Sean Matgamna
Encyclopedia
Sean Matgamna, also known as John O'Mahony (born 1941, Ennis
, County Clare
, Ireland
) is a Trotskyist theorist and activist. He was a founder of Workers' Fight
in 1966 and is still a prominent member of the group, now called the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
.
(YCL) as a teenager in Manchester
and then, in 1960, Gerry Healy
's Trotskyist Socialist Labour League, from which he was expelled in 1963. He joined another Trotskyist group, the Revolutionary Socialist League
(better known as Militant
) in 1965 and in 1966 co-authored a pamphlet, What We Are and What We Must Become outlining his views. When the RSL refused to circulate it among the membership, he and his supporters left the organisation.
group to act upon his views, central to which was a call for Trotskyist unity in Britain. They began publishing a journal for the Irish Workers Group and a handful of others joined the group before, in 1968, the International Socialists also put out a call for unity. Responding to it, Workers' Fight joined the IS as the Trotskyist Tendency. With other dockers in Salford, he produced an industrial bulletin, 'The Hook'.
Around this time Matgamna, who believed that effective working class rule then existed in some Catholic-majority areas of Northern Ireland, proposed that in the probable event of attacks on this control, that those areas should secede to the Irish Republic as a way of making Northern Ireland ungovernable and forcing open the national question in Ireland. He later proposed granting the Protestant (overwhelmingly Unionist) community political autonomy within a united Ireland. Some commentators have argued that both of these positions are in fact calls for repartition although Matgamna and his supporters have always denied this.
At the end of 1971, the Trotskyist Tendency was expelled by IS and reformed Workers' Fight with a much increased membership. Martin Thomas soon joined, working with Matgamna to take prominent roles in the group. Matgamna became a full time theorist within the group, moving to London.
Throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s the revived Workers' Fight became more and more associated with Matgamna's leadership. This was accentuated by the disputes that led to the short-lived fusion with the Workers' Power group, which had briefly joined Workers' Fight in a fused grouping known as the International-Communist League. Similarly, when the I-CL fused with the Workers' Socialist League
, Matgamna was strongly identified as the central leader of one side in the factional fight that later erupted within, and then split, the fused group.
One key area of disagreement in 1983 was that the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands
were considered by Matgamna to have the right to autonomy, a position he worked through during the Falklands War
. This approach to the national question has since been extended, in large part by Matgamna, to other communities. Matgamna has also, since 1986, argued strongly for a two state solution - that is states for both the Palestinians and Israel
is - in the Middle East
- even prior to the overthrow of capitalism in the region.
and Max Shachtman
led him to conclude that Third Camp socialism offered an expression of many of the conclusions he had come to. It has been argued by some on the left that Matgamna's embrace of the politics of Shachtman and Draper, which he has described as "the other Trotskyism", merely reverses his embrace of the ideas of James P. Cannon
in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.
Matgamna remains a prominent member of the Trotskyist group he founded, now called the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
.
Ennis
Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
) is a Trotskyist theorist and activist. He was a founder of Workers' Fight
Workers' Fight
Workers' Fight has been the name of several Trotskyist groups and publications in Britain.-Organisations:*Workers' Fight is also the name of a group in England linked to the French Lutte Ouvrière that focuses on activity in large factory workplaces, rather than trade union or community-based work...
in 1966 and is still a prominent member of the group, now called the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
Alliance for Workers' Liberty
The Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
.
Early political experience
He joined the Young Communist LeagueYoung Communist League (Britain)
The Young Communist League is the name of both the youth wing of the former Communist Party of Great Britain and the current youth wing of the Communist Party of Britain ; an organisation that sees itself as the successor to the Communist Party of Great Britain.-Original Young Communist League...
(YCL) as a teenager in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and then, in 1960, Gerry Healy
Gerry Healy
Thomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy , was a political activist, a co-founder of the International Committee of the Fourth International, and, according to former prominent U.S. supporter David North, the leader of the Trotskyist movement in Great Britain between 1950 – 1985...
's Trotskyist Socialist Labour League, from which he was expelled in 1963. He joined another Trotskyist group, the Revolutionary Socialist League
Revolutionary Socialist League (UK, 1957)
The Revolutionary Socialist League was a Trotskyist group in Britain which existed from 1956 to 1964.-Formation:After the dissolution of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Ted Grant and his supporters were expelled from the RCP's successor The Club in 1950 and formed the International Socialist...
