John Throne: Ireland, British Troops, B-Specials, The Provos

I am continuing to share these few interviews my friend and comrade John Throne (Sean O'Torain) did in Ireland about 10 years or so ago. This is interesting as it is a vivid description of the events of the time from a participant. Sean taught me a lot about events in Ireland and what he says here are important lessons for those of us that seriously want to change society and win the struggle against capital. It is particularly important that we must have a thought out set of ideas based on our understanding of the present situation and what it might become, in other words we must develop perspectives and based on this build and prepare ourselves for what will most likely occur.

This is very interesting stuff.  We talked only last week, the day before he died, of the opportunities that are arising today.  We are in a new era in the US. The era in which the two parties of capitalism that have governed US society for over a century or more is coming to a close. Regardless of the success of the racist and sexual deviant Trump, there are struggles taking place throughout US society against racism, the oppression of women, workers rights and the environment to name a few. The rise of the women's movement is something Sean always stressed and that genie will not be put back in to its bottle.  The environment, inequality, health care education are all explosive issues. 

For the organized working class, the teachers/educators movement have opened up a new day and while all movements recede and have ebbs and fros, lessons are learned and the struggle arises once more. There has been, without doubt, a major change in consciousness in US society and it was our view that many on the left have not fully understood this and prepared for it.

Great events have both negative and positive affects on organizations and the decline or outright collapse of many of the self styled socialist organizations are a reflection of this failure to grasp the nature of this period and also the mistaken approach and their poisonous and undemocratic internal life.  The movement as we both always stressed, is delayed to a great extent due to the failure of the heads of the 14 million member trade union movement to organize these various forces and bring together these somewhat isolated struggles. This dam will also be breached.

It's worth young people, fellow unionists and youth, including young DSA members to hear what John has to say, the lessons he learned, particularly from his involvement in the Bogside Uprising, and over half a century of revolutionary struggle.