WITH AUSTERITY THE dominant economic idea across Europe, there has been a sharp rise in support for parties on the left particularly in countries where the right has dominated in recent years.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the left’s rise has manifested itself in electoral success in France and huge electoral gains, if not victory, in troubled Greece. In Ireland, the rise of the left has been less obvious but nonetheless significant when you consider that at the last election, five truly left wing TDs were returned along with a smattering of independents who are at various points across the political spectrum.
Prior to last year’s election the Socialist Party, People Before Profit (PBP) and the Workers and Unemployed Action Group (WUAG) came together under the banner of the United Left Alliance (ULA) with the intention of addressing a “crisis of representation”, as the veteran socialist Joe Higgins put it.
“We have a unique and historic opportunity to make a significant step forward in the construction of a new movement that will represent working class people from unemployed, from public sector, from private sector, from pensioners,” he told a meeting of the ULA in February 2011.
Broadly, the movement is against household and water taxes, believes Ireland’s bank debt should be repudiated and wants higher taxes on the thei higher paid. Over a year on from the election, and buoyed by the household charge boycott campaign, there is an appetite within the ULA to form a mass political movement of the left, a political party.
But there is a difference of opinion as to just how quickly it should happen among members of the alliance itself.
While the Socialist Party are keen to retain their status as a political party under the banner of the ULA, there are some in PBP who feel that the matter is more urgent, that the sooner there is a proper, united political party of the left, the sooner it can really compete at an electoral level in the way Syriza has in Greece.
“It’s imperative that the left unites in Ireland given the current pressures from the Troika,” People Before Profit TD Joan Collins told TheJournal.ie this week.
It is difficult with three different organisations but we also have a broader group of independents that are not aligned to any party who are undoubtedly working in the ULA, trying to pull together. It should be sooner rather than later and we should come out publicly and we should register ULA as a political party. That’s my strong feeling.
It’s a feeling which is noticeably different to that of the Socialist Party MEP Paul Murphy: “It’s not something that’s happening overnight,” he told TheJournal.ie recently, appearing reluctant to give up the idea of the Socialist Party in Ireland no longer existing, being subsumed into the ULA.
“It’s certainly the Socialist Party’s vision that we would want to be part of a broader left party. We wouldn’t give up our existence but would be part of something broad, a broader party, like a political party,” he said.
The steps involved in making this happen are incremental ones in the eyes of Murphy. They involve opening up the alliance to membership, as it has already done, whereby anyone can now sign up to be a member of the ULA as opposed to having to become a member of one of its constituent groups.
There is also now a delegate council of the ULA involving different branches of the United Left Alliance from across the country meeting on a regular basis and acting in an advisory role to the party’s representatives on councils and in the Dáil.
Inevitably there will be comparisons made with a movement like Syriza in Greece, a coalition of the radical left that finished second in the country’s recent general election but opted to go into opposition rather than to form a coalition with the pro-bailout New Democracy and PASOK.
The decision to go into opposition was largely driven by a reluctance to honour the terms of Greece’s current bailout programme under any circumstances. Syriza wanted to renegotiate the deal unlike the two main establishment parties – New Democracy and Pasok – who broadly plan only to tinker with the deal.
It’s not hard to draw parallels in Ireland where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are both supportive of the bailout programme. A key founding principle of the ULA is that it will not enter into a coalition with the “capitalist parties” as Murphy refers to them.
That could block off a route for Sinn Féin entering the ULA if it were ever to consider doing so. “I think Sinn Féin will have big questions to answer to itself and its membership whenever there is a question of forming a government,” Murphy said.
In any case, the likelihood of a party with nearly three times the representation of the ULA in the Dáil - as Sinn Féin has – wanting to join with it is highly unlikely. So too is the likelihood of the Labour Party joining forces with the ULA given it is in coalition with one of the aforementioned “capitalist parties”.
But more pressing than all of those hypotheticals is the current economic climate and the reluctance of many in this country to put up with the current austerity policies of the government, enforced by the Troika agreement.
“I think we have a situation in Greece when Syriza stood in a really important election. That situation could develop in Ireland,” Collins said and cited the recent campaign against the household charge as something that was co-ordinated across the country.
Murphy agreed: “It’s (household charge boycott) the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the State,” but added that the ULA “isn’t about people giving up their politics”.
