Militant Tendency (Ireland)
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The Socialist Party () is a political party in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, active in both the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. Internationally, it was affiliated to the
Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...
International Socialist Alternative International Socialist Alternative (ISA) is an international association of Trotskyist political parties. ISA was founded by sections on one side of a split in the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI). History In 2018 and 2019, a di ...
(previously the Committee for a Workers International) until 2024. The party has been involved in various
populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
campaigns including the
Anti-Bin Tax Campaign The Anti-Bin Tax Campaign opposed the introduction of bin charges (garbage-collection fees) by local authorities in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The campaign centred largely in city areas, in particular Dublin. It was locally based with some co-o ...
and the
Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes The Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes (CAHWT) was a group opposed to the introduction of property and water charges in Ireland. It called for the boycott to be used to this effect. The campaign launched on 22 December 2011. It had a national pr ...
. Members of the party were jailed for their part in the former, while members have been arrested for their role in the latter. It had a seat in the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
from 2009 to 2014. In 2015, the party received state funding of €132,000. From 2014, the party's election candidates in the Republic did not stand for election directly on the Socialist Party platform, but have instead run as candidates of the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), now
Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
, which was a registered party in its own right between 2014 and 2015 and which continues to contest elections as part of People Before Profit–Solidarity (PBP–S). Socialist Party members
Ruth Coppinger Ruth Coppinger (born 18 April 1967) is an Irish politician and member of the Socialist Party, and Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency. She was first elected in 2014, was re-elected in 2016 general election, as a candidate for ...
, Mick Barry and former member Paul Murphy, were elected in this way as TDs in the 32nd Dáil. Similarly, in 2016 the Socialist Party in Northern Ireland instead fielded candidates in the Cross-Community Labour Alternative. In 2022, however, the party ran once again in the North as the Socialist Party.


History

The party was formed by former members of the Labour Party, collectively known as the Militant Tendency, who were expelled in 1989 having been accused of Trotskyist
entryism Entryism (also called entrism, enterism, infiltration, a French Turn, boring from within, or boring-from-within) is a political strategy in which an organization or state encourages its members or supporters to join another, usually larger, organiz ...
. The Irish Militant Tendency was aligned with
Militant tendency The Militant tendency, or Militant, was a Trotskyist group in the British Labour Party, organised around the ''Militant'' newspaper, which launched in 1964. In 1975, there was widespread press coverage of a Labour Party report on the infiltrat ...
in Britain, with both groups having been founding members of the Committee for a Workers International in 1974. After its expulsion from Labour, they formed Militant Labour, which became the Socialist Party in 1996.


Foundation and Split from the Labour Party

Militant Tendency in Ireland began in 1969 when Paul Jones, an Irish student who had joined Militant in Britain while he was a student in London, returned to
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
and began organising there, and also held meetings in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. Peter Hadden, had similarly joined Militant when attending
Sussex University The University of Sussex is a public research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the South Downs National Park, and provide ...
in England and upon returning to Northern Ireland in 1971, began organising Militant there. The group grew on both sides of the border and practiced
entrism Entryism (also called entrism, enterism, infiltration, a French Turn, boring from within, or boring-from-within) is a political strategy in which an organization or state encourages its members or supporters to join another, usually larger, organiz ...
in both the
Northern Ireland Labour Party The Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) was a political party in Northern Ireland which operated from 1924 until 1987. Origins The roots of the NILP can be traced back to the formation of the Belfast Labour Party in 1892. Previously, in 1885 ...
and the Labour Party in the Republic of Ireland. In 1977, they were expelled from the NILP and formed the Labour and Trade Union Group to contest elections in the north.Niall Mulholland,
Peter Hadden - an inspiring life for socialism
,
Committee for a Workers' International The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI; , or CIT; or CIO) was an Political international, international association of Trotskyism, Trotskyist political parties and organisations. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the C ...
, 20 May 2010
The party was formally founded in the south in 1972 as a tendency within the Irish Labour Party, grouped around the newsletter ''Militant Irish Monthly''. The tendency organised within the Labour Party throughout the 1970s and 1980s, attempting to win the party towards socialism, and briefly controlled
Labour Youth Labour Youth is the youth wing of the Labour Party of Ireland. Membership is open to those aged from 16 to 30 years old. History 1979–2000 Labour Youth succeeded the Young Labour League as a full section of the Labour Party in 1979, unde ...
from 1983 to 1986. People associated with it include Dermot Connolly,
Clare Daly Clare Daly (born 16 April 1968) is an Irish politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency from July 2019 to July 2024. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, affiliated to The Left in ...
, Finn Geaney, Joe Higgins and John Throne. In the late 1980s, a number of known members were expelled from Labour. In 1989 they established an independent party, adopting the title Militant Labour—also used by other sections of the Committee for a Workers' International at the time. In 1996 the party merged fully with the Labour and Trade Union Group of Northern Ireland and changed its name to the Socialist Party. The Socialist Party has built some electoral support in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. It found it harder to gain an electoral foothold in Northern Ireland, but it has maintained a minor presence in the trade union movement there, as well as a youth wing.


