REVIEW OF 32 Counties the failure of partition & the Case for a united ireland BY KIERAN ALLEN
The National Question in Ireland & The Imperative of Workers’ Unity as part of the discussions around the irish national question and the border, ann orr reviews the recent book by Kieran allen, people before profit national secretary. Analysing history and examining the current situation are prerequisites to building a movement capable of resolving the national question in Ireland. This review will outline how in my view Kieran Allen's book does not demonstrate an approach that shows how workers and young people in the North can overcome divisions and build a better future for all. While we agree with many points in this book, given the constraints of this article it is necessary to focus on aspects where our analysis diverges most. This includes the nature of the national question in Ireland today and the potential for it to be resolved without a battle to fundamentally challenge capitalism, both North and South; the role of the working-class, including Protestant workers and young people in that battle; and the necessity and real potential for united workers' struggle. There is a renewed focus on the national question for numerous reasons; recent demographic changes are the most significant. The Protestant population no longer makes up a majority in Northern Ireland, a trend likely to be confirmed by the 2021 census results. Brexit has added further complexity by sharpening tensions around the Northern Ireland Protocol and destabilising the United Kingdom. Kieran Allen correctly identifies these points as being crucial. He also accurately highlights that partition – the decision
to create two separate states in Ireland – was a conscious act by the British ruling class carried out in defence of its interests.
the responsibility of british imperialism Faced with a developing unity in struggle of Protestant and Catholic working-class people in a radicalised mass movement in Ireland for revolutionary change, linking with workers in struggle across Britain, the representatives of British imperialism applied their tried and tested method of divide-and-rule. They feared that the emerging movement could threaten not only British rule here but also capitalism itself in Ireland and Britain and could strengthen movements for independence and social change in other parts of the British Empire. Partition was a blow to the working class across Ireland by diverting, dividing and weakening the movement. It derailed the real prospect that existed for economic and social liberation through socialist change. This is the real and shared history of a century ago. The national question in Ireland is a product of this history and relates to the existence of the border, partition and the presence of the British state. Its legacy is also the existence of Protestant and Catholic communities with antagonistic national aspirations, mutual suspicions resulting from years of conflict, particularly during the Troubles, and two sectarian political establishments that stoke the divisions. British imperialism is responsible for these divisions and capitalism today ensures their maintenance because AuTuMN / WINTEr 2021 l SocialiSt alterNative l 17
