LEFT BLOC POLITICAL SCHOOL

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2023 :: RMTnews 24 Members of the union attended a political school on Inis Oírr, one of the smallest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay in Ireland, writes Noreen Hayes. Run by Left Bloc and Trademark Belfast, it brought together academics, trade unionists, climate and political activists, economists, socialist think tanks and more. Delegates came from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Argentina, and Chile amongst other countries. The political school styled itself on the hedge schools of old Ireland where illegal education, mainly of Catholics, was taught. They would teach Irish, Poetry, Latin, Greek and even economics to young people. They were a place of critical thought, away from ruling class influence, where Irish people could ensure their children could learn and be educated about their own culture and often reached a very high standard under this hidden system. The hedge school then makes for a perfect model for sessions in radical thought. They set the tone with subjects such as ‘eco- communism - an anti- imperialist response to the land question’, which looked at the absence of left wing thought as directed at our agricultural communities. The fact that the far right has a hold on various farmers protest groups, shows the vacuum the left must now enter. Clare Daly MEP spoke on militarisation and the drive to war. About how the EU is funding and supporting more and more wars, not just the Ukrainian war. She was clear to make the distinction that that doesn’t mean you would support any state like Russia but that war equals money for the rich. Victor Figueroa Clark gave us ‘Allende - Revolutionary Democrat Victor himself being the son of Chilean refugees from the Pinochet era. He gave us an insight into how someone so faithful to socialism made errors that we must all learn from. Delegates were addressed by Costas Lapavitsas, author of The State of Capitalism, who took us through key areas of the collaborative book which he co-authored with a collective of 11 writers. It was an economic lesson for the everyman including simplified dissections of how and where the ‘market’ keeps winning DELEGATES: LT Region NEC member Carlos Barros, RMT young members Committee chair Sarah Cundy, RMT young member London & Anglia Region Eli Edwards, LT Regional Council president Noreen Hayes. LEFT BLOC POLITICAL SCHOOL