Pat Rabbitte Abandoned in Sligo

by Bree Cheese Fri Apr 09, 2004 15:42

"Bree and comrades are old-fashioned socialists who do not understand the modern dynamic of Rabbitte’s new Labour strategy; ie, get into government via any means, with any partners and with any politics."

Declan Bree voted for coalition with Fianna Fáil AND Fine Gael. Just look at the Dáil record! Bree also voted in favour of tax amnesties, water tax, water disconnection of non-payers, corporation tax cuts, etc. Some old fashioned socialist he is!

by Brendan Fri Apr 09, 2004 16:19

Old -fashioned socialists my hat! Bree is just the same as Michael D. Higgins, Joe Costello, Braughan etc. If they were genuine socialists they wouldn't enter into coalition with any of the conservative or right-wing parties.

Joe Higgins is the only socialist in the Dail.

by john mcdermott - remove Fianna Fail Party Fri Apr 09, 2004 23:41 ashtown,Dublin

Re'Cllr Bree's record",by Brendan,-You have it in one about the only Socialist in the Dail-Joe Higgins.
Unfortunately the rest feel obliged to compromise their integrity in a big bad world which seems effectively controlled by the rich and powerful-not the electorate.Being in power means access to money,such as the 300 million euro 'slush'fund from the bank accounts of the dead-a useful tool for buying voters in any election campaign!
What matters during the coming months is that all of the marginalized and disillusionized who have a vote ,and one chance only,every few years ,to change this rotten society-that they cast that vote on election day.First on local elections ;-second in the general election.
Remember that the crooks,the shysters,the'looked after' electorate in the Fianna Fail camp turn out en-block like a regimented nazi style force on election day.
The reason they win time after time is not because they are a majority-but because they are disciplined while the opposition is fragmented and in many cases do not vote at all!

by Cynic Sat Apr 10, 2004 16:16

You praise the SP but under their "Militant" disguise they spent 20 years in Labour. They stayed in Labour during 3 coalition governments. Even when Irish Shiping workers were thrown at the side of the street, Offences against the State act used against ESB strikers, hospitals closed down, none of this caused theSP to lwave Labour. They kept preaching that everyone had to join labour.

by Socialist Republican Sat Apr 10, 2004 16:22

Cynic is correct to point out Labour's indifference to working class suffering. While the party undoubtedly has very genuine socialists amongst its ranks, they might be better off defecting.

by Cynic Sat Apr 10, 2004 16:34

I was pointing out that the SP are in no position to criticise the genuine socialists who remain in Labour now. When the SP were in labour, workers died due to hospital closures, yet Militant continued to argue that there was no salvation outside of Labour.

by MIM Sat Apr 10, 2004 17:07

Militant always argued against coalition government and the trechorous disgusting policies implemented by the FG/Labour governments including all those mentioned by yourself. Militant members NEVER participated in a coalition government. For this staunch opposition to the right wing leadership the Militant tendency were witch-hunted and expelled from the party.

I note that Cllr Bree and other so called 'labour left' people did not launch a principled opposition to the Labour leadership when they statrted doing coalition deals and attacking workers. Instead he sat on his hands and took the easy root by becoming voting fodder for the Reynolds government.

If the Labour Party still has genuine working class activists and socialists where are they?? Why don't they organise in an attempt to overthrow the right wing leadership??

by MIM Sat Apr 10, 2004 17:13

"genuine socialists in Labour"

where are they? There is no sign whatsoever apart from literally one or two exceptions of there being socialist activists in Labour. Who are these people? where is the evidence of such a group? where is their news paper/publications? Where is the evidence of them being active in the left of trade unions and in community struggles?

They don't exist, they are a phantom.

To those one or two that are genuine I would invite you to leave the Party. They are a right wing party that is going further in a Blairite direction, just look at their stance on the Citizenship referendum. They refuse to take a position! that is a disgrace! Today on the Radio (RTE 1 at 1pm) Gilmore even alleged that there were thousends of immighrants coming to Ireland just to have babies and that this had to stop! And Gilmore is meant to be on the 'left' of the Labour Party!!

by Toraidh Sat Apr 10, 2004 20:02

Militant members did things? How did militant members do things when militant was a newspaper and didn't have members? When the leninist infiltrators were in the labour party millies said militant wasn't an organisation, after they got expelled for organising in secret they boast about the things 'militant members' did.
Typical leninists - lying, deceitful opportunists.

by MIM Mon Apr 12, 2004 17:49

If Militant at the time of being in the Labour Party said that they had members they would be expelled for being 'a party within a party'. The reason members were not refered to a members was not to give further fuel to the right wing who were busy organising purges of left wingers and socialists that were in the Labour Party.