In the recent general election in the 26 counties a number of interesting patterns were apparent.
The first and most obvious was that of an unbroken tradition going back 20 years - the defeat of the governing coalition. The fact that on each occasion working class voters have taken their revenge is a stark comment on claims that the southern state is a "Celtic tiger".
There was also a clear dismissal in advarice of the programme of the new Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat coalition. The junior partners, advocates of a program of deregulation and privatisation, won only four seats. The new administration is relying on the votes of independents.
Above all there was the classic situation of the left paying for the programme of the last coalition. This was such a successful programme for capitalism that the right-wing Fine Gael party actually increased its vote while the Labour party vote halved.
The need for self-organisation of the working class was thus posed heN.
It expressed itself in a turning away from the major parties and an increased vote for smaller parties and the independents. The inability of the Greens to tap into this was expressed in their call for water metering - a cost that would fall on the working class.
Sinn Fein stood as a junior version of the bourgeois nationalist Fianna Fail - and immediately voted for a Fianna Fail government.
Two parties of the far left stood. The Socialist Workers Party ran a standard recruiting campaign of little electoral significance. The Socialist Party, formerly Militant Labour, established a significant electoral base in Dublin Two losers exchange notes: Irish Labour leader Dick Spring with Tory N. Ireland Secretary Mayhew and Joe Higgins was elected to the Dail. They have built up their base with local campaigns rather than addressing the major question of a workers' party.
They must now be pressed on this and on their reactionary positions on the national question.
The construction of a genuine party of the working class rests on opposition to the present Labour policies of political coalition with capitalism and to industrial collaboration through "partnership" agreements. (John McNulty is a member of Socialist Democracy, Irish section of the Fourth International).