23/10/09
(English version follows)
An mhí seo (Deireadh Fómhair) bhí Deireadh Seachtaine Pheadar Uí Dhónaill ar shiúl sa Chlochán Liath, Condae Dhún na nGall.
Ba as an Chlochán Liath ó dhúchais é Peadar Ó Dónaill, a rugadh in 1893, agus lena óige chonaic sé éagóir agus anró an lae, rud a rinne smaointeoir polaitiúil agus sóisialta de ag aos óg.
É oilte mar mhúinteoir, is fearr aithne ar an Dálach inniu as a bhuanna liteartha leathana. Ach freisin bhí sé ina ghníomhaíoch poblachtach, cheannaire ceardchumainn agus shóisialaí ag leanúint íde-eolaíocht Shéamuis Uí Chonghaile agus chreid sé gurbh é réabhlóid shóisialta an bealach chun cinn d’Éirinn neamhspleách láidir.
Tá deireadh seachtaine Pheadar Uí Dhónaill agus cuid mhaith dóibhsean ar mhaith leo a shaol agus a linne a phlé anois ag díriú isteach go mórmhór ar litríocht Uí Dhónaill ach i mbliana tharla díospóireacht phoiblí faoin teideal ‘Todhchaí na hEite Clé in Éirinn’. Chuimsigh an painéal díospóireachta páirtithe polaitiúla den eite chlé, éirígí san áireamh, faoi ionadaíocht urlabhraí an pháirtí Daithí Mac An Mháistír.
Ba é comhaontú ginearálta an phainéil go raibh an eite dheis, gan trácht ar cén páirtí a sheas siad leis, go raibh an eite dheis aontaithe in iarrachtaí chun bonn a bhaint ón eite chlé agus chuige sin, gnáthmhuintir na hÉireann. Bhí seo soiléir i ngeáistí na bpáirtithe Fianna Fáil, an Comhaontas Glas, Fine Gael agus an Lucht Oibre ag caolú aníos chuig a chéile ag aontú in éadan mhuintir na hÉireann agus á mbrú go mídhaonlathach ar ais ag vótáil i reifreann Liospóin 2. Le bréaga agus le beartaíocht scanraithe chuir siad dallach dubh ar na toghthóirí le vótáil Tá in iarracht taca a chur le córas caipitleach na hEorpa.Tá na páirtithe seo, a maíonn cuid acu gur den eite chlé iad, tá siad comhpháirteach, mura freagrach go díreach, i gciorruithe i sláinte agus san oideachas, i bhfeirmeoireacht agus in iascaireacht, agus i gcailliúintí fostaíochta go náisiúnta. Ciorruithe curtha i gcrích ag polaiteoirí agus maorlathaigh ag déanamh a seacht ndícheall chun a bpost agus a dtuarastal spleodrach a shábháil. Polaiteoirí a thóg costaisí seafóideacha do stíl mhaireachtála rábach ar íoc na cáiníocóirí astu á ligint saor. Tá na gníomhartha seo uilig i bhfad ó aon tuairim de shochaí chothromaíoch.
Luaigh duine den phainéal gur rud é go raibh breis agus 100 duine brúite isteach i seomra thuas staighre i seanteach pobail ag am lóin Dé Domhnaigh le polaitíocht na heite clé a phlé ina athrú ó mar a bhí sé in Éirinn tráth agus ina chomhartha don staid ina bhfuil an tír faoi láthair.
Ag labhairt ag an imeacht, dúirt urlabhraí éirígí Daithí Mac An Mháistír gurbh é an bhuncheist a bhí le cur ag an eite chlé ná cad é a ionann agus bheith i do shóisialaí agus cad é atá le déanamh ag an eite chlé go mbeidh an lámh in uachtar ag smaointeoireacht shóisialach thar an chóras caipitleach.Dúirt sé gur gá dúinn ár sóisialachas a sháinmhíniú agus nach bhféadfadh Éire bheith cothrom ná ceartas sóisialta bheith inti gan diúlto don chaipitleachas, gur gá dúinn diúltú do dhúshaothrú shaothar dhaoine. Gan diúltú don smaoineamh de dhaoine nach mór dóibh obair 7 lá sa tseachtain ach nach bhfuil ábalta soláthar go fónta dá dteaghlaigh agus gan dreim acu ar fhostaíocht inbhuanaithe, leanfadh an córas caipitleach ag rathú.
