Red & Black
Revolution
A magazine of libertarian communism
Red & Black Revolution is an anarchist theory and history
magazine produced in Ireland. We also publishes regular analysis of
struggles and campaigns taking place in Ireland alongside news and
reports from the international anarchist movement.
The up to date version of this page can be found at
All Red & Black Revolution articles are emailed to
the
Anarchy-Ireland
list once they become available on the net,
subscribe
to Anarchy-Ireland to be sure of seeing them
Winning the Water War
- Winning the Water War
- Italian Anarchism...Get back to where you once
belonged
- Organising against Capitalism
- The Emergence Of Modern Irish Socialism 1885-87
- Anarchists and the trade unions - Be active - be
involved
- Review: Constructive Anarchism
- Review :The Labour Movement and the Internet
- After Apartheid: Anarchism and the 'new' South Africa
|
|
Which way to the revolution!
- Incorporation...the spoonful of sugar
- The two souls of the trade unions
- The road to revolution
- Chomsky on Anarchism
- Travellers fighting back
- Russian Anarchism: After the fall
- Rebels at Ruesta
- The IRA cease-fire and republican politics
|
|
Time for a new left?
- Ashes to Phoenix
- Time to be constructive!
- Lessons of Trade Union Fightback
- Freedom & Revolution
- Marx & the State
- Syndicalism : Its strengths & weaknesses
- Review: Grassroots democracy
- The EZLN
|
|
********* Re-printing these
article **********
All Red & Black Revolution articles are emailed to
the
Anarchy-Ireland
list once they become available on the net,
subscribe
to Anarchy-Ireland to be sure of seeing them
Red & Black Revolution No 3
Last year the domestic water charge was abolished. In 'Winning the
Water War', Dermot Sreenan, an activist in the Federation of Dublin
Anti-Water Charges Campaigns examines the campaign and the
demonstration of people power that brought about the downfall of this
charge.
Italian Anarchism...Get back to
where you once belonged
Italy is one of the historical strongholds of the anarchist
movement. Donato Romito, the international secretary of the Italian
Federation of Anarchist Communists (Fd.C.A), provides an overview of
the anarchist movement in Italy today, the organisations and
publications that comprise it and the direction it should take in the
future.
Many revolutionaries in recent years have been engrossed in
analysing the mistakes of the past and the changing nature of
capitalism. Andrew Flood a participant in the "Intercontinental
Gathering for Humanity and against neo-liberalism" argues it is time
to start moving on to the constructive work of building a new
movement.
Fintan Lane is a historian and left-wing activist. He is the
author of The Origins of Modern Irish Socialism, 1881-1896 which will
be published by Cork University Press on 1 May.
Trade Unions are important organs of the working-class. Gregor
Kerr - a member of the Irish National Teachers Organisation who has
been involved in campaigns against "social partnership" and in many
strike support groups - argues that trade union involvement should
form a central part of the political activity of all anarchists.
Despite its relevance, The Organisation Platform of the
Libertarian Communists is as controversial as ever. Kevin Doyle
reviews Constructive Anarchism, a new pamphlet from Monty Miller
Press in Australia that has collected The Platform and some of the
early responses to its proposals into one useful edition.
The internet - viewed by some as the highway to the future,
dismissed by others as an over - hyped toy with little practical
value. Conor Mc Loughlin reviews a new book on the internet and its
use by the labour movement.
Just three years after the famous elections that ended apartheid
in April 1994, South Africa's reforms are in crisis and
dissatisfaction is rising. In a wide ranging interview we ask the
Workers Solidarity Federation for their views on what has happened
since the end of apartheid. Interview by Kevin Doyle.
Red & Black Revolution No 2
1995 - 1996
Why is it that many single issue campaigns and community groups
which start out with a radical program soon end up as little more
than service groups? Conor Mc Loughlin, an activist of the now
defunct Portobello Unemployed Action Group investigates.
Union activists are facing new management attacks but the trade
union leadership speaks only of partnership with the bosses. Des
Derwin, member of the Executive of the Dublin Council of Trade
Unions and of the Dublin Private Sector Regional Executive Committee
of SIPTU gives his personal view on the two souls of the unions.
