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A few minutes after noon on the 24th April, 1916, Patrick Pearse
stepped outside the newly occupied GPO on Sackville Street with a
copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Reading aloud, he
declared a strike for Irish freedom against the world's greatest
imperial power. The Easter Rising, as the six days of intense,
bloody fighting that followed came to be known, set the course for
the next 100 years of Irish history; the 'Heroes of '16' becoming a
national cultural and political touchstone down the generations.
But today, canonised and mummified, the radical visions of Pearse
and the socialist James Connolly are an awkward encumbrance on an
Irish state that has its roots in the counter-revolution of the
civil war, and which has emerged as a haven of economic
neoliberalism. In this fascinating alternative history of modern
Ireland, Kieran Allen follows the thread of 1916's 'revolutionary
tradition' - an uneasy marriage of Socialism and Republicanism - as
it has unravelled across the century. From the strikes, boycotts,
occupations and land redistribution that accompanied the war of
independence; to the 'carnival of reaction' that followed; all the
way up to the current movement against water charges and austerity,
Allen reveals the complexities, ruptures and continuities of a
revolutionary tradition that continues to haunt the establishment
today.
Born in 1868 and executed by the British in 1916 for his role in
the Easter Rising, the work of Irish national hero James Connolly
has long been misunderstood. From Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, to
conservative Irish nationalists and the Church, many groups have
claimed Connolly as their own, his ideas and strategies used and
distorted to justify particular political positions. Kieran Allen
breaks this mould, assessing the founder of the Irish Marxist
movement ideas from a revolutionary socialist perspective. Allen
considers the strengths and weaknesses of Connolly's revolutionary
strategy, the effect of his commitment to international socialism
on his nationalist loyalties and arguing that, ultimately,
Connolly's enduring relevance derives from his anti-imperialism.
Any socialist movement today ignores this book at its peril.
This is the story of how a small island on the edge of Europe
became one of the world's major tax havens. From global
corporations such as Apple and Google, to investment bankers and
mainstream politicians, those taking advantage of Ireland's
pro-business tax laws and shadow banking system have amassed untold
riches at enormous social cost to ordinary people at home and
abroad. Tax Haven Ireland uncovers the central players in this
process and exposes the coverups employed by the Irish state, with
the help of accountants, lawyers and financial services companies.
From the lucrative internet porn industry to corruption in the
property market, this issue distorts the economy across the state
and in the wider international system, and its history runs deep,
going back the country's origins as a British colonial outpost.
Today, in the wake of Brexit and in the shadow of yet another
economic crash, what can be done to prevent such dangerous
behaviour and reorganise our economies to invest in the people? Can
Ireland - and all of us - build an alternative economy based on
fairness and democratic values?
'This is Irish history seen anew, from below, bristling with
practical lessons for working-class struggle today' - Eamonn McCann
The 32 counties of Ireland were divided through imperial terror and
gerrymandering. Partition was borne from a Tory strategy to defend
the British Empire and has spawned a 'carnival of reaction' in
Irish politics ever since. Over the last 100 years, conservative
forces have dominated both states offering religious identity as a
diversion from economic failures and inequality. Through a sharp
analysis of the history of partition, Kieran Allen rejects the view
that the 'two cultures' of Catholic and Protestant communities lock
people into permanent antagonism. Instead, the sectarian states
have kept its citizens divided through political and economic
measures like austerity, competition for reduced services and low
wages. Overturning conventional narratives, 32 Counties evokes the
tradition of James Connolly and calls for an Irish unity movement
from below to unite the North and the Republic into a secular,
socialist and united Ireland.
This is the story of how a small island on the edge of Europe
became one of the world's major tax havens. From global
corporations such as Apple and Google, to investment bankers and
mainstream politicians, those taking advantage of Ireland's
pro-business tax laws and shadow banking system have amassed untold
riches at enormous social cost to ordinary people at home and
abroad. Tax Haven Ireland uncovers the central players in this
process and exposes the coverups employed by the Irish state, with
the help of accountants, lawyers and financial services companies.
From the lucrative internet porn industry to corruption in the
property market, this issue distorts the economy across the state
and in the wider international system, and its history runs deep,
going back the country's origins as a British colonial outpost.
Today, in the wake of Brexit and in the shadow of yet another
economic crash, what can be done to prevent such dangerous
behaviour and reorganise our economies to invest in the people? Can
Ireland - and all of us - build an alternative economy based on
fairness and democratic values?
'This is Irish history seen anew, from below, bristling with
practical lessons for working-class struggle today' - Eamonn McCann
The 32 counties of Ireland were divided through imperial terror and
gerrymandering. Partition was borne from a Tory strategy to defend
the British Empire and has spawned a 'carnival of reaction' in
Irish politics ever since. Over the last 100 years, conservative
forces have dominated both states offering religious identity as a
diversion from economic failures and inequality. Through a sharp
analysis of the history of partition, Kieran Allen rejects the view
that the 'two cultures' of Catholic and Protestant communities lock
people into permanent antagonism. Instead, the sectarian states
have kept its citizens divided through political and economic
measures like austerity, competition for reduced services and low
wages. Overturning conventional narratives, 32 Counties evokes the
tradition of James Connolly and calls for an Irish unity movement
from below to unite the North and the Republic into a secular,
socialist and united Ireland.
