Party of the People

- Peadar de Bluit

We serve neither King nor Kaiser. This was the great and inspiring slogan of the Irish Citizen Army at the height of the first world war, a war supposedly fought under the guise of freedom and liberation for small oppressed states.

Ironically our small, oppressed nation was excluded from this momentous initiative owing to the kind charity of the great European powers who understood that we were as yet unqualified for the colossal task of self-governance.

The more likely scenario is however is the fact that support was growing for the progressive Republican alternative in Ireland, an alternative which offered real freedom for the people of Ireland, unlike the bourgeois, material, confined freedom being heavily propagated on the continent, by the capitalists and industrialists, the very people who had instigated the war with an eye to their own desires and goals regardless of the huge cost, counted in human lives.

The essential difference between the Irish Republican, and Continental models of government was that Irish Republicanism advocated an active role for the people of Ireland to make their voice heard, compared with the conservative, archaic model on the continent which ostracised, and rendered politics and governance irrelevant to the people.

We would do well to remember this epic slogan as we embark upon our current phase of struggle towards endgame for the British in Ireland. For decades our leadership guided the Republican movement through some very difficult times always remaining true to the goal of establishing a Socialist Republic, and our core Republican principles of, 'Liberty, Equality and Justice for all', as outlined in the Democratic Program of the First Dáil of 1919.

And through their efforts, despite the continued intransigence of the Dublin and London governments, reactionary Unionism and conservative Nationalism, we find ourselves to be the largest Nationalist party in the North, and an ever-increasing threat to the status quo in the South. More importantly however we now find ourselves, as a direct result of the Army's courageous move, in a position to move beyond a leadership led struggle, and to make a complete transition to a party whose membership, as we continue to move forward, is the principal voice, as we enter the final strait, on the road to unity, and a Democratic Socialist Republic.

It is our duty now to make our voices heard; no one is going to do it for us. Each and every one of us joined the Republican movement with the object of affecting real and meaningful change in our country, whether that meant re-uniting our island or breaking down the odious systems of government which plague our country, it is our responsibility to be true to ourselves and voice our opinions, be it in the cumann, Comhairle Ceantar, or Ard Fheis, this is our movement for the furthering of our aims and we must take advantage of that, now more so than ever before.

However, still remembering the words of the Citizen Army, we must serve neither King nor Kaiser but each other. To that end the calls for change must not be limited to Sinn Féin and Ógra Shinn Féin activists. It is our responsibility to actively consult with our friends and relatives, neighbours and communities, and indeed those in other communities as we continue to build the Ireland of the future and work towards our goal of a 32 county Socialist Republic.

Our leadership has taken us so far but now it is time for each and every one of us to stand up and be heard and to take the initiative and finish the journey, together.


Onwards to the Socialist Republic!

Tiocfaidh ár lá.