1996–2002 (27th and 28th Dáil)

Militant Labour was renamed the Socialist Party in 1996, and came to wider attention among the general public when Joe Higgins polled just 252 votes behind victor
Brian Lenihan Jnr Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law ...
in the Dublin-West by-election of that same year. In the general election of the following year, Higgins was elected to
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
for the first time.


2002–2007 (29th Dáil)

At the 2002 general election, Joe Higgins retained his Dublin West seat in Dáil Éireann.
Clare Daly Clare Daly (born 16 April 1968) is an Irish politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency from July 2019 to July 2024. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, affiliated to The Left in ...
narrowly missed out on gaining a second seat for the party in the Dublin North constituency. The
Anti-Bin Tax Campaign The Anti-Bin Tax Campaign opposed the introduction of bin charges (garbage-collection fees) by local authorities in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The campaign centred largely in city areas, in particular Dublin. It was locally based with some co-o ...
came about at this time. On 19 September 2003, Higgins and Daly were sent to
Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison (), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Ray Murtagh. History Mountjoy was designed by Cap ...
for a month after refusing to abide by a High Court
injunction An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...
relating to the blockading of bin lorries. At the 2004 local elections, the Socialist Party gained two council seats, with Mick Murphy being elected to
South Dublin County Council South Dublin County Council () is the local authority of the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 to succeed the former Dublin County Council before its abolitio ...
and Mick Barry being elected to
Cork City Council Cork City Council () is the local authority of the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Before 1 January 2002, the council was known as Cork Corporation. The council is responsible for ho ...
. The party also retained their two previous seats (held by Daly and
Ruth Coppinger Ruth Coppinger (born 18 April 1967) is an Irish politician and member of the Socialist Party, and Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency. She was first elected in 2014, was re-elected in 2016 general election, as a candidate for ...
) on
Fingal County Council Fingal County Council () is the local authority of the county of Fingal, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on abolition on 1 January 1994 and is one of four local authorities in County ...
. At the European election held on the same day, Joe Higgins received 23,218 (5.5%) votes in the Dublin constituency, but did not win a seat. Councillor Mick Murphy was responsible for bringing the GAMA construction scandal to light in October 2004. This involved a group of Turkish workers being brought to Ireland by GAMA, a Turkish construction company. They were illegally underpaid and forced to work hours in breach of the EU Working Time Directive. Murphy discovered the workers living on the building site where they were employed. After contacting the local council, GAMA and trade union officials and remaining unenlightened, Murphy wrote a leaflet in English, had it translated into Turkish "mainly to say that we had no problem with them being here, and saying what GAMA had said", then threw it over the hoarding surrounding the site. Murphy brought it to the attention of his party colleague Joe Higgins, who was then a TD for Dublin West, and Higgins raised the matter in
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
on 8 February 2005, bringing public awareness to the workers' plight. The exploitation included migrant Turkish construction workers being employed on state projects, being paid as little as €2.20 an hour (the minimum wage in Ireland was €7.00) while being forced to work up to 80 hours per week. This led to a strike by immigrant workers in Ireland. The exploited workers each won tens of thousand of euro worth of unpaid wages and overtime.


2007–2011 (30th Dáil)

At the 2007 general election, Joe Higgins lost his Dublin West seat and the Socialist Party was left without a TD for the first time since 1997. The Party campaigned for a "no" vote the
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
referendums on the
Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...
. At the 2009 European and
local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
elections, Joe Higgins won a seat in the Dublin constituency with 50,510 (12.4%) first preference votes, as well as gaining a seat in the Castleknock
local electoral area A local electoral area (LEA; ) is an electoral area for elections to Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authorities in Ireland. All elections in the Republic of Ireland, elections use the single transferable vote. Republic of Ir ...
of
Fingal County Council Fingal County Council () is the local authority of the county of Fingal, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on abolition on 1 January 1994 and is one of four local authorities in County ...
. The party held its seats on Fingal County and
Cork City Council Cork City Council () is the local authority of the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Before 1 January 2002, the council was known as Cork Corporation. The council is responsible for ho ...
(Ruth Coppinger and Mick Barry respectively), while gaining one seat each on
Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , ) is a suburban coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland. It is approximately 34 km north of the city of Dublin, for which it is a commuter town. The 2022 census population was 24,322 for Bal ...
Town Council and Drogheda Borough Council. However, the party lost Mick Murphy, its only councillor on
South Dublin County Council South Dublin County Council () is the local authority of the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 to succeed the former Dublin County Council before its abolitio ...
.


