The Socailist Party will stand in four areas in the forthcoming general election. Joe Higgins TD will be our candidate in Dublin West, Councillor Clare Daly in Dublin North, Councillor Mick Murphy in Dublin South West and Councillor Mick Barry in Cork North Central.

The Socialist Party is intent on making a big splash in areas where we will be standing.  We are confident that Joe Higgins will retain his seat in Dublin West and in Dublin North Clare Daly will be elected as the Socialist Party’s second TD.  In 2002 Clare only just missed out after polling 5,500 first preference votes, higher than many current TD’s.

Joe Higgins and Clare Daly have been outstanding representatives of working class people. They have used their elected positions to give voice to the many issues of concern to people throughout Fingal and beyond.

They both spent a month in prison in 2003 for their opposition to the unjust bin tax. They refused to abandon the communities who elected them and stood with residents opposing that hated double tax. The subsequent increase in bin charges has vindicated their stance.

Workers’ TDs on a worker’s wage

In the nine years he has been a TD, Joe Higgins has kept his pledge to live on a worker’s wage. The rest of his wages are donated to the Socialist Party and campaigns by workers and communities. If elected, Clare Daly and the other socialist party representatives will do the same.

JOE HIGGINS TD

Joe Higgins has been regularly described as the real opposition in the Dail. He has been a thorn in the government’s side on issues such as housing, workers’ rights and privatisations like Aer Lingus. He has rattled Bertie Ahern on many occasions like no other TD by continually exposing the links between big business and Fianna Fail.

Estate management rip-off

Joe Higgins, working with Fingal Socialist Party Councillors Ruth Coppinger and Clare Daly, have played a vital role in exposing the rip-off of householders by management companies. Many people are being forced to pay hundreds, even thousands, for services that were previously provided by the Council.

GAMA Struggle

Joe played a vital role in exposing the scandal at GAMA where Turkish workers were being treated like slaves earning as little as €3 per hour. He used the Dail to highlight this scandal and bring it to national attention. This illustrates how the Socialist Party uses its elected positions to raise our political programme and to further the struggles of the working class.

COUNCILLOR CLARE DALY

Councillor Clare Daly has built a proud campaigning record on many issues throughout Dublin North and is one of the most active public representatives in the area.

Aer Lingus

As a catering shop steward in Aer Lingus, Clare argued against the privatisation of Aer Lingus and warned that it would result in attacks on jobs, wages and conditions.  This warning has been vindicated by the attempted takeover by anti-union bully Michael O’Leary and his threat to sack 1,000 Aer Lingus workers. 

Planning madness

On Fingal County Council, Clare Daly, along with her colleague Ruth Coppinger, has been the most consistent opponent of planning madness. Blanchardstown has grown by 56% in the last ten years, while Balbriggan has grown by 45% in the last four years. This growth has not been matched by the necessary infrastructure.

The Socialist Party advocates sustainable development of our communities whereby schools, proper transport and other facilities are put in place before massive housing schemes are built. This has been ignored by the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael/Progressive Democrat alliance on Fingal Council which has consistently represented the interests of developers over residents.

Fianna Fail exuded confidence at their Ard Fheis because they believe they have the beating of Fine Gael and Labour. Ironically it seems that the "legacy" of the Ahern donations scandal could be to expose that people have no confidence in the “opposition” as an alternative government.

Fianna Fail would prefer if they won the next election with enough seats to go back into government with the PDs, but they are preparing the ground for other possible outcomes.

Fine Gael and Labour had really hoped they could weaken the government during this Dail session, but now they are on the floor with their support dropping in recent polls. The majority of people opposed Bertie Ahern taking donations from his rich business friends (only 24% thought it was ok). But the weakness of Fine Gael and Labour was a key reason why Ahern got away with it. The choice between this government and the "opposition" leaves most people scratching their heads, with little enthusiasm for either bloc.

Tensions in Fine Gael but particularly in Labour have intensified because of their poor performance during the payments to Ahern scandal. Fianna Fail has consciously decided to aim a barrage of attacks at Pat Rabbitte. Their aim is to stoke up the discontent that exists in the Labour Party to Pat Rabbitte’s declaration that he wouldn’t go into government with Fianna Fail after the next election. Fianna Fail believe that there are enough Labour politicians whose desire to be in government is so strong that in the event of a hung Dail, they can persuade them to join a Fianna Fail government. 

Pat Rabbitte, Joan Burton and other Labour TDs have come out with disgraceful right wing statements on issues such as immigration and crime. Anyone who hoped that Pat Rabbitte’s "New" Labour would represent a left alternative to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will be sorely disappointed. Nothing significant will change for the working class if Fine Gael and Labour are the next government. Over the next six months, the two main political blocs will engage in a rotten struggle for power. TD’s are paid €100,000 a year. These politicians are more interested in the power, priviledge and prestige than tackling the issues and difficulties facing working class people.

The Socialist Party candidates, Mick Barry in Cork North Central, Clare Daly in Dublin North and Mick Murphy in Dublin South West, will all be signing a pledge that if elected, they will follow the example of Socialist Party TD, Joe Higgins and only accept the wage of an average worker, donating the remainder to help the working class fight for change. The Socialist Party will use next year’s election to outline the need to build a new movement that fights for working class people and which is based on fighting socialist policies, a real alternative to the right wing establishment parties.