Archive for the ‘People Before Profit’ Category
Six County Referendum on May 5 – Alternative Vote or First Past the Post?
Gavin Stamp has published what appears to be an accurate summary of party political opinions about the Alternative Vote Versus First Past the Post Referendum on the BBC website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11609887
The six-county summary is interesting – I do not know if People Before Profit has a position – I hope Socialist Workers’ Party members declare a mini unilateral declaration of independence from the London mother-ship – judging from Mark P’s comment
the Socialist Party is a lost cause, this chip will not stray too far from its block! Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Apr 30, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Do Most British Far-Left Groups Understand Proportional Voting Systems?
The answer appears to be a resounding NO!
In Ireland – both sides of the border – we are used to the Proportional Representation (PR) Voting System – it is used for all state elections in the part of Ireland ruled from Dublin – the other bit, ruled from Belfast, uses PR for assembly and local elections, but is lumbered with the First Past the Post method in Westminster polls.
The system is not perfect by any means – but it does mean seats are won more or less in proportion to votes cast – it would be even more proportional if constituencies were larger than the current five seat limit which applies in 26 County Dáil elections, or if we used a list system, as is used in the German State. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Apr 26, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Bernadette McAliskey Says Vote for People Before Profit in the May 5 Stormont Assembly Election
Well Done Bernadette! :
http://www.eamonnmccann.com/1/post/2011/04/bernadette-mcaliskey-voting-for-people-before-profit.html
The former Mid-Ulster MP is also supporting Patricia Campbell And other independent left candidates :
http://www.facebook.com/people/Vote-Patricia-Campbell/100002194692882
A left unity strategy is happening in the six counties, as well as the twenty-six (let us hope the United Left Alliance continues to develop in a positive way after the February 25 result, when five ULA TD’s won seats in the current Dáil).
Written by tomasoflatharta
Apr 25, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Labour Voters – How Cool Are They About Coalition With the Right?
John Meehan has put together a statistical analysis of Labour Party lower preferences, where no other Labour candidate is in the contest (these are known as terminal transfers), and candidates from both the left and right are still in the race.
The table is at the end of this article.
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Healthy debate is developing on this blog and other Irish sites on the composition of the Labour Party’s electoral base. The February 2011 General Election broke new ground in many ways, and we can learn a lot from detailed study of the numbers.
An interesting question is : how keen are Labour voters on coalition with the right? How sympathetic are they to the arguments of left rivals that helping to elect Enda Kenny as taoiseach is a very bad idea? Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Mar 15, 2011 at 10:18 pm
The February 25 General Election changed something in Ireland
The article below – by John Meehan –
has been published in the British Magazine Socialist Resistance :
http://socialistresistance.org/1775/70-votes-for-socialism
Writing in the North American online magazine Counterpunch Harry Browne zoned in on two key features on the Irish February 25 2011 General Election Result
Same Old at the Top – but Irish Election Makes Room for the Left
Same Old, Same Old at the Top, But – Irish Election Makes Room for the Left
The same old :
A Fine Gael / Labour coalition takes over the government after 14 years of Fianna Fáil rule. Since 1932, Fianna Fáil have been the governing party for 61 out of 79 years. They have won 19 out of 25 General Elections. On the rare occasions Fine Gael dominated coalitions have come to power the smaller right-wing party never held on longer than one term in office.
That said, the scale of the 2011 Fianna Fáil defeat is without precedent Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Mar 10, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Should Irish Times ex-Trot Journalists Throw Stones in their Glass-House?
This is a fascinating article about the far-left history of many new TD’s.
Left Lineages
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0304/1224291281717.html
where the talented author Patrick Smyth observes “Today the majority of them, now firmly in the bosom of Labour, have rejected revolution, embrace wholeheartedly its centrist social democratic values, and are politically indistinguishable from their Old Labour colleagues.”
Absolutely right.
