The Socialist

The Socialist 3 May 2007

Time for a new workers' party

2007 election analysis: Time for a new workers' party

Scottish Elections: Labour rocked as SNP wins


NHS cuts... privatisation... widening wealth gap

Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference


NHS: A matter of life and death in Swansea

Fat cats eye the cream


PCS: Fighting for jobs, pay and services

Picketing the Tate Modern


Widening wealth gap needs working-class response


Packed election rally for Scotland's Solidarity

Irish election - Socialist Party takes on the establishment

New Labour panics and resorts to lies

Yorkshire ISR and Socialist Students day of action


Alternative energy: Winds of change?


Stop these education cuts


Campaign to Defeat Fees

Seattle students walkout against the Iraq war

Pressure mounts for troops withdrawal


Russia April 1917: Lenin returns from exile


Women must have the right to choose!


What 'public-private partnerships really mean

Campaigning for LGBT rights

Oppose legal aid contracts tooth and nail


Support the Sunvic strikers

Greenwich workers fight on

Remember the dead but fight for the living

The scandal of HSE cuts

 
 
Socialist Party logo Socialist Party on the climate change demo December 2007, pic Paul Mattsson Socialist Party News
Socialist Party Policy statements
Socialist Party contemporary Marxist analysis

Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/485/2366

Seach this siteGoogle search the site

Printable versionPrintable version

email to friendemail to friend

Facebook

Twitter

Home   |   The Socialist 3 May 2007   |   Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe   |   Donate   |   Bookshop

Irish election - Socialist Party takes on the establishment

HUNDREDS OF people languishing on trolleys in A&E departments, tens of thousands on hospital waiting lists, Û415,000 for an average house in Dublin, commuters wasting hundreds of hours a year stuck in traffic jams, the second highest class sizes in the EU.

Stephen Boyd Dublin

These are just some of the problems that working-class people in southern Ireland have to contend with and are the backdrop to the general election on 24 May.

The 'Celtic Tiger' economic boom is long gone and now the South is facing the prospect of a downturn. House prices are falling, consumer confidence is way down and there are major crises everywhere you turn.

This is the legacy of ten years of Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrats' (PD) governments, ie huge profits for big business and mounting problems for workers. The election is a contest between two right-wing political blocs. Fianna Fail and the PDs are seeking re-election and a coalition between Fine Gael and Labour is trying to oust them.

It is unclear who will win the election but what is clear is that the next government will be right-wing and will continue to implement a neo-liberal agenda based on privatisation and attacks on workers' wages and conditions.

The Greens and Sinn Fein portray themselves as anti-establishment but both parties have said they would be prepared to go into government with either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael. This will be a sell-out for anyone who hoped these parties would be a radical alternative as they would be part of a government implementing a big business agenda.

The Socialist Party will not be part of any big business government. We are putting forward an alternative based on planning for people's needs not private greed.

We are standing four candidates. For the last ten years, Joe Higgins has been the only TD (Member of Parliament) who has voiced the anger of working-class people, and he has used his position to organise and fight for their rights. Socialist Party councillor Clare Daly is tipped to win a seat in Dublin North and would then join Joe Higgins in the Dail (Parliament) to strengthen the real opposition. The Socialist Party is campaigning hard to also get councillors Mick Murphy and Mick Barry into the Dail.

Winning more seats in parliament will help the Socialist Party to fight on the real issues that affect workers and will be an important step forward in the building of a new party that really represents working-class people.


In this issue

2007 election analysis: Time for a new workers' party

Scottish Elections: Labour rocked as SNP wins


Socialist Party election campaign

NHS cuts... privatisation... widening wealth gap

Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference


Socialist Party NHS campaign

NHS: A matter of life and death in Swansea

Fat cats eye the cream


Socialist Party workplace news

PCS: Fighting for jobs, pay and services

Picketing the Tate Modern


Socialist Party editorial

Widening wealth gap needs working-class response


Socialist Party election campaign

Packed election rally for Scotland's Solidarity

Irish election - Socialist Party takes on the establishment

New Labour panics and resorts to lies

Yorkshire ISR and Socialist Students day of action


Global Warming

Alternative energy: Winds of change?


Education

Stop these education cuts


Socialist Students

Campaign to Defeat Fees

Seattle students walkout against the Iraq war

Pressure mounts for troops withdrawal


Socialist Party Marxist analysis

Russia April 1917: Lenin returns from exile


Comment

Women must have the right to choose!


Socialist Party news and analysis

What 'public-private partnerships really mean

Campaigning for LGBT rights

Oppose legal aid contracts tooth and nail


Socialist Party workplace news

Support the Sunvic strikers

Greenwich workers fight on

Remember the dead but fight for the living

The scandal of HSE cuts


 

Home   |   The Socialist 3 May 2007   |   Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe   |   Donate   |   Bookshop

Related links:

Socialist:

triangleBristol Central Socialist Party: Art and Politics

triangleBristol Central Socialist Party: The role of the monarchy in capitalist society

triangleMore attacks on right to campaign

triangleBuilding the electoral alternative in Brent

triangleMerseyside Socialist Party: Environmental crisis - a socialist solution

triangleSolidarity with Greek workers

Socialist Party:

triangleLiverpool Socialist Party: Marxist Economics

triangleLiverpool Socialist Party: A Marxist view of history

triangleBristol East Socialist Party: No Pasaran! Fighting the far right

triangleLiverpool Socialist Party: Housing crisis - a socialist solution

Election:

triangleElection results: How did TUSC do?

triangleCon-Dems battered in Scotland

triangleLegitimacy of Cameron and Clegg further shattered

Dublin:

triangleDefend students from victimisation

triangle"Bertiegate" scandal rocks Ahern coalition

Joe Higgins:

triangleJobs massacre at La Senza

triangleInternationalism against austerity: 100,000 demonstrate in Belgium

triangleFighting oppression in Kazakhstan

Fine Gael:

triangleIreland's economy on the brink

Clare Daly:

triangleAer Lingus threatens to axe 1,500 posts