Max Weber is one of the founding fathers of sociology. He is often
referred to as a sophisticated 'value-free' sociologist. This new
critical introduction argues that Weber's sociology cannot be
divorced from his political standpoint. Weber saw himself as a
'class conscious bourgeois' and his sociology reflects this
outlook. Providing clear summaries of Weber's ideas - concentrating
on the themes most often encountered on sociology courses - Kieran
Allen provides a lively introduction to this key thinker. Kieran
Allen explores Weber's political background through his life and
his writing. Weber was a neo-liberal who thought that the market
guaranteed efficiency and rationality. He was an advocate of
empire. He supported the carnage of WW1 and vehemently attacked
German socialists such as Rosa Luxemburg. Weber's most famous book,
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, ignores the
bloody legacy associated with the early accumulation of capital.
Instead, he locates the origins of the system in a new rigorous
morality. Using a political framework, Kieran Allen's book is is
ideal for students who want to develop a critical approach.
If we are serious about finding a different way to run the
post-credit crunch society, we must start by introducing
alternatives to undergraduates. Kieran Allen begins the task with
an accessible and comprehensive look at the ideas of Karl Marx.
Dispensing with the dryness of traditional explanations of Marx,
Allen shows how Marx's ideas apply to modern society. The first
section briefly outlines Marx's life and the development of his
work, then goes on to clearly explain his key theories, including
historical materialism and surplus value. The second section
examines alternatives to capitalism, the concept of
'anti-capitalism' and provides concrete, contemporary examples of
Marx's theories being put into practice in today's world.
Emile Durkheim, along with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is one of the
three 'founding fathers of sociology'. This is the first book to
situate his sociology in the context of his republican politics,
freeing his ideas from more conventional studies and allowing the
reader to see his ideas afresh. This critical introduction argues
that Durkheim's defence of Republican France in the 1890s had a
considerable influence on his sociology, which cannot be fully
understood when removed from its historical and political context.
His dismissal of economic factors in suicide rates, the influence
of his anti-feminist position on his findings on marriage rates,
and the idealism behind his claim that religion is the key
determinant in shaping society are all discussed. Through analysing
his writings, including The Division of Labour in Society, Suicide
and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, this book provides a
fascinating, critical counterpoint to the existing works on this
key figure of sociology.
Emile Durkheim, along with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is one of the
three 'founding fathers of sociology'. This is the first book to
situate his sociology in the context of his republican politics,
freeing his ideas from more conventional studies and allowing the
reader to see his ideas afresh. This critical introduction argues
that Durkheim's defence of Republican France in the 1890s had a
considerable influence on his sociology, which cannot be fully
understood when removed from its historical and political context.
His dismissal of economic factors in suicide rates, the influence
of his anti-feminist position on his findings on marriage rates,
and the idealism behind his claim that religion is the key
determinant in shaping society are all discussed. Through analysing
his writings, including The Division of Labour in Society, Suicide
and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, this book provides a
fascinating, critical counterpoint to the existing works on this
key figure of sociology.
Ireland has been marketed as the poster boy of EU austerity. EU
elites and neoliberal commentators claim that the country's ability
to suffer economic pain will attract investors and generate a
recovery. In Austerity Ireland, Kieran Allen challenges this
official image and argues that the Irish state's response to the
crash is typical of the Eurozone countries, serving to protect the
economic privilege of the powerful, to the detriment of the middle
and working classes. Looking at the various ways we could consider
this austerity period a failure, including transforming Ireland
into a tax haven and contributing to serious levels of
unemployment, Allen reveals the extent of Ireland's current
socio-economic and political malaise, suggesting that it may have
created furtile ground for a leftist resurgence.
A few minutes after noon on the 24th April, 1916, Patrick Pearse
stepped outside the newly occupied GPO on Sackville Street with a
copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Reading aloud, he
declared a strike for Irish freedom against the world's greatest
imperial power. The Easter Rising, as the six days of intense,
bloody fighting that followed came to be known, set the course for
the next 100 years of Irish history; the 'Heroes of '16' becoming a
national cultural and political touchstone down the generations.
But today, canonised and mummified, the radical visions of Pearse
and the socialist James Connolly are an awkward encumbrance on an
Irish state that has its roots in the counter-revolution of the
civil war, and which has emerged as a haven of economic
neoliberalism. In this fascinating alternative history of modern
Ireland, Kieran Allen follows the thread of 1916's 'revolutionary
tradition' - an uneasy marriage of Socialism and Republicanism - as
it has unravelled across the century. From the strikes, boycotts,
occupations and land redistribution that accompanied the war of
independence; to the 'carnival of reaction' that followed; all the
way up to the current movement against water charges and austerity,
Allen reveals the complexities, ruptures and continuities of a
revolutionary tradition that continues to haunt the establishment
today.
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