Debate: Is Left Unity Achievable?

Rupture has always been committed to promoting debate, and encouraging constructive discussion, and we are glad to see debate emerging on the issue of left unity. Last week we published an opinion piece on ‘The Case for Left Unity in the coming General Election’, and encouraged others to respond with their thoughts. Today we publish a response from a former Sinn Féin councillor Séighin Ó Ceallaigh.

If you would like to write a response, please reach out to ecosocialistquarterly@gmail.com with your response.

In the article ‘The Case For Left Unity’ in Rupture Magazine, there is a solid case put together by the author that there needs to be more unity between parties of the left. This is something which would benefit the so-called parties of the left, though in the current political climate, it may be more appropriate to identify them as liberal left-of-centre, and certainly left of the establishment parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. This is particularly the case for Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, and even the Green Party. Even within those parties there is the case for greater left unity, something which has been fragmented by either the opportunity or possibility of entering government.

Those more solidly on the left are not without blame either. In Limerick, for the one position of Mayor, there wasn’t a consensus candidate for the left, with both Caitríona Ní Chatháin and Ruairí Fahy competing against each other for the Socialist Party and People Before Profit respectively. Though there has been co-operation in recent years which has led to the formation of the PBP-Solidarity group, the almost continuous splits between the left movement over issues which to the general public seem trivial, simply isn’t a good look. If the left can’t agree on a candidate for the Mayor of Limerick, are they really ready for government?

The local elections are simply unpredictable, working class areas vote for the elites simply because they ‘fixed the road’ or showed up at a loved one’s funeral. For many there is very little politics involved in local politics, but how the left must adapt to that is a conversation for another time.

In the European elections however is where the greatest showing of the disorganisation of the left took place. In the EU Parliament, Sinn Féin, PBP, Solidarity, Independents4Change, and Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, all belong to the same EU party, GUE (The United Left); yet here in Ireland there seemed to be very little attempt to co-operate with parties that one would possibly sit beside in Brussels or Strasbourg. In the end it worked out alright for the left, Mick Wallace was replaced by fellow GUE Kathleen Funchion, and Clare Daly was replaced by fellow GUE Lynn Boylan. Though Sinn Féin’s Chris McManus lost his seat to Independent Ireland’s Ciarán Mullooly, who was touted to sit with the conservative ECR group in Europe, but now may sit with the liberal centrist Renew Europe.

It may be more than just a light bruising that the left receives in the upcoming general election, and that’s where the importance of the initial article comes in. Sinn Féin, Soc Dems, PBP, and Labour have become a force in Dublin, and the Greens haven’t gone away either. Around the country Sinn Féin are certainly spearheading the left, and depending on strategy, may have some transfers to go around. In 2020 their lack of candidates saw others on the left elected, in 2024, if they have a smaller vote, then the same level of transfers won’t come into play. 

A transfer pact isn’t the ultimate solution, but as we have seen in the recent elections, transfers can end up anywhere, and so if there was some sort of ‘Vote Left – Transfer Left’ agreement, it would simply nudge voters in that direction, and may slightly increase the transfer rates among the left. What needs to be decided though is what is left? Will it be the case that Marxist puritans are the only ones worth transferring to, and they stand on 3% nationally with a small handful of TDs? Will Sinn Féin be tolerable to those on the left, what about Labour, Soc Dems, even the Greens? Will they even want to work with the left if the demands are too constraining?

There are serious questions to be answered by the left when it comes to compromise, because unless they increase their vote share by about 1500%, there will be compromise needed either before or after the next general election. From my understanding, Sinn Féin cannot rule out going into coalition with FF or FG after the next election, because that decision will be in the hands of a special Ard Fheis, the party leadership will not decide this, it will be the party membership. Is that internal function of democracy really going to be a stumbling block for left co-operation at the next GE? SF are the best chance the parties of the left have of a transfer pact, I personally do not see Labour, Soc Dems, or the Greens even entertaining such a notion.

While the left is deciding on who to co-operate with, they also must get their own house in order. As was the case at one time, Sinn Féin were on 33% while PBP-SOL were on 3%, not much of a reason for a transfer pact there. However if polls had reflected the EU situation in Dublin, perhaps there would have been more of an appetite from SF and Clare Daly to co-operate with Bríd Smith. Looking hard in the mirror, can the left really talk about government and co-operation when PBP polled less than 1% in both Midlands North West and Ireland South?

There is a good chance that PBP-SOL will not return a TD outside of Dublin, and that the only left TD returned outside of the capital will be Mick Wallace in Wexford. That shows a huge problem that needs to be dealt with immediately, and that is something co-operation cannot fix. The difficulty will be in getting candidates to either not run and endorse another, or sign up to a transfer pact. You may not like it, but would you rather blast Sinn Féin for not ruling out government with Fianna Fáil, or would you rather have Mick Barry returned as a TD?

Things can change quickly in politics, but as it stands Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and another, are set to be the next government. Sinn Féin is pretty much the only hope the left has outside the Pale, apart from a few independents such as Catherine Connelly and Thomas Pringle, and so if there is talk of co-operation, it must take place in Dublin and the surrounding areas. We’re too late in the day to talk about spreading the message to places like Clare and Tipperary, but if there was some tactical move made to consolidate the seats that the left holds, and even expand by a small margin, then in the long term there could be a real conversation about left unity.

As it stands, left unity is achievable, but it is probably too late in this election cycle to build a movement that will gain enough seats to be in contention for government without either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. In my opinion I don’t see a point in including Labour or the Greens in those calculations either at this point in time. Transfers were a little all over the place in the locals and EU, though the latter saw better transfers among the left. In a general election there may be a bit more of a transfer pattern.

Is left unity achievable? Yes, if the process was started yesterday. Parties are gearing up for an election as we speak, setting up their own stall and their own political identity to offer to the public, the best case scenario in the short term is a transfer pact, which is still achievable. But an consolidated effort of parties who are left of centre to challenge the status quo seems an unachievable task in the short term, perhaps after the next general election, when the dust settles, then there may be time and space to consolidate the left, and co-operate with the parties closest to them on the political spectrum.

The best option in my opinion would be something akin to Independent Ireland, a broad umbrella that would encompass left independents and smaller parties such as PBP, I4C, SP. Then using that umbrella movement to co-operate with the likes of Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats. In the long term this is achievable, but only if it really wants to be achieved. 

Séighin Ó Ceallaigh is a former politician now political commentator and author of political thrillers such as 'The Half Mile Road' and 'The Senator's Sister'. Following a term on Limerick Council and a GE campaign in 2020 with Sinn Féin, he now writes opinion pieces from outside the political bubble.