Politics

Government is ‘viciously pro-big business’, says AAA-PBP

Richard Boyd Barrett says it’s time for a new left-wing force can ‘transform Irish society’

TDs Bríd Smith and Ruth Coppinger at the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit think-in at the Hilton Hotel in Kilmainham, Dublin. “AAA-PBP will continue to challenge the neo-liberal agenda and rule of the 1 per cent,” the group said. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
TDs Bríd Smith and Ruth Coppinger at the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit think-in at the Hilton Hotel in Kilmainham, Dublin. “AAA-PBP will continue to challenge the neo-liberal agenda and rule of the 1 per cent,” the group said. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Fiach Kelly
Sat Sept 24 2016 - 01:00

An opportunity exists to create a new left-wing force that can "transform Irish society" in a similar manner to Jeremy Corbyn's rise to Labour leader in Britain, according to the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit group.

Yesterday, the AAA-PBP held its pre-Dáil term think-in in Dublin, where Richard Boyd Barrett said fighting for a major council house building programme will be among its priorities.

Mr Boyd Barrett, a PBP TD for Dún Laoghaire, said other goals will include supporting the Dublin Bus workers and "to fight for worker's rights against low pay, to stand up for women's rights, particularly the campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, and to fight for an urgent local authority house- building programme that will deal with the chronic housing emergency in this country".

“Those would be some of the key priorities for us over the next while,” he said. “But the overall message that we were discussing today is how there is an urgent necessity and a great opportunity to build a new, left political force that can transform Irish society, and will have, as its core principles, support for workers’ rights, support for women’s rights and for the oppressed and downtrodden in Irish society.”

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The AAA-PBP has six TDs in the Dáil and says it can take a lead from the rise of Mr Corbyn and the performance of Bernie Sanders in the US Democratic presidential primary.

A statement from the group said: "Ireland will not be exempt from these phenomena and among the parties and groups in the Dáil AAA-PBP clearly reflects this more than any other grouping.

“AAA-PBP will continue to challenge the neo-liberal agenda and rule of the 1 per cent and we look forward to the further growth of the left during this Dáil session.”

The group hopes to overtake the Labour Party, which has one more Dáil seat. The group also described the Government’s plan to hold a citizens assembly to consider the Eighth Amendment as a “charade”.

Social change

“Despite the charade of a citizens assembly, they face the growth of a hugely popular movement by women and young people for social change and repeal of the Eighth.”

Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger said today’s “Repeal the Eighth” march in Dublin city centre will be a strong signal that there is a big public demand for abortion rights.

It also described the Government as a “viciously pro-big business Government, but it is also a weak and ineffective one”.