RESOLUTION 1

Ard Fheis accepts the statement "This is Republican Socialism", as published in the Starry Plough, as a basic introduction to the aims and principles of the IRSP. (Presented by Derry Cumann)

Passed, with the modification that the For a Fighting Union section was referred to the incoming Ard Comhairle

RESOLUTION 2

Ard-Fheis recognises that the Good Friday Agreement has failed to deliver peace to working class communities, has increased sectarian division and is a major block towards a Republic. We call for all republicans and socialists to oppose the current political set-up, unite in opposition to the maintenance of a sectarian state and push forward towards a republic. We believe that political opposition is the best method available at this time to republican and socialist forces and that these forces could best be united in a Republican Forum that allows for unity in action whilst respecting ideological differences. (Presented by the Ard-Comhairle)

Passed

RESOLUTION 3

Congress (Ard-Fheis) endorses, approves and supports the Non Aggression Pact proposal advocated by the RSM and calls on the incoming A/C to continue the approach outlined in the document Breathing Space. (Presented by the Ard-Comhairle)

Passed

RESOLUTION 4

Ard Fheis applauds and supports the disciplined and defensive role of the INLA in the defence of working class communities especially in North Belfast from sectarian attack and reaffirms its support for the INLA ceasefire. (Presented by the Ard-Comhairle and the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 5

Congress believes that while it is correct to fight elections to push forward our revolutionary agenda it would be a mistake to fight next year's Assembly elections on the grounds that by so doing we would be confirming legitimacy on an unstable sectarian and fundamentally anti-democratic system of Government. (Presented by John Martin)

Passed

RESOLUTION 6

The IRSP declares its opposition to republicans ever taking seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The IRSP declare the police force of the six counties to be irreformable, no matter what name, uniform, or emblems it uses. (Presented by IRSCNA)

Passed

RESOLUTION 7

On Organising Our Work in the Trade Unions

We therefore resolve:

1. To organise our members in each union into a caucus/fraction, for the purpose of bringing the comrades together, in meetings and through other communications to plan our interventions and work. These are working bodies and in no way replacements for the party's internal structures.

2. That each caucus shall elect/appoint a convenor to call meetings, to oversee the work, the building of our influence and membership, under the direction of the party leadership.

3. A committee should be established consisting of the caucus/fraction convenors and representatives of the leading bodies, to develop the work of the party in the unions and the workers' movement in general, under the direction of the leadership of the party and in line with the decisions of (party conferences).

4. That one member of the party leadership should be elected/appointed to oversee the extension of our size and influence in this decisive field on a full time basis. This union organiser to have overall responsibility for the development of the work in consultation with the caucus convenors and members, under the direction of the party leadership.

Organised in this way even the relatively small numbers we have now can have a far greater influence than size would suggest, and become a focal point for the mounting opposition in the trade union movement. We can become a pole of attraction for workers moving into struggle provided we combine clear ideas with revolutionary organisation. Standing on the traditions of the great Irish workers struggles and the greatest of Irish workers leaders Connolly and Larkin, if we do our work correctly we can be confident of the future of our revolutionary struggle. (Presented by Peter Black)

Referred to incoming Ard Comhairle

RESOLUTION 8

Ard Feis/Congress recognising that there is a policing vacuum in working class communities and this vacuum has come about due to different reasons, not least, the total rejection by our communities of the sectarian RUC/PSNI believes that it is imperative that working class communities have an acceptable, inclusive and effective method of resolving conflicts to the satisfaction of the local community. Congress endorses a policy of engaging with local restorative justice schemes where;

a) these schemes obviously enjoy the support of the local community.
b) the Management and operation of a local CRJ scheme is seen to be open, transparent and inclusive.

(Presented by Pol Little/John Martin)

Passed

RESOLUTION 9

Ard Fheis formally adopts as policy, for the long term perspective, adequate preventative measures necessary in combating the drug epidemic that has devastated working class communities, preventative policy measures to include:

(a) The setting up of a Drug Offenders Register for those convicted of possession of class A drugs with a street value of 10,000 Euros Sterling or more, this measure would be based on the same criteria attached to the sex offenders register which stipulates that offenders must notify the authorities of a change of address which then can be monitored.
(b) The necessity to include Drug Education as compulsory in all Primary and Secondary schools as well as all Government funded job training and creation schemes.
(c) The demand that all moneys confiscated by the Criminal Assets Bureau should be redirected back into the communities most affected by the scourge of drug abuse.

(Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 10

This Ard Fheis recognises that "The Housing Miscellaneous Act (2002)" is a draconian fascist piece of legislation, which criminalises Travellers for being Travellers. We also request that nationally, our membership shows solidarity with Traveller Organisations, who are opposed to this piece of legislation. (Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann and Strabane IRSP)

Passed

RESOLUTION 11

Ard Fheis condemns the worlds drug companies and western governments in their refusal to reduce the cost of drugs and treatment for HIV/AIDS, which should be made freely available to help ease the suffering of those millions who suffer from the escalating HIV/AIDS crisis in the Third world. (Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 12

Congress/Ard Feis endorses the erection of fitting memorial plaques in local neighbourhoods by Teach Na Failte in honour of our fallen comrades who lost their lives in the struggle for national liberation and socialism, and call on all comrades to actively support such schemes in their local communities. (Presented by Belfast IRSP)

Passed

RESOLUTION 13

Ard Fheis supports the demands for affordable social housing to be made available for all regardless of race, colour or creed. Special consideration to be given to the thousands of homeless people who sleep on our streets of our towns and cities all over Ireland, politically scapegoating ethnic and racial minorities is not the answer. (Presented by Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

PRISON ISSUES

RESOLUTION 14

Ard Fheis totally condemns the hypocritical stance of the Irish Government who have failed to honour the will of the people who supported the Good Friday Agreement by their refusal to release one of the last qualifying prisoners Dessie O'Hare and instructs the incoming Ard Comhairle to step up the campaign to secure the release of INLA prisoner Dessie O'Hare. Ard-Fheis calls on the Party to actively continue the campaigning work necessary in securing the immediate release of our friend and comrade qualifying political prisoner Dessie O'Hare. Further more Ard Fheis calls on the Party to actively campaign on behalf of the Republican Socialist Prisoners who are held in Portlaoise Goal so that they be moved to Castlereagh (Co Roscommon) so that the same parity of esteem, already afforded to another republican group currently maintaining a cease-fire be extended to all Republican Socialist Prisoners. (Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann and the Derry Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 15

Ard Fheis sends its revolutionary greetings of solidarity:
a) to all revolutionary Prisoners of War in Ireland and furthermore this Ard Fheis fully supports the ongoing campaigns for Segregation in Maghaberry prison and Political Status.
b) to all Political Prisoners of War around the world, imprisoned for their continued resistance, demands a total amnesty of political prisoners of war of all countries and opposes the growing number of isolation cells and the continued repression and torture of political prisoners of war in prisons throughout Europe. (Presented by Derry Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 16

Ard Fheis demands the immediate release of the Communist Party of Spain (reconstructed) leadership from incarceration by the French state, for their revolutionary beliefs. (Presented by Derry Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 17

Ard Fheis adds our support to miscarriage of justice­ victim and political activist, Mark Barnsley recently released on licence­. In doing so, the IRSP call on the Sheffield Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to hand over the all hidden evidence they have been unlawfully holding as regards the case since Mark's wrongful imprisonment in 1994. (Presented by Derry Cumann)

Passed

International

RESOLUTION 18

Ard-Feis sanctions the founding of a new International organisation for the support of the IRSP as the leading force in the struggle for a 32-county socialist republic, with the new organisation to be called "The Federation of Irish Republican Socialist Committees Abroad (FIRSCA)" and that the coordinator for the organisation be selected by the incoming Ard Comhairle. That the new organisation will absorb the Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America as a component section and the members of the new organisation will be granted the same rights extended to the members of the IRSCNA at the 1998 Ard Fheis; with full members having both the right to voice and vote at an IRSP Ard Fheis, which will secure their internal democratic rights while also subjecting them to the IRSP's internal party discipline in return. That within the new organisation, chapters will be formed on the basis of the immediate metropolitan location of identified supporters without concern for which nation they find themselves in.

That full membership, upon which extension of IRSP members' rights is dependent, will be contingent upon successful completion of a probation of not less than six months and the subsequent adherence to the requirements of the internal discipline of the IRSP, subject to Ard-Comhairle approval. However, that associate membership will be an alternative option, thereby enabling the IRSM to draw upon the broadest possible pool of international support without compromising itself in the process. (Presented by IRSCNA)

Passed

RESOLUTION 19

Ard Fheis actively opposes all forms of imperialist aggression and intervention in the latest war on terror­ by use of our own propaganda (posters, leaflets, party newspaper etc), street protests, public meetings etc. and also that this Ard Fheis voice our support for our revolutionary working class militants against the continued capitalist onslaught of their lands, from Bogotá to Bethlehem, from Bilbao to Belfast. The IRSP declares its complete opposition to the imperialist "War on Terrorism" being waged by the United States, Britain, and their allies. The IRSP reiterate that Irish workers have no stake in any war but the Class war. (Presented by IRSCNA and the Derry Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 20

Ard Fheis

a) supports the call for a unified non sectarian State of Palestine, for all those resident in what are presently referred to as "Israel "and the "Palestinian National Authority"
b) supports the legitimate right of the Palestinian People to self-determination. The IRSP reiterates its support for the Palestinian national liberation struggle in general and within that struggle supports the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in particular, for the class-conscious leadership it provides to the Palestinian working class.

