Archive for the ‘Revolutionary History’ Category
The Lenin Wars (new outbreak)
A debate, which is only the latest round in a longer and wider debate (itself a tributary of an even older debate), is being fought in various publications and websites. It is about Lenin, the Bolsheviks and what kind of party the Bolshevik organisation was (or even if it was a separate party for most of the time).
The new round has centred on the first volume of the most influential political biography of Lenin in these parts, Tony Cliff’s’ Lenin, Volume 1: Building the Party (London: Pluto Press, 1975). Some of the heavyweights are there: Pham Binh, Paul Le Blanc and Lars Ti Lih.
It is a debate of close relevance to the matter of how revolutionary marxists should organise today, to what type of parties we should be building, and therefore should be of great interest to Tomás’ readers.
As is often the case the easiest place to follow it is the Links Australian/International web journal. Links have gathered all the contributions together and put them into a single clearly followable page. It began, or reached prominence (as is also often the case) on Louis Proyect’s Unrepentant Marxist site.
Put a pot of coffee on or open a can and enjoy; you will learn too of course.
“Bernadette: Notes on a Political Journey” – An exploration of Mass Action Politics
Mass action in Ireland in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s comes across vividly in Lelia Doolan’s Documentary “Bernadette – Notes on a Political Journey” which is screened on the Irish Language Channel TG 4 on Monday January 30
http://www.tg4.ie/tv-listings/tv-listings.html?date=2012-01-30
Here are some reviews :
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1118/1224307739334.html
http://www.irishexaminer.com/features/dealing-with-devlin-179994.html
http://spooool.com/2011/11/bernadette-notes-on-a-political-journey/
If you have not already seen this documentary – don’t miss the TG4 Broadcast.
If you have seen it – watch it again!
Bernadette Devlin, A Fearless Socialist
John Meehan January 28 2012
The Ghost of Captain Boycott and the Ladies’ Land League Stalks the Kenny-Gilmore Household Tax
The Dublin North TD Clare Daly (Socialist Party, United Left Alliance) has written a thoughtful article on the Household Tax
http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-why-the-household-charge-is-a-gateway-tax/
which we have reproduced in full below.
In a previous article on this site
some recommended reading gives us a flavour of Irish Resistance in Mayo during the Nineteenth Century.
A question was asked
Is “Enda Kenny, the Mayo Deputy, the New Captain Boycott?”
Women organised independently through the Ladies’ Land League, which was more radical than than its male equivalent – Anna Parnell was among its leaders :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Catherine_Parnell
Offices were given to the ladies but little help. The women held public meetings and encouraged country women to be active in withholding rent, in boycotting and in resisting evictions. They raised funds for the League and for the support of prisoners and their families. They distributed Land League wooden huts to shelter evicted tenant families and by the beginning of 1882 they had 500 branches, thousands of women members and considerable publicity.
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Tomás Ó Flatharta 