Collins says that in the interests of advancing the left movement in Ireland she would be prepared to sacrifice her tag as a People Before Profit TD and become a ULA one. For her the extent of the level of austerity being imposed in Ireland makes the situation more urgent particularly ahead of the local elections in 2014:
It will become more imperative that we do (merge). It would be shame in the upcoming local elections that we would not be running as ULA because that would be a real progressive movement.
History tells us that movements on the left often become splintered as was the case in Ireland in 1992 when the Workers Party split to form Democratic Left which itself later merged with the modern day Labour Party, itself still a centre-left party but far away from the policies of the ULA.
For those who feel that a merging of organisations within the ULA is urgent, such as People Before Profit, there is a catch-22: If they walk away from the Socialist Party and the ULA because they are dragging their heels, the movement of the left in Ireland becomes splintered once more.
“It would be irresponsible of organised groups not to move forward in that direction,” Collins said, citing the confusion that could be created by the appearance of Socialist Party/United Left Alliance or People Before Profit/United Left Alliance on ballot papers.
In the last election, the ULA failed to get itself added to the names of its constituent parties on the ballot paper because of timing. It’s almost certain the ULA will appear in some shape or form on the next election ballot papers but whether or not this will be as it stands in its current form as an alliance or as a fully-fledged political party is not yet clear.
For some within the movement that is a more urgent matter than for others.
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Populist Rhetoric Party (PRP)
Spot on.
Not one of them has a single idea of substance and merely play into the hands of the low achievers and welfare class with their populist, robin hood-esque bull sh1t.
Richard Boyd Barrett on how to fix the deficit- “take it from de rich”. Yes Richard, good boy, now go back and finish your finger painting, you know your mum doesn’t want a half drawn daffodil! Good lad!
wolfgang the might not have any good ideas but the current goverment and its predecessor have even less ,they only things that come to mind is corruption broken political system broken judicial system broken financial system ,massive cover ups in to what went wrong in the banks and certainly no investigation in to what really happened only lets put this on to the backs of low achievers and welfare class hows that for robin hood style bullshit
Sorry? How is it “on the backs of the low achievers and welfare class”?
In the case of the low paid, they pay little or no tax. In fact, we have some of the most generous tax bands going that particularly benefit those on low incomes. In the case of the welfare class, they pay none (obviously) and receive some of the highest benefits of anywhere in the developed world.
Yet the very same people are those actively rallying against the government and the people who are paying their way (the middle+ earners). You genuinely couldn’t make it up.
One thing is for certain though, and let me be very, very clear about this, it is not the low earners and welfare spongers that are paying for the mistakes in the banking system. It is the middle and higher earners who are. The middle and high earners who are the ones who are feeling this and who have the cop on to support parties that want a fair system as opposed to just taxing the balls off people who’ve done something with their lives so that the lay abouts and work shy can live even more cushy lives.
Guys, you can keep mashing that red button as much as you like but facts will remain as facts and there’s nothing you, nor those red thumbs, can to do change that.
wolfgang let me be very clear you talk about mistakes that were made in the banking system ,i call it criminal activity ,this banking debt has been put on to the the backs of the irish people by the corrupt and criminal previous goverment ,the current goverment is no better its looking the other way now that they have their noses in the trough with corruption at african levels at the top in this country what message are we sending out to foreign investment come and do business in ireland only if you are corrupt
Well said Wolfgang…absolutely spot on.
Wolfgang Weissen
I am most certainly not low paid or a low achiever . nor is Paul Murphy MEP SP or Joe Higgins , Richard Boyd Barrett is not a low achiever…or any of the other members of ”the left”. I am not affiliated to any left party but that could change , after all , the ”right” are a showre of corrupt and money influenced power hungry materialistic idiots.
Well, Susie, unlike yourself I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with members of a number of “left” parties, from Labour down to PBP, and I can certainly say that the majority of them are low achievers. I’d call them “crusties” myself to be honest as all they came across were a bunch of people angry at their own failure in life but directing that anger at everyone else, be it the middle class, those who chose to go to third level education, the politicians, you name it and the finger is pointed at them instead of inward.
Now, this doesn’t apply to Labour. I’ve met quite a few people involved in Labour and they’re nothing but nice people with some good agendas – the LGBT push, keeping college education accessible, the separation of church and state and more. Unfortunately, they’ve a lot of unworkable ideas and are too supportive and linked to the unions, which is why I can’t personally vote for them as I really dislike said unions.
