Connolly Column

The Re-conquest of Ireland: With both the London and Dublin governments seeking ways to further privatise public services, Connolly, writing in Workers' Republic, 2 September 1899, makes the argument for their defence as a means of attaining freedom in Ireland
The Liberals and Ulster: Writing in Forward in 1914, Connolly points out Britain’s double standards in its dealings in Ulster
Socialism and Irish nationalism: The recent 26-county referendum on citizenship highlighted the conservative streak in Irish life. James Connolly battled the same trend
A New Labour Policy: Writing in The Harp in January 1910, Connolly stresses the need for unity on the left in the struggle to end national, political and social tyranny
The Irish flag: Taken from the Workers’ Republic of 8 April 1916, Connolly explains the significance of the Irish Citizen Army’s decision to hoist the Irish flag over Liberty Hall, the headquarters of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union
Can warfare be civilised?: James Connolly argues that there is no such thing as humane or civilised war
A war for civilisation: Connolly challenges the justification for war with Germany in much the same way as increasing numbers today challenge the real motives of Bush and Blair’s ‘war against terrorism’
The economic basis of politics:the stomach not the brain: In this extract from The New Evangel, a collection of essays published in 1901, Connolly reflects on the materialist basis of history, a view which he developed in subsequent years, setting down his mature thoughts on the subject in Labour in Irish History (December 2002/January 2003)
North-east Ulster: In this extract published in Forward on 2 August 1913, Connolly seeks to explain the negative impact of sectarian considerations on working-class unity and struggle in Belfast (October/November 2002)
The Coronation of King Edward VII: Connolly's 1902 address to Irish workers on the coronation of a new English monarch. Connolly subjects the pomp and circumstance of the 'celebrations' to the rigours of a socialist republican analysis (June/July 2002)
Catholicism, Protestantism and politics: In this article published in Forward on 3 May 1913, Connolly looks at the political and historical nature of religious divisions in Ireland and looks forward to the end of sectarian domination and the dawning of a new era of unified working-class action in Ireland (April/May 2002)
Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, 1887: As we face the prospect of yet another bout of nauseating tabloid hype and overblown nostalgia for Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee celebrations, it is appropriate to remind ourselves of Connolly’s appeal to Irish workers at a similar time at the end of the last century(February/March 2002)
Difficulties of capitalism: A slightly-edited article from The Workers' Republic of 16 June 1900 in which Connolly sets out some of the fundamental contradictions and absurdities which are an integral part of the world capitalist system (December 2001/January 2002)
Arms and the man: In this piece, published in the Irish Worker of 13 December 1913 during the Dublin lock-out, Connolly identifies ruling-class hypocrisy on the use of arms -- which is remarkably similar to present attitudes towards the question of 'weapons decommissioning' (October/November 2001)
The Irish masses in history: In an article first published in The Harp in September 1908, James Connolly praises the fortitude of Ireland's working-class women and berates those who romantically attempt to equate the values of an ancient privileged class with the values of the Irish people as a whole (August/September 2001)

Connolly Column

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Connolly Column