, children, poor,
workers, for those of religion and of none, for nationalism, socialism, for
you and me. But more importantly this document in its designed organic form
represents the beginning of the Irish People’s Revolution. The revolution to
overthrow the Redmonds and McDowells of this world. The revolution to
empower working people and create a New Ireland of peace and prosperity for
all.
To members of the Connolly Youth Movement, or those involved in Rising
Youth, the ‘Reclaim the Proclamation’ campaign and éirígí, to comrades in
Ógra Shinn Fein and Republican Socialist Youth, and to many many more across
this country and the globe, the Proclamation represents part of our culture
and our ideology. While John Redmond may be alive and well in a few, the
Proclamation is breathing life into the many.
We do not struggle for an abstract notion of freedom or for an abstract
notion of the nation. We struggle for the emancipation of the people of the
nation. It is for this reason the proclamation declared “…the right of the
people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control
of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible.”
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