Pro-NATO Left organise in Ireland
12 September 2022
Ukrainian Independence Day demonstration
in Dublin.
The end of August saw a Ukrainian Independence Day demonstration in Dublin. As with many bizarre aspects of this war, the Zelensky regime encouraged demonstrations across Europe with the exception of Ukraine, where they were banned. An extra twist to the bizarre situation was added by a Dublin "left" group who attended the demonstration and supported the war.
Almost every word of their statement was nonsensical.
They argue that the proxy war in Ukraine was similar to the Irish struggle for independence, that Ukrainians must be free to obtain weapons from any source, that the Irish government networks with landlords and international capital but that they will help Ukrainian migrants combat this.
The Irish War of Independence was nothing like the Ukrainian conflict. Obtaining weapons from any source is a way of blessing US arms supplies. When they supply over €60 billion, they own the Zelensky government and the war is a proxy war. The Irish government is a corrupt weapon in the hands of imperialism, but so too is the Zelensky regime and the Ukrainian workers are the subject of widespread corporate robbery.
The group leaves out any mention of NATO, or of the global battle by the US elite to wage economic war across the globe and to set the scene for war zones from Iran to China. This is part of a pattern. There is a long history of reformist socialists painting imperialism as progressive. The prelude to the Iraq war was the Euston group based in London. Then we had the Libyan no-fly zone. Today we have "radical anti-imperialism" which rejects the revolutionary tradition of the socialist movement.
Above all, there is no mention of the working class. The workers have no country. They do not support either side in a battle between two capitalist powers. There is a long history of supporting the self-determination of colonies such as Ireland because, as Lenin observed, of the "generally democratic" nature of these struggles. It will be a hard search to find the generally democratic elements of the Zelensky regime.
The workers’ movements should call for an end to the slaughter. Russian troops should withdraw. More importantly, NATO and the imperialist powers should withdraw and NATO should be disbanded. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions should be allowed to choose their own fate.
Our main enemy is at home. Irish capitalism is driving towards greater militarisation and full integration with the NATO war machine. Ukraine has shut down a nuclear plant at great risk to us all amid silence from supporting governments. By lining up to preserve US control of the global economy the Irish government is condemning us to massive inflation and poverty. US and European leaders openly tell us that we must make sacrifices in order to continue the Ukrainian slaughter. Our first response is to say no.
To do that we need a fighting
workers movement and a battle to form a revolutionary and internationalist
party. Pro-NATO leftists have no part to play in this struggle. The more
numerous anti-war elements must come together as quickly as possible.