Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Posts Tagged ‘Paul Murphy TD

Man charged over a child-rape, CityWest racist riots; Despicable commentary by government and Sinn Féin representatives, echoed by irresponsible journalists

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Man charged over a child-rape, CityWest racist riots; Despicable commentary by government and Sinn Féin representatives, echoed by irresponsible journalists

Sinn Féin has a lot of influence, and is playing the racist card.

Listen to Matt Carthy TD, SF, Cavan-Monaghan.

Well-spotted by Saoirse McHugh; and well spoken by Eimer McAuley, a journalist.

Politicians defending despicable “legitimate concerns” protests have carried the ball up the pitch for the riots at CityWest

Politicians defending these despicable "legitimate concerns" protests have carried the ball up the pitch for the riots at citywest.Thank God Eimer is there cause none of these people, TDs included, seem to give a shit when it's a white Irish man brutalizing, abusing, or murdering women or children

Saoirse McHugh (@saoirsemc.bsky.social) 2025-10-23T06:48:13.676Z

Saoirse McHugh :

” Politicians defending these despicable “legitimate concerns” protests have carried the ball up the pitch for the riots at citywest. Thank God Eimer is there cause none of these people, TDs included, seem to give a shit when it ‘ s a white Irish man brutalizing, abusing, or murdering women or children”

Cedar Lounge Revolution :
Spot On, Cedar Lounge Revolution

The same message is promoted by irresponsible RTÉ journalists and government politicians such as Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan on news programmes and RTÉ’s Prime Time referencing “legitimate” concerns expressed by residents, contributing to a “consensus” that immigrants are the problem, and tougher deportation policies are needed.

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Irish General Election November 29 2024 – Independent Candidates on the Left and Right : Stop the Far Right : Vote Left, Transfer Left

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The electoral action proposed here is :

How To Vote on November 29? Oppose Any Coalition with FFFGGG – Stop the Far Right : Vote Left, Transfer Left

FFFGGG Equals ; Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Greens, Gombeens.

The 2020-2024 coalition government was composed of three parties : FF, FG, and the Greens – and was regularly supported by Right-to-Racist Gombeens (Independents) in the last Dáil.

In this context it is important to know the identity of left-wing and right-wing independent candidates.

A Cedar Lounge Blog writer has done a great job identifying credible candidates on the left who are often categorised as independent. Link :
Possible Left Independents in the next Dáil


Here is the excellent article :

As noted in comments here a number of left Independents of one stripe or another are running, either to hold their seats or to return to the Dáil. Irish Election Literature has material from a huge number of candidates here on a special page on the 2024 election and it’s an essential read to get a sense of matters. One thing that was perhaps under considered in 2020 was the winnowing of left Independents (or those who were with small groups). It really took the wind out of the left side of the Independent equation with barely a handful left and some who barely were left at all (who left for Europe at the last election).

Here’s a selection of possible Left Independents. What of others who are potential, possible or likely to arrive in the Dáil?

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Nov 27, 2024 at 4:57 pm

Posted in 26 County State (Ireland), Bríd Smith TD, Cabra For All, Catherine Connolly TD, Clare Daly TD, Councillor John Lyons, Councillor Tania Doyle, Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais, Direct Provision - Irish Gombeen State Racism, Dublin 7 for All, FFFGGG Coalition, General Election February 25 2016, Gombeens, Poltroons, Hazel De Nórtúin, Independent Left (Ireland), Ireland, Irish General Election February 8 2020, Irish General Election November 29 2024, Ivana Bacik TD, Labour Party Leader, Joan Collins TD, Labour Party (Ireland), Left Wing Organisations, Natalie Treacy, Paul Murphy TD Dublin South-West, People Before Profit, Racism, RISE, ruth-coppinger, Séamus Healy TD, Thomas Pringle TD

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The Irish Left Must Unite to break the old stranglehold – Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit, Dublin South-West), Irish Times, July 4 2024

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Paul Murphy’s opinion piece in the July 4 2024 edition of the Irish Times makes a strong case :

“Another five years of FF/FG rule would be disastrous for the country. Left parties and Independents must come together to stop it happening”

There is a bottom line :

No coalition with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

The Irish Left must unite to break the old stranglehold, Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit, Dublin South-West), Irish Times, July 4 2024

Time for a new united left alliance to topple Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael

Another five years of FF/FG rule would be disastrous for the country. Left parties and Independents must come together and stop this happening

A general election is looming. If the local election results are repeated, it will mean a return of this Government but with the Greens replaced as the third wheel by right-wing Independents. The 100-year rule of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will continue.

This would be a disaster.

Another five years of their rule would mean a deepening of the crises in housing and health, with more children growing up in emergency accommodation, more adults trapped in their childhood bedroom unable to move out, as well as growing hospital waiting lists. It would mean continued inaction on the climate and biodiversity crises and large numbers of workers in low-paid, precarious employment without the right to collectively bargain.

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Jul 4, 2024 at 11:49 am

“5 Takeaways from the Elections” by Paul Murphy and Diarmaid Flood, Rupture Magazine

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This is a recommended article. It is part of a very important discussion.

