Take Labour

national | politics / elections | news report Thursday November 26, 2020 17:43 by Cascarino's Sock

May Day!

In 1912 James Connolly proposed the motion to form a political wing of the Labour movement at the Irish Transport and General Workers Union annual conference. Two years before this he had stated his firm belief that the Irish free themselves when they realise ‘the truth that the capitalist system is the most foreign thing in Ireland.’ Every time Labour has entered government with a civil war party, they have both compromised and neglected these ideals.

In 1912 James Connolly proposed the motion to form a political wing of the Labour movement at the Irish Transport and General Workers Union annual conference. Two years before this he had stated his firm belief that the Irish free themselves when they realise ‘the truth that the capitalist system is the most foreign thing in Ireland.’ Every time Labour has entered government with a civil war party, they have both compromised and neglected these ideals.

Consequently, the Labour Party now find itself at its lowest ebb historically, both electorally and ideologically but also in terms of attractiveness to young people, who have looked elsewhere for democratic socialism.

With this at the front of our minds, we strike forward, a committed group of activists both old and new with their eyes firmly fixed on delivering a democratic socialist future for Ireland.

Mayday will introduce socialist policy and discussion from within the Labour Party. It will also work with others from outside the party.

It will support and campaign for those candidates who share our values and it will challenge and hold to account elected Labour representatives who deviate from them.

Parties like Labour, and its sister parties across Europe, bought the lie of a ‘third way’ as social democracy quickly ran out of ideas. Which meant we weren’t well enough equipped when it came to resisting austerity. However, contemporary politics is now alive with new ideas around improving the lives of workers’ and tackling inequality. We want to make sure our party is at the forefront of these policy debates and implementation.

Mayday has been declared and it is a chance for us to cease control of the Labour Party for working people.