The Dirtbag Manifesto
Saoirse Éireann Ní Bhaoighealláin
In my previous article, I defined the traits of the “woke left” that the establishment left has used to insulate leftism to just a core group of their guys. These traits have been applied sometimes in sincerity but also as malicious tools to silence the radical left. In this response to Mia Craven’s “post mortem on the dirtbag left” I wish to establish some scientific basis in defence of Molnárfi’s call that we should all be dirtbag leftists.
Craven’s article articulates well the rise and fall of the “dirtbag left” in the United States but it lacks analysis as to why dirtbag leftism failed and how an Irish implementation would differ. We must first identify that US “dirtbag leftism” was not truly an organised movement but merely an identification of a trend in leftist circles in the united states and more broadly within the culturesphere, then we must identify the ideological flaws within this trend and establish a course correction for an Irish dirtbag left and finally we must establish what is to be done.
Firstly, it is important to recognise that the dirtbag left in the United States was not an organised movement with leaders or goals but merely a series of influencers and personality types. This is not what an Irish dirtbag left would be, what we the Irish dirtbag left are doing is identifying the flaw of the woke left and trying to course correct before People Before Profit send the left entirely into irrelevancy. We are an organising force with goals and tactics, we are not just a group of #cancelled leftists raging against the establishment. Our edginess is a response to the identity opportunism I previously identified from the woke left. We seek to criticise the left and to rebuild from the ground up by encouraging dialogue and allowing for debate on the sacred topics of the left which must not be questioned. We do so not to bring reactionary ideals to the left but to fight against the reaction by strengthening our progressive movement.
Secondly, the dirtbag left in the United States was fraught with unscientific analysis peddling reformism dooming it to irrelevancy outside election cycles, its influencers tendencies towards both first and second campist ideology which saw it playing favourite imperialist and its breeding ground for reactionary ideology. For the Irish dirtbag left to succeed we must reject reformist election focused leftism as it has clearly failed us. We must be revolutionary in our ambitions and while we may engage in elections particularly on the local level it cannot be our focus. Socialism cannot be elected, this is the reality of our movement.
One of the final defeats of the dirtbag left was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which saw figures who might previously have been considered under the same umbrella turn against each other adopting first and second campist positions. For any genuine socialist movement we must recognise the only response to war should be to turn imperialist war into revolutionary war for the working class to unite under the socialist banner against the capitalist who wants to send workers’ children to their graves.
Craven’s postmortem also talks about how numerous dirtbag left influences eventually fell down the alt right pipeline, this in my opinion was due to both the campist positions taken by many figures but also by the reactionary ideology that was always present in many of them. Our edginess is a tool we use to respond to the cultural zeitgeist, critique the woke left’s identity politics and grandstanding over the working classes and to strengthen progressive ideals. If we want to defend trans rights we must be able to question the nature of sex and gender just as if we wish to solve the “immigration” problem we must be able to question the ideology, motivations, tactics and all else which has currently failed to ensure the best conditions for all involved. We are responding to a cancel culture and we are questioning its nature.
Thirdly, what is to be done? The most important question for the development of our little movement. This is the most important question for any movement, we wish to build a better left which can actually defeat the far right from gaining ground and to do so we must challenge the left. I stress the importance of critique but it must be followed by action. We must be able to at some point find or build the party which can replace Socialist Party and People Before Profit and end the woke left. We also really need a left housing movement as it is the thing which can drive the most definitive blow against the far right.
I believe the answer to the problem of the woke left can be found in our dirtbag movement but it means being ready to build grassroots organisations not just publishing articles on blogs only the most dedicated actually read. The woke left is just our first hurdle in fighting capitalism and that means critique followed by action followed by critique followed by action.
Our goal is the 32 democratic socialist republic, dirtbags of Ireland unite, we have nothing to lose but being cancelled on Twitter!