By Robert Cosgrave
The Social Democrats met in Cork for their conference at the beginning of February. Much was made of building from the “Connolly coalition” of last year’s presidential election, with attention given to upcoming by-elections in Dublin Central and Galway West in May.
On the surface, things look positive for the now decade-old party. It has a solid base of electoral support, of a generally progressive character on the basis of being seen to say the right things on issues like housing (bolstered by the headhunting of well-known academic and commentator on housing, Rory Hearne, to replace Roisin Shortall in Dublin North-West at the last general election), anti-racism and the genocide in Palestine.
A poll of Trinity College students found them the most popular party, although Sinn Féin remains the most popular among young people generally. The Soc Dems have been able to avoid the fate of parties like Labour and the Green, who have propped up Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government at different points over the last decade and have paid the price electorally. Consequently, the Soc Dems have been able to rise in the polls and put on a left face. However, it must be noted that they have not ruled out going into coalition with right-wing, capitalist parties, and have stated that they are not opposed to it in principle.
More generally, far from putting forward a genuinely left-wing alternative to the status quo, they are travelling to the right.
Softening rhetoric
Speaking at their conference, party leader Holly Cairns made a point of appealing to Michéal Martin about the annual St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House. This was not an appeal that the cringe-inducing “tradition” of putting a bowl of shamrocks in the bloodied hands of the US president should be done away with and that they should stop kowtowing to US imperialism, rather it was an appeal that the Taoiseach should use the occasion to stand against bullies and for international law. This is not so different from the face-saving language the government parties themselves employ to justify these visits.
For anyone claiming to stand with the oppressed globally, there must be total opposition to what are effectively PR campaigns to whitewash the blood-soaked image of US imperialism, whose public support have taken a significant hit, particularly for its deplorable role in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. Whatever way you pitch it, to support these exercises is to facilitate the rehabilitation of this image.
This comes in the wake of the Eoin Hayes debacle, in which the Soc Dem TD was found to have stock in Palentir – a company deeply complicit in the Gaza genocide. Despite this, and a few months suspension from the parliamentary party, no serious disciplinary action was taken against him. Such an individual would have no place in a genuinely left-wing party, certainly not as a public representative.
Break with the rule of the system
The pull factor of imperialism has a real impact on Irish politics. The historic weakness of Irish capitalism means there is a huge reliance on multinational corporations from the main Western imperialist countries, particularly the US, fostering a subservient attitude among the Irish ruling class. The political and business elite ultimately have zero interest in challenging an arrangement, or the crimes of their imperial masters.
The Soc Dems have, in the main, signed up to this model of Irish capitalism, which offers major tax breaks to the super-rich, which inevitably comes at the expense of investment in public housing or services. As such, the Soc Dems’ economic programme, and its willingness to enter coalition, will only disappoint the working-class and young voters who support them.
For the left in Ireland, there are two choices: a serious conflict and rupture with the ruling class and the system they represent, or cohabitation with them – and betrayal of those voters who want a genuine alternative to the rotten status quo. All signs from the Soc Dems indicate a preference for the latter. At a time when consistent anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism are more urgent than ever, as US imperialism attempts to reassert its hegemony and the capitalist system is in deep crisis, we need to challenge both the ruling class, and those forces who offer only misdirection to the struggle against it.
