Nationalism is irrelevant

Birds of a feather

Many nationalists say that class is as irrelevant as it is outmoded, that it is much more realistic to talk of common national origins, such as Scots or Welsh, or whatever. By doing so, the nationalists hope to gloss over the obvious fact that in any nation state—independent or dependent—there exists deep conflicts between different sections of society and no amount of patriotism or flag-waving will overcome them: Scottish employers do not treat their workers any better than, say, Japanese employers would. Employers, no matter their national origins or colour, are only interested in getting as much from their workforce for as little as they can pay: profits come before patriotism.

Nationalists deny the operation of the class struggle by insisting that there is a community of interests between the workers and management with both working towards a common end. (To a certain extent this is true, both are working for a common goal — the enrichment of the shareholders!).

National independence" means  nothing to wage-slaves. The class war must be fought out by workers against the capitalist class of the world. If the working class of any country are too apathetic or spineless to stand erect against international capitalism, it does not matter by whom they are enslaved and exploited. The Scottish working class, when it organises on class lines, can have but one object, to throw off the capitalist yoke. The English or Welsh or Irish working class, opposed to a different group of the same capitalist class, can only prosecute the class war for the same object. For the working class of all countries, "national independence" is an irrelevance compared with their great need for a real International.

Nationalism and  independence means nothing to the wage-slave because poverty and degradation are the same in all the nations; class organisation is everything because on its growth and perfection, and, above all, its international character, hangs the hope of working-class victory over sordid, tyrannical, and bloody-capitalism, and the establishment of the one-and only socialism.