(better known as Militant
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
) in 1965 and in 1966 co-authored a pamphlet, What We Are and What We Must Become outlining his views. When the RSL refused to circulate it among the membership, he and his supporters left the organisation.
Workers' Fight
Matgamna, working with two supporters, formed the Workers' FightWorkers' Fight
Workers' Fight has been the name of several Trotskyist groups and publications in Britain.-Organisations:*Workers' Fight is also the name of a group in England linked to the French Lutte Ouvrière that focuses on activity in large factory workplaces, rather than trade union or community-based work...
group to act upon his views, central to which was a call for Trotskyist unity in Britain. They began publishing a journal for the Irish Workers Group and a handful of others joined the group before, in 1968, the International Socialists also put out a call for unity. Responding to it, Workers' Fight joined the IS as the Trotskyist Tendency. With other dockers in Salford, he produced an industrial bulletin, 'The Hook'.
Around this time Matgamna, who believed that effective working class rule then existed in some Catholic-majority areas of Northern Ireland, proposed that in the probable event of attacks on this control, that those areas should secede to the Irish Republic as a way of making Northern Ireland ungovernable and forcing open the national question in Ireland. He later proposed granting the Protestant (overwhelmingly Unionist) community political autonomy within a united Ireland. Some commentators have argued that both of these positions are in fact calls for repartition although Matgamna and his supporters have always denied this.
At the end of 1971, the Trotskyist Tendency was expelled by IS and reformed Workers' Fight with a much increased membership. Martin Thomas soon joined, working with Matgamna to take prominent roles in the group. Matgamna became a full time theorist within the group, moving to London.
Throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s the revived Workers' Fight became more and more associated with Matgamna's leadership. This was accentuated by the disputes that led to the short-lived fusion with the Workers' Power group, which had briefly joined Workers' Fight in a fused grouping known as the International-Communist League. Similarly, when the I-CL fused with the Workers' Socialist League
Workers' Socialist League
The Workers Socialist League was a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group was formed by Alan Thornett and other members of the Workers Revolutionary Party after their expulsion from that group in 1974.- Origins :...
, Matgamna was strongly identified as the central leader of one side in the factional fight that later erupted within, and then split, the fused group.
One key area of disagreement in 1983 was that the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
were considered by Matgamna to have the right to autonomy, a position he worked through during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. This approach to the national question has since been extended, in large part by Matgamna, to other communities. Matgamna has also, since 1986, argued strongly for a two state solution - that is states for both the Palestinians and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is - in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
- even prior to the overthrow of capitalism in the region.
"Third Camp" position
In 1989, Matgamna, along with many other members of the group's national committee, by then known as the Socialist Organiser Alliance, came to reconsider some of its views on the Eastern Bloc. Rereading works by Hal DraperHal Draper
Hal Draper was an American socialist activist and author who played a significant role in the Berkeley, California, Free Speech Movement and is perhaps best known for his extensive scholarship on the history and meaning of the thought of Karl Marx.Draper was a lifelong advocate of what he called...
and Max Shachtman
Max Shachtman
Max Shachtman was an American Marxist theorist. He evolved from being an associate of Leon Trotsky to a social democrat and mentor of senior assistants to AFL-CIO President George Meany.-Beginnings:...
led him to conclude that Third Camp socialism offered an expression of many of the conclusions he had come to. It has been argued by some on the left that Matgamna's embrace of the politics of Shachtman and Draper, which he has described as "the other Trotskyism", merely reverses his embrace of the ideas of James P. Cannon
James P. Cannon
James Patrick "Jim" Cannon was an American Trotskyist and a leader of the Socialist Workers Party.Born on February 11, 1890 in Rosedale, Kansas, he joined the Socialist Party of America in 1908 and the Industrial Workers of the World in 1911...
in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.
Matgamna remains a prominent member of the Trotskyist group he founded, now called the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
Alliance for Workers' Liberty
The Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
.
Pseudonyms
Over the years, he has used a large number of pseudonyms, including Seán Mac Mathúna, Paddy Dollard and Jack Cleary.External links
- Sean Matgamna, "The RSL (Militant) in the 1960s - a study in passivity"