Lean Mac An Mháistír go bhfaca sé difear san óige mar mhúinteoir agus go bhfuil siad anois níos eolaí ar an chóras polaitiúil agus go bhfuil siad ag cur ceisteanna agus ag fiosrú faoi dhaoine ar nós Karl Marx agus na híde-eolaíochtaí polaitiúla a bhí acu. Tá siad ag cur na n-íde-eolaíochtaí seo le sochaí an lae inniu agus ag fáil tuisceana iontu. Is féidir gur maith an tuar seo don todhchaí.
Rinne baill eile den phainéal agus daoine sa lucht féachana macalla ar an cheist a chuir Mac An Mháistir faoin treoir a chóir go mbeadh ag eite chlé na hÉireann sa lá atá inniu ann. Is ceist í seo ar féidir le muintir náisiún na hÉireann amháin a fhreagrú.
Go cinnte, tá sé de dhualgas ag gach páirtí den eite chlé in Éirinn obair le chéile chun teacht ar chomhtreoir pholaitiúil atá chun tairbhe na ndaoine. Ach caithfidh daoine an náisiúin freisin a gcumhacht a úsáid, ar na sráideanna, san áit oibre agus ag vótáil, chun athrú tairbheach a dhéanamh. Ansin amháin a tchífidh muid deireadh le polaitíocht truaillithe agus deachtóireachtúil na heite deise, agus Éire níos cothroime, córa agus firmeálta go heacnamúil.Tá neart le déanamh againn. Mar a dúirt an Dálach féin, "Let us fling ourselves among the most fervent of social and economic revolutionists. Let us enlist the labour world in our struggle with our tyrannical masters."
The Future of the Left
23/10/09
This month (October) saw the annual Peadar O'Donnell Weekend held in Dungloe, County Donegal.
Peadar O'Donnell, born in 1893, was a native of Dungloe and, in his formative years, saw the injustices and hardships of the time, leading him, at an early age, to become a social and political thinker.
Trained as a teacher, O'Donnell is more widely known today for his extensive literary accomplishments. But he was also an Irish republican activist, trade union leader and a socialist, following the ideology of James Connolly, and believed social revolution was the way forward for a strong independent Ireland.
The Peadar O'Donnell weekend and many who wish to discuss his life and times may now concentrate more on O'Donnell's writings, but, this year, a public debate was held entitled 'The Future of the Left in Ireland'. The debating panel was made up of political parties of the left, including éirígí, which was represented by party spokesperson Daithí Mac An Mháistír.
The general consensus of the panel was that the political right, regardless of which party flag they stood under, were united in doing as much as they could to undermine the left and with that, working people in general. This was no more evident than with the antics of Fianna Fáil, The Green Party, Fine Gael and Labour sidling up to each other to unite against the electorate in the Twenty-Six Counties and undemocratically force them back to the polls in the Lisbon 2 referendum. With lies and scare tactics they hoodwinked the electorate to vote yes, all in an effort to shore up the capitalist system of the EU.
These parties, some of who claim to be of the left, have been complicit in, if not directly responsible for, cuts in health and education, in farming and fishing and have connived at job losses nation wide. The unemployment figure in the Twenty-Six Counties is now heading towards 15%. Cuts are carried out by politicians and bureaucrats who do their best to secure their own jobs and exorbitant wages. Politicians who have claimed ridiculous expenses for lavish lifestyles paid for by the tax payer are let off the hook. All these actions are far from any notion of an egalitarian society.
It was noted by one of the panelists that the very fact that the debate saw over 100 people crammed into an upstairs room in a converted church at lunchtime on a Sunday to debate and discuss the politics of the left was such a change from what Ireland once was and was also indicative of the situation the country was now in.
Speaking during the event, éirígí spokesperson Mac An Mháistír said that the fundamental question that had to be asked of the left is what it is to be socialist and what it is those on the left have to do to see socialist thinking win out over the capitalist system.
He said that we must define our socialism and that Ireland could not be equal or have social justice without a rejection of capitalism, that we must reject the idea of the exploitation of the labour of people. Without the rejection of the idea of people having to work long hours 7 days a week but yet not being able to provide adequately for their families and having no prospect of sustainable employment, the capitalist system would continue to thrive.
Mac An Mháistír continued that, as a teacher, he noticed a difference in the youth in education in that they are now much more aware of the political system and are now asking questions and looking for answers to today’s inequalities and enquiring into who people such as Karl Marx were and what their political ideologies were. They are using these ideologies to analyse today’s society and finding in them an understanding. All of which could bode well for the future.