I’ve said previously that I’ve no issues with Richard Boyd Barrett as a person but his policies are unworkable entirely and those that support him are nothing but bitter crusties who want to see everyone dragged down to their own level and the resulting money grab being distributed amongst them. That’s all they amount to.
Dermot, the guarantee and bailout of the financial system here isn’t unique to Ireland. It’s happening everywhere and is the result of a US fueled rush for deregulation in the financial system a few years ago (Bill Clinton was at the helm of it). Although I don’t agree with what has happened, personally, I understand why the system is being propped up.
Mostly though, I understand who is propping it up, and it’s not the low achievers, low earners and layabouts that are turning up at the anti-Government protests and giving out about them. It’s the middle+ earners who are not only bearing the brunt of the economies mistakes but also that of the other people in it.
Here’s a quote I always think of when I hear of these parties and believe that not a truer word about socialism has ever been spoken:
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” – Winston Churchill
Can we call it the Populist and Rhetoric Party, or PARP for short?
Because hot wind truly is all these people produce.
Wolfgang
for the record , I do not like RBB.I think he is too aggressive and not good for stability, like the SWP they too just want to fight . The Sp are probably the best in my opinion but the need a stronger leader , but there is no one that can take over from Higgins yet . I can not see hoow the three will mix but a balance must be found before a party is formed.
Susie, when you resort to personal insults such as calling me a cretin then I’m afraid you’ve lost the argument.
I’ve no real desire to continue talking to someone of such a calibre I’m afraid.
Wolfgang
Finally . You get the message , and that goes for all and any other identities you cxhoose to annoy me with. Bye bye , I am over the moon that you will never talk to me again :) :) :) Yay , yay , yay for free speech.
and Susie slays another dragon!
Some people’s version of “free speech” (yay etc.) seems to entail shouting down those who don’t agree with them, and then claiming the ensuing silence as a victory.
No I am not gone silent . Only I have a life outside the key board !!! I don’t engage with people who consistantly and persistantly shout me down either . Their lack of manners and their pushy and supposedly superior intellect which they try to portray makes me laugh. A difference of opinion is one thing , but this deliberate attack is quite indefensible. It is constantly off topic . and only serves to left bash. They take no account of the DOCUMENTED harm done to our country by the people charged with looking after our interests . Facts are FACTS . FF and FG and Labour destroyed us and continue to do so. All any of you are any good at is SPIN.
They showed their true colours when they closed rank around Wallace. Higgins in particular was an absolute disgrace; he’s fallen a long way from his glory days, firing well aimed jibes at Bertie prior to ’07.
For the record Wallace is not a member of the ULA and the Socialist party did not rally around him. see press statement
http://socialistparty.net/comment/971-socialist-party-statement-on-mick-wallace-tax-controversy
Ryan
You are showing your ignorance now !
Ah, Chester Protester! How goes it?
The technical group, a certain Clare Daly in particular, and as I mentioned already, Joe Higgins (who appeared on Pat Kenny recently and had a very uncomfortable half hour, when he failed to do anything more than damn Wallace with faint praise), could not, under even the most optimistic of viewpoints, condemn either Wallace the man, or Wallace the company to any extent approaching the fairness and equality they’re all banging on about.
They’re a funny grouping. They bang on and on with horror about a (means tested) property tax, despite this being a key tenet of Socialist policy throughout Europe. They reckon we can glean €20Bn per annum by “taxing the rich”, yet cannot bring themselves to either make the figures stack up, or sanction the likes of Wallace for the couple of million he now owes the Revenue.
They have all the questions and none of the answers, and like so many Far Left parties before them, they are doomed to squabbling, division, and ultimately irrelevance.
Ryan
Did you really LISTEN to that interview or did you just hear what byou wanted to hear? Pat Kenny and That labour person were unbelievably RUDE . Higgins NEVER defended Wallace , nor was he going to use the words they tried to make him use . The tecnical group withdrew their support from Wallace . He has since left that group . FACTS are FACTS , get them straight .
Peoples front of judea merging with the popular front of judea. Never! Bloody splitters.
What about the Judean Peoples Front?
Haha!
Still though, being cynical and not getting involved in fighting for a different future is the same as just stepping aside and leaving it to FF and FG-Labour.
