Irish General Election November 29 2024 – Mick Wallace, Clare Daly and Sinn Féin Dog-Whistle to the Racists – Vote Left, Transfer Left, Vote Anti-Racist; No Coalition with FFFGGG
Ireland is not full. The kids in St. Aidan’s School Tallaght show political leadership much needed in Ireland today:
Ireland’s November 29 2024 General Election – Racist Warning Signs – TÓF
Adults who claim to be on the left are spreading racist porkies.
This is an RTÉ Radio 1 discussion involving 3 independent candidates : Mick Wallace (Wexford candidate), Kate O’Connell (ex Fine Gael TD Dublin Bay South), Marian Harkin TD (Sligo)
Mick Wallace, “Nowhere to Put Them” and the Ukrainians “Pull Factor”
Harkin and Wallace play the “Ireland is Full” race card. To her credit, Kate O’Connell promotes an anti-racist message. Mick Wallace is an “Independents for Change” candidate in the November 29 Irish General Election, along with another ex Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Clare Daly.
The Wallace statement provoked a storm of protest from many left wing sources. One example :
People asked what would be the response of his “Independents for Change” colleague Clare Daly, a Dublin Central candidate.
The left-wing antiracists got an answer from a radio interview; Daly uses far right rhetoric about single males.
The reaction of Ollie Power (PBP), an audio of Clare Daly’s statement, and some abysmal responses, are here :
Ollie Power Attacks Clare Daly racist dog-whistling over East Wall facility
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Catch-All Populist Politics Versus Principled Socialist Anti-Racism
There is a useful discussion on the Cedar Lounge Revolution Blog.
Banjoagbeanjoe : “And Daly had a go on the radio today at how the East Wall accomodation for asylum seekers was managed by the government last year. Looking for transfers from the racist candidates?”
Reply : “Very good observation here by banjoagbeanjoe. The Daly statement is ambiguous – whether or not that is deliberate does not matter. This criticism has been levelled at Clare Daly and Mick Wallace on previous occasions.
It is catch-all politics – or, if you prefer, populist. Government policy can be attacked from the left, or the right. Vitally, the left must clearly refuse to be associated with extreme-right populism, especially when we are dealing with racism. Mick Wallace, Clare Daly’s Independents for Change colleague, made a racist attack on 106,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing from a genocidal imperialist Russian invasion of their country. The link to yesterday’s Morning Ireland broadcast is above.
In this context Wallace’s claim that the money the Irish state gave to Ukrainian war refugees is a “pull factor” is a political obscenity. That’s verbal catch-all populist fuel thrown on the fires which arsonists have started all over the state, along with marches against immigrants. It is unacceptable politics.” John Meehan
CLR Clare Daly discussion link :
Clare Daly panders to racism in Dublin Central – Populist Catch-All Politics
Councillor Cierán Perry’s reply :
Councillor Cierán Perry Red-Baits Anti-Racist Critics
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How to Vote on November 29? Oppose Any Coalition with FFFGGG – Vote Left, Transfer Left
The Dublin Central Example :
In Dublin Central vote No.1 Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin PBP – the only candidate who is opposed to any coalition with FFFGGG. After that it is Vote Left – Transfer Left. The defining issue here is rapidly becoming opposition to racism in all it’s ugly forms.
The list goes in a descending order like this at the moment: Social Democrats, Labour Party, Sinn Féin, Green Party, Daly,- then the main bourgeois parties to place a cordon sanitaire around the fascist-racist and extreme right – a few mini-Hitlers are on the Dublin Central ballot paper, and one of them is a Dublin City Councillor since June this year.
The vote left transfer list could be amended resulting from any major campaign developments – for example if any of the left candidates came out credibly in agreement with the PBP “No Coalition With the Right” policy.
The Dublin Bay North Example :
The political landscape is similar to Dublin Central. The most credible principled anti-coalition and anti-racist candidate is Councillor John Lyons. After that it is Vote Left – Transfer Left.
https://twitter.com/CllrJohnLyons/status/1860804247861801378
Our #generalelection campaign here in #dublinbaynorth was incredible today w/ over 30 people canvassing, delivering leaflets & dropping banners around the constituency. Massive thanks to everyone who helped 2day! https://capcut.com/t/ZmFgfKbTt/
A Vote Left – Transfer Left list in Dublin Bay North could go in a descending order like this : PBP, Social Democrats, Labour Party, Sinn Féin, Green Party, etc- then the main bourgeois parties to place a cordon sanitaire around the fascist-racist and extreme right – there are mini-Hitlers on the Dublin Bay North ballot paper.
Clare Daly and Mick Wallace are not part of the anti-coalition left
In the case of Clare Daly, What You See is What You Get : movement rightwards towards a “mercs and perks” coalition with the right-wing camp.
The Former TD Finian McGrath is endorsing Clare Daly’s Dublin Central Campaign.