The question posed by Mac An Mháistír of what should be the direction of modern day Ireland's political left was echoed both from other panel members and those in the audience. This is only a question that can be answered by the people of the Irish nation.
Certainly, it is incumbent upon all of the leftist parties in Ireland to work together to find a common political direction that benefits people best. But the people of the nation must also use their power, on the streets, in the workplace and in the polls, to make a change for the better. Only then will we see an end to the corrupt and dictatorial politics of the right and a fairer, just and more economically stable Ireland.
We have much to do. As Peadar O'Donnell once said, "Let us fling ourselves among the most fervent of social and economic revolutionists. Let us enlist the labour world in our struggle with our tyrannical masters."
23/10/09
This month (October) saw the annual Peadar O'Donnell Weekend held in Dungloe, County Donegal.
Peadar O'Donnell, born in 1893, was a native of Dungloe and, in his formative years, saw the injustices and hardships of the time, leading him, at an early age, to become a social and political thinker.
Trained as a teacher, O'Donnell is more widely known today for his extensive literary accomplishments. But he was also an Irish republican activist, trade union leader and a socialist, following the ideology of James Connolly, and believed social revolution was the way forward for a strong independent Ireland.
The Peadar O'Donnell weekend and many who wish to discuss his life and times may now concentrate more on O'Donnell's writings, but, this year, a public debate was held entitled 'The Future of the Left in Ireland'. The debating panel was made up of political parties of the left, including éirígí, which was represented by party spokesperson Daithí Mac An Mháistír.
The general consensus of the panel was that the political right, regardless of which party flag they stood under, were united in doing as much as they could to undermine the left and with that, working people in general. This was no more evident than with the antics of Fianna Fáil, The Green Party, Fine Gael and Labour sidling up to each other to unite against the electorate in the Twenty-Six Counties and undemocratically force them back to the polls in the Lisbon 2 referendum. With lies and scare tactics they hoodwinked the electorate to vote yes, all in an effort to shore up the capitalist system of the EU.These parties, some of who claim to be of the left, have been complicit in, if not directly responsible for, cuts in health and education, in farming and fishing and have connived at job losses nation wide. The unemployment figure in the Twenty-Six Counties is now heading towards 15%. Cuts are carried out by politicians and bureaucrats who do their best to secure their own jobs and exorbitant wages. Politicians who have claimed ridiculous expenses for lavish lifestyles paid for by the tax payer are let off the hook. All these actions are far from any notion of an egalitarian society.
It was noted by one of the panelists that the very fact that the debate saw over 100 people crammed into an upstairs room in a converted church at lunchtime on a Sunday to debate and discuss the politics of the left was such a change from what Ireland once was and was also indicative of the situation the country was now in.
Speaking during the event, éirígí spokesperson Mac An Mháistír said that the fundamental question that had to be asked of the left is what it is to be socialist and what it is those on the left have to do to see socialist thinking win out over the capitalist system.
He said that we must define our socialism and that Ireland could not be equal or have social justice without a rejection of capitalism, that we must reject the idea of the exploitation of the labour of people. Without the rejection of the idea of people having to work long hours 7 days a week but yet not being able to provide adequately for their families and having no prospect of sustainable employment, the capitalist system would continue to thrive.
Mac An Mháistír continued that, as a teacher, he noticed a difference in the youth in education in that they are now much more aware of the political system and are now asking questions and looking for answers to today’s inequalities and enquiring into who people such as Karl Marx were and what their political ideologies were. They are using these ideologies to analyse today’s society and finding in them an understanding. All of which could bode well for the future.
The question posed by Mac An Mháistír of what should be the direction of modern day Ireland's political left was echoed both from other panel members and those in the audience. This is only a question that can be answered by the people of the Irish nation.
Certainly, it is incumbent upon all of the leftist parties in Ireland to work together to find a common political direction that benefits people best. But the people of the nation must also use their power, on the streets, in the workplace and in the polls, to make a change for the better. Only then will we see an end to the corrupt and dictatorial politics of the right and a fairer, just and more economically stable Ireland.We have much to do. As Peadar O'Donnell once said, "Let us fling ourselves among the most fervent of social and economic revolutionists. Let us enlist the labour world in our struggle with our tyrannical masters."
No comments:
Post a Comment