Sir, – There are some obstacles to unity among “parties of the left”.
Sinn Féin (and People Before Profit) belong to that lesser-spotted subspecies, SAPT, or socialists against property tax, a variant found only on this island. Labour and Social Democrats, on the other hand, see property tax as a fair and useful system, and moreover one with the beneficial effect of moderating the national mania whereby we view our homes as investment vehicles.
The divide on the environment is equally stark. Having voted in Europe against the Nature Restoration Law, Sinn Féin promised to abandon a carbon tax if elected.
By contrast, the Social Democrats and Labour both have solid positions on responding to the challenge of climate change.
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Throw into the mix the contrasting governance styles, and proper socialists would do well to reject Sinn Féin overtures. But they don’t need me to tell them that. – Yours, etc,
DENIS HEALY,
Salthill,
Galway.
Sir, – Could Sinn Féin please quit the play-acting, get ready for another spell in opposition and resolve to build a viable left alternative during that time? – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny City.
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole admonishes the electorate for returning to power parties that have failed to deliver transformative change (“Irish voters keep doing the same things and expecting different results”, Opinion & Analysis, December 2nd). His argument reheats the old Marxist argument of false consciousness, where the public is so detached from material reality, that it acts (and votes) against its own interests. However, voters can only vote for what is put in front of them, and there was only one dish on the menu in the recent general election: they were not presented with an alternative government. Let’s hope the left offers this next time. Failing that, and faced with the permanent hegemony of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael following the next general election, O’Toole may well have to resort to Bertolt Brecht’s suggestion in his famous poem “The Solution” to dissolve the people and elect another. – Yours, etc,
EVE BROPHY,
Dublin 8.
A chara, – Margaret Lee (Letters, December 5th) is one of many commentators and letter-writers to argue that left-leaning parties should be willing to go into government and make hard choices.
What are these hard choices? Does it mean that the Social Democrats, for example, should abandon the criticisms they made of the Government’s housing policy and make the hard choice of enjoying the perks of office and accompanying pensions instead?
Alternatively, should Fianna Fáil abandon its disastrous housing policy and negotiate with Sinn Féin to implement that party’s housing programme? Now that would be a hard choice. But in this discussion hard choices are always to be made by the left through abandoning their principles and supporting policies they have a mandate to oppose.
No wonder people are cynical about politics. – Is mise,
EOIN Ó MURCHÚ,
Baile Átha Cliath 22.
Sir, – There is a sense of “as we were” about the election outcome, not just in terms of the results but also in the context of the subsequent positioning from the key party leaders.
Mary Lou McDonald is, once again, heralding the people’s clamour for change, notwithstanding the reduction in Sinn Féin’s vote share and the continued significant support for the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael alliance as evidenced by first-preference votes and inter-party transfers. This likely outcome has been apparent for some time and yet, in the several years since the last election, Sinn Féin did nothing to help create a left bloc capable of presenting to the electorate a coherent alternative for government. It is difficult to reach any conclusion other than that Sinn Féin has a continuing preference for sniping from the sidelines as opposed to actually taking power and delivering the change it constantly references.
It is unfortunate, as a result, that a coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael with some Independents is now very likely. This will presumably offer a local dividend for those communities whose Independent TDs feature in the mix but is unlikely to deliver anything substantial by way of new thinking within Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Some centre-left input to the next government is needed but it seems unlikely now that the increased vote share for Labour and Social Democrats will have a representative voice in the new coalition make-up.
This is unfortunate and will likely give rise to increased levels of future social unrest in the event that the anticipated new coalition fails to recognise the need for both faster and meaningful execution on the core challenges of housing and childcare affecting the younger demographic within Irish society. – Yours, etc,
GERRY PRIZEMAN,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – While neither Labour or the Social Democrats are, post election, in a “state of chassis”, there is every reason to believe that they will finish in a state of stasis for the foreseeable future. Neither wants to enter government without the other in case they are accused of “selling out” and end up like the Greens. With 11 seats each, both will be looking carefully at every move the other makes to ensure they don’t miss a trick. A merger of the two parties is surely the most logical solution to end the stasis? – Yours, etc,
J FLYNN,
Dublin 16.