Ex-comrade Patrick Smyth advises his current fellow-thinkers not to get too alarmed by the growth of the real fighting left “Although the ULA should work as an informal marriage of convenience, attempts to create a party out of its constituent elements may prove more difficult. Ideological purity on the hard left comes easier than the much-desired oxymoron that is “left unity”. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Mar 5, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Why Does The Irish Labour Party Seek Fine Gael’s Kiss-of-Death?
In the last days of the 2011 Irish General Election Campaign Labour Party leaders and spinners are warning that the voters might choose a Fine Gael single party government. Their alternative? : Coalition – Fine Gael’s Enda Kenny for Taoiseach, Labour’s Eamon Gilmore the Tánaiste – that’s the message.
SIPTU leader Jack O’Connor, for example, claims “that a coalition government would be far preferable as the country imposes spending cuts as part of its EU and IMF bailout.
“If you look at the lessons of history, they (Fine Gael) haven’t been in government on their own since 1927 when their predecessor Cumann na nGaedheal was in government,”….
“They pursued policy which resulted in economic stagnation for 60 years. And that’s the kind of policy that’s being advocated by both of the centre-right parties at the present time.”
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/15/ireland-politics-union-idUKLDE71E2C620
First – is a single-party Fine Gael government possible or likely?
We will know for sure on Saturday February 26 – at the time of writing, if the polls are right, a single party Fine Gael government is possible but unlikely.
A second factor is political – many Fine Gael backers, for example the former party leader Garret FitzGerald, argue that coalition with Labour is a better tactical option for this right-wing party. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Feb 23, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Joan Collins to Offer Radical Alternative – RTE’s Frontline Programme, Monday February 21
Message from the Joan Collins Site :
“I have agreed to go on panel on Frontline on Monday evening. It’s on after the 9pm news. Also last Friday I had a BBC Panorama crew with me for the afternoon in Drimnagh. They are doing an election special on Ireland, also on Monday evening.”
http://joan-collins.org/2011/02/19/appearing-on-panel-on-frontlines-rte-monday-night/
Joan’s campaign was featured in the Irish Times, Thursday February 17 :
Collins aims to offer radical alternative
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0217/1224290025041.html
Joan Collins Flyer :
500 Words from Joan Collins :
United Left Alliance Prospects? Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Feb 20, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Table Quiz, Support Joan Collins United Left Alliance, Dublin South-Central
Rag-Bag Productions Proudly Presents :
A Table Quiz to support Joan Collins’ run for the Dáil :
Thursday February 10, 8.30pm, in the Teachers’ Club,
36 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Brought to You by the Motley Crew
Joan Collins, a Dublin City Councillor, is running for a Dáil Seat in the Constituency of Dublin South-Central. The General Election is coming soon – on Friday February 25.
Joan is a People Before Profit Candidate, part of the United Left Alliance (ULA), which is tipped to win six or more seats in the new Dáil.
http://politicalreform.ie/2011/02/01/irish-independent-poll-2nd-february-2011/
Joan hit the media headlines by interrupting an RTÉ interview with former Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil Leader Bertie Ahern about his last days in Leinster House, headquarters of Dáil Éireann, the Irish Parliament.
http://www.youtube.com/PeopleBeforeProfitTV#p/u/9/uAL2OPGg-ak Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Joan Collins – Campaigning in Meath Street (Videos)
Joan Collins first won a seat on Dublin City Council in 2004, and was re-elected in 2009 with an increased share of the vote in the Crumlin-Kimmage ward. In 2011 she is a People Before Profit / United Left Alliance candidate in Dublin South-Central. Joan doorstepped ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the gates of Leinster House this week, asking why he had no “shame” about the state of the country, ruined by the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. Have a look at Joan’s campaign in the Meath Street area on Saturday January 29 2011 – it looks like she has struck a chord with many working class people.
The reaction to Joan’s handbagging of Bertie Ahern was very positive and good-humoured – take a look at these short videos made by John Meehan :
Meath Street Butchers discuss ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s retirement regrets with Dublin South-Central United Left Alliance General Election candidate Joan Collins and Dermot Connolly.
http://www.facebook.com/v/1730560898133 Read the rest of this entry »
Written by tomasoflatharta
Feb 1, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Tomás Ó Flatharta 