Notes on the Front

In Germany, the Left is starting to acknowledge the benefits of cooperation.  In Spain, the Left is, at least, in negotiation.  In Portugal, the Left has been working together in a minority Government since 2015.  The Irish Left should take note.

The interim co-leader of the German Social Democratic Party has proposed the party consider cooperation with Die Linke (the Left party) at Federal level ; they already cooperate in several states.  This would be a big step for the SPD which has rejected such an alliance in the past.

Meanwhile, the co-chair of Die Linke has also raised the prospect of a progressive alliance with the SPD and the Greens.  This is the only chance of removing the Christian Democrats from office.

In Spain, negotiations between the socialists (PSOE) and Podemos have been difficult as both are, unsurprisingly, seeking party advantage.  However, they did successfully negotiate the last budget during the PSOE’s minority government.  It may take another election for them to realise cooperation in a formal coalition agreement. 

The Portuguese Left is the European leader in cooperation.  Communists and radicals (the Left Bloc) are actively supporting a minority social democratic government.  This alliance has maintained high levels of support in the polls, even with the difficulties that have inevitably arisen between the parties.

It is noteworthy that socialists, communists and radicals in these countries have persisted with broad alliances despite the fact that social democracy is tainted by austerity (Spain, Portugal) and right-wing alliances (Germany).  They could have used this to turn their back on broad left cooperation.  They didn’t – and the prospects of Left-led governments have increased.

The Irish Left could learn from these experiences.   As long as the various components of the broad Irish Left are isolated and antagonistic, there will never be a challenge to the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael hegemony.  This is all the more so given the European and local election results.

Let there be dialogue between all the strands of progressive politics:  the social democratic, radical, green and republican traditions.  We need to draw a line under the past.  No party, no tradition is excluded.  There is always a reason not to like this or that party, not to trust this or that grouping.  But the issue is not about liking or even trusting – the issue is about entering the tortuous process of cooperation to come out the other side with something better for all participants.

We need to build a broad, sometimes messy, church of cooperation rather than remain apart in our tidy contented chapels.  Otherwise, the right will maintain its political and ideological hegemony.  And how does the Irish Left gain from that?