{"id":3264,"date":"2012-04-06T21:13:18","date_gmt":"2012-04-06T21:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=3264"},"modified":"2021-03-06T17:19:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-06T17:19:42","slug":"3264","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/06\/3264\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Northern State – A Stable Solution?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article, written by John McAnulty, first appeared in the March\/April issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland)<\/cite><\/h2>\n

The\u00a02011\u00a0elections\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0North\u00a0of\u00a0Ireland\u00a0marked\u00a0a\u00a0substantial\u00a0victory\u00a0for\u00a0capitalism.\u00a0It\u00a0marked\u00a0the\u00a0first\u00a0point\u00a0where\u00a0one\u00a0Stormont\u00a0administration morphed\u00a0into\u00a0another\u00a0via\u00a0election,\u00a0without\u00a0the\u00a0 collapse\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0government.<\/p>\n

That modest success quickly became a much more substantial victory. The election was preceded by the killing of a Catholic police constable by republicans and the election was settled in advance in a wave of hysteria where, church, state, political parties, sporting and cultural bodies, and trade unions all united to indicate rabid support for the new dispensation and to assert, yet again, that the only alternative to the sectarian and colonial settlement was bloody war.\u00a0\u00a0The election result saw the consolidation of Sinn Fein and the DUP in power and the continuing decay of the other capitalist parties. The small socialist movement no longer opposes the settlement and the candidates looked to be Left representatives in the assembly rather than a focus of opposition to it. The republican organization, Eirigi, staged a political opposition in some limited areas but has yet to consolidate that\u00a0 base.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0election\u00a0victory\u00a0was\u00a0all\u00a0the\u00a0more\u00a0substantial\u00a0when\u00a0one\u00a0considers\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0DUP\u00a0and\u00a0Sinn\u00a0Fein\u00a0went\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0election\u00a0promising\u00a0an\u00a0austerity\u00a0programme\u00a0of\u00a0\u00a3400\u00a0million.<\/p>\n

The new administration faced a major public sector strike and mass demonstrations in November, but the union leaderships, with a long history of partnership, quickly returned to negotiating the implementation of the cuts.<\/p>\n

So,\u00a0on\u00a0neither\u00a0the\u00a0grounds\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0national\u00a0question\u00a0and\u00a0democracy,\u00a0nor\u00a0on\u00a0grounds\u00a0of\u00a0austerity\u00a0and\u00a0class\u00a0oppression,\u00a0does\u00a0the\u00a0Northern\u00a0administration\u00a0face\u00a0any\u00a0serious\u00a0opposition.\u00a0\u00a0This\u00a0however\u00a0is\u00a0not\u00a0enough\u00a0to\u00a0guarantee\u00a0the\u00a0final\u00a0victory\u00a0of\u00a0imperialism.\u00a0To\u00a0assess\u00a0the\u00a0stability\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0settlement\u00a0we\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0look\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0underlying\u00a0mechanisms.<\/p>\n

One\u00a0element\u00a0of\u00a0instability\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0increasing\u00a0sectarian\u00a0polarisation\u00a0of\u00a0Northern\u00a0society.\u00a0In\u00a0a\u00a0political\u00a0system\u00a0organized\u00a0around\u00a0sectarian\u00a0rights,\u00a0support\u00a0gravitates\u00a0towards\u00a0the\u00a0most\u00a0effective\u00a0exponents\u00a0of\u00a0these\u00a0rights.\u00a0As\u00a0a\u00a0result\u00a0the\u00a0SDLP\u00a0and\u00a0Ulster\u00a0Unionist\u00a0parties\u00a0are\u00a0in\u00a0terminal\u00a0decline,\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0most\u00a0recent\u00a0leader\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Unionists\u00a0resigning\u00a0after\u00a018\u00a0months\u00a0in\u00a0office.<\/p>\n