(Presented by IRSCNA and the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 21

Ard Fheis supports the legitimate right of the Basque People in their legitimate struggle to create an independent state. Ard Fheis denounces in the strongest possible terms the decision by the Spanish state to criminalise the struggle for working class self-determination and socialism, by outlawing popular and progressive political and prisoner organisations. (Presented by the Derry Cumann and the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 22

Ard Fheis sends solidarity greetings to those courageous death fasters in Turkey who are struggling against an oppressive prison regime. (Presented by Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 23

Ard Fheis Instructs the incoming Ard Comhairle to take steps to ensure that the party has proper structures and mechanisms in place to ensure that there is a strong element of accountability within the Ard Comhairle and throughout the membership of the party and that all tasks are carried out to the satisfaction of the IRSP. It should also be noted that the full membership of the IRSP should at all times be mindful of their responsibilities in relation to IRSP party work. (Presented by Derry Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 24

Ard Fheis instructs the incoming Ard Comhairle to publish an introductory pack for new members and prospective members of the IRSP. This pack should include the constitution, code of conduct, a rundown of what's expected of members of the party etc. This pack should also be issued to existing members of the IRSP. (Presented by Derry Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 25

Ard Fheis recognises the pivotal role of the editorial staff of "The Starry Plough" who have done tremendous work in ensuring that the party paper is produced on a bi-monthly basis. To ensure the success of "The Starry Plough" it is necessary for a broad base of the membership to contribute articles, on a regular basis. (Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Passed

RESOLUTION 26

Ard Fheis recognises that the present economic system is based on greed and profit for the few, is not caring, does not deliver the goods is unstable and wrong. We therefore call on this Ard Fheis to adopt as policy the following:

MINIMUM PROGRAMME (Mixed Economy)

1) The nationalisation of all banks, with lower interest rates, and an end to what is a rehashed laissez faire (monetarism) thus allowing more governmental control over the economy.

2) The nationalisation of all major industry with no compensation to the present private owners thus guaranteeing job security for workers.

3) Closure of pay differentials between higher and lower paid workers. Tax increases to fund health, education, housing etc.

4) Higher corporation tax for what would be left of the private sector. Again this money to go towards socially necessary projects.

MAXIMUM REVOLUTIONARY PROGRAMME

1) Abolition of all private property.

2) A planned economy based on central and local economic planning for the production of goods and services serving the needs of the population and not the greed of a few entrepreneurs.

3) Workers ownership of the means of production, control and exchange, which will provide goods, and services of the highest quality. All elected persons in positions of responsibility will be subject to recallable accountability. Abuse of position will not be tolerated.

4) A complete end to the present system of wage slavery and the quasi form of supply/demand.

5) A commitment to use value of goods and services as opposed to exchange value. After all what is the exchange value of a hospital bed compared to its use value?

6) An end to all forms corruption and profit. Ultimately the democratically elected representatives of the workers councils and area committees will be the chief arbitrators of domestic economic policy.

7) Foreign economic policy will be directed by the democratically elected and accountable revolutionary socialist/communist party of governance. This will be done in consultation and, if necessary negotiation with the leading representatives of the workers councils.

8) A recognition that the market economy is not, as we are constantly told by our present rulers, the natural order but a synthetic organ of the capitalist economic system. What is natural about booms (when people are benevolently allowed to work providing they are profitable) and slumps resulting in mass redundancies for the lucky ones and sackings for the less fortunate? The latter state of affairs resulting in poverty, homelessness, and often in extreme cases murder in the household.

(Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Referred to incoming Ard Comhairle

RESOLUTION 27

Ard Fheis formally recognises that the present system of government is undemocratic in the sense that it represents the interests of a tiny minority of the population, the landed classes and big business. It is open to all forms of corruption and the system of government known as liberal democracy is not democracy at all in its true sense.

This Ard Fheis formally adopts as policy, for the long-term ideological perspective, not a change of party in government but a change of system of government through:

1) Democratically elected workers representatives to the factory, office, hospital, farm, transport depot etc. councils. Election of these representatives could be based on the present system adopted by many trade unions for the elections of shop stewards on a yearly basis as a role model.

2) Any revolutionary assembly, parliament will consist only of workers representatives delegated from the councils in order to organise the proletariat as a class.

3) Recallable accountability for any elected representative who fails to carry out his/her mandate with the council they represent.

4) The interests of the majority will normally supersede those of the minority or individual after all debate has been exhausted and votes cast.

5) The workers councils will have the power to expel the surviving order of capitalist rule, the administration, judiciary, army officer corps, senior civil servants and all surviving relics of the third estate.

6) The workers councils (soviets) will have the authority to confiscate all properties presently held by the capitalist class with no compensation. These properties of the former Third Estate (bourgeoisie) will be handed over for the common ownership, distribution and benefit of the people.

7) The revolutionary form of socialism/communism government will speak overtly for, and as part of, the working class.

8) This system of government will NOT be a class alliance of bourgeoisie and proletariat. It will be a government of the working class progressive elements of the petit bourgeoisie forging ahead to a truly classless society on a 32 county basis. The workers council will guarantee security of tenure, regarding housing, to all.

(Presented by the Costello/Gallagher Cumann)

Referred to incoming Ard Comhairle