We welcome contributor Proinsias Barrett, who writes objectively here, in reference to a previous post on thurles.info entitled “How To Cast Your Vote In A Dysfunctional Ireland.”
To introduce Proinsias to our readers, he is a Thurles town native, who now lives in Galway City. He has worked in Sound Engineering and Event Production for some fifteen years, until encouraged by friends and family to further develop his keen interests in history, human geography, sociology and political science. He now attends NUI Galway studying for a Bachelor of Arts honours degree. Proinsias still retains his love of music, particularly alternative non-mainstream progressive styles from the 1960’s to present. He is also interested in Irish Folklore, Celtic Christianity, Heraldry, Irish Surnames and Place Names, Environmental Issues, Travel, Vintage Motor-Scooters and Classic Cars, and offers regular comment through National Press and on this site.
‘The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.’
You may recognise these words as the opening lines of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles ‘ Communist Manifesto, (Written incidentally at the same time as the Chartists movement were calling for change.)
Karl Marx
It is interesting that since the ‘fall ‘ of Communism in the former Soviet Union, circa 1989-1991, and the ‘softening‘ of China’s interpretation of Communism in the last ten to fifteen years (Although, a Communist state run by Capitalists, which is what China has evolved into, is far more frightening than modern Russia’s interpretation of democracy.) has re-kindled, especially here in the west, an interest in the political philosophers of old. It has become socially acceptable to discuss Marx’s vision of society, own a copy of the manifesto, and theoretically apply his reason in a contemporary contexts.
When Barack Obama was accused by U.S. Republicans of been a ‘Socialist‘ over his health care reform bill proposals, millions of Americans, with an interest in politics asked ‘What is a Socialist ?,’ ‘Is that Communism ?,’ and so with the disintegration of the former USSR, and Communism no longer a threat to the USA, censorship on certain publications had been lifted (Seemingly there were no more ‘Commies under the bed‘). Information and literature on leftist political philosophy were for the first time since 1946 available in America, which led surprisingly to many Americans researching Socialism and then saying ‘Well, you know, old Marx has some good points here.‘
But I was led to believe as a boy growing up in Thurles in the 1980’s that Class distinctions had been abolished, and people or society were no longer to be categorised in relation to class. The trains removed first-class carriages and airline companies simply re-named first-class to executive class thus side-stepping the issue.
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