Tomás Ó Flatharta

“Helmut Oberlander”, a whistleblower, explains the recent split in the Workers’ Party / Official IRA. The message below was sent to Ed Moloney.

Once again, in the history of left-wing organisations which degenerate politically, we see the needs of the apparatus (in this case criminal businesses created by a conspiratorial army aided by North Korean forged dollars) prioritised against legitimate struggles waged by the working class and its allies.

This form of left politics is today re-emerging via the ideology of “Campism”, where régimes like Xi Jinping’s China (a major capitalist power) are supported when they are competing against Donald Trump’s USA. Xi Jinping and company know that “left wing” puppets in foreign lands can be cynically bought.

I received the piece below as a comment on an article I wrote on the recent split in what remains of the Workers Party and Official IRA. ‘Helmut Oberlander’ is the undoubtedly fictitious byline that came with the article but knowing a little about the organization involved, I cannot blame the author for seeking refuge in such a deep blanket of obscurity. That aside, I think what ‘Helmut’ has to say about his former comrades at the time that Prionsias de Rossa led most of the WP’s TD’s into the new Democratic Left party, carries the ring of truth and authenticity as well as fascinating revelation. And so dear reader I recommend it to you. Enjoy:

Helmut Oberlander | August 13, 2020 at 2:36 pm | Reply
The latest split in the so called workers party comes as no surprise. In the early nineties the democratic left taking all their TDs in the Irish Republic. When it came to the big vote in Dun laoghaire, bus loads of supporters of the WP and OIRA members were given stamped, up to date party cards and were told to vote against any proposals put forward by De Rossa and his ‘gang’. Gang was the term used by the anti De Rossa group by the northern leadership and what was left of the official IRA. Following that in the late nineties, another crack developed in the now failing WP. For those who do not know, the vast majority of WP members in Belfast and Newry were official IRA members and most were ex prisoners and seasoned veterans of the robbery squad and the hit squads. Ironically the hit squads (group B) were never used defend the Catholic, nationalist and republican community, the people who they were supposed to protect. They were used by the leadership to protect the senior members and the businesses that they controlled. While loyalist gunmen murdered all around them, the only people that retaliation would be used against was the PIRA. But when the businesses started, no response would follow any attacks on ordinary members and supporters were attacked. The pubs, clubs, the building construction company and the property deals took first place over everything else. To get back to the point, rank and file members tried to discuss the problems of the downward slide of the party and the movement. This was met with threats of violence including murder and kneecapping to anyone who disagreed with the ‘leadership’. I use the term leadership very lightly as they controlled the party and group B like the Stalinist animals that they ARE! Just to remind anyone who can’t remember what the split was about, the now Official republican movement wanted to discuss three points, Number 1, no democracy in the movement, Number 2, No accountability for any money that was going through the movement (party) and Number 3, the movement had lost its way politically, they had too many friends in police stations, very comfortable relationships with loyalist paramilitaries, especially when it came to building construction contracts, building site security and God only knows what else. As for being republicans, that was a total farce, republicans were now forced to be socialists, communism was the way forward and even though the once mighty USSR had fallen, member were now told to admire the perfect example of socialism, the D.P.R.K= North Korea, funny, they don’t talk about that place much now. No more $100 Dollar bills. Now there’s another chapter . Thankfully the armed wing of the workers party did not go ahead with the threats against the O.R.M but they are still there, to the best of my knowledge the last person to be shot by them in 2019 was a member of group B, he was clipped for selling their guns and told to leave the country. So without giving it all away, I think that it is a case of watch this space and see what happens . Seamus the shit has a lot to answer for. As for me, for anyone who would like to question my credentials, I’m a veteran, a grandfather, nothing to prove to anyone, been there, T Shirt and the rest. People before profit, remember that one

— Read on thebrokenelbow.com/2020/08/14/the-official-ira-and-workers-party-in-the-wake-of-the-de-rossa-split/