This article by Eoin Ó Murchú is published in Unity, the weekly publication of the Irish Communist Party.
Sinn Féin’s electoral setback in the South’s local and European elections is a setback not just for that party but for all those who want progressive change in Ireland and an end to the total domination over our lives of the capitalist parties.
While the Irish Communist Party has been rightly critical of Sinn Féin’s about turn on the issue of the European Union and a certain ambiguity about how deeply its call for change affects the economic policies of the state, the elections saw a cementing of the dominant position of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, the two parties that speak for open market capitalism.
If replicated in a general election this would mean another five years of the failed policies of this government, policies that have failed to meet the housing needs of our citizens, while they have lined the pockets of developers, landlords and financiers, native and foreign.
The health crisis will continue to be left unresolved, while economic policies will continue to serve the needs of the richest at the expense of the poorest.
Sinn Féin itself has said that it will undertake an internal discussion on why and how it lost its connection to its core voters, the working class. But, at first sight, it seems that there are two factors.
Firstly, Sinn Féin was the focus of the attacks of the openly racist and far right independents and agitational organisations. The parties actually responsible for housing and immigration policy, which is supposed to have generated the anger of the racists. Are the parties of government, but the venom of the far right was not directed at them but at Sinn Féin.
As Mary Lou McDonald ironically remarked, some voters seemed to think that Sinn Féin was in government and thus responsible for the failure of government policy.
This, of course, has always been the way of fascist and racist parties. In Germany in the thirties the major industrialists were happy to finance the Nazis because Hitler and his crew were out to smash the communists and any genuine worker representation.
Equally the racists in Ireland openly attack those who stand for any sort of challenge to the existing system.
They call themselves patriots, but have no problem associating with the worst imperialist elements of English society, with the Irish Freedom Party – so called – actually proposes that Ireland should leave the EU and rejoin the British state.
A reverse of Sinn Féin’s position that wants to leave the British state but subordinate Ireland to the EU and the very same exploitive capitalist forces that are behind the “European Project”.
In the second place, the fact is that Sinn Féin, while not exactly tailoring its policies to the demands of big business, was too prepared to tone down its position in the hope of avoiding criticism in the capitalist media.
Pearse Doherty’s recent reassurance to Davy Stockbrokers that Sinn Féin is no cause of concern to Irish business interests did nothing to reassure Irish workers that “change” actually meant change.
For example, in relation to the recent referendums, Sinn Féin from the off pointed out that the proposed wording was ambiguous and inappropriate, but, nevertheless, urged a YES vote for wording it knew was flawed.
It seems it was afraid to be out of step with Establishment Liberalism.
And when the voters rejected the referendums, Sinn Féin was left scrabbling to extricate itself from a mess it had helped to create.
All of this, the u-turns, the ambiguity about the EU and economic policy in general, caused doubts about the genuineness of SF’s stance on its declared policies.
After all, workers had experience of the Labour Party which, when in opposition, spoke in blood curdling terms of the need for change, but, when in office, betrayed everything that it said it stood for.
We’ll see what comes of Sinn Féin’s examination of the electoral setback, but it needs to go back to basic principles, to stop playing to the gallery of the capitalist media, and to put forward unashamedly and uncompromisingly what it actually stands for.
Sinn Féin remains a central and vital part of the current resistance to capitalism in Ireland, and the working class movement – political parties, trade unions, community associations – needs to challenge the party on the points which have led it down the path of compromise on its principles.
Interesting There was a lot of talk from the Liberal establishment that racism was showing itself in working class areas in Ireland. An attitude of “oh” that’s the same place the shinners come from.
Sinn fein will become irrelevant within Irish politics if it doesn’t go back to its core values ofIrish Nationalism and a more left wing approach too social issues. It also needs to be more vocal about the E U and Washington support for Israel and Ukraine. There is a massive ground swell of the Irish electred who would appreciate and support Sinn fein if they where to be more critical towards the American government and its allies support for Israel genocidal behaviour,Sinn fein should recognise Hamas immediately as the legitimate government of Palestine and cut their ties with the west bank party Fatah. This would go a long way in restoreing there Left wing credentials . There would of course be a very unfavourable reaction Washington and its allies and there right wing associates in the media would become very hostile ,and sinn fein would lose a lot of political capital they gained from concenses politics. They could decide to do nothing carrying on regardless and all while hemorrhageing electrol support if they choose the latter they will become irrelevant. The middle ground in Irish politics is been occupied by the Greens Labour and independent parties. They also need to stop trying to get Rte and the establishment to like them that’s not going to happen because the media has an ingrined hatered towards them and its not going to change Sinn fein should state that they will not go into government with ider F f or F g.