10.06.2009

Government rout, left gains

It was heartening to see a number of leftwing candidates elected, writes Anne Mc Shane

The deep unpopularity of the Irish government showed itself in an overwhelming defeat in last week’s European and local elections.

Fianna Fáil’s vote fell to 25% and its Green Party coalition partner to just 3%. The Greens lost all of their local and county council seats in Dublin, their previous stronghold. The results have thrown the government into crisis. It only narrowly survived motion of no confidence in the Dáil on June 10.

But, good as it is to observe the collapse of the FF vote, it was even more heartening to see a number of leftwing candidates elected. Chief among these was the Socialist Party’s Joe Higgins, who won a seat in the European parliament for Dublin. His unseating of FF’s Eoin Ryan caused shock and upset amongst the bourgeoisie. Mayor Eibhlin Byrne expressed her concern about the impact on Dublin of the election of a socialist with an “anti-business message”.

In his victory speech comrade Higgins made a commitment to receive the wage of an average skilled worker and donate the rest to working class organisations in the capital. He also promised to be a thorn in the side of the ruling elite. As far as he was concerned, his mandate came from the working class and nobody else.

Apart from this EU success, the Socialist Party retained its council seats in the Dublin area and gained two more elsewhere, with a number of SP candidates topping the polls.

The Socialist Workers Party’s People before Profit Alliance also made a breakthrough, gaining five council seats in the Dublin area. The Workers Party won two council seats and the Workers and Unemployed Action Group gained 43% of first-preference votes and overall control of Clonmel town council.

With some exceptions it seems that wherever the left stood it was supported with enthusiasm. The opportunities to make headway are obvious. But numerical weakness and political confusion remain serious obstacles. The way forward must be unity around a revolutionary programme. Without this the current upsurge in support for the left could be squandered. We need only look across the water to the debacles of Respect and No2EU to see the results of lowest-common-denominator ‘unity’.

The SWP has issued a statement making clear that the “radical left must now enter discussions to form either an alliance or broad radical left party, where different tendencies can co-exist. Previous arguments that such a development might be ‘premature’ make little sense today” (www.swp.ie). Unfortunately, however, the SWP is proposing the adoption of the People Before Profit model. So, while the call for unity is welcome, what the SWP wants is yet another fudge. The working class throughout Ireland is already painfully aware of the problems of capitalism. What they need is Marxism, not ‘radicalism’.

As I write, the Socialist Party has not responded to the SWP call, but has announced that it is currently considering the new circumstances and will respond soon. The need for a more cohesive and ambitious left organisation is obvious, so the opening up of a debate and struggle around the formation of a party is to be warmly welcomed. But communists must press for the only formation that will fit the bill - a democratic and centralist party of the working class.