what's left after pat rabbitte?

Since I teased you all with my views on the Labour Party in my last post which were curtailed by my own rules and regulations, I guess it behooves me to elaborate. And as we all know, nothing motivates a writer more than a good ol’ behooving so here goes…

If Left wing politics is a swimming pool, then for the first 25 years of my life I was stuck in the changing rooms making all sorts of excuses not to go near the water. From 25-30, I got changed into my togs and peered my head around the door. From 30-35, I gradually moved towards the water’s edge and since I started blogging I have slowly but surely mustered up the courage to cautiously dip my toe in.

My continuous use of the metaphor is in some ways a nod to the outgoing leader of the Labour Party. Whatever about his views, whatever about his party, it cannot be denied that he was one of the few characters that actually made the general humdrum that goes on in Leinster House interesting, and Leader’s questions will no doubt suffer as a result.

But could I ever bring myself to join the Labour Party? I really honestly think not. It’s got nothing to do with the fact that it is the island’s largest left wing party. It has more to do with the fact that I do not believe the Left is solely defined by the unions.

Now I KNOW that any Labour TD will tell you that the party is not all about the unions. Their candidates, when elected, serve the people on countless issues, and I’m sure most of them excel at doing so. It’s just that while I am always in favour of the existence of unions to protect workers from exploitation, I hold the view that in Ireland’s case with her history of semi-state bodies, her own particular brand of unions have wheeled and dealed their way to paygrades that are way over the odds. This, I contend, is as much a cause of our various woes as anything done by the Celtic Tiger fat cats. And as long as the party bears the name “Labour”, I can’t bring myself to sign up. And no, re-branding it something like “New Labour” won’t cut it either before you get any ideas!!!

Despite my unwillingess to don the red rosette, I will be interested to see what Eamonn Gilmore can do to transform the party’s image if Rabbitte’s theatrical Dáil rhetoric failed to impress the electorate. According to Cian at IrishElection.com, Gilmore plans to “Develop a new politics, not about packaging and selling Labour in a new way its about addressing problems of our society”. We shall see.

So what DOES define the Left for me on these shores? Well let’s see who else tries to fly the flag. Could it be Sinn Féin? Em – I think not. If trade unions don’t appeal to me as a special interest group then surely staunch republicanism won’t either. I guess that leaves the Greens.

Where once the world politik was shaped by a struggle between those who controlled the money and those who worked to help them make it in the first place, I feel the balance is gradually shifting to one between those keen on preserving the planet and those keen on maximising profit from it. For this reason, I suppose it makes sense for me to throw my lot in with Sven Gormley Eriksson & co, but after they climbed into bed with Comrade Bertski and his mob, I’m not so sure. It will be interesting to see just how absolutely the power will corrupt them.

And of course all this humming and hawing leaves me torn between all the parties not sure which way to go. Surely my indecision makes me just as worthy to bathe in the Leftie pool as anyone else? Maybe one of you can sneak up behind me and shove me in?