Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Posts Tagged ‘Sinn Féin’

“Will Sinn Féin in 2024 still just be the “attack dog” of opposition, or will a vision of what it will look like in government be clearly articulated?” Una Mullally, Irish Times, asks a very relevant question

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In the early days of 2024 thoughts turn to the next general election in Ireland which will create the 34th Dáil Éireann no later than February 2025.

Before that, in May 2024, voters in the 26 county bit of Ireland elect local authority councillors and members of the European Parliament.

All reliable opinion surveys suggest Sinn Féin will be the biggest party after the next Dáil general election, and that the current FFFGGG (Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Greens, Gombeens) coalition may stay in office.

The post here looks at relevant statistics :

Irish Elections Projections

Sinn Féin does not rule out coalition with the right-wing parties, and – once we ignore silly point-scoring – we can see that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens do not rule out coalition with Sinn Féin. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is explicit on this point :

Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin opens the door to coalition with Sinn Féin

The prospect of such a government should send shivers down the spine of any self-respecting supporter of the radical left in Ireland.

Fianna Fáil (FF) and Fine Gael (FG), two tweedledum and tweedledee capitalist parties, have controlled every government running the southern 26 county bit of partitioned Ireland since a 1921 Treaty was signed with the former occupying power, Britain. A carnival of reaction followed on both sides of the Irish border.

Faced with a false choice between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the only rational policy for the left was and is: no coalition, on principle, with any right-wing party. 

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Jan 4, 2024 at 5:48 pm

Posted in Anti War Movements, “A Carnival of Reaction” - James Connolly’s Warning About the Partition of Ireland, British Empire, British State (aka UK), Colm Breathnach, Direct Provision - Irish Gombeen State Racism, Drew Harris, Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, Roya; Ulster Constabulary and An Gárda Síochána, Dublin Governments, Dublin’s racist mobs hit the city centre, 23.11.23, FFFGGG Coalition, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Garda Síochána, Green Party, History of Ireland, Independent Left (Ireland), Ireland - Emigration and Immigration, Irish General Election February 8 2020, Leo Varadkar TD, Mary Lou McDonald TD, Media and State Misbehaviour, Micheál Martin TD, People Before Profit, Police Forces in Ireland, Police Misbehaviour, Racism, Racism, Raise The Roof, RISE, RUC/PSNI, Simon Harris TD, Sinn Féin, Social Democrats (Ireland), The Irish Times, Ukraine

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Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin opens the door to coalition with Sinn Féin

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Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said there would be “huge difficulties” with his party going into government with Sinn Féin, but did not rule out the possibility of such a coalition after the next election.

Irish Times December 26 2023

Fianna Fáil (FF) and Fine Gael (FG), two tweedledum and tweedledee capitalist parties, have controlled every government running the southern 26 county bit of partitioned Ireland since a 1921 Treaty was signed with the former occupying power, Britain. A carnival of reaction followed on both sides of the Irish border.

Faced with a false choice between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the only rational policy for the left was and is : no coalition, on principle, with any right-wing party. 

The need for this policy is explained in this interview with Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit, Dublin South-West) : To all of them we say: rule out coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – interview with Paul Murphy TD after the February 2020 Irish General Election

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Dec 26, 2023 at 9:11 pm

Posted in 1921 Treaty Partitioning Ireland, “A Carnival of Reaction” - James Connolly’s Warning About the Partition of Ireland, Britain, British Empire, Dublin Governments, FFFGGG Coalition, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Gombeens, Poltroons, Green Party, History of Ireland, Independent Left (Ireland), Ireland, Irish General Election February 8 2020, Irish Inter-Party Coalition Government 1948-51, Ivana Bacik TD, Labour Party Leader, Labour Party (Ireland), Left Wing Opponents of Neoliberalism, Left Wing Organisations, Leo Varadkar TD, Mary Lou McDonald TD, Micheál Martin TD, Mother and Child Scheme, Noël Browne, Seán MacBride, Clann na Poblachta, Opinion Polls, Paul Murphy TD Dublin South-West, People Before Profit, Racism, RISE, Sinn Féin, Special Criminal Court, Ireland, The Irish Times

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The comments of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald TD on Ukrainian refugees in Ireland are a mistake

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I note the statement by Mary Lou Mc Donald TD,leader of Sinn Fein with regards to her view that the position to grant special status to Ukrainians following the Russian invasion in 2022 was a mistake.

At the time her party supported the government position.  While party banners were not present, Mary Lou Mc Donald was present for protest outside the Russian Embassy in July to mark 18 months since the invasion. 

I think it unfortunate that the Sinn Fein leader has now expressed a sense of regret at the level  of support for Ukraine in Ireland. Sinn Féin and others have been loud in the support for Palestine rightly, but like so many have left their attention drift with regards to Ukraine.

Rather than reacting to the menacing activity of far right activity and call for a more robust policing and courts response to the fire attack at a hotel in Galway, the Sinn Fein leader’s comments will embolden the nativist elements.

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Dec 24, 2023 at 3:03 pm

Posted in Anti War Movements, Campism, Dublin Governments, Eastern Europe, European Union, Fortress Europe, Ireland, Left Evasionism, Migration in Europe, Racism

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Independent Left’s Useful Analysis of the February 2020 Irish General Election

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The author is Conor Kostick

independentleft.ie/dublin-bay-north-election-results/

In Dublin Bay North, as elsewhere, at first it seemed as though the socialist voice of the working class was going to also be swept away by the growth of the Sinn Féin vote. The Green vote too, might have been a challenge for socialists (although it was more of a challenge for Labour and other middle-ground and middle class parties). But as the counts went on, the transfers from Sinn Féin were strongly to the left, much more so than had been anticipated, although there were some losses to the presence of radical socialists in the Dáil and as activists with the advantages that being a TD brings to helping organise campaigns. We were sorry to see Ruth Coppinger and Séamus Healy lose their seats but delighted that after a difficult looking start, on the whole, the socialist left held their ground. In fact, we should have gained a seat in Dublin Bay North and at the expense of Seán Haughey of Fianna Fáil, who before the election had been a twenty-to-one favourite.

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 29, 2020 at 4:25 pm

Posted in Bureaucratically Deformed Trotskyist Parties, Dublin Governments, Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, Health Issues, Healthcare, Household Tax 2012, International Political Analysis, Ireland, Irish General Election February 8 2020, Labour Party (Ireland), Left Unity, Left Wing Organisations, People Before Profit

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Pearse Doherty TD Sinn Féin – A Lifer?

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Full marks to the Socialist Party irritant Mark P for winkling out important information –

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This came to our notice via a Cedar Lounge Revolution discussion :

“Pearse Doherty was unusually up front in expounding SF’s pro-life position on abortion:

Sinn Féin – Senator Pearse Doherty has given a written personal commitment to oppose any legislation that would make abortion available in Ireland and supports a law to protect the human embryo from deliberate destruction”

http://prolifecampaign.ie/?page_id=520

Note also the statement by independent left Thomas Pringle. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Dec 1, 2010 at 7:20 pm

Posted in Abortion, Ireland, Sinn Féin

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