Getting involved to prevent that – tackling apathy – might be a bit of a slog, but it’d be much worse to wake up in 20 years and find the country is still crippled by the right, by bankers, developers and religion.
I would actually feel terrible bringing children into the country as we know it – one that condemns half the population to poverty every decade or so, and being ran by crooks the other half of the time – we have to change it.
I’ve consistently voted for the socialist party in the last number of elections, however I feel very aggrieved by the hypocrisy shown by Joe Higgins and Clare Daly in regards to Mick Wallace stealing millions of euro from the state! The impression I’m left with is that, when it comes to looking after their friends, they’re no different from the mainstream right wing gangsters ( including Labour).So let them join up with whoever they want, but it shall be a long time before I ever vote for them again!
For the record Wallace is not a member of the ULA and the Socialist party did not rally around him. see press statement
http://socialistparty.net/comment/971-socialist-party-statement-on-mick-wallace-tax-controversy
@kim
You can argue all you want with press statements. But neither Higgins nor Daly were as fulsome in their condemnation as they could, rightly, have been. Clare Daly in particular has lost a huge amount of credibility in seeming to have filled the role of “loyal wifey”
@Kiim,
Yes, we hear what you’re trying to say, but the fact is, that Daly and the rest of didn’t come out ‘actively/verbally’ against the lies, dishonesty, short of the truth from Wallace. Going quiet and into the cracks does nothing for the people, supporters of ULA and independents, yes, which Wallace is, but all have the same ideals, beliefs and non-nonsensical political beliefs. Yes, there are things I wholeheartly agree with them on, and that’s the household charges, registeration fee. If it was a ‘registeration fee’ fine, charge all the same, but when in comes into practice, the real household charge, obviously there has to be different ‘rate’ of charging on the price of footage in a house etc.
But to say and agree with what Sin Fein agrues that ‘take from the rich’ etc. etc. There are not enough rich people living in Ireland to get Ireland out of the pit it’s in. All political personnel that took from the electorate, taxman, all councilors, planners, architects, safety managers should be charged with what went on. CAB should be involved. All the families, which are 1,000′s around the country that have pyrite should be sorted without delay. Leaving it on the long finger and hoping it’ll go away is stupidity and dangerous. Within 20 years houses will begin to fall ‘outwards’, tiles will begin to fall, mental health problems will be huge. I know what I’m talking about, been there, done that.
Whoever, takes it on be it this Government or the next will be a very brave person with a conscious.
rodrigo
I do not believe you ever voted for sp . Your comments on so many threads are all over the place . You do not know who or what you stand for , but until you do there is no point in trying to convince any one of anything ….
Ah Susie, it’s so nice that you know better than everyone else what they know of themselves, and are so measured in your communication of that fact to us mere mortals.
@ Kim.
Thank you, I read that statement at the time (it was linked elsewhere).
It is however, at odds with the actions of at least two of its authors *Mrs* Clare Daly, and Joe Higgins, who were very wooly, when questioned on the matter.
It also spends much more time bashing the big bad media than it actually spends on the topic at hand.
It was a split in the Workers’ Party in 1992 that created Democratic Left, not the Socialist Workers’ Party…
Looking at the smug faces I’d go for the HALO party (Half-witted Angry Loopers Organisation)
The ULA live in the clouds, all they care about is their ideological and theoretical agenda. They claim to represent working class people yet they have no policies on, and nothing to say on, some of the most pressing problems that have faced disadvantaged communities for generations, such as drug addiction, crime, suicide, mental health, etc. I have scoured their websites and emailed them for info, to no avail. Their approach is: lets bring down capitalism and all will be well. They are naive fools, their arrogance disgusts me.
You’re way out of line Wolfgang! That kinda comment strikes of sheer desperation! Martin Critten talks a lot of sense! Something I’ve yet to take from any of your posts! Calling someone a Brit is absolutely going to do you and your kind no favours!!
to avoid the spam and unsubstantiated claims I have no links with UKIP. I am only a spokes person for a growing movement that is made up of guys similar to you and utterly fed up with a succession of governments who’ve robbing us all of a decent future. No conspiracy – just fed up.
