A voice for the left in Northern Ireland

EAMONN McCANN, one of Ireland's leading socialists, is running for British parliament on the People Before Profit Alliance ticket. People Before Profit is a new radical organization that has already elected five councilors in the south of Ireland.

The campaign is trying to break through the traditional Catholic vs. Protestant nature of Northern Ireland politics. As Eamonn says, "We don't have to accept the present Orange-Green pattern. We appeal for support to all those in either community who are being left behind. In the words of the Beatles, 'Come Together, right now'--not in a passive way but to fight together for our common interests."

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, who, like McCann, was a founder of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland and who served as an independent socialist member of parliament in the early 1970s, is urging everyone to support Eamonn:

Ireland, like everywhere else, is in the middle of harsh economic recession, thanks to greedy bankers, corrupt politicians and incompetent government, with the burden of economic recovery placed on the shoulders of the most vulnerable.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is the growing awareness in grassroots communities and workplaces, and amongst young people in particular, that we need to organize differently and find new ways forward beyond the sectarian management of the processed peace. One of the most important developments has been the cross-border development of local area alliances of such community organizations, progressive political and environmental groups and individuals, and local union and workplace organizers. These grow up around agreed programs of local action, linked to wider demands for change under the banner of People Before Profit.

People Before Profit in Derry have selected Eamonn McCann as their candidate. They hope to secure 5,000 votes, providing a sound base for securing a seat in the assembly in next year's elections in Northern Ireland, and leading by example, giving encouragement to other developing networks and alliances.

I would greatly appreciate your support for Eamonn's campaign. That is not to say I won't still argue with him on the central issue of political self-determination, but we remain solidly and enduringly on the same side of the class line, and right now, it is the class that is under sustained and direct attack and needs to find its feet.

It has a clear principled voice and rallying point in People before Profit, and in Eamonn, which with the help of friends and allies can make itself heard. I hope I can count on you to do what you can in these hard times.

THE CAMPAIGN is bringing together socialists, community and union activists and former members of the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fein. They have joined to fight against cuts in public spending, to defend public sector jobs, and to restore trade union rights, among other issues.

Eamonn says, "We might disagree on all sorts of other issues. But if we come together on a basic program along these lines, we can make a real impact."

People Before Profit put its platform together by getting everyone who was interested together to go through a flip chart listing the issues. Every issue was discussed and voted on. Eamonn says they came up with "the maximum that everyone could agree on and the minimum that everyone could accept."

The election will be held on May 6. Eamonn is telling people, "We are seeking to build support from the bottom up in working-class areas. This could be a very significant breakthrough for working-class politics in Northern Ireland."