Irish Socialist Republicans assert that Britain’s Border poll is an Imperialist tool, designed to pacify the growing resistance in Ireland, channel it away from Revolutionary Political Action into the cul-de-sac of Reformism and condem the struggle of the Irish People for National Liberation and Socialism to nothing more than an aspiration.
The Border Poll must be rejected by the Irish Working Class and instead, a Popular People’s Campaign must be built to Smash Britain’s Illegal Border in Ireland.
The border poll is a key part of Britain’s pacification strategy in Ireland, designed to pull those who would be on the streets organising the working class to resist British Imperialism, into Constitutional agitation, an area that is completely controlled by Imperialism and it’s ally, the Garrison Class.
As Britain continues to drive towards a no deal Brexit from the European Union, the struggle for National Liberation and Socialism has been catapulted to the top of the National and International Agenda. Britain’s illegal border in Ireland is once again a hot topic of conversation in homes, work places, schools, colleges, pubs and sporting clubs up and down the country. This creates important opportunities to mobilise the Irish Working Class to build popular political mobilisations to smash the border.
However, Constitutional Nationalists, in calling for a border poll are playing into the hands of a significantly weakened British Imperialism. It is Britain and not the Irish Working Class that will set the terms of reference and control the process of any so called border poll, with any such poll being confined to the occupied six counties, thus legitimising the illegal partition of Ireland.
At a time when British Imperialism is increasingly isolated and weak, instead of building popular political mobilisations to smash Britain’s Border in Ireland, the demand for a border poll is a safety valve for British Imperialism, where would be resistance can be contained and therefore resulting in the strengthening British Imperialism in Ireland.
The border poll was included in the Good Friday Agreement as a sop, to give constitutional nationalism a card to play to suggest that there will be a parliamentary road to Unity at some point in the future. In reality, the acceptance of the 1998 treaty by Constitutional Nationalism was in reality and acceptance of the sectarian unionist Veto and a copperfastening of the illegal Britsh Occupation in Ireland for another generation
Twenty one years on from that treaty, it is clear that there is no mechanism to trigger a border poll, which is infact left to the whim of a Brit Imperialist Minister at Westminster.
It is important therefore to point out that the campaign for a border poll is completely contained within the lines and grooves set by Britain. It is the territory British Imperialism has picked to corral and control the opposition.
Irish Socialist Republicans have consistently argued that the Republican base must reject Britain’s Border poll. We owe our alliegence to the Irish Working Class, and to their Republic proclaimed in 1916.
The experience of similar polls and independence refetendums in Scotland and Catalonia, though not quite the same, have demonstrated that Imperialism uses such polls to strengthen its own position, while at the same time weakening the resistance, has been proven correct.
We won’t beat imperilism in Ireland by fighting on the terrain or terms that it choses. The Irish Working Class needs to decide its own battlefield and tactics.
Instead of Britain’s Border Poll, Republicans must work to successfully challenge Imperialism by mobilising the working class into popular demonstrations and work across the country to build alternative power structures that can become the building blocs for the Reestablishment of the All Ireland Socialist Republic, Proclaimed in 1916 and democratically established 100 years ago in 1919.
In rejecting Britain’s Border Poll, Irish Republicans must work to build an Anti-Imperialst Broad Front that can unite all progressive and Republican forces to Smash Britain’s Border.
This is #OurMandate
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