Left Tribune, Vol. 2, No. 5

Many thanks to the person who forwarded this to the Archive.

This edition of Left Tribune, the magazine of Labour Youth in Ireland joins other editions in the Archive. Dating from Spring 2007 this has an interview with Michael D. Higgins on ‘Shannon, Shell & Socialism’. It also has pieces on Pro-choice activism, a Munster and Leinster election profile, the Coca Cola boycott amongst other articles. It also has features on Disability and Social Exclusion, Neo-Liberalism and the Diminuition of Democracy, and a piece on should Labour co-operate more closely with Sinn Féin. Two other pieces are of interest – one on Bernie Sanders ‘Socialist in the US Senate’ and David Ervine remembered.

The interview with Michael D. Higgins notes that

[his] political career has been colourful, diverse, sometimes controversial, and has surprising origins. In his early days as an undergraduate in NUIG, Higgins was Chair of the university Cumann of Fianna Fail. The young Michael D. had a view that he could influ­ence Fianna Fail and “push it in a left direction”. However, despite his best efforts, he remem­bers that his substantial efforts were eventual­ly thwarted by the Fianna Fail leadership.

And…

The realisation that the Labour Party was his true calling came after hearing Noel Browne speak in Manchester in 1968. A year later he was a Labour candidate for election in Galway West.

And he offers an interesting view of Labour in a future government:

“We need to maximise electoral sup­port for our own policies. We will not negotiate on our principles -we have bedrock values. For example, there will NOT be private hospitals on public hospital grounds with Labour in govern­ment. We will have an ethical foreign policy rat­ified by international agreement. There will be a vindication of workers rights, and nothing will come at the cost of civil rights.”

Dermot Looney, who writes the editorial argues:

Perhaps Labour’s best hope is embarking on a more independent approach which focuses on the established ground – public services. social justice and neutrality – which parties such as the Greens & Sinn Fein have managed to attack with some success.

The piece on cooperation with Sinn Féin has Paul Dillon writing in favour and Dónal O Liatháin writing against.

Comments

You can also join the discussion on The Cedar Lounge Revolution

No Comments yet.

Add a Comment