Link :
5 takeaways from the elections

With the final tallies counted and remaining seats filled, People Before Profits (PBP) Dublin South West and RISE members Diarmuid Flood and Paul Murphy review the deeply polarised Local and European Elections and outline five key takeaways.

For the second election in a row, dramatic political changes took place in the course of the local and European elections. Sinn Féin started the year polling around 30% and yet ended up with less than 12% nationally in the local Elections. Independents and Others started the year with around 15%, but won close to 25% on June 6th. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael both hit 23%, coming from the high teens and around 20% respectively. In many ways, these appear to be the opposite political trends to what we saw in the General Election of 2020. Back then, Sinn Féin grew dramatically as hope for an end to 100 years of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael rule propelled them to be the biggest party in vote share for the first time ever. Volatility is clearly in the air.

However, what we saw in the five weeks of the election campaign did not come from nowhere. The election catalysed and accelerated existing processes. In the absence of major progressive social struggles, with the exception of the Palestine solidarity movement, the political terrain has undoubtedly shifted rightwards. Ireland has caught up with most of the rest of Europe and the Global North, with the emergence of a reactionary social movement in opposition to asylum seekers and the growth of a racist, climate denialist, anti-LGBTQ, and sexist far-right.

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Swastika cut into poster in sinister Far Right threat to socialist candidate – Irish Local and European Elections campaign, 2024 – Safety Measures Urgently Needed

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Far-Right agitators in Ireland are escalating their attacks.

Ruth Coppinger, a Solidarity- People Before Profit candidate in Castleknock, and a former Dublin West TD, is the latest target.

Ruth’s press statement below explains the context well, and she makes an excellent proposal :

I am going to make contact with other parties / candidates – in particular those in opposition and on the left who are targeted more by the far right  – to suggest that  a central log of incidents and threats should be kept in order to take measures for the safety of all those ordinary activists who come out and campaign, as well as community safety in general.
“The far right can’t be allowed to create an atmosphere designed to frighten and to limit the campaigns of the left

Swastika cut into poster in sinister Far Right threat to socialist candidate 

A “menacing atmosphere” is being generated by the far right according to a former TD and local election candidate who has had a swastika cut into her image on an election poster. Ruth Coppinger,  socialist candidate with People Before Profit-Solidarity in Castleknock ward, Fingal, says  supporters found the poster and that “it shows the danger of the far right in these elections, the threat they are to safety and how they would take away democratic rights.”

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Weak Arm of the Law in the 26 County bit of Ireland – Police “Hug-a-Thug” Policy imported from the 6 County bit of Ireland

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The boss of An Garda Síochána (police force in the 26 county bit of Ireland), Drew Harris, was recruited from the cops in the 6 county bit of Ireland. The people running the two states in partitioned Ireland have developed very close social, political and personal relationships since the the 1998 triumph of the Good Friday Agreement. I recently circulated details of Harris’s “Hug-a-Thug” policy towards growing far-right violence in the 26 counties to a 6 county political activist, who commented this was “reminiscent of the historic style of policing up here”.

Ruling class forces were extremely happy about the continuation of partition guaranteed by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. They did not foresee that the foundations of partition in Ireland are more rotten than their constitutional plan conceding a Unionist Veto to a majority of the voting population of the six county state. The Brexit referendum result of 2016 lit a slow-burning fuse under the GFA structure; in the meantime we are witnessing the creation of a possible “United Ireland from Hell” which consists of knitting together the most reactionary features of both partitioned states in Ireland.

The following article from the Cedar Lounge Revolution Blog powerfully illustrates the dangers arising from importing 6 county softly-softly policing methods towards the far-right (loyalist paramilitaries), fine-tuned by Garda boss Drew Harris.

John Meehan April 22 2024


Weak Arm of the Law – Cedar Lounge Blog

Link : Weak Arm of the Law – Cedar Lounge Blog

So, Friday comes the news that the previous night:

Gardaí were called to the home of Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman on Thursday night when a gang of up to 12 masked men gathered outside his house and huge placards and banners were stretched across his driveway gate, along his wall and fastened to outside polls.

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Dublin Far-Right Racist Connections – A Sunday Independent story highlighted by Paul Murphy TD

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Far-right racists regularly target Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit), Dublin South-West. These sinister activists picket the homes of elected politicians; a few days ago they targeted the home of Green Party Minister Roderic O’Gorman, who is gay and is responsible for the housing of immigrants.

Paul Murphy observes :

Good that some media is finally drawing the obvious link between the far-right and the disgusting intimidatory scenes outside Roderic O’Gorman’s house.

This isn’t a lack of civility in politics.

It’s an organised attempt to undermine democratic rights.

https://twitter.com/paulmurphy_TD/status/1781954648292683804?t=c3ttmKhAR-_G9oNaoBVPyA&s=19

Picketing family homes is from the same playbook as burning 🔥 immigrants’ accommodation, city centre riots such as November 23 2023 in Dublin, and propaganda  attacking the rights of specific national groups. 

We offer one example: Ukrainians forced to live in Ireland, fleeing from Russia’s genocidal war.

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