SEAMUS COSTELLO SEMINAR -- Stormont Watch

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Date Posted: Wed, Feb 20 2008, 1:30:48 PST
Author: iapl_newsroom32@hotmail.com
Subject: SEAMUS COSTELLO SEMINAR

RSYM Seamus Costello Seminar An important seminar on the politics and ideas of Seamus Costello was heldrecently in Belfast. The event, facilitated by the Republican SocialistYouth Movement was aimed at increasing the consciousness of the politicsand ideas of Seamus, with that in mind it was pleasing for all to hear theexperiences of those present that knew Seamus personally and werealongside him during the crucial steps in the founding of the IRSP. The main speaker on the day was Gerry Ruddy who touched on a variety ofsubjects with a sharp, clear analysis of the situation and conditionswhich the IRSP faced today and those similar conditions the party faces atpresent. Gerry began "Seamus was an ideologically driven character, of which notenough has been written about by his former comrades. Seamus had ademanding personality and must have been a difficult man to live with butit is without a doubt he wouldn't tolerate some of the people we have inthis organisation today." The presentation continued tracing the Republican tradition Seamus' nativeBray and County Wicklow back to 1798 but that there had been littletradition or activity since the Civil War. Following the border campaign Seamus was interned in the Curragh camp inKildare. It was here that Seamus, as with many Republicans, referred totheir time in prison as their "University days". Seamus was in contact atthe time with veteran Republicans from which he derived much of hispolitical development but there was changes in the movement on the outsidewhich had repercussions within the prisons. At Bodenstown in 1966 the historic oration which signalled the RepublicanMovement's shift to the left was delivered by Seamus. Seamus had been oneof the main protagonists of the move to the left and while the oration maynot seem radical today, it was phenomenal at the time. Gerry continued that he met Seamus as a young student radical and assomeone who disregarded and wouldn't have had much time for traditionalRepublican values had clear differences with Seamus but what Seamus saidthen has continued to stand the test of time. The critical issue was the issue of the relationship between the class andnational questions, that the national liberation struggle must be led bythe Irish working class. Much has been written and spoken of the 1969 IRA split. The split wasclearly a Left / Right divide in the Republican Movement coming toprominence at which attempts had been made to smooth over the years prior. It was very clear that the Provisional Republicans were anti-Communistsbut there had been some local co-operation between both militaryformations on the ground. Splits inevitably lead to demoralisation and had often led to thedissemination of the organisations involved, this is particularly true forsmall left-wing groups. It was for this reason that during the 1969 splitand the expulsions from the Official Republican Movement that Seamusmaintained a good relationship with many parties involved and often triedto repair the damage. Sean Garland, President of the Workers Party speaking at an event lastyear said that Seamus Costello's role in the splits was to embitter andengender hatred in people. This is interesting because Sean had stoodalongside Seamus in cajoling the movement back to revolutionary politicsbefore jumping ship. Sean Garland would not have criticised Seamus in the manner in which hedid 29 years after his murder if his politics were not as relevant todayas they were then. If Seamus' politics were not a threat to theestablishment then it would be safe to say they would've been alreadyconsigned to history along with the Republican Socialist Movement. Gerry continued along this path charting the recent successes, growth andrejuvenation of the Republican Socialist Movement which is evidence enoughthat there remains a necessarily for a Republican Socialist party. The floor was then opened to the audience and a lively discussion followedwith many contributions from young people and former comrades of Seamus.

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