The case for Left Unity in the coming General Election

Rupture Chief Editor, former PBP steering committee member and MEP candidate in the recent elections in the South CIAN PRENDIVILLE outlines his view that those elections should be the cold-shower jolt to push the left to seriously consider greater unity, and take action to strengthen the left alternative in the impending General Election.

Elections focus the mind. For the general public, they are forced to decide who to back. For us already convinced leftists it pushes us to soberly reflect on how we are doing.

For years now, there have been voices calling for a more combined left challenge, something we at Rupture have always promoted. While no one ever explicitly rejects such appeals, the truth is most groups simply shrug their shoulders and continue on with their own specific projects.

Tough election puts greater left unity on the agenda

As analysed elsewhere in Rupture, the recent elections saw the populist-right emerge as a serious threat, Sinn Féin’s momentum collapse, and mixed results for the socialist left who managed to defend and gain council seats, while losing Clare Daly’s MEP seat in Dublin to Sinn Féin. That loss, in particular, sparked many comments about a ‘split left’, with criticisms of People Before Profit for standing in those elections and of Clare Daly for rejecting proposals for a transfer pact. While most of that row was more about point-scoring, a blog post from Rupture regular Sami Mac Máistir did help to progress the discussion to point-making, raising real questions about how the socialist left can better collaborate and raising the idea of broadening out the current ‘People Before Profit - Solidarity’ electoral alliance to include more forces.

Events in France can also feed into this discussion. In the last few days we have seen a broad left front come together to present an alternative to both Macron’s “neoliberal centre” and Le Pen’s “alt-right”. While the full details are not yet clear, and there are definite weaknesses in this ‘New Popular Front’, undoubtedly many in Ireland would like to see something similar here, to present a more unified broad left challenge to both FF/FG and to the faux-alternative of the far-right. Indeed, People Before Profit had proposed a ‘Vote Left - Transfer Left’ pact in advance of the local elections, but take-up at that stage was low. 

With a General Election now only months away, we need to move fast to reinvigorate and progress this discussion. In particular, I would personally make two proposals to spark discussion: 1) A broad ‘Vote Left - Transfer Left’ pact along the lines already raised by PBP, 2) Within that a more unified and combined socialist left block.

1. A ‘Vote Left - Transfer Left’ pact

While the proposal for a broad left transfer pact did not get across the line before the local elections, there is some indications that discussions are continuing. A key stumbling block here is that Sinn Féin and the Soc Dems have up until now wanted to keep the option of coalition with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael ‘on the table’, rather than really throwing their weight behind the call for Ireland’s first-ever Left government. 

Sinn Féin leaders in particular have been trying to be all things to all people, wanting to keep the votes of working class and young people while also trying to dampen down expectations of any radical changes and reassure the media and the middle class that they are house-trained. However, the wheels have come off this strategy. The drift to the ‘centre’ is leaving the streets to the alt-right who are presenting themselves as the true ‘anti-establishment’ activists. Sinn Féin leaders shameful copying that anti-immigration rhetoric is only alienating left-wing voters, and emboldening the far-right.

Left-wingers in Sinn Féin must call a halt to this drift, and push instead for the party to turn left. It is a real shame that there has been no major housing protest, to mobilise the anger and direct it at the real enemy: the corporate landlords, vulture funds and their puppets in government. Sinn Féin and the union leaders should now throw their full weight behind organising a major protest in the Autumn, which can help to re-frame political debate and show that it is the left who are the ones really fighting the government and proposaing alternatives.

In addition, Sinn Féin and the Soc Dems need to stop trying to ride two horses at once. You cannot be both anti-establishment, and a wannabe FF/FG coalition partner. If they moved to rule out coalition with the right, and instead backed the calls for a left government that could put real change on the agenda in the general election and recapture some of the momentum from 2020. This would also expose the populist right as being in reality FF/FG sheep in wolves clothing, looking to cut a deal with the establishment to get a few Ministerial mercs and perks.

2. A combined Socialist Left Block

Regardless of whether Sinn Féin and Soc Dems take this shift, the Socialist Left also need to take steps to strengthen our impact and coordination.

The ‘People Before Profit - Solidarity’ block has been an important collaboration, helping boost the profile of the socialist left in the Dáil and media. However, there are other socialist activists outside of this block, including groups such as Right to Change, Independent Left, Workers’ Party, Rabharta as well as independents like Thomas Pringle, Catherine Connolly, Clare Daly, Seamus Healy, Saoirse McHugh etc. A broader Left Unity List / Left Block bringing in some of these forces should be discussed.

Such a project could help to strengthen our collective impact in the General Election campaign. It could organise cross-endorsements, boosting candidates chances of winning, and also avoid vote splitting in key constituencies. More than that, it would also increase our impact in the elections, showing the socialist left is a strong, serious and organised alternative. In the next Dáil such a grouping could have increased speaking time, and resources on the basis of growing our national voter share, which could be distributed proportionally to help all those who are part of the block. This would strengthen the socialist alternative, while allowing for all affiliates to continue to have political independence and debate within such a block.

The coming General Election is full of possibilities, and full of dangers. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the last few years, ceding ground to the far-right and allowing the establishment to divide and rule working class people. Instead, the broad left must be bold and ambitious. We need to show that there is a real alternative to FF & FG rule, and that is a left government. The socialist left must lead the way in this, arguing that a left government is not just one that exludes FF and FG, but it must be committed to taking on the billionaires, organising a mass movement of working people to break with capitalism and build an eco-socialist Ireland. 

Do you agree? Disagree? Want to write a response to this piece? Or collaborate to help turn these ideas into action? Reach out to ecosocialistquarterly@gmail.com