Politics has simplified itself to two large confessional blocks of the DUP and Sinn Fein. The Alliance Party, which claimed to stand outside sectarianism, has been plugged in as permanent \u201cneutral\u201d holders of the justice ministry. In fact they act as proxies for the DUP.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0sectarian\u00a0structure\u00a0is\u00a0usually\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0state\u00a0of\u00a0paralysis.\u00a0Only\u00a0reactionary\u00a0legislation\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0class\u00a0interest\u00a0of\u00a0both\u00a0groups\u00a0gets\u00a0through\u00a0\u00ad\u00a0relaxation\u00a0of\u00a0planning\u00a0laws,\u00a0reduced\u00a0rates\u00a0for\u00a0small\u00a0business,\u00a0a\u00a0plan\u00a0to\u00a0subsidize\u00a0corporation\u00a0tax\u00a0and,\u00a0of\u00a0course,\u00a0a\u00a0\u00a3400\u00a0million\u00a0austerity\u00a0programme. A\u00a0promised\u00a0\u201cpeace\u00a0dividend\u201d boom\u00a0turned\u00a0out\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0property\u00a0bubble\u00a0that\u00a0has\u00a0now\u00a0imploded.<\/p>\n

The original claim of Sinn Fein, that the settlement was a stepping stone to a united Ireland, has been discredited. Owen Paterson, British Secretary of State, announced that there were no plans of any sort to hold a referendum on the ending of Partition, much to the displeasure of Sinn Fein. The news caused hardly a ripple. In the aftermath of the election, Sinn Fein came out of the closet as a fully formed bourgeois Catholic party. The evolution is exactly in line with the new middle class, who accept British rule and that Unionists will get the majority of any share\u00ad out, but are perfectly content as long as their share of patronage is guaranteed.<\/p>\n

The general view is that the northern statelet will gradually evolve through slow reforms towards a less sectarian society.\u00a0\u00a0The evidence is against this also. A programme of cohesion, meant to be top of the agenda, has been stalled for years and initial drafts heavily criticized for their sectarian content and indifference to human rights. Provocative Orange marches lead to annual crises. The jewel in Sinn Fein\u2019s crown \u2013 a non-\u00adselective education system \u2013 has proved impossible to deliver.<\/p>\n

In fact the stabilizing mechanism in the current set\u00adup is the willingness of Sinn Fein, and nationalists generally, to recognize unionism as top dog.\u00a0\u00a0A British commission suggested that there be a reform of the prison officers, almost entirely Protestant, mired in brutality and sectarianism. That reform would be purely symbolic. It was immediately ruled out by first minister, Peter Robinson, who indicated that traditional imperialist symbols would remain.<\/p>\n

The prison reform was supposed to mirror the Patton reforms of the police, but just how spurious that reform was, was revealed when it was disclosed that 500 officers, at the heart of an organisation seen to be involved in sectarian killing and removed by the payment of what was described as the world\u2019s most lavish redundancy package, had immediately been rehired as civilian advisors in the same posts. A report by the Joseph Rowntree foundation in February has indicated that the composition of the police force is in any case falling from the high point of 33% Catholic recruitment, with Catholic police more likely to leave the force.<\/p>\n

The freedom for the DUP to set the agenda is not reflected in similar freedom for Sinn Fein. Shortly after the police row the Sinn Fein mayor of Belfast, Niall \u00d3 Donnghaile, was forced to make an abject apology when, while awarding Duke of Edinburgh medals, he arranged for someone else to present an award to a British army cadet. In case the apology did not stick, Martin McGuinness repeated it in Stormont.<\/p>\n

The top dog mechanism does not stop in the Assembly.\u00a0\u00a0It extends to the streets. In June last year the UVF staged a mass attack on the nationalist enclave of Short Strand. The organizers were rushed to meetings with the First and Deputy First Ministers and offered major concessions.\u00a0\u00a0UVF trials involving almost the entire leadership collapsed \u00a0when the judge interpreted the evidence on the narrowest of grounds, allowing them to continue as the \u201crepresentatives of the protestant working class\u201d \u00a0and to set up to head \u00a0civic society and receive grants in loyalist areas. Recently a feud has broken out in the UVF, with attempted assassinations and bomb attacks ignored by the authorities. A \u00a0shocking event, where a film crew were attacked by a mob because some extras were Catholics and one young man almost beaten to death, was quickly covered up. One Unionist MLA dismissed it as a storm in a teacup.<\/p>\n

