Ireland has for centuries suffered at the hands of the English. Today however, even the struggle in the Six Counties is ebbing because of the deliberate European Union (EU) and U.$. imperialist approach of trying to turn all of Ireland into a small imperialist country.
Although historical memories of national oppression will not be erased, the imperialists are succeeding in buying people into empire and treating the Irish as much the same as other Western imperialist country populations. Even those who have keen historical memories may be at least partially confused by the imperialist economic offensive of sugar-coated bullets. The political results among the Irish population of the imperialist economic offensive may take the form of upholding Irish culture while foresaking potential anti-imperialist allies in the Third World. In contrast, those with experience in the war-torn Six Counties often had a real proletarian outlook and turned to Third World allies.
Our strategy with the Irish to win over the greatest possible percentage to the proletariat's side is to evoke history to raise sympathy with the Iraqi people and the rest of the Third World proletariat and oppressed nations. Beyond history, the new part of agitation and theory work among the Irish must be an explanation of where Ireland's recent economic gains have come from--an extraction of surplus-value accomplished by integrating with imperialist institutions. Marx and Lenin said that integrating into an empire has its positive internationalist benefits, but we must be clear that integrating into an empire on the basis of super-profits and the corresponding war-mongering unity on the Third World is reactionary to the core. That is exactly the kind of integration into imperialist life the Irish are having right now and especially in how super-profits from the Third World are finding their way into oppressed nations now targeted for bourgeoisification it parallels the situation of the internal semi-colonies-- Aztlan, Boricua etc.
In periods of economic crisis, we can expect the Irish may again recall their history and come to the side of the Third World proletariat.
MIM analysis
See our bookstore review of How the Irish Became White