Monday, August 16, 2004

on Sinn Fein

An erudite post on www.politics.ie from some dude called jurgend, who is obviously a pretty sussed out political theorist.
If Sinn Fein was really republican, it would care about uniting catholic, protestant and dissenter. Not just about uniting territory. This 19th century concept of a pure unitary nation-state has led to millions of deaths over the last century.
Sinn Fein should recognise that NI is a divided society; occupation is not the problem, rival national identities are. The only way to reconcile the identities is power sharing accomodation, or a culture of post-nationalism. A 32 county state would alienate northern unionists just as nationalists were alienated from the unionist state. Sinn Fein has tried to monopolise the term republican, but the true history of republicanism is one that is thorougly opposed to sectarianism, and transcends group identity in the name of individual freedom. It is about univeralism and not the tribalism, or the whataboutery that we hear non stop from SF.
Lay down your arms and forget the war, and learn to live peacefully with your unionist neighbours. All extreme solutions to a divided society reinforce the division. If you are a true republican, you will *comprimise* and start concentrating on real forms of social and civic equality, and not this triumphalist and reactionary striving for territorial unity.

posted on 29/6/2004 at 16:35 I see someone here using the term "anti-republican", in reference to people who are anti Sinn Fein.
I am a republican but disagree with Sinn Fein. I am a republican in the sense of putting equality before tribal attachments. I seek a peaceful and secure future for everyone on this island, and I don't think a 32 county unitary state is the means to provide that.
Despite some progressive garb, Sinn Fein never questions the nationalist core of its ideology. True republicanism, in the french enlightenment tradtion, is a universalist ideal. The nationalism of territorial integrity has been well practised in the last century, and we all know where it leads.

posted by Daniel @ Monday, August 16, 2004

Ecology and Social Democracy, Green and Left

More from brillant theorist jurgend on politics.ie! posted on 2/6/2004

quote [from a post by a green on politics.ie]: "It combines the better elements of the capitalist philosophy with the better elements of the socialist philosophy, and throws away the rhetoric and excesses of both."
That's called social democracy. It has been the main idea of the centre left for many decades now.
Having been a member of both the Greens and Labour, may I observe: Greens cut across the traditional right-left spectrum, due to the fact that ecology unites them, rather like nationalism unites Sinn Fein. Some elements of green idelogy could be seen to be "new left" focusing on issues not properly addressed by the left [non class/ national economic ones] but, articulated by various movements since the late sixties. Also in the greens are many, like the author of the above quote, who think they are the first people on the planet to try and integrate counterveiling interests. They could do well to look at the history of socialism and liberalism in europe over the last 2 centuries. Where the greens come into their own however is their ethical emphasis on global issues, issues which are *incredibly* urgent. The left, which has a great internationalist tradition, has forgotten how to appeal to the higher values of its constituency. However, its practical experience would help the greens alot. Some greens have a woolly libertarian attitude to state power which really amounts to conservative neo-liberalism in practice. There will be no answer to globalisation , and environmental meltdown, without some level of social democracy at supra-national level. Leftists and Greens have much to learn from each other. I left the greens over their attitude to Europe etc. However, I welcome all the support they get, as much of it gets translated into progressive policies, and often comes from voters who would never vote Labour.

posted by Daniel @ Monday, August 16, 2004