I wouldn’t be a fan of Richard Boyd Barrett’s policies, but I have to commend his marketing exercise in re-branding himself and his colleagues from the “nasty” sounding Socialist Workers Party to the much more cuddly sounding “People before Profit”
@ wolfgang see you! you have no idea what it is like to be a so called low earner as you call it. the cheek of you to suggest people on the social welfare are spongers i would love to see you have the bottle to go say that to an unemployment line at my local dole office. you arrogant bumbandit. instead of coming on here and hiding behind a fake name because your afraid to show your real name. so my brothers who have been builders and craftsmen are all spongers because they can’t get work! and believe you me they have tried working at anything that comes up. would you be the same? working on building sites all your life and then as a 44 year old man go work in a women’s clothes shop? i wouldn’t say so. don’t dare judge what you dont know
Bumbandit? The derogatory term for a gay person or someone who has gay sex? What does sexuality have to do with this, why are you bringing it up? Indeed, why are you turning to personal insults in the first place? Little low on actual substance to say?
Also, how do you know what experiences I’ve had? For your information, I’ve been in plenty of low paying jobs while getting an education. Like I said, as a low earner, at the time I paid little or no tax either, as low earners still do now. I was also in a position a few years back where I was made unemployed, but instead of sitting around and waiting for something that offered the same wages as I had been on, I took a job in retail until I could get something better. Don’t you even dare claim there aren’t retail jobs available either, as there are f**king plenty of them.
You say “can’t get work”, but what you mean is “can’t get work in the building industry”. There are jobs available, there is reskilling courses available, so don’t give me that. What you mean is they can’t get jobs in an industry that suits them on a wage that suits their egos.
When your brothers get over themselves and deflate their egos a bit, they’ll get a job. Until then, they’re no better than the people who’ve made the dole a lifestyle choice for themselves.
I find it a bit hypocritical of you to say “don’t dare judge what you don’t know”, then call me gay and make claims that I’ve never worked in a low paid job or been unemployed. Do you know what a hypocrite is? Because you just judged me, and my sexuality … bizarrely … without knowing a thing about me.
Sounds like some egos and tempers need a bit of deflating.
Again Wolfgang, fair play to you saying it as it is!
Cheers David!
I dont like that Barrett he is a phoney socialist. Just google him and ye will know what I mean.
Intellect comments are normally disregarded by sane-minded readers.
Sinn Féin is Ireland’s Syriza, not the ULA. What we saw with the rise of Syriza in Greece was a drop in far left as Syriza consolidated the left vote.
They’re all the same. Power corrupts in this country. They will be no different and will sell out their morals eventually. Depressing yes i know.
Hi Berudgy – Thankfully some of aren’t, but your absolutely right history shows that power eventually does corrupt; but now it’s about how much rope we give politicians the next time; and we can only get the landscape changed if we make ourselves into those politicians
It is about time that the majority have a say in government and not be led and said by people who do not know what it is to live as the majority live and that is wage to wage , be it weekly or monthly. I reckon that the ULA have some creases to iron out yet , before they become a fully fledged political party. But until then they should continue as they are .
I hope ULA do unite to give left voters a credible choice. At the moment the Labour party can hardly claim to represent those with Socialist ideals. I’d love to see RBB taking the lead as I think he’s more passionate and charismatic than Joe Higgins. Higgins, while I admire his philosophies greatly, is too laboured when he talks and I find myself considering a snooze. Higgins is also quite dogmatic. It’s his way or no way. No chance of snoozing when RBB is talking, I find him quite inspiring. Our country was founded by inspirational characters. I know this won’t be a popular post as RBB seems to be the butt of all the right-wingers joke but I like him.
Some good folk alright, but it’s not about the public reps. The most important thing they do is give voice and support to what members and ordinary people are doing on the ground to change things for the better.
And *that’s* why they’re seen as such a threat by both FF and FG-Labour despite only having 5 TDs. Small groups can be voted down, but people standing up for themselves across the country cannot.
Well said Réada. RBB and Clare Daly are consistently good performers and bring a real passion and energy to the fray. Joe would bore you to tears sometimes.
I would have said Clare Daly more than RBB, RBB really gets on my nerves.
hat is why it is good to have 5 Tds with different personalities and interests. the important thing is that they pull together. The Greek Syriza party shows what is possible.
http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article25675
Idiot blueshirts. They’ll do everything except actually cut debt. Here’s an analogy of Fine Gael and Labor:
FG-noob 1: “This situation is so terrible! What shall we do?”
