As we commence 2024, the Republican Socialist Movement starts the new year by sending solidarity greetings to revolutionaries here in Ireland and around the world.
In particular, we give special mention to political prisoners. Revolutionary Prisoners, no matter where they are imprisoned, suffer in defence of the working class and as such, they are the symbol of endurance that inspires all of us to continue our work, each and every day.
Here in Ireland, the costs of buying a home, renting a property, fuelling your car and covering generally every basic essentials has increased drastically. Incomes have not increased to combat this, resulting in extreme poverty all over the country, a situation the people of Ireland are unfortunately familiar with.
Whilst the DUP continues to prevent the restoration of the rotten Stormont regime, Sinn Fein and other establishment political parties argue to both Westminster, the Dail, the EU and US for political intervention to build up the northern statelet. We say let Stormont fail. We have always argued that Stormont was incompatible with basic democracy and equality. We have never advocated for an internal six county political settlement and the longer this entity remains closed down the more the people lose confidence in this institution and the closer we are to a new political paradigm in which the people have a say in the constitutional future of the island. Our cry has always been to smash Stormont and it will remain that way until our nation is united!
Those who advocate for Stormont and debate the job title of a £130,000 per year head of state, whilst many families contemplate their mortgages, heating their homes and putting food on the table, simply show how out of touch these political parties have become. This is fundamentally wrong and is irrelevant to the vast majority of working class people across our country. Let it fail and let us build for the republic.
In the South, rental costs top the agenda, in parallel with the lack of social housing. The average rent for a mere apartment exceeds €1500, with average costs in Dublin for new renters exceeding €2000. As people are evicted from their homes, children thrown onto the street, still no credible action is taken outside of staged televised arguments in Leinster House. This needs to change and change will only happen when working class people become empowered and act in their own interests.
The shortcomings of both establishments in the north and south has however served to force the idea of a ‘new’ and ‘united’ Ireland into the national news agenda, with more and more of the Irish people becoming frustrated by the never ending cycle of poverty and inaction, overseen by rich politicians.
The IRSP, for a number of years now, have been at the coalface of the battle against aggressive landlords. Following countless successful protests against evictions, we have Letting Agencies and landlords thinking twice before even considering this course of action, and we will pursue this agenda again in 2024 as we continue our defence of working class families. We demand that the welfare of citizens is prioritised over the profiteering of landowners and action will be taken at every turn to ensure this is the case.
We reiterate our unconditional support for the Palestinian people and we salute those resisting Israeli aggression. Furthermore, we call upon International leaders to apply pressure on the Israeli and American governments to recognise the human rights of the people of Palestine.
It is evident that attempting to displace and bomb the Palestinian population out of existence, an astonishing plan but one that appears to be an actual IDF strategy, is futile.
Finally, we thank our members, our supporters and their families for their efforts, sacrifices and loyalty throughout 2023.
The work of building and maintaining a revolutionary political party for the working class of Ireland is our daily focus and should be at the core of the mindset of any Republican Socialist in 2024, as workers are bombarded with the politics of the corporates and the elites.
It is with that in mind that we again pledge our allegiance to the working class. ‘We will continue to provide leadership on the streets and we are prepared to do so also in the elected chambers’, should that opportunity arise, in the words of our founder Seamus Costello.
Saoirse Go Deo
Happy New Year
