Communist Party seeks left unity

The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) has requested a meeting among political parties following the general election in order to the "evaluate the political situation and see what areas of cooperation [can] be built" in terms of left unity.

In a newsletter circulated last week by the Socialist Voice, the CPI said that it was "aware that the course of building unity will be difficult and not without setbacks". Nonetheless, the CPI said that it felt building unity among the left is " absolutely necessary".

The initiative follows an election in which left-leaning parties and independent candidates performed poorly, having lost many seats to Fine Gael, the main opposition party. A left alternative to the present government was further depleted by the absorption of the Greens into a centrist coalition with Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats, an alliance that supporters of the left fear will have adverse consequences for leftist politics.

In addition to the inclusion of traditional left parties in talks, the CPI hopes to include trade unions, social, cultural and environmental organisations, and people's campaigns. Initial meetings are expected to be held by the early autumn.

The Socialist Worker newsletter said that "other initiatives taken by the CPI recently included initiating the public lobbying of all the left and radical parties, including the Green Party, that had representative in Dáil Éireann, as well as independent TDs, in relation to the formation of a new Government. [The CPI] called on political activists, regardless of their affiliation, to lobby to ensure that a number of areas would be treated as principled priority areas and would form part of any programme for government, including ending the use of Shannon Airport by the US war machine and taking into public ownership the Corrib gas field.
 
More: Email cpoi@eircom.net ; communistpartyofireland.ie