The struggle for Irish sovereignty, encompassing national reunification and the defence of Irish neutrality, is more than an Irish or a regional issue. It represents a potential front in the global confrontation against a US-led imperialist bloc, spearheaded by NATO and the EU, which is preparing for war against Russia and China.
Many assume the US and EU would support Irish reunification. Indeed, the Irish ruling class and most political forces in the Republic, bar a far-right fringe, are not inherently opposed to the concept. This reveals that the demand for unity is not, in itself, anti-imperialist. Ireland was once united under British rule, and John Redmond sought a Home Rule parliament for all 32 counties while remaining loyal to the Empire.
The crucial question is what form a united Ireland would take: an enlarged version of the existing 26-county state or a sovereign Republic true to the ideals of the 1916 Proclamation and the Democratic Programme of 1919? True sovereignty necessitates neutrality, a policy with overwhelming public support across the island. A neutral, united Ireland would be a clear declaration of independence and a significant blow to the NATO/EU war agenda.
However, the political and media establishment in the Republic vehemently opposes neutrality. The current limited sovereignty of the Irish state is carefully calibrated to serve ruling-class interests. This elite willingly sheds further sovereignty to integrate with EU militarisation and NATO, seeking protection under its imperial umbrella. British, US, or EU imperialism could tolerate a united Ireland, provided it remained as compliant as the current Republic. The original British withdrawal in 1922 was secured precisely because partition and the compromise of the southern bourgeoisie guaranteed their continued influence.
A genuinely neutral united Ireland would be a serious strategic setback for the NATO/EU bloc. It would entail the withdrawal of the six counties from NATO, ending the North’s critical role in its logistical operations since the Second World War. All Irish airspace, territorial waters, and infrastructure like Shannon and Aldergrove would be lost to NATO, disrupting US permanent war strategy and bolstering global anti-war movements. Adhering to international law on neutrality, this Ireland would be forbidden from acting as a base for belligerent powers—an outcome utterly anathema to the imperialist bloc.
Achieving this requires an anti-imperialist struggle that goes beyond a British withdrawal. It demands exit from the EU and reorienting the all-Ireland economy away from dependence on US monopoly capitalism.
But could a capitalist united Ireland be truly sovereign? The experience of the Republic and former colonies globally shows that political independence without economic independence is a façade. Lasting sovereignty requires a strong industrial base and a fundamental transformation of social relations. Only socialism can guarantee such an outcome.
The battle for a united, neutral, and socialist Ireland depends on the balance of class forces. While there is widespread instinctive support for unity and neutrality, the working class must be won to an understanding that neutrality is central to sovereignty. The NATO/EU-enabled genocide in Gaza is revealing the true nature of these alliances to increasing numbers of Irish people, demonstrating how the ‘triple lock’ of imperialism restricts independent action.
There is a deep-seated understanding among working people that their lives are shaped by forces beyond their control. They know they are not sovereign. Their lived experience confirms Marx’s observation that the working class has no country; the state is run for the benefit of monopoly capital and the domestic bourgeoisie.
Therefore, patriotic, democratic, and socialist forces must champion the cause of sovereignty. We must win the working class to an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist position to complete Ireland’s national and social liberation. In this struggle, neutrality is a key battleground and the defining line between those who seek a free Ireland and the modern Redmondites willing to sacrifice Irish lives in the pursuit of profit.