2011–2016 (31st Dáil)

At the 2011 general election the Socialist Party returned two TDs to Dáil Éireann: Clare Daly was elected for the Dublin North constituency, while Joe Higgins regained his seat in Dublin West. The Socialist Party contested this election as part of the
United Left Alliance The United Left Alliance (, ULA) was an electoral alliance of left-wing political parties and independent politicians in the Republic of Ireland, formed to contest the 2011 general election. The grouping originally consisted of three existing ...
(ULA), an alliance of far-left parties which included both
People Before Profit People Before Profit (, PBP) is a Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. The party is active in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. History As Socialist Environmental Alliance People Before Profit was established in 200 ...
(PBP) and Workers and Unemployed Action Group (WUAG), as well as independent activists. The Alliance won five seats in the national parliament. Higgins resigned his European Parliament seat, and Paul Murphy was selected by the party to replace him. Following the death of
Brian Lenihan Jnr Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law ...
, the Socialist Party contested the 2011 Dublin West by-election, with its candidate Ruth Coppinger coming in third. The Socialist Party also called for a referendum on the December 2011 EU deal, which it opposed. In 2012, legal advice was sought when it emerged that the expenses given to Higgins and Daly as TDs may have been used for travel outside their constituencies and journeys to the Dáil. Public expenditure minister
Brendan Howlin Brendan Howlin (born 9 May 1956) is an Irish former Labour Party (Ireland), Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland), Leader of the Labour Party from 2016 to 2020, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Devel ...
subsequently confirmed that TDs were, in fact, entitled to claim expenses for travel outside their constituencies and that Daly and Higgins were guilty of no wrongdoing. The Socialist Party and ULA said the story was a "manufactured controversy", part of a "vindictive smear campaign by
Independent Newspapers Independent Newspapers Limited (INL) was a newspaper publisher in New Zealand. Started as the Wellington Publishing Company in 1906 to publish ''The Dominion'', it began taking over other newspapers in the 1970s and was renamed Independent N ...
", which were owned by billionaire
Denis O'Brien Denis O'Brien (born 19 April 1958) is an Irish billionaire businessman, and the founder and owner of Digicel. He was listed among the World's Top 200 Billionaires in 2015 and was Ireland's richest native-born citizen for several years. His bus ...
.
Clare Daly Clare Daly (born 16 April 1968) is an Irish politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency from July 2019 to July 2024. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, affiliated to The Left in ...
resigned from the Socialist Party in August 2012, following a dispute over her support of Independent TD
Mick Wallace Michael Wallace (born 9 November 1955) is an Irish politician, former property developer and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Republic of Ireland, Ireland for the South (European Parliament constituency), South constituency f ...
, whom the party had called on to resign after the revelation of tax irregularities. The Socialist Party left the ULA in January 2013. Socialist Party members contested the 2014 local elections as part of the
Anti-Austerity Alliance Solidarity (), formerly known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), is a Trotskyist political party in Ireland, launched in 2014. It had been registered as a political party to contest local elections, and ran at least forty candidates in the 20 ...
. The party gained seats on
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
and
Cork City Council Cork City Council () is the local authority of the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Before 1 January 2002, the council was known as Cork Corporation. The council is responsible for ho ...
s, making it "a national rather than Dublin-centric alliance". The Dublin West by-election of the same day returned
Ruth Coppinger Ruth Coppinger (born 18 April 1967) is an Irish politician and member of the Socialist Party, and Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency. She was first elected in 2014, was re-elected in 2016 general election, as a candidate for ...
to Dáil Éireann, giving Dublin West two Socialist Party TDs. Paul Murphy was unsuccessful in retaining the Socialist Party's European seat at this time but was elected to Dáil Éireann that October after a surprise victory in the Dublin South-West by-election, which the
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
candidate had been favourite to win. The party altered its registered name in 2014 to Stop the Water Tax – Socialist Party. In 2015, water charge protestors, including party elected representatives Paul Murphy, Kieran Mahon and Mick Murphy, were arrested. The arrests led to accusations of "political policing" and sparked minor solidarity protests across Europe, including in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
and
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
.


2016–2020 (32nd Dáil)

In the 2016 general election Murphy and Coppinger were re-elected in Dublin South-West and Dublin West, respectively, and Barry was elected in
Cork North-Central "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
, all of them running as Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit members.
For the 2016 Assembly Election, the Socialist Party in Northern Ireland supported Cross-Community Labour Alternative and critically called for a vote for the People Before Profit as the two parties did not stand candidates in the same constituencies. In 2019, divisions in the party resulting from a split in the
Committee for a Workers' International The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI; , or CIT; or CIO) was an Political international, international association of Trotskyism, Trotskyist political parties and organisations. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the C ...
led to Paul Murphy TD leaving to form
RISE Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
. The split separately led to the formation of Militant Left, which aligned with the
Committee for a Workers' International The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI; , or CIT; or CIO) was an Political international, international association of Trotskyism, Trotskyist political parties and organisations. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the C ...
(Refounded), a body predominantly supported by the Socialist Party of England and Wales.