A complete transformation of society, revolution, is the goal of
anarchism. Ray Cunningham looks at what is meant when
anarchists talk about revolution, and what can be done to bring it
closer. Dermot Sreenan looks at how the
Barcelonia
rent strike of 1931 prepared the ground for the revolution of
1936.
Noam Chomsky is widely known for his critique of U.S.
foreign policy, and for his work as a linguist. In a special
interview with Red and Black Revolution, Chomsky gives his views on
anarchism and marxism, and the prospects for socialism now.
Patricia McCarthy examines the history of Irish Travellers'
struggle for civil rights and ethnic recognition. Their struggles
have much in common with those of Indigenous people worldwide and
with the struggles of Native Americans and Australian Aboriginals and
also with the struggles of Gypsies, Travellers and nomads against
racism and oppression.
Although many classical anarchist theorists and figures came from
Russia, the advent of the Soviet State effectively crushed the
movement. Now anarchism is reborn in Russia. Laure Akai and
Mikhail Tsovma write from Moscow to tell us a little about the
trials and tribulations of the new Russian anarchist movement.
In August 1995 an international gathering of libertarian
communists took place in Ruesta, Spain. A week of discussions took
place and at the end a declaration was drawn up. We present here
extracts from the WSM delegates' report on the week and the agreed
declaration.
The 'Irish peace process' is now well into its second year. It has
brought respectability for Sinn Féin but little of consequence
for the Irish working class - North or South. Gregor Kerr a
member of the National Committee of the Irish Anti Extradition
Committee in the late 1980s, looks at events leading up to the
cease-fire and Sinn Féin's pan-nationalist strategy.
Red & Black Revolution No 1
1994 - 95
Some starting
Comment
from Issue 1
It has become something of a cliche is say the left is dead. But
few have explained this supposed death. New organisations have arisen
in recent years that claim to be avoiding the mistakes of the past.
How true is this claim? Andrew Flood examines the evidence and
comes up with some disturbing conclusions.
The left to-day, demoralised by its collapse is without focus or
direction. Anarchism given its anti-authoritarian tradition should be
able to offer a way forward. But many are reluctant to take up
anarchism, Andrew Flood looks at some of the reasons why this
is so and suggests the key organisational ideas needed for a new
anarchist movement.
Following the vote on the
Programme
for Competitiveness and Work at the end of March, the Trade Union
Fightback (TUF) campaign was wound up. Here Gregor Kerr, an
INTO member who was secretary of TUF, looks at the history and
lessons of the campaign.
Does the end justify the means? Many on the left belive so.
Aileen O'Carroll argues that the means used play a part in
creating the end that is achieved. The best example of this is the
Russian Revolution of 1917.
Some Marxists claim Marx was a libertarian, and Leninism and
social democracy are not really Marxist. But in doing so they ignore
the anarchist critique of Marx's political ideas on the state, the
party and the organisation of a socialist revolution. Conor Mc
Loughlin looks at the contradictions within Marx's political
writings.
The main organisational form in libertarian politics today is
syndicalism. Alan MacSimon, a delegate to Dublin Council of
Trade Unions who has also attended a European gathering of
revolutionary unions looks at the potential, and limits, of
syndicalism.
Democracy has broken out in a range of countries in recent years -
Guatemala, S. Korea and Argentina to name but a few. But, what is the
reality? Kevin Doyle looks at a book that takes a more
critical eye.
On New Years Day of '94 people awoke to the news that four towns
in the south-eastern state of Chiapas had been taken over by a group
calling itself the Zapatista National Liberation Army. Dermot
Sreenan, who recently presented a talk on the EZLN and organised
a picket of the Mexican embassy in January '94, looks at the politics
and history of the EZLN.
********* Re-printing
**********
*********** Submissions ***********
Red & Black Revolution is published by the Workers Solidarity
Movement. The deadline for the next issue is June, 1996. Submissions
are welcome and should be sent either as 'text only' files on Mac or
PC format computer disks or typed on plain white paper. Disks are
preferred. Letters are also welcome. All correspondence should be
sent to Red & Black Revolution, PO Box 1528, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Go to the
Athens GeoPage