Declan Kearney, Sinn Féin MLA writing in the An Phoblacht paper, is wondering out loud about a “left Republican alliance being the way forward”. Interesting though that he didn’t say that a Socialist Republican alliance is the way forward! There’s a big difference between the ‘Liberal Left’ approach and a genuine people-based, power from the bottom-up, Socialist Republican alliance.
It appears, also, that there are three significant outcomes from the recent 26-county general election.
The first is that Sinn Féin (SF) are a “major political force”; if in third place. And, the Sinn Féin vote is down 5.5%; down from 24.5% in 2020, to 19% in 2024. The voters obviously know that Sinn Féin has flip flopped on many issues, including on immigration issues and also on the Palestinian genocide. The party’s attempts to curry favour for votes and power, with the middle class, business and corporate classes, North and South hasn’t gone unnoticed by the poor and working poor. Taking voters for granted is not a good idea.
Further, the close call of Gerry (The Monk) Hutch, while portrayed as a common criminal, to getting elected in the Dublin Central constituency, speaks volumes on what the voters think of all the political parties in the 26 counties; and the shambles of what passes for democracy there. The pertinent question for Sinn Féin is: do they have any intention of exposing the root cause for the housing, health, education crises, along with poverty, namely the capitalist system we live under? Will Sinn Féin condemn and disown the ravages of imperialism in Ireland and in the world at large. Will they stop being subservient to US, EU and even British imperialism? These are the central questions to be answered, if a genuine solution to creating real and lasting change for the majority in Ireland is to be brought about.
The second is referring to the 2binary dominance of two conservative parties” and some kind of “cleavage between progressive and conservative, clientelistic blocks”. The two parties in the binary dominance are known as Tweedledee and Tweedledum; and unless Sinn Féin declare publicly for a 32-county Socialist Republic and an end to capitalism, they will end up in the exact same place. A total reliance on electoral politics, and no matter how fine-tuned the Sinn Féin clientelist tactics are, while within the capitalist system, will mean only one thing: no change for the working class and perpetuation of the present system to the benefit of the powerful and wealthy.
And the third revelation is the need for “left Republican parties and progressive representatives co-operate in the time ahead.” What about Socialist Republicans, will there be cooperation with them too?
And then we are on to the ‘urgency of housing and homelessness, cost of living and health crises’ and when the new FFFG+ government is formed “there is no prospect they will seriously address or tackle these issues.” So, is this the age-old tactic of pointing the finger at someone else, usually higher up the gravy trail… sometimes down the way too. This is very familiar territory for Sinn Féin in the Northern statelet which it now manages for British imperialism. It used to be the Unionists who had that role but the Brits (along with the US, EU + the Dublin ruling class) have bigger plans for the island of Ireland. You know this ‘agreed’, ‘shared island’ stuff they promote, to ensure the status quo remains in place.
In the North, and nearly 30 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, over 40,000 people are waiting on social housing. Affordable housing is at a 60-year low, rents are exorbitant and rising; 350,000 people living in relative poverty (NI Poverty and Income Report (2022/’23) Upwards of 104,000 children living in poverty. There’s the deliberate underfunding of the NHS, which has created a tactical crisis, to prepare for a privatised, two-tiered health service, run for profit and nothing to do with healthcare. The result of this is, half a million people and rising (2023) waiting on hospital elective care surgery in the North. Benefits being cut, and people on and needing benefits, being treated like lepers. A growing number of workers cannot make ends meet and are also supplemented by benefits. The so-called working poor. Even education is a shambles and a growing financial burden on the poor and working poor. An explosion in food bank growth. All of these are consequences. And who gets the blame? The Tories!! And now New Labour 2.0. Never is the real cause mentioned, capitalism. And then you are attempting to tell us that if only your party could get its hands on the levers of power in the 26 counties, all ails would be sorted? Nobody really believes that and certainly, Socialist Republicans know that its hot air.
All of the chatter on what is to be done to ‘resolve’ the living conditions of the people in the 26 counties, is deliberately fatuous, reformist nonsense, to garner votes only. It’s playing the game of grappling for power, at the expense of the majority in Ireland. It’s a fact that even if Sinn Féin had 200 TDs and a few thousand councillors elected, it would not, repeat not, be able to achieve any of the social, economic or political aspirations outlined. Why? Simply put, the capitalist system we live under, along with the triple-lock of imperialism involved here, will never allow any political party to achieve anything close to fairness, equality or the rights of humanity, via their bourgeoise parliaments. The proof is clear, and it has been 200+ years of capitalism. The great 1916 leader James Connolly said: “Governments in capitalist society are but committees of the rich to manage the affairs of the capitalist class.”
Across the world, tinkering with liberal, social democracy, to cover up the sins of capitalism have failed. The ANC in South Africa is declining politically and has clearly failed to liberate the poor and working poor from economic bondage. The social democracy of the Greens in Europe, and particularly Syriza in Greece, along with what remains of the “Left” in the Southern Americas, have all failed the working people.
The central thrust of the article in An Phoblacht is on “Left progressive, Republican alliances” being the way forward. Many, many questions spring from that. Are these alliances going to be under the total auspices of the existing bourgeoise parliamentary and capitalist system? Are we talking about the poison of liberal left electoral alliances here? Are we actually talking about making the barbarism of capitalism nicer or easier to suffer? Everyone knows that will surely prolong the reign of the existing anti-working class system and anti-people system, we live under today. But of course, it will still be ok for the rich and powerful.
Alliances are always possible, even necessary but what we see as progressive, is alliances with genuine anti-imperialists and Socialist Republicans, not with liberal lefties, intent on just ‘moving the chairs on the deck’, to pacify the restless natives. Or worse ‘ruling by fooling’. And the path to the 32-county Socialist Republic (article 3.2 of the army constitution) that all IRA volunteers fought, died and spent lifetimes in imperialist jails for, is the solution to the cancer that is capitalism, imperialism and colonialism, in Ireland. Genuine socialists focus on the real cause, capitalism; not all the consequences that bourgeoise political parties all over the world focus on to stay in power. Doing that, hides the real source of poverty and social neglect, that originates from inequality and exploitation in our society, which is the modus operandi of capitalism to ensure, ever increasing profits, at the expense of the workers, the poor, and the environment. It’s not rocket science.
We need to hear Sinn Féin publicly calling for and actively pursuing: an all–Ireland universal public housing policy, for an all-Ireland health service, free at the point of use, for a free all-Ireland education system and full unionised employment, ensuring wages are always above inflation; coupled with clear calls and progress towards the 32-county Socialist Republic and an end to capitalism. Then it’s possible that some kind of alliances with radical and revolutionary Socialist Republicans and other anti-imperialists, might just be possible. This is the only way forward. Opportunities to build for genuine socialism have been destroyed, ignored and avoided since 1916; but now is the time to act with clear ideological honesty and courage.
Capitalism and imperialism have benefited the few and totally failed the majority in Ireland, the working class. We need a radical, revolutionary direction, along with the people, to build a people powered democracy, to organise for lasting change; to give real solid hope and direction, to break the bonds of capitalism, imperialism and colonialism in Ireland. A clear path, that is, power from the bottom up, to a neutral, liberated, sovereign, 32-county Socialist Republic.
