Cracks are emerging on the Irish left, with Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit all signalling reservations about Sinn Féin’s policy direction ahead of the next election.
Last week on the Red Lines podcast, we looked at the Unaligned parties with Suzanne Breen, Enda McClafferty and the host, Mark Carruthers. You can listen to the full episode here. David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs
Interesting article from the Irish News Political Correspondent, John Manley on the People Before Profit MLA and Westminster candidate, Gerry Carroll’s views on Brexit. From the article Many commentators attributed the decline in the People Before Profit representative’s vote to his pro-Brexit stance. But now Mr Carroll has said he will fight the general election on an “anti-Tory Brexit” ticket. He told The Irish News his party was as opposed to “Theresa May’s Tory Brexit” as it was to the …
The 2017 Assembly Election has not come at a good time for People before Profit. After making their Assembly breakthrough last year the party was looking forward to using the 5 years until 2021 as an opportunity to build a party infrastructure and establish a media profile which it was doing reasonably well at until the plug was pulled on the institutions. Incumbency is always an advantage at election time and a number of new MLAs including the Greens’ Clare Bailey …
That Eamonn McCann is a deep humanising feature of politics will be obvious to anyone who watched Nolan last night. And from his column (will it be his last, now he’s a jobbing politician?) in the Irish Times today: Here’s another thing we discovered: the right to choose can be a vote-winner in the North. And so can an assertion that – this was our mantra – “We are neither green nor orange but up for the fight.” One television …
In today’s Irish News, John Manley reports that the SDLP Leader, Colum Eastwood has opened talked with the Green Party and People Before Profit which could see the creation of a “progressive alliance” on the benches at Stormont. Manley reports; Mr Eastwood noted that the Greens and PBP did not qualify for a place in the programme for government negotiations but he said it was important “progressive parties have a strong voice in these talks”. The SDLP leader said his …
My dad has been voting for left-wing parties in Northern Ireland since 1970. But after 46 years of trying, 2016 is the first time that someone he voted for – Clare Bailey – actually got in. Indeed this election, from a green left point of view, feels good. Supporters of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn in Northern Ireland can finally feel a little bit less left out of the global action… My tribe in Northern Ireland are firmly ‘other’. We …
Over the last few months discussions have taken place between left leaning parties, independents, social groups and trade union movements with a view to presenting a united left alternative to the electorate in next year’s general election. The initiative to bring together parties and individuals on the left was coordinated by an organisation called ‘Right2Change’. Born of the ‘Right2Water’ campaign; Right2Change is effectively a mass social movement generated out of what was initially the anti-water charges movement which saw dozens …
Fascinating twist in Dublin as speculation intensifies over a November election… TDs Richard Boyd Barrett, Paul Murphy and Ruth Coppinger attended a press conference in a Dublin city centre hotel on Thursday, saying they were preparing for a November election. The new grouping, to be known as Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit (AAA-PBP) plans to contest 27 constituencies. Also at the top table at the event were Dublin Councillors Bríd Smith and Gino Kenny, along with Cork Councillor Mick Barry. Outgoing …
Against a backdrop of “working people facing an onslaught of right wing policies in Ireland and across Britain”, the panel chair explained that this Féile an Phobail event was the “first time we’ve had these progressive organisations come together and share a stage”. Twenty five plus years on since the community festival’s inception – and I understand some of the history and purpose of its creation – it’s remarkable that the organisers have allowed the programming to remain so tightly …
(Updated to include responses from the Ulster Unionist Party and People Before Profit) Research conducted by Ruth McCarthy highlights some stark differences between the parties contesting this years Westminster elections in Northern Ireland on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. A series of questions were asked: 1a Does your party visibly support LGBTQ equality issues in your party manifesto, on your website and in election campaigning materials? If YES, please give examples. If NO, please state why. 1b Please give …