Similar\u00a0tolerance\u00a0is\u00a0not\u00a0extended\u00a0to\u00a0republicans.\u00a0Protestors\u00a0against\u00a0Orange\u00a0demonstrations\u00a0face\u00a0punitive\u00a0sentences.\u00a0Marian\u00a0Price\u00a0is\u00a0interned\u00a0in\u00a0solitary\u00a0confinement\u00a0for\u00a0holding\u00a0a\u00a0piece\u00a0of\u00a0paper.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0picture\u00a0painted\u00a0above\u00a0is\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0corruption\u00a0but\u00a0not\u00a0of\u00a0collapse.\u00a0There\u00a0are\u00a0many\u00a0mechanisms\u00a0supporting\u00a0the\u00a0settlement.\u00a0Much\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0complacency\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0face\u00a0of\u00a0corruption\u00a0is\u00a0based\u00a0on\u00a0widespread\u00a0bribery\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0distribution\u00a0of\u00a0peace\u00a0funds.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0system\u00a0has\u00a0the\u00a0frantic\u00a0support\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Irish\u00a0bourgeoisie,\u00a0as\u00a0evidenced\u00a0by\u00a0their\u00a0hysteric\u00a0adulation\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0British\u00a0Queen\u00a0and\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0campaign\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0the\u00a0Shinners\u00a0by\u00a0joining\u00a0Ireland\u2019s\u00a0foremost\u00a0cultural\u00a0event,\u00a0the\u00a0Fleadh\u00a0Cheoil,\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0British\u00a0\u2018City\u00a0of\u00a0Culture\u2019\u00a0in\u00a0Derry.<\/p>\n

The nationalist population, who used to have an anti\u00ad-imperialist and democratic tradition, has largely internalised the confessional understanding on which the political institutions are based.\u00a0\u00a0Many believe in a benign sectarianism where resources can be shared out while avoiding violence and conflict. Capitulation is presented as cultural reconciliation.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Irish\u00a0trade\u00a0union\u00a0movement\u00a0is\u00a0highly\u00a0bureaucratised\u00a0and\u00a0linked\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0state.\u00a0It\u00a0gives\u00a0unconditional\u00a0support\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0new\u00a0institutions\u00a0and\u00a0is\u00a0rabidly\u00a0hostile\u00a0to\u00a0any\u00a0challenge.<\/p>\n

There are elements that indicate that the life\u00ad-span of the new statelet is not indefinite. The prestige of the Irish bourgeoisie is in decline. At the time of the peace process they rode the \u2018Celtic Tiger\u2019. Now they lead a merciless offensive on Irish workers. The price paid by Sinn Fein has been the decay of their northern working class base. This has expressed itself as apathy, but there are signs of a minor resurgence in republicanism that may eat away at the Shinners. They hope to continue their advance by becoming the new Fianna Fail party in the South, but even in the remote event they are successful, they will quickly be forced to give up their attempts to base themselves in working \u00adclass areas.\u00a0The dominant factor is the crisis of the working\u00ad class organisations. The traditional organisations have been unable to adapt to the crisis of capitalism.\u00a0\u00a0A new movement is on its way that will head a massive confrontation between labour and capital on a world scale. This renewal, expressed in Ireland, will pose a major challenge to the imperialist settlement.<\/p>\n

In any case Marxists have the duty we have tried to express in this article, to strip away the mask of hypocrisy and pretence that obscures the Irish peace process and unveil the savage mechanisms of sectarianism, colonialism and class interest that lie beneath.<\/p>\n

(see\u00a0Austerity Europe: The new tyranny<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article, written by John McAnulty, first appeared in the March\/April issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) The\u00a02011\u00a0elections\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0North\u00a0of\u00a0Ireland\u00a0marked\u00a0a\u00a0substantial\u00a0victory\u00a0for\u00a0capitalism.\u00a0It\u00a0marked\u00a0the\u00a0first\u00a0point\u00a0where\u00a0one\u00a0Stormont\u00a0administration morphed\u00a0into\u00a0another\u00a0via\u00a0election,\u00a0without\u00a0the\u00a0 collapse\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0government. That modest success quickly became a much more substantial victory. The election was preceded by the killing of a Catholic police constable by republicans and the election was settled in advance in a wave of hysteria…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1843,1855,1867,1873,1846,1856,1876],"tags":[253],"class_list":["post-3264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-capitalists-organise","category-exploitation-and-emancipation","category-emancipation-liberation-and-self-determination","category-against-unionism","category-british-imperialism","category-economic-struggles","category-ireland-against-unionism","tag-author-john-mcanulty"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"views":3234,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3264"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18245,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3264\/revisions\/18245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}