The forthcoming General Election takes place in the context of multiple crises, such as rising prices, rising rents, and homelessness. The health system is operating beyond all capacity, with excessive waiting times for GP appointments, in A&E departments, over-crowded hospitals, and people waiting years to be referred to a specialist. Wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living and precarious employment is rampant. In our schools, class sizes are still too high and long-term absenteeism from school is increasing. Working class communities are preyed upon by criminal gangs that view them as a source of profit.
To solve these problems, we must identify the cause: the economic system is the cause of these problems. We live in a capitalist society that sees us not as people but as consumers. Rising prices and rents means increased profits for the minority ruling class, supported fully by the policies of the establishment political parties.
Ireland no longer has an independent foreign policy. Since October 7th, 2023, hundreds of thousands of working class people across our cities, towns and villages have marched against the Zionist genocide in Palestine. The weight of public opinion has forced the government to recognise Palestine as an independent state: a welcome but purely symbolic action. However, because the US, UK, and EU continue to profoundly influence the political and economic direction of successive Irish governments, the government refuses to take substantive action against the state of Israel. To have an independent foreign policy, we need to have a truly sovereign state. To have a truly sovereign state, we must have economic sovereignty. Only socialism offers real economic independence.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, the Green Party, Labour, the Social Democrats, the far-right parties, and most of the independents, support capitalism and the present economic system. They may tinker around the edges, but they will not challenge capitalism.
The Communist Party of Ireland believes that it is only by completely replacing the current capitalist system with socialism that we can build a society without poverty, homelessness, and meet the needs of all our people and communities.
Unfortunately, none of the potential government blocs offer such a solution. However, several individuals are standing on a progressive, socialist programme. By campaigning and voting for these candidates, we can begin the task of building the movements which, following the election, can organise resistance to the policies of austerity and the increased attacks on neutrality which the next government will unleash. Out of this resistance will grow the movements which will overthrow capitalism to realise a 32 county Socialist Republic.
Ní neart go cur le chéile!