Ex TD Finian McGrath (Mercs and Perks) Endorses Clare Daly
Significant? You Betcha!
Finian is an independent “Mercs and Perks” politician who favours coalition with the right (FFFG).
In case you forgot, he put this wretched policy into practice in 2016 as Fine Gael scrambled around for parliamentary support:
“He joined the Independent Alliance at its inception in 2016.[9] He contested the 2016 general election under that banner, in Dublin Bay North owing to the abolition of Dublin North-Central. He was re-elected to the Dáil and then entered talks on government formation. On 6 May 2016, he supported the nomination of Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny as Taoiseach, and was appointed by the new government as Minister of State for Disability Issues. He attended cabinet meetings, without a vote, making him a “Super Junior Minister”. He was appointed to the same position by Leo Varadkar” Source : Wikipedia
Racist Dog-Whistling
While researching this article, the publicly available data was shared with a number of friends and comrades, who were especially shocked by the racist dog-whistling.
If you listen to the whole discussion on IPAS accommodation, it’s even more damning
One friend took the trouble to listen to the full audio of the radio discussion where Clare Daly dog-whistled racists opposed to hosting migrants in an East Wall facility, part of the Dublin Central constituency. My friend observed, correctly in my opinion “If you listen to the whole discussion on IPAS accommodation, it’s even more damning”.
Dublin Central Profile RTÉ Radio 1 – Part 1
Gary Gannon TD (Social Democrats) is a million times better than Clare Daly or Councillor Janice Boylan (SF). Janice Boylan’s dog-whistle tells us about Monopoly board-game wealthy properties such as Ailesbury Road and Shrewsbury Road. The SF councillor proposes moving migrants to these “leafy suburbs”.
This is a nod-and-wink to arsonist racists. In the real world homeless migrants, who cannot stay in decent accommodation in Coolock or the East Wall (because these buildings have been burned by racist-arsonists) are deported to disgusting camps such as Crooksling.
Link :
Immigrants “sheltering in damp and leaking tents at a site in Crooksling, Co Dublin”
The Dublin7ForAll anti-racist organisation (along with allies) is taking emergency action over the Crooksling crisis – a very welcome but temporary response :
You may have heard of the dire situation faced by 500 men in Crooksling reception centre in recent days as temperatures plummet. Many don’t have warm clothes, some are without shoes. They all desperately need support.
Volunteers from Cabra For All and from Phibsboro For All are currently collecting the following items to bring to Crooksling in the coming days 👇
- WARM COATS & JACKETS
- THERMALS
- TRAINERS
- SOCKS
You can also donate at Phibsboro For All’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/phibsboro-for-all
Let’s remind ourselves that arsonist-racists have attacked and burned buildings and sites housing immigrants in Dublin : Crooksling, Coolock, the East Wall, the Grand Canal; different parts of the Irish state : Newtownmountkennedy (Wicklow), Galway, Tipperary, and Roscommon – those are only a few examples.
There is a huge practical problem caused by anti-immigrant words broadcast by prominent politicians :
It panders to the racist view that immigrants are criminals and rapists. There is no evidence to back up claims that immigrants are any worse than Irish citizens. Enough!
John Meehan November 25 2024
An Update : Irish State Anti-Ukrainian Racism in Action
Tomás Ó Flatharta 
I agree with a lot of what you’re sayingJohn, and welcome the focus on refugee rights. However, I think it’s mistaken to put a vote for Labour above one for Sinn Fein, given the key issue that they are making clear; they will prop up FFG government. That’s pretty important for anyone wanting change
good work on Daly/ Wallace. I was very concerned by their pandering extremely rightwRds on asylum seekers .
Betty Purcell
Betty purcell
Nov 25, 2024 at 8:10 pm
Dear Betty, Thanks for the comment. I do not see much difference between the respective coalition policies of Sinn Féin and Labour. Neither party rules out coalition with FFFGGG. The only difference is that FFFG has publicly expressed a coalition preference for Labour and the Social Democrats, and have ruled out SF. But that might all change depending on the numbers we see on Saturday.
I know it is an outside possibility, but Aontú leader Peadar Tóibím publicly put forward, in an RTÉ Radio interview, the prospect of a coalition between his party, other racists such as the II party, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. Tóibín only ruled out Fine Gael.
The safest bottom line is that the PBP, and candidates such as John Lyons in Dublin Bay North, rule out coalition with the right, and that is the reason people should vote for them. After that I agree with the “transfer left” policy. A criterion to use is whether such left candidates have opposed racism. The sad truth is that in Dublin Central both Sinn Féin candidates, Mary Lou McDonald TD and Councillor Janice Boylan, have dog-whistled to the racists. The Social Democrat and Labour candidates have not done that – John Meehan
tomasoflatharta
Nov 25, 2024 at 9:38 pm