Massive victory

[skaman2]

Socialist Alternative's sister party in Ireland just won a seat on the European Parliament, with our member and former MP Joe Higgins beating out the big business parties for the third Dublin seat.  This is a huge step forward for us and the socialist movement internationally!

Listen to Joe's post-election speech here: Leave a comment

Comments

[themikado]

I don't know if you've noticed, but socialist parties haven't been the big winners here in Europe. In Britain we've just elected two members of the far-right fascist British National Party, a bunch of racist thugs and criminals, to the European parliament. Similar stories elsewhere on the continent.

These are dark times. One socialist seat does not a revolution make.

ugh that sounds so negative, I'm sorry. But I'm disgusted with it all. :/

[skaman2]

I agree with you, it's not all rosy, and in itself this doesn't really do anything. I'm just excited for the platform we will have; plus I thought Joe Higgins did an amazing job as an Irish MP, so naturally I'm excited to see how he'll push the boundaries of this position as well.

As usual, though, it is a process of polarization: as the Left and Right consolidate themselves the traditional big business middle tends to get squeezed out (especially, in this case, the governing Fianna Fáil and Green parties), rather than simply a wholesale shift in one direction. The race is absolutely on for the Left. The conditions are being prepared for a revolution somewhere off in the future, but will it be a socialist one or a fascist one? That will largely depend on our ability to accumulate revolutionary anti-fascist forces now. This is by no means a time to sit back and feel good; it is a time to act, to keep what little momentum we have going.

[themikado]

The bright side is that the BNP didn't get more voters as such - but their share rose because turnout was so low, thanks to the general apathy and disgust about politics in this country. The less bright side is that their two MEPs mean that they get money from Brussels that they can use to build up their party. Horrible.

I'm in agreement that the Left needs to figure things out and form a coherent opposition. For me personally, I'm still left wondering which ideas are best in which situations. I don't think capitalism in some forms is inherently bad - because well-regulated markets work extremely well, even in some healthcare systems (see the Netherlands for a purely private healthcare system regulated by the state which turns out some of the best healthcare in the world for the greatest number of citizens - and at a reasonable price).

Politics is much too complicated and difficult for me to have any clear idea of where I stand sometimes. Give me neuroscience any day!

[themikado]

Lest you think I'm making stuff up re. the healthcare stuff, there are some excellent comparative articles on denialism blog.

Also this article in the New Yorker is thought-provoking and worth a read.