A future of sectarianism and poverty: Working class needs its own party
First published by Socialist Party 27th July 2010
Working class people in Northern Ireland face a future of sectarian conflict, unemployment and poverty. The North has now been in recession since November 2007, almost three years. The anaemic economic upturn in Britain has entirely passed us by.
Officially, unemployment in Northern Ireland rose to 56,100 in June, an increase of 600 on the previous month, and of 6,700 on a year ago. The rate of “economic inactivity” (the real measure of unemployment) is higher than in England, Scotland or Wales. The projected £1.5 billion of public expenditure cuts planned for the next four years will put thousands more on the dole. It is predicted that 14,000 more jobs will go in the next two years, meaning that unemployment will treble over the five years between 2007 and 2012. The unemployment rate for 18–24 year olds is already 17.4%.
None of the Assembly parties represent the interests of working class people. At times, these parties voice their opposition to public spending cuts — but this is nothing more than a cheap confidence trick. The sectarian parties consistently unite in the Assembly by supporting a programme of draconian cuts. This is one area they all agree on — that the working class must pay for the economic crisis.
Workers on strike, communities campaigning against the cuts, people opposed to water charges, public sector workers facing a Tsunami of attacks, anyone who rejects sectarianism — none of these people have a major political party that truly represents their interests.
The Socialist Party has been campaigning for many years for the building of a new mass working class party that is anti-sectarian and committed to fighting for the rights of working class people. We believe that the creation of such a party can help transform Northern Ireland by challenging the grip of the right-wing sectarian forces that dominate our society.
The vote at the recent NIPSA conference, Northern Ireland’s biggest trade union, is a sign of things to come. Fifty percent of the delegates voted in favour of establishing a political. Unfortunately, the motion wasn’t deemed to be passed because this type of motion requires a two thirds majority. If passed, the motion would have opened up a real debate on the way forward politically for the union.
In the view of the Socialist Party and many others, such a debate should ultimately lead to the creation of a new mass, anti-sectarian working class party and the trade union movement should play a central role in the establishment of such a party. Now that the debate has been opened up, it won’t be easily shut down despite the best efforts of the right wing within NIPSA, who have fought to prevent such a discussion for decades.
Peter Bunting’s recent speech at the Northern Ireland conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions raised the question of the unions establishing a political arm. He stated: “It seems to me that at some stage we need to have a conversation within this movement — do we continually support political parties in Northern Ireland and it may well be time in the near future to think of some other political movement to represent working class people and as an alternative to the stagnation and the failed policies.”
The Socialist Party welcomes his comments and believes that a real debate within the trade union movement should be opened up immediately on this vital question. The huge social movements that will occur in Northern Ireland in the next period in response to the neo-liberal attacks from Westminster and the Assembly will create a favourable environment for the creation of such a party. At this point in time, the significant number of new trade union and community activists that would be needed to form a mass working class party do not exist, but this will change and when it does these activists will seek a political voice. A full debate on the best way forward is required. The Socialist Party intends to take the lead in the debate on this issue.