2020–2024 (33rd Dáil)

In the 2020 general election, Mick Barry was re-elected in Cork North-Central but Ruth Coppinger lost her seat in Dublin West. In July 2024, the Socialist Party voted to disaffiliate from the
International Socialist Alternative International Socialist Alternative (ISA) is an international association of Trotskyist political parties. ISA was founded by sections on one side of a split in the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI). History In 2018 and 2019, a di ...
.


2024–present (34th Dáil)

In the
2024 general election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2024 United Nations Security Council election * 2024 national electoral calendar * 2024 local electo ...
, Ruth Coppinger was once again elected in Dublin West, while Mick Barry narrowly lost his seat in Cork North-Central to Eoghan Kenny of Labour.


Policies

According to its website, the Socialist Party "stands for the socialist alternative to the dictatorship of the markets – namely real democracy whereby ordinary people take centre stage in running society, with democratic public ownership of banks, of key sectors of the economy and industry, and a democratic plan of the economy to provide for the needs of people". It opposes the so-called " Social Partnership" deals and those in the
trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
movement who advocate them, considering the agreements detrimental to the well-being of workers. It also holds influence in the Northern Irish branch of the FBU, where its members played a key role in encouraging the FBU's split from the
British Labour Party The Labour Party, often referred to as Labour, is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that sits on the Centre-left politics, centre-left of the political spectrum. The party has been describe ...
in 2004, as well as influence in NIPSA with members in the NIPSA Broad Left faction. The Socialist Party is Eurosceptic and supported Brexit, considering the EU to be a "club of bosses and bankers" and rejecting reform attempts due to there being "almost no mechanisms of democratic accountability" in the EU. The Socialist Party opposes sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics and seeks to bring working class unity to both sides of the border. They argue that capitalism is incapable of overcoming sectarianism. The Socialist Party take a critical view of the
Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
and other subsequent initiatives, claiming it further entrenches and institutionalises sectarianism and doesn't work towards solving the fundamental causes of the conflict. They therefore oppose a border poll and believe calling one would further polarise Catholic and Protestant communities. Instead, the Socialist Party believes that Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales should merge and form a socialist federation, which should aspire to be part of a Socialist Federation of Europe. '' The Phoenix'' has opined that the Socialist Party's position is a "bizarre fusion of Trotskyism and
British Unionism In the United Kingdom, unionism is a political stance favouring the continued unity of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as one sovereign state, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Those who support the union ...
" that "articulates a unionist outlook dressed in socialist rhetoric". The Socialist Party is pro-choice. Their members staged an "abortion pill bus" during the campaign to repeal the 8th Amendment where they travelled across Ireland distributing abortion pills. The elected representatives of the Socialist Party observe a pay cap, donating the portion of their salaries that exceed the "average industrial wage" to the party and other leftist causes.


List of newspapers and publications

* ''
The Socialist ''The Socialist'' may refer to: * ''The Socialist'', the newspaper of the Socialist Party (England and Wales) The Socialist Party () is a Trotskyist political party in England and Wales. Founded in 1997, it had formerly been Militant, an en ...
'' (formerly ''Socialist Voice'', ''The Voice'', and ''Militant'') – Monthly newspaper * ''Socialist Alternative'' (formerly ''Socialism 2000'' and later "''Socialist View''") – Quarterly Theoretical Journal * ''International Socialist Voice'' –
E-Zine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to an online only magazine was the computer ...
* ''Fingal Socialist'' – Free paper distributed in Northern and Western
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
* ''Cork Socialist'' – Free paper distributed in
Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...


Election results


Dáil Éireann


Northern Ireland Assembly


Local


European

The Socialist Party has contested European elections in the Republic of Ireland but not in Northern Ireland.


See also

* List of political parties in the United Kingdom opposed to austerity


References


External links


Socialist Party
– Official website
Socialist Party in Northern Ireland
– Official website
Socialist Youth
– Youth section website
Campaign Against the Water Tax
– Website
International Socialist Alternative
– to which the Socialist Party is affiliated {{Socialist Party (Ireland) 1996 establishments in Ireland All-Ireland political parties Anti-austerity political parties in the United Kingdom Anti-capitalist political parties Communist parties in Ireland Democratic socialist parties in Europe Eurosceptic parties in Ireland Far-left political parties Far-left politics in Ireland
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
Political parties established in 1996 Socialist parties in Ireland Trotskyist organisations in Ireland