Can Left-Wing Populism Change British and Irish Politics?
By Ewan McClelland
Politics in Ireland and Britian have seen an intense level of polarisation in recent years. Anger at traditional establishment parties, e.g. The Conservatives/Labour in Britain and Fine Gael/Fianna Fail in the Republic of Ireland has become increasingly common. Albeit not everyone is angry for the same reasons.
Conservative reactionary (Reform UK, Independent Ireland and Aontú) and far-right elements (Britain First, Irish Freedom Party and Restore Britain) have exploited very real crises that disproportionally affect working-class communities to increase their political relevancy; by directing the problems at marginalised groups, such as migrants and trans people, in an effort to copy the Trumpian style tactics of MAGA and The Republican Party.
The results of this have been alarming. Electorally, Reform UK gained five MPs in the 2024 General Election, with the number now sitting at eight at the time of writing, Aontú and Independent Ireland hold six TDs between them in Dáil Éireann, with Independent Ireland even gaining a European Parliament seat in 2024. Whilst the more hardline far-right elements haven’t performed as well in elections, the Dublin Riot in November 2023 and Summer 2024 riots across the Britain prove that the views of the far-right are being embraced to a degree.
Certain sections of the left have capitulated to bigoted and divisive ideas as a strategy of appeal. For example, recent anti-trans positions taken by the Communist Party of Britain shows what shouldn’t be done, mimicking right-wing stances and sacrificing marginalised groups under the slightest bit of pressure for appeal.
The recent successes of Catherine Connolly’s Presidential election in the Republic of Ireland and the breakthrough of Hannah Spencer and the Green Party in the Gorton and Denton by-election show that the left can succeed and not capitulate our positions on important political questions.
Zack Polanski’s ‘eco-populist’ approach won him the Green Party of England and Wales’s leadership contest with 20,411 votes, whilst his competition only managed 3,705 votes, with Spencer’s election being their first ever by-election victory, further proof of the success of the Green’s new direction. Catherine Connolly was able to rally a spectrum of left-wing support, from moderate Social Democrats to more explicit Marxists and achieved the largest ever first preference vote for an Irish Presidential candidate.
What we can gather from this is simple, left-wing politics can appeal to most people. Standing up for workers’ rights, for working-class communities, for Palestine and holding the billionaires and intentionally divisive politicians and media to account, rather than scapegoating our most vulnerable, connects with people.
However, we cannot just rely on electoralism to save us. We need people with principled left-wing politics, who can work within different communities, in different movements and in different workplaces. Only when we genuinely put in the effort can we expect to see left-wing sentiment to grow across Britain and Ireland.
And to re-emphasise, we can do it without sacrificing the most vulnerable among us. None of us are free until we’re all free.
