Left Archive: FOCUS from the Workers’ Party, 1991 March 24, 2014
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Left Online Document Archive, The Workers' Party.trackback
To download the above file please click on the following link: WP FOCUS 91
This document, Focus, the Internal Bulletin of the Workers’ Party, dates from 1991 and is of particular interest because it predates the split in that party by a relatively short period. Focus replaced the previous party bulletin “News & Views”.
It is also of interest because this edition covers the then recent local elections where the Workers’ Party took 7 new council seats. These included new seats on Meath and Waterford County Councils, Jimmy Homan taking a third seat for the party on Cork Corporation and a further three on Dublin City Council. Overall the party took 24 seats.
However as the document notes in its introductory piece on the elections, ‘the party made a number of gains, but a number of disappointments tended to sour the election outcome. In particular the losing of seats in Dublin City and Galway. Despite the good opinion polls and impressive canvass returns, the party did not take additional seats in Dublin City, although Jim Allen came very clseo on his first outing Rathmines, Niall Behan standing in Howth, with marian White standing in Blackrock were similarly close to taking seats.
It also notes:
In Waterford City the party share of the vote was 22%, the highest of any party in the City, which ensure the that party held its three seats.
And it concludes that:
The local elections confirmed that the WP is here to stay and continues to gather support and grow. Growth for the party can only come through hard work and diligent cultivation of the people.
Other pieces of interest in the document include one’s on the ‘new party logo’, an article on the ‘vicious journalistic attack’ by the BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight programme on the Workers’ Party and included is the text of the party’s response to programme, articles on WP Youth, Northern Ireland Conference and the platform of the Left Unity group in the European Parliament.
There’s also an advertisement for a ‘new General Secretary’ of the party to replace Sean Garland.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
That “spotlight ” programme did them immense damage ,especially in the North.
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It did indeed. In the south too. It was the first De Rossa or any of the future DL leadership ever heard of any iffy activity by a subset of party members. Ever.
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I ccan’t open that file from where I am. But you said an advertisement for a new General Secretary? I would have thought the Gen Sec was appointed by the Ard Chomhairle from within its own ranks but were the Party saying it was open to anyone to apply? Or any member?
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