The New Opposition

[rockofcashel]

Just thinking today about the FF/FG coalition, and was formulating some thoughts about the position of the Left in Irish politics (if there is one), and I got to thinking about what they could possibly do to break into the FF/FG dichotomy.

Then a curious idea struck me.

When the new Dail returns, there is a liklihood that it will return as a FF/PD/Indo combination.

This creates a problem for the smaller parties and Indo's outside the combo, as there are now not really enough seats to formulate a "Technical" group as was put together during the last Dail.

Enda Kenny will be the leader of the Opposition, and the rest will have to wait in turn to make any contributions.

I wonder then, is there any possibility of having a more effective Opposition, by Labour forming a "left of centre" Technical group, which would also include The Greens, Sinn Fein and the other Indo's that would be outside the Government fold.

This would give the Opposition two fronts on which to hold the Government to account, and would also give the electorate 5 years on which to judge the performance of the Alternative to FG, as an Alternative to FF.


At the end of the period, once again the people will decide on what they want, but such an arrangement might give the smaller parties a better platform on which to operate, rather than simply waiting in line for Enda to fight with Bertie or Brian Cowan

[Worldbystorm]

Just thinking today about the FF/FG coalition, and was formulating some thoughts about the position of the Left in Irish politics (if there is one), and I got to thinking about what they could possibly do to break into the FF/FG dichotomy.

Then a curious idea struck me.

When the new Dail returns, there is a liklihood that it will return as a FF/PD/Indo combination.

This creates a problem for the smaller parties and Indo's outside the combo, as there are now not really enough seats to formulate a "Technical" group as was put together during the last Dail.

Enda Kenny will be the leader of the Opposition, and the rest will have to wait in turn to make any contributions.

I wonder then, is there any possibility of having a more effective Opposition, by Labour forming a "left of centre" Technical group, which would also include The Greens, Sinn Fein and the other Indo's that would be outside the Government fold.

This would give the Opposition two fronts on which to hold the Government to account, and would also give the electorate 5 years on which to judge the performance of the Alternative to FG, as an Alternative to FF.


At the end of the period, once again the people will decide on what they want, but such an arrangement might give the smaller parties a better platform on which to operate, rather than simply waiting in line for Enda to fight with Bertie or Brian Cowan

Something like that will exist without Labour if the Greens don't go into alliance with FF and if Tony Gregory and Finian McGrath resist the blandishments of B. Ahern. Unfortunately it will only consist of the four SF, the six Greens and TG and FMcG. That's 12. It's not much really.

[NEW LABOUR]

it sounds like SF are grasping at straws here
The only real left wing party is Labour

[evercloserunion]

Labour aren't left wing.

[Worldbystorm]

it sounds like SF are grasping at straws here
The only real left wing party is Labour

Not entirely true, but even if it were it would be a foolish strategy not to attempt to reach out to democratic socialists and social democrats in other parties.

[Worldbystorm]

Although worth pointing out as well, that 12 TDs would be over half the representation of the Labour party. Even if we put the two combinations together that comes out at 32.

32 out of 166. Hardly a cause for celebration for the left, now is it...

[rockofcashel]

it sounds like SF are grasping at straws here
The only real left wing party is Labour

It's just a political discussion lads. Don't boil it down to we're more left wing than you are, after just three bloody posts.

Whether or not Labour are or aren't more left wing than SF/GRN's/SP is a moot point, so long as they hold FG's coat tails in electoral pacts or Dail speaking time.

Labour achieved their successes in 1992, because Dick Spring became the leader of the Opposition to FF, after FG capitulated with the Tallaght Strategy.

If a decent Left Alliance could establish itself in the Dail over the next five years, then it could have a much broader platform from which to get the "left" message out.

What have they got to lose ? After the next election, they can coalesce with FG if they so wish, and the numbers allow anyway.

[Dee Four]

I confused about the point of this exercise. If its about speaking rights, Labour already has those. Sinn Féin, the Green, and the independents will reform the Technical Group.

If its about co-ordinating efforts to attack the government, I think its a bad idea. The left isn't sitting under one umbrella party because of significant differences between the parties and personalities involved. Presenting a united front would be very difficult under such circumstances.

[jjcarroll]

What would Labour gain from this? All they would be doing is giving their rivals on 'the left' a platform ~ in the next Dáil when it meets, they are comfortably the third biggest party. Logically, they should be aiming to consolidate their existing 20 seats, and then looking to take a number of seats off FF, and to a lesser extent the Greens and SF. How would this strategy help them with that? Are the voters of Meath East going to give them a seat next time out, because the Labour party went into some Links arrangement?

[rockofcashel]

Although worth pointing out as well, that 12 TDs would be over half the representation of the Labour party. Even if we put the two combinations together that comes out at 32.

32 out of 166. Hardly a cause for celebration for the left, now is it...

It's not WBS, but we're going nowhere the way we are right now. Some sort of imaginative thinking is needed