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On
Saturday Dec 7th a 200+ strong demo made its way through
Belfast city centre, a march against the oncoming
US driven war on Iraq. Maybe it was due to the Rangers
- Celtic old firm match or perhaps the Apprentice
Boys march or the fact that the hit show Fame Academy's
stalls were in town or that Santa was arriving (who
knows?) why little was carried in the media. Accompanied
by trade union and anti-war banners amongst others,
different groups, campaigns, parties and individuals
marched including key community workers from both
republican and loyalist working class areas under
the one banner of opposing this oncoming slaughter
of innocents in the interests of the leading powers
.
We
should have no doubt, this constant drive towards
a war in Iraq by Bush and Blair will deliver death
and destruction to the lives of tens and hundreds
of thousands of innocent people. Rather than a war
to rid the world of a dictator who was in fact backed,
funded and armed by those who now wish to oust him,
this is a war of oil and for military, strategic and
economic dominance and power led by the US.
Since
the last war on Iraq in 1991 UN imposed sanctions
has meant the deaths of more than a million people
with almost half of these children who have suffered
death through starvation, lack of medicine and disease.
With much of Iraq's infrastructure destroyed and with
even the CIA and the UN's own weapons inspectorate
stating in recent years the lack of threat Iraq poses
to the US, the US nevertheless are determined to push
ahead with their agenda of yet more slaughter of a
impoverished people.
Although
Bush has sought UN backing he has made it clear he
will go it alone with some of his 'friends' if need
be in attacking Iraq. This is of no surprise as both
the US and the other big four - Britain, China, Russia
and France have always shown a willingness to brush
the UN aside when their own interests dictate. With
a veto on the UN they use it to push their own agenda
and if the situation necessitates, have and will work
outside its remit for their own selfish state interest.
In effect the UN is not an organisation whose interest
is directed in preventing wars but in fact is used
regulary as a vehicle by the big powers to attempt
to legitimise them.
This
is why socialists argue that rather than looking to
such organisations as the UN who are but a tool for
the large ruling powers, we look to the power held
within the working class to bring an end to such warmongering.
Mass movements such as that seen in Vietnam have the
potential of stopping the ruling classes plans of
slaughter. Although the anti-war movement against
the Vietnam war started off small it developed into
a mass international movement. With one million recently
marching in Florence against war and four hundred
thousand in London it is vital as elsewhere that such
an anti-war movement is built in Ireland.
The
interests of the ruling classes mean that we will
continue to live in a world of war, poverty and destruction.
Socialists want a different world a better world,
a world directed not by greed but towards need. A
world free of war and hunger and providing for the
many and not the few, so in doing so socialists attempt
to link up all those struggles that working class
people are engaged in.
While
marching against war we also march and show solidarity
with the firefighters against low pay. While lending
solidarity to the Palestinian cause, we also agitate
and lend support on local campaigns for better housing,
education, health, transport etc. While working in
the trade unions for workers rights we in tandem work
with students for student rights. While standing up
for equality we will at the same time be at the forefront
challenging sectarianism and bigotry. While we work,
act and agitate locally on such issues we think also
of a wider world of many other counties and peoples
engaged in similar struggles.
Socialists
do not underestimate the tasks. But in marching against
war we will argue that we should also link up with
the firefighters, with the local campaigns, with students,
trade unionists and other groups of workers and attempt
to make the connection that all our ills lie in the
nature of the present system, that of capitalism.
So with this we could then together march in unity
as one struggle against both capitalism and war. Socialists
believe in the linking of working class struggles
and of unity of the working class both within Ireland
and internationally. We believe such unity within
it has the power to change society and the potential
to deliver a world free of hunger, destruction and
war.
The
SWP in Belfast being the largest and most active organisation
on the revolutionary left in the city has both initiated
and is working in and with many various campaigns
and groups. This both on local and international issues.
While our members play an active and leading role
with other trade unionists in the north, South, East,
West and central Belfast Firefighters support groups,
which was initiated by the central FBU support group
and supported by the FBU. Our members also both sit
on the committees for or lend support to international
campaigns and issues from Palestine to Colombia.
While
we have initiated and sustained with others well known
recognised campaigns and organisations, may it be
on local issues such as the Campaign against selection,
(CAS) or local - international such as Globalise Resistance,
(GR) we have at the same time worked with others to
play our part in building and supporting both trade
union and community initiatives against sectarianism
and bigotry.
While
initiating marches several hundreds strong in recent
times through central Belfast on issues such as low
pay or against global capitalism or marching against
war we have also held smaller pickets and protests
to highlight both local and international issues.
While having hosted large meetings several hundred
strong in Central Belfast on Sectarianism and Racism
we hold smaller regular local meetings in the local
communities in which our various branches are based
around the city, organised on a wide variety of local
and international issues.
All
such activity has helped both raise important issues
and mobilise people yet the Belfast SWP and its student
organisation SWSS have also with regularity used the
tactic of direct action to highlight issues. The several
day occupation at Queens University against student
fees, the first ever, then the second, then the third
occupation and sit in of the US Consulate in Belfast
against US Imperialism. The numerous initiated occupations
of McDonalds, the Gap and Disney stores etc in Belfast
City Centre, various sit downs on the city centre
roads or attempting to blockade Bill Clintons Cavalcade.
Occupations of ministers offices, banks, other multinationals
etc or even the famous scene of SWP member Andrew
King standing up to Bill Clinton in the Waterfront
hall to challenge him on US foreign policy while Gerry
Adams, Martin McGuinness and friends were infamiously
standing up doing the Mexican Wave to welcome Clinton.
All
such campaigns and actions socialists initiate or
get involved in, although various tactics used, are
first and foremost for the practical purposes through
activities to rise awareness and bring those issues
to a greater audience. Yet the political reasoning
is one of belief in fighting on the particular issue
that one is engaged in. So in doing so it is always
done from the understanding of a socialist. This means
that the practicalities of activity combined with
political understanding and the nature of the campaign
seen within that wider political context, offers a
greater understanding and reasoning of how to eventually
attempt to effect real change.
This
is why Socialists should see no contradiction in initiating,
working within or supporting different campaigns.
The separation initially may be practical but for
socialists there is no ideological separation as our
politic lies in the working classes a whole. The coming
war on Iraq is a test for all socialists. The test
will be ideological in winning layers not as much
to oppose the war but to connect that to the wider
picture while in tandem practically bringing them
with us. In doing so then helping each other in unity
to build a mass anti-war movement in Ireland while
always raising the argument as to the real reason
for war, so forwarding the discussion of Capitalism
and its Wars. Such a movement needs to be built while
the war's political, military, strategic and economic
context argued and discussed. And socialists will
be at the forefront in both attempting to build the
movement and attempting to win the arguments of how
exactly we can win.
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