FG-noob 2: “Jobs, I tell ya’! Jobs is what we need!”
noob 1: “How?”
noob 2: “Pay Anglo bondholders and credit will continue flowing”
noob 1 : “What happens when we run out of taxpayers’ money?”
noob 2: “Er… Jobs initiative, I tell ya’! Jobs is what we need!”
I think the FF/Fg/Labour parties are just troika parties. the country is being run on behalf of the bondholders and not the Irish people. The bank debt should be written off. Let us not forget that it as FF who destroyed the country.Like the Greek New Democracy they are trying to reinvent themselves as having clean hands.This austerity will continue to drive the country down. Under it we are becoming a backward area like Corsica.
There is a need for united opposition. The Wallace affair is just a diversion.On a tactical level ULA should have denounced this minor capitalist for his tax dodging and other sins.This jut gave a convenient hook for the apologists for Fitzpatrick. O’Brien and the other banksters to smear ULA.
Whatever the faults of ULA and the slowness in getting evolution towards a party, it is still the best thing around. The TDs are very hard working and make continual sacrifices.It suits the ruling class to denigrate and sieze on secondary issues to marginalise them.
My hope for Sinn Fein is that like Syriza they say no to coalition now and in the future. This is the dividing line between the real left and compromisers.Syriza rose to the challenge and decided not to become a troika lackey, a vichy collaborateur. Sinn Fein needs to say once and for all it will not go into coalition. It might be asked and it will be disguised as being in the national interest.
Before one agrees on a new government, they must realize that Ireland didn’t have a fiscal problem until it bailed out its Banks. The country was sacrificed to save private investors. Ireland can still follow the Icelandic example: let Anglo Irish Bank fail. It is a defunct Bank.
Not only aren’t the Kenny administration agreeing on what the problem is, they haven’t even correctly identified it yet. That is why an Irish bailout happened in 2010 and soon to be a second bailout. Although the ULA have not yet solved the problem, they have at least identified it and it is currently in the process of being tackled. Which is why the ULA will do much better than FG-FF-LAB at this point in time. No blueshirt will ever be able identify the problem, because their formal method of intellectual discourse and its taboos prohibits it’s discovery.
Well said, Jim.
Wolfgang weisen why pick a German pseudo name .maybe u should take ur aggression over there and sort out some of our problems. So what exactly are u doing to improve our lot other than criticising those who are makin an effort.
@ wolfgang, you really are a nasty piece of work. You might have a job, a good education and a view of how things are, but the way you speak to people, and the titles you give to the less fortunate than yourself, are nothing short of disgusting and arrogant. Which makes you, my friend, “the dick”. In my opinion, not that anyone`s opinions count these days, you are nothing more than a guttersnipe.
FINE GAEL are about to handover €1.1 bn to Bank Bondholders next week:
This is equivalent to theamount of new taxes raised in 2012. So in one day, we will be handing over all our new taxes to “speculators”.
Off topic much?
Faceless Man, it’s not so much a question of “off topic much?” when dealing with Tim Jackson, it’s really a question of “on topic ever?”.
Hi Paul, there is a platform for change well under way. Google sli nios fearr. everyone who makes contact is working on developing better policy and solving our woes both socially and economically. – the main driver being reform and respect.
I hope one day you have the opportunity to repeat that in front of all the people who are actually contributing to something worthwhile. It’s not me that drives the opinion, it’s your own country folk who are both my friends, relatives and neighbors. Curious about the use of the name Wolfgang – is it your own?
There is space for a left leaning party in this country. More than space, there is a dire need for one to counter balance the destructive neoliberals in power.
I agree Paul. We’ve had a one party state for our entire history, just every few years they change their name from FF to FG-Labour and vice-versa. But the same bankers/developers/priests have always been the backers for both. It’s about time we had a new party where the only backers are ordinary people.
The absolute mess the country is in, economically and socially is the hallmark of a country that has been ruled by the hard-right non-stop for nearly a century. We either change that or it gets even worse, if you can picture that.
Most of the posters on here are right-wing blueshirts in disguise.
Unlike how blueshirts prefer to think, it’s about performance. In this world, there are winners and loosers. You either produce results, or, you’re replaced.
What about those who can’t even spell the word “loser”, what are they classified as?
