Hessian Peel
01-13-2008, 03:04 PM
Introduction
The Irish Republican Socialist Movement is proud to publish this essay written by Thomas "Ta" Power on the history of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, and his analysis of how the Movement should be reorganized to overcome past weaknesses it had encountered.
The essay called for the armed aspect of the movement to subordinate itself to the political direction of the party. In Ireland, where physical force has been inseparably linked to the concept of republicanism for centuries, and where the party, if it existed at all, as usually no more than an apparatus through which the army spoke, this was a virtually unheard of concept.
What makes this essay of particular importance is not simply the concept it proposes. It is important because Ta Power was an imprisoned member of the Irish National Liberation Army at the time the essay was written, and that the ideas advocated in the essay were later accepted by the INLA with overwhelming support. The armed wing of an Irish revolutionary movement called for its own subordination to the political leadership of the party, and proclaimed the party to be the leadership of the movement as a whole. This is what makes Power's document of truly historic importance.
Beyond its departure from the traditional form of Irish revolutionary organization, Power's essay is a painfully honest review of the history of the Irish Republican Socialism Movement, analysing its weakness and strengths, acknowledging unpleasant facts, and offering concrete means of countering these problems in the future.
Before Ta Power was able to see the full effect of his ideas, the embodiment of the very problems he identified so well left him dead - murdered in a cowardly ambush under the flag of truce. In January, 1987, Ta Power was shot and killed, with INLA Chief of Staff John O'Reilly, while they were waiting to meet with members of a group calling itself the "Irish People's Liberation Organization." The IPLO was composed of members of several factions purged from the INLA during the preceding four years for having brought the organization into disrepute through their criminal activities. Once bitter enemies, the IPLO leaders were joined together for the sole purpose of attempting to destroy the Irish Republican Socialist Movement. The IPLO attacks nearly succeeded in destroying the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, but the adoption of Ta Power's analysis and proposals helped the organization to rebuild and continue, free from the problems that once plagued it. Since the attacks in 1987, the INLA has been free of the internal factional disputes, as well as from the stigma of criminal elements reputed to be within its ranks.
The IRSM salutes the memory of Ta Power, who remains an inspiration to us. His memorial will be a 32-County Socialist Republic of Ireland.
This essay is just a broad, general view of the emergence of the IRSP, what it arose from, what historical conditions and needs gave birth to it; what role it has played, and what role it has still to play. Another essay aimed at analyzing its faults, criticizing the root cause of these, and proposing the necessary remedies will be forthcoming.
http://irsm.org/history/tapowerdoc.html
The Irish Republican Socialist Movement is proud to publish this essay written by Thomas "Ta" Power on the history of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, and his analysis of how the Movement should be reorganized to overcome past weaknesses it had encountered.
The essay called for the armed aspect of the movement to subordinate itself to the political direction of the party. In Ireland, where physical force has been inseparably linked to the concept of republicanism for centuries, and where the party, if it existed at all, as usually no more than an apparatus through which the army spoke, this was a virtually unheard of concept.
What makes this essay of particular importance is not simply the concept it proposes. It is important because Ta Power was an imprisoned member of the Irish National Liberation Army at the time the essay was written, and that the ideas advocated in the essay were later accepted by the INLA with overwhelming support. The armed wing of an Irish revolutionary movement called for its own subordination to the political leadership of the party, and proclaimed the party to be the leadership of the movement as a whole. This is what makes Power's document of truly historic importance.
Beyond its departure from the traditional form of Irish revolutionary organization, Power's essay is a painfully honest review of the history of the Irish Republican Socialism Movement, analysing its weakness and strengths, acknowledging unpleasant facts, and offering concrete means of countering these problems in the future.
Before Ta Power was able to see the full effect of his ideas, the embodiment of the very problems he identified so well left him dead - murdered in a cowardly ambush under the flag of truce. In January, 1987, Ta Power was shot and killed, with INLA Chief of Staff John O'Reilly, while they were waiting to meet with members of a group calling itself the "Irish People's Liberation Organization." The IPLO was composed of members of several factions purged from the INLA during the preceding four years for having brought the organization into disrepute through their criminal activities. Once bitter enemies, the IPLO leaders were joined together for the sole purpose of attempting to destroy the Irish Republican Socialist Movement. The IPLO attacks nearly succeeded in destroying the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, but the adoption of Ta Power's analysis and proposals helped the organization to rebuild and continue, free from the problems that once plagued it. Since the attacks in 1987, the INLA has been free of the internal factional disputes, as well as from the stigma of criminal elements reputed to be within its ranks.
The IRSM salutes the memory of Ta Power, who remains an inspiration to us. His memorial will be a 32-County Socialist Republic of Ireland.
This essay is just a broad, general view of the emergence of the IRSP, what it arose from, what historical conditions and needs gave birth to it; what role it has played, and what role it has still to play. Another essay aimed at analyzing its faults, criticizing the root cause of these, and proposing the necessary remedies will be forthcoming.
http://irsm.org/history/tapowerdoc.html