The “Marxists and Maoists” of the Labour Party. Surely not. May 7, 2014
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Politics.trackback
What’s this, the latest news from the Green Party and their leader and Dublin candidate Eamon Ryan?
Labour was “completely fixated with privatisation” and had made a remarkable journey from its “Marxist and Maoist” principles, he said.
Uh-huh? “Marxist and Maoist” principles? The Irish Labour Party? That can’t be right. But do go on…
Mr Ryan, who was a senior member of the last government, said he had anticipated Labour would win the 2011 general election and block the divestment of energy assets
And…
The Green Party signed the troika agreement on the potential sale of State assets because it expected the Labour Party would not follow through with privatisation, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said.
Right.
Still, interesting that that would be said. Perhaps an indication that public sentiment is against such privatisations and sales of public assets – and/or a bid to try to recapture some of the soft centre left and left ground the GP abandoned in the 2007 period onwards.
On a more serious note… From the Irish Times:
The Data Protection Commissioner has ruled that Minsiter [sic] for Justice Alan Shatter broke the law by revealing on live television that gardai had cautioned independent TD Mick Wallace for using his mobile phone while driving.
Never! Not that it seems to make any difference for the wagons are circling yet again about this most embattled of Ministers.
However, public declarations of support from Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore mean that the Minister’s position is not under immediate threat.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
John Gormley on water privatisation in 2012: http://www.villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2012/09/establishing-irish-water-heralds-its-privatisation/
I have to admit ‘agreeing to something on the assumption that the Labour party would later overturn it’ seems a rather dubious political stratagem.
“the soft centre left and left ground the GP abandoned in the 2007 period onwards.” More to the point perhaps, the ‘soft left’ part of the electorate abandoned them (whether for just cause or no). So the question of who do they vote for now also implies the question of how ‘soft left’ policies/promises can be delivered upon, even given in good faith – meanwhile the ‘hard’ (to match your phrase), or further, left makes promises it has no capacity or, in electoral terms, intention to deliver on (does anyone outside the SP really think they’re going to ‘stop the water tax’?). I mean the obvious answer is that those are systemic constraints that need a broader left movement to overcome, which isn’t the argument that wins elections.
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Worst . . . political . . . excuse . . . ever.
Ryan is so despicably dishonest he makes Colm Keaveney look like Mandela.
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I’d say self-satisfaction and self-deception would trump dishonesty in this case, I suspect.
I’m sure he, like B.liar, believes his own propaganda.
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James Connolly was a Marxist…but where on earth is the “Maoist” bit coming from!?
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“Vote Ryan – You can invite him to a dinner party without fear of him embarrassing anybody.”
It’s the essence of his appeal.
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He has gone far; he’ll go further. No better qualification for Irish political life.
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FG Minister of the Environment – why not?
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As far as I’m aware, the main interaction between the Irish Labour Party and Maoism came when their anti-semitic Limerick TD Stevie Coughlan incited a mob to attack the local Maoist book-shop. Unless he’s thinking of the current members of the parliamentary party who used to be in the Democratic Socialist Party (at least two, I think), who I suppose could be said to have some passing connection with BICO. But I think that would be to credit Ryan with a knowledge of political history and ideology that I’m sure has never troubled his little head.
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I’m told that the UCG Republican Club – which nurtured the current Labour leadership – was formed c.1970 by a recent ‘Internationalists’ at the sameUniversity
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