There is a certain shallowness that is hard to escape from having looked at the socialist left for the last 40 years. Not sure how it arises. Maybe it’s the growing culture of the political sound bite – where getting a ‘position out there’ to compete in some sort of a race for popularity, or maintain the moral high ground, has been more important than banging heads and creating good policy. It could well be the same kind of thing that been dragging all governments down of late. Engaging the mouth before putting the brain in gear.
There is a certain shallowness that is hard to escape from having looked at the socialist left
Have been thinking most of the day about the right and leftyness of all the arguments, can’t really agree with any of the extremes of both – maybe that where the word spin comes into it because that’s what it puts us to. Maybe the word I’m looking for is not left or right but moderate?
But inevitably you will learn either left or right, if you believe in anything at all.
Also, what’s your opinion on UKIP? Yay or nay?
Hi Nokia Charger; isn’t that kind of polarization shutting my mind to whatever other wisdom is out their to learn and experience? Do we not evolve as humans continually ? ? ? And why should I limit my thinking to one point of view – that so far is what I’ve also learned – the ability to cherry pick where I believe issues are perhaps good – from either parts of the spectrum called life. My thoughts on UKIP is that they are quite good at putting down a contrary argument in relation to UK affairs; but are they right ? Well I don’t know enough about them to comment further. Have only started protesting since the household fiasco and my focus is at home here. Would their views work for here? That’s worthy of a lengthy debate after finding out more on what they are about. I’m in favour of the E.U.- to a point and there’s much to be done to straighten it out democratically and in helping protect an grow our agriculture and extend our abilities to fish. But the Eurozone project has lead us into dangerous ground so how to deal with that, other than plan a keep paying debt we don’t owe for decades, or devalue take what comes and bring element of growth back. I like what Iceland and Norway have done in part to stand up to their own crisis and would welcome some of that. But my main concern is what this Government is costing us whilst they still think it’s business as usual and to hell with the rest.
It is time for a proper united Left in Ireland and perhaps under one banner. The amount of anagrams some of these people have beside their name gets confusing.
But it needs to be above and beyond typical populist stuff from the opposition, plus SF have that spot secured anyway.
Brian, the ULA are far worse than SF when it comes to populist rhetoric and sound bite, the difference between the two being that the ULA have attempted to intellectualise their position and adhere to an ideological position. Have the ULA provided costed budget submissions (by the DoF) before every budget? I know they provided a costed growth package but am I right in saying they did so after SF published theirs?
*false ideological position.
The problem with the ULA is that there is absolutely no control by the grassroots of the organisation over the elite within the different organisations. The SWP didnt even hold a vote as to whether to join the organisation, it was made for them by the leadership. The fact of the matter is that this is a front organisation for trotskyite organisations, that are not interested in democratic organising.
Before a mass party of the left can be organised, more syndicalist community activism needs to happen. CAHWT is a good start, butmore of it is needed. Otherwise, its only another bureaucracy to add to irish party politics.
Personally I would prefer we stick to current policies and stay directly on a downward spiral, anything that would upset this descent into potential depression of the economy should be resisted and the status quo MUST be maintained, ideas and policies that have not worked, are ideas and policies nonetheless, finally, I would like to see further reductions in my take home pay for a minimum of another 5 years
Bit dissappointing they didn’t talk to all the different representatives of the ULA. I dont see the need to dissolve your party with its political traditions to become a full on political party and a member of the ULA as long as its structure is open, grassroots and democratic.
€1.1bn to be handed to Bank Bondholders next week by Fine Gael.
How could people vote for 3 more years of this????
Tim I agree with you but Barrett the millionaire socialist wont be able to do anything about it .Hes a failed actor who wants to be in the limelight.
Yet more spam Martin.
If they’re going to save Ireland, they are going to have to give up the failed FG policies of austerity. Instead of allowing bondholders of Banks to speculate, all that’s resulted from austerity is that the Irish economy has been devastated one after another, further reducing our ability to pay and subjecting citizens to the misery of 14%+ unemployment.
The amount stated, 400B euro, is likely far too big a sum for a country of 4 million people. During our crisis, €400B was argued at the time (for Banks) as too small and in hindsight, but it’s long since run out and we’ve made things worse by continuing to pay it under Fine Gael.
