The tremors from the collapse of stalinism in eastern Europe have rippled out even to the far west. The Workers Party, a product of the split in the republican movement in 969. has itself split Six of the party's seven TDs (MPs) walked out after a special conterence narrowly failed to give them the two thirds majority they neoded to restrucThe two main points at issue were democratic centralism - whether the apparatus should have controlover the parliamentary representatives - and the existence (much denied) of the Ct. ficial IRA.
The six who left to set up the New Agenda Party believe that there is a new constituency to the left of the Labour Party around issues such as ecology and women's They have abandoned a project which began with isolated and demoralised republican movement following border campaign of the 1950s. In the 1960s Sinn Fein turned its attention away from partition and concentrated on economic and social questions. The IRA dumped its weapons.
When the Civil Rights movement emerged in the North in the late '60s. Sinn Fein seemed partcularly wol placed. They had been involved in housing and resources protection campaigns, particularty in the South. and undcubtedly played a significant role in the growth of the chill rights campaign. Partition soon reasserted itself. The response of the Unionists to the pogroms against nationalist areas and the IRA was incapable of protecting them. Partly for this reason, the IRA split into the Officials and the Provisionals in 1959 Three years later the Officials declared an indefinite ceasefire. Any shots fired in anger since then have been directed at the Provisionals. breakaway organisations such as the FACT: The Officials, now the Workers Party, gained the nickname 'stickies from the Provisional wing after they produced Easter lillies one year as the defeat of the IRA in the sticky-backed labels rather than the traditional lapel pin.
Irish Repubican Socialists (IRSP) or for fundraising purposes. After the split, the Workers Party cocaine clouncy more swinist in out look. it welcomed foreign capital because & increased the size and sig. nificance of the working class. The war with the British & saw as a deliberate diversion from the path to socialism.
In some ways its programme ia Fail's (FF). Because of the reaction. ary nature of Ff, the Workers Party would have to step in and accelerate modernisation. Taking power not however mean a compete change lo the Free State At least part of the reason for the demise of the Workers Party is that nether version of caotalist develoo ment could be shown to work after the mid-1970s - a lesson learned also in other parts of the world.
Socialism in Ireland cannot avoid concentration on bread and butter issues of preaching workers' unity gets round the fact that the history of modern Ireland has been shaped by imperialism. Partition is the foothold of the British state in Ireland. It has led, as Connolly predicted, to a carnavar or roscoon on coin sides. The tragedy is that Party seems remotely to recogniso