Where to next for the Left after Connolly’s presidential victory? - Kilkenny Live

Two weeks ago, on Saturday evening, a group of activists and canvassers met in a pub on John Street in Kilkenny City to celebrate the local and national success in the recent presidential election, which saw Catherine Connolly elected as the tenth Uactarán na hÉireann.

There were members of the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, People before Profit, Sinn Féin, Green and Independent left-wing activists and we celebrated a major victory over the traditional parties of the centre-right in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who have dominated our political culture in the century since the state was founded.

For me, as a Labour activist, this marked our third person, over four terms as Michael D Higgins was elected twice of course, who we have nominated and helped to elect, since 1990. Then Labour Party leader, Dick Spring, a man whose role in our Peace Process and in transforming Irish society are all too often forgotten, chose Mary Robinson and a phenomenal campaign, on which I worked for six months, made history.
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She was our first female president, brought home by Mná na hÉireann in what was a huge shock to the political status quo.
She was also the first non-Fianna Fáil nominee ever elected. We united the left then in Dáil Éireann as the then Workers Party, later to become Democratic Left and later again, merging with the Labour Party supported Mary’s candidacy.

We all know the international work she has proudly carried on since then. The year 2007 saw our candidate Adi Roche fight a gallant battle against Mary McAleese and lose to a much admired Uachtarán, but we returned in style in 2011, when our outgoing President Higgins was elected in a crowded and controversial field. We repeated the feat in 2018 and Michael D’s presidency has been hugely praised.

This year saw the Labour Party support Independent left-wing candidate, Catherine Connolly, who also secured the support of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit and later in the campaign, that of the Green Party and Sinn Féin. Like the Marriage Equality, Repeal and other campaigns in recent decades, we were also joined by thousands of people belonging to no party and from campaigns like those in solidarity with Gaza. It is this unity of the left which has been the real game-changer and now presents challenges as to where we go next.

Uniting parties of the left is never easy. Some of the groupings grew out of splits from the Labour Party, the oldest party of the left in the state. Others are members of groups who were involved in violent political action against ministers and representatives who served in Government, during what many of us believe were the wasted years of the Northern Ireland conflict.

Many of us have said things about each other that we might now take back. That makes achieving more unity and even co-operation a challenge for many.

In the same month of the passing of Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, however, we must remember the goals we share. The scandal of homelessness, with over 16,000 people, including 5,200 children living in emergency accommodation, the creaking health system with inordinate delays and discrimination against those without private healthcare, the continuing crippling poverty and cost of living crises for so many and now the emerging divisions being sown by our Government’s chaotic handling of issues around migration mean that our values must be secured.

This may begin with discussing transfers of votes between us. It has become clear that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voters are moving closer together and removing them from office will require us to do the same.

Left co-operation happened in France in the 1980s and can happen here. Ireland is unique in Europe in never having had a left-led government.

We need to be open to the challenges in making it happen in the second century of our State.
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