So my guess is that the most important thing that can be said about today’s news is that Irish people are finally waking up to the utter failure of Fine Gael’s madness. They’ve figured out they need fiscal stimulus. What they’ve proposed is too small but the important thing is that the conversation has changed.
Ha! What a very random topic for a Journal.ie article!
Well, it’s no secret that Ireland needs a new left party which is opposed to opportunism and coalitions. Banks and developers have so many parties, but actual ordinary folk have none. I myself have gotten involved to try and build the new left party worthy of the name, rather than sniping from the sidelines.
Basically we want to expand democracy – not this tick a box every 5 years for a load of false promises crap – but to mean people have a real sense of control over their lives. So no institution can condemn you to poverty or tell you what to do with your body. We have already been the first party to ever propose legislation for the X Case, opposed the stripping of workers rights and launched a massive campaign to prevent the latest bailout/household tax.
It’ll take time of course, but I’d rather we do it right and build something that future generations can point to as an important moment – when Irish people decided they wouldn’t live in a banker’s cesspit anymore.
Hear hear.
With links to UKIP that you will not answer questions about. You can’t just start up a party, talk about linking it up with a racist party from Britain and pretend you’re going to replace left wing parties as some sort of alternative.
if you read what i said. you would find that one of my brothers now works in a women’s clothes shop. my other brothers have tried for jobs in every industry possible they have tried countless hotel jobs. one of them spent his dole money on a lawnmower to cut peoples grass don’t you dare say they have not tried find work.
pull your head out of your arse and welcome to the real world. you have no idea what it is like to be from what you would call a disadvantaged area. you probably born wit a silver spoon in your mouth. now stop hiding behind your fake name and get a grip
I use an anonymous account because there is a core group of people on this site who have a habit of sticking their nose in where they’ve no place to be doing so.
If your brothers are so stuck, tell them to take their dole payment and spend it on getting a security cert. There’s plenty of jobs in security at the moment and there’s not much to it. They can get a job doing security from private property to nightclub doors and will earn good money for it.
And I am very much in the real world, Stephen. I’m in a world where I see people on the scratch saying they’re not getting off the taxpayers pockets until they’re offered €40k a year or more despite not having any transferable skills. I’m in a world where we’ve a low tax band that lets people earn double what their counterparts in the UK do without paying tax, yet still complain. Maybe those who have it so good here, the low earners and those on the dole, should wake up and realise that it’s not so bad here, maybe the government who’ve protected them so far aren’t so bad and maybe that instead of filling their lives and countless Irish websites with negativity, if they’ve SUCH a problem with things, they could get up off their arses and do something about it.
@ wolfgang…I`ve figured out who you really are…you`re Enda Kenny aren`t you?!!
If the ULA does not form a united left party, I believe it will be because of the intransigence of the Socialist Party. In fairness to the SWP they recognised that Revolutionary Socialism is not overly popular at the moment so they formed PBPA which was way to the Left of Labour but did not espouse the Trotskyist Marxism that the SWP would traditionally embrace.
The Socialist Party are extremely hostile to anyone who is not the Socialist Party not only “capitalist parties”. Their ideological purity is in equal parts their biggest strength and weakness. The Socialist Party will attack the SWP even when they are in a coalition together.
From a PR perspective I think the SWP have more media friendly personalities also. For example Richard Boyd Barrett can come across quite well on TV whereas Joe Higgins lacks that same power. That is not to disrespect Joe Higgins credentials as a Socialist politician, its just he presents a very radical form of Socialism that lacks the medium term “buffers” that RBB seems so capable of presenting.
I reckon therefore if the ULA does become a political party the Socialist Party wont be involved in it.
Wolfgang I always find that name calling comes from those lacking in intelligence .rise above it.
Wolfgang is on fire! I can’t really see the formation of a United Left Alliance. The left wing parties each seem to be headed by the egocentric and power hungry who care more about being a big fish in their little pond than uniting to promote their ideals.nnLook at the splits in the left wing parties during the early nineties and the various incarnations of Sinn Féin/IRA prior to this.nnLeft wing parties in Ireland are disjointed, disorganized and only act as sounding boards for the low achievers in society who are bitter that they can no longer satisfy the needs of the labour market.
“who are bitter that they can no longer satisfy the needs of the labour market.”
This was beautifully put. I’ll be using that line in the future myself!
@ Hugh O’Connell
Mensa must be saliving
Salivating even!!!
have your say