There is much to learn from modern left-wing activism in Ireland. A rich tapestry of movements, including republicans, social democrats, trade unions, Trotskyists, and anarchists, they have been battling neoliberalism and austerity with vigor, frustration, success, and failure.
Fragments of Victory charts these political currents, from the difficult early years of anti-austerity campaigning to the successful mass campaign to end water charges and prevent water privatization and the seismic victory that was 'Repeal' - the campaign for womens reproductive rights. Looking to the present, the campaign around the brutal housing crisis is also addressed.
Each chapter covers a different campaign or group, written by leading activists who provide insider perspectives on how history was made and share valuable insights that can be applied to international movements everywhere.
Inspiring insiders accounts of modern Irish activism under austerity and beyond
Recenzijas
'Activists in movements and the left often feel despair because they have never experienced successful mass struggles unlike the Republic of Ireland. In 2014-16 working-class communities stopped the introduction of water charges through widespread direct action, while 2018 saw mass participation win abortion rights in the teeth of church power. Written by activists, this book tells these and other key stories of Irish movements and left groups as a key resource for struggles elsewhere' -- Laurence Cox, author of We Make Our Own History: Marxism and Social Movements in the Twilight of Neoliberalism 'A partisan work in the best sense of the term. The authors sympathies only sharpen their critical analysis of the lefts victories and defeats. There is much to learn here for those who seek to understand and change the world' -- Paul Murphy TD, People Before Profit 'This book captures the sheer energy and diversity of the Irish left at grassroot level and in key campaigns around housing, abortion rights, and public services, bringing clarity to a movement that is rarely given space to explain itself in the mainstream media' -- Conor McCabe, researcher and editor of The Lost and Early Writings of James Connolly 1889-1898 This book is an important reminder that change often comes only through grassroots campaigning, at times involving relatively small numbers and is often denounced by respectable opinion. -- Irish Times
1. Introduction - Oisin Gilmore and David Landy
Section I: Campaigns
2. 'Can't Pay, Won't Pay': The early years of fighting austerity (2008-2013) - Hilary Darcy
3. 'From the river to the sea, Irish Water will be free': Defeating the water charges' - Finbar Dwyer and James McBarron
4. 'Get your rosaries off our ovaries': Repealing the 8th amendment - Aileen O'Carroll and Mary Coogan
5. 'Housing is a human right': Campaigning on Housing - Rosi Leonard, Aisling Hederman and Seamus Farrell
Section II: Groups
6. The centre left - Niamh Puirsil
7. Anarchists - Kevin Doyle
8. Trotskyists - Kevin Squires
9. Republicans - Stewart Reddin and Damian Lawlor
10. Trade Unions - Gregor Kerr
11. Conclusion - Winning Victories, Leaving Empty? - Oisin Gilmore and David Landy
Oisķn Gilmore is Senior Economist at TASC (Thinktank for Action on Social Change) in Dublin, Ireland. He has participated in various social movements in Ireland, Britain and continental Europe.
David Landy is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology in Trinity College Dublin and Director of the MPhil in Race, Ethnicity, Conflict. He has written for Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies, and Social Movement Studies on the water charges movement, Irish anti-racism and Palestinian solidarity. He is the author of Jewish Identity and Palestinian Rights, and co-editor of Enforcing Silence: Academic Freedom and Criticism of Israel.
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