NEWLY ELECTED MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has said it is time for Labour and the Social Democrats to “join forces” and “stop pretending that there’s any difference” between them. 

Speaking after he took the final seat in the Dublin constituency, Ó Ríordáin stopped short of stating there should be an amalgamation of the party, but he told RTÉ’s Late Debate programme that cooperation between centre-left parties is now crucial if parties want to achieve common goals and defeat the far-right. 

“It’s time for people on the centre left, ourselves, the Social Democrats and the Geens to realise what we can achieve together. I think the idea of being in competition with each other and trying to take each other out and take seats off each other, it doesn’t wash anymore,” he said. 

No difference between parties 

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have decided to stop pretending that there’s any difference between them, and we need to stop pretending that there’s any difference us,” he added. 

Ó Ríordáin said he was coming from a “place of generosity”, stating that there is a need to “stand up to the far-right and and challenge that negative, polarising, divisive message”.

If the progressive left “join forces”, the “common enemy” can be defeated and there could be the potential for the grouping to lead a government into the future, he added. 

His comments come after Labour leader Ivana Bacik told reporters in the RDS this evening that she wants to work and collaborate with other parties who share the same values as Labour, such as the Green Party and the Social Democrats. 

“We need to align ourselves as a group and as a movement on the centre-left, on the progressive left, and on the environmentalist movement. Because we know and we’ve seen, unfortunately, across Europe, the rise of the far-right, we know what we’re up against,” she said.

Ó Ríordáin said a lot can be achieved if parties work together, stating that while Labour has had a tough ten years, now is about building for the future. 

Bacik told reporters that these elections show the importance of solidarity “when we know there is a common enemy across Europe”.

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Offer an alternative 

She said there is a need for like-minded parties to stand together and work together to “offer a real alternative to people who are looking to build an Ireland that works for all and that’s what we’re about”. 

The Social Democrats has repeatedly stated that it has no interested in merging with the Labour Party, however, former Labour leader Pat Rabbitte told Newstalk over the weekend that It is “inevitable” that the two parties will merge.

Combined, the Social Democrats and the Labour Party hold 8.72% of the votes in the local elections, not far off Sinn Féin’s 11.79%, so far.

One TD who has been welcoming the proposal of a pact between the left is the Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan, who said on Virgin Media’s Tonight Show yesterday evening that the left needs to “start talking about coalescing” and ask whether it will be “taking leadership” in government.

The Dublin TD believes many people “want to see something from the left about being in power and not just purity Olympics”, adding when asked that she would be “hopeful” to receive cooperation from Sinn Féin, Social Democrats and Labour.