Socialist Party (Ireland)

The Socialist Party (SP, Irish: Páirtí Sóisialach ) is an active political party of the Republic of Ireland and was from 1997 to 2007 Ireland's only Marxist and socialist organization with seats in the lower house. Since the European elections of 2009, she is represented with one seat in the European Parliament. The party is part of the Trotskyist Committee for a Workers' International ( KAI / CWI ), its German sister organization, the Socialist Alternative (SAV ).

The Socialist Party should not be confused with the ( independent ) parties Irish Republican Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party.

History

Before the party in 1996 received its current name, many members was part of the Militant Tendency organizations Irish and Irish Militant Labour (both followers of the above committees). Like many of these organizations practiced the first of the two to the 1980s, the principle of entrism within the Labour Party. Subsequently, many members were expelled from the Labour Party in the early 1990s and founded an independent organization called the Militant Labour.

The Socialist Party is represented in both the Republic and Northern Ireland and publishes a monthly newspaper called The Socialist (formerly Socialist Voice, The Voice and Militant ) and the irregularly published journal Socialist View ( formerly Socialism 2000). Furthermore, there is the internet magazine International Socialist Voice as well as the occasional newsletter Dublin Fingal Socialist.

Through campaigning, the party had created a certain voter base, so that Joe Higgins was able to reach in the 1997 election a seat in the lower house and 4 other members in working-class areas of Dublin and Cork a seat at the local level. In Northern Ireland, it was difficult to gain a foothold of the party, but you managed to build up a certain presence within the trade unions.

The won seats in the lower house of Joe Higgins was the Socialist Party also defend at the 2002 election and failed with Clare Daly narrowly on another seat in the elections at the local level in 2004 made ​​it the party to reach 2 more seats: Mick Murphy in a district in Tallaght and Mick Barry in a Corker district. In the European elections in the same year Joe Higgins reached 23,200 votes (5.5%), thus doubled his previous results, but could not reach a seat. In the European elections in 2009 Joe Higgins was achieved with 50,500 votes ( 12.4 %) of the representation in the European Parliament. In the elections of 2011 she succeeded with 2 seats of the way into the Dáil Éireann.

Extra-parliamentary activities

The Socialist Party is very active in the union movement and promotes more militant actions to protect the rights of workers to improve and protect. Members of the party are represented in various senior positions within the unions - within the CPSU (Civil and Public Service Union) and NIPSA (Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance), the party even the president.

Also in various campaigns, the party is involved - for example against the controversial sewage fee in Dublin mid-1990s, a drop fee and in Northern Ireland a further waste fee. At international level, party fought against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the occupation of Palestine; domestically against fascism, racism, low wages, and religious discrimination. Furthermore, the party is considered a " lawyer " and supporters of workers, women, ethnic minorities and homosexuals.

In the fall of 2003, the Socialist Party was represented in all the Irish media, as both Joe Higgins and Clare Daly were sentenced to one month in prison, which they spent in Mountjoy Prison, because they did not comply with an injunction from the High Court against the obstruction of garbage truck. These actions were part of the campaign against the garbage fees. Other party members (along with members of other political parties and other activists ) has been convicted of similar offenses in this context.

In 2005, the Socialist Party was (and in particular Joe Higgins) mainly responsible for uncovering the fact that immigrated Turkish construction workers working for a Turkish (multinational ) company in Irish government construction projects. The workers only received a wage of EUR 3 per hour (which was less than half the minimum wage in Ireland) and was forced to work hours up to 80 hours a week. This discovery of the Socialist Party led to the first major strike of foreign guest workers in Ireland and the discovery of Dutch bank accounts with millions amounts to the names of the workers. The strike ended with an absolute victory, and the workers received tens of thousands of euro payments. For the party meant this development and the large press presence for months, enjoying tremendous support for the trade union SIPTU ( Services, Industrial Professional Technical Union), in which the workers were members, however, a severe loss.

With the Socialist Youth, the party also has its own youth wing, which is represented in most of the cities in which the Socialist Party has offices.

Both Socialist Youth and the Socialist Party aim to have the economic power is taken out of the hands of bankers, shareholders and business leaders and, where the working class. The party stands for state ownership and socialist planned economy in key economic issues. With regard to Northern Ireland, the party represents a more radical approach than the current status quo. The working classes themselves should unite and form a united socialist Ireland, which should be part of an international socialist federation across borders.