Stunning Irish parliamentary by-election victory for Anti-Austerity Alliance

[Jolly Red Giant]

Socialist Party (CWI) member, Paul Murphy, standing for the Anti-Austerity Alliance has won a stunning by-election victory to the Irish Parliament in Dublin South West.

Paul Murphy defeated the unbackable favourite for the seat, Sinn Fein's Cathal King, by more than 500 votes after receiving a first preference vote of 27%.

From the outset of the campaign the Anti-Austerity Alliance set the agenda for the campaign, fighting the election to build a mass campaign of non-payment for newly imposed water charges that are estimated to cost between €500-€1000 per year. Sinn Fein, who were 1/25 in the betting shops, refused to back the non-payment campaign and two days before the election the entire leadership of Sinn Fein said that they would pay the charges while the Sinn Fein candidate said he would not pay. The Anti-Austerity Alliance has now won two by-elections in the last five months.

On the day of the count, while the votes were piling up for Paul Murphy, 100,000 took to the streets of Dublin to protest against the imposition of water charges. After six years of grinding austerity the Irish working class is beginning to move into struggle, something even the establishment media are recognising. The three members of parliament for the Anti-Austerity Alliance, Socialist Party members Joe Higgins, Ruth Coppinger and now Paul Murphy will be to the fore in building a new movement of the working class to fight the austerity agenda of the ruling elites.

http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/6934

[Red Commissar]

How big was the turnout? Still, I suppose reading from the article it is an upset as it points out it should've been an easy race for Sinn Fein.

[Skyhilist]

People voted for a leftist politician? Let the socialism begin.

[Jolly Red Giant]

People voted for a leftist politician? Let the socialism begin.

Actually - it is more a case of 'let the fightback begin'

It the odd Internet warrior fails to recognise that then their cynicism will not be missed.

[Lord Testicles]

Actually - it is more a case of 'let the fightback begin'

It the odd Internet warrior fails to recognise that then their cynicism will not be missed.

I imagine it's more a case of "let the disillusionment begin!"

What does the Anti-Austerity Alliance hope to achieve (I guess "roll back austerity", but best to be sure) and more importantly, how do they hope to achieve that?

[Hrafn]

I see we set the bar for "stunning victories" pretty low this year too?

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

Actually - it is more a case of 'let the fightback begin'

It the odd Internet warrior fails to recognise that then their cynicism will not be missed.

Let's be honest here: this is nowhere near the scale of the original poll tax campaign by Militant. And yet, what did that accomplish? At best it helped repeal an unpopular tax. But unlike a good struggle for reforms, it just died down afterwards, and Militant itself cracked. So I think that in this case, and taking into account the entire history of the socialist movement, cynicism is warranted.

[D-A-C]

How big was the turnout? Still, I suppose reading from the article it is an upset as it points out it should've been an easy race for Sinn Fein.

I believe the turnout was around 34% something like just over 20,000 in a 70,000 district if my memory serves correctly.

I think there is always a certain amount of cynicism about results such as these. I mean, realistically is it going to challenge the three main parties in the country? Probably not.

But is it a sign of discontentment? Yes it is, and for me that is a lifeline to take in the wilderness years of leftwing movements across the globe.

In other words the pendulum may have swung to the right in a big way, but it could come crashing back to the left given the right set of circumstances.

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

Unfortunately if recent history is any guide, this sign of discontentment will also be the high water mark for the whole thing. Shit the 34% turnout is more of a sign than the victory itself haha.

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

Non-voters of all countries unite