Several hundred candidates representing various shades of left-wing politics are standing in the local elections that are taking place on 22nd May in Northern Ireland and 23rd May in the Republic.
Among them are nine Workers’ Party candidates in the Republic and seven in Northern Ireland. WP General Secretary, John Lowry, said: “This is a very important election for working class people; it is an opportunity for us to make clear that we will not accept more of the same in terms of economic policies that are formed purely in the interests of the wealthy rather than those of the real wealth producers.”
Three Socialist Party members are running in Northern Ireland and others are among over 40 Anti-Austerity Alliance candidates in the Republic. Similarly, Socialist Workers Party candidates are running as part of the People Before Profit Alliance which is putting forward approximately 60 candidates throughout Ireland.
A wide range of left-wing Independent candidates are also standing. These include several former members of the Labour Party dissatisfied by the leadership of that organisation’s support for right-wing economic policies.
Among the Independent candidates for Dublin City Council is LookLeft journalist, Paul Dillon, who is running in the Crumlin-Kimmage ward.
European elections are being held on the same day. Among the candidates in Dublin is Socialist Party MEP, Paul Murphy. He has received the backing of a number of left groups and trade unionists including the Workers’ Party and Unite Regional Secretary, Jimmy Kelly.
Workers’ Party Treasurer, Sean Garland, said: “As the European Union bureaucracy takes more and more control over our lives we must ensure that our representatives in the European Parliament are first and foremost representing and defending the interests of the working class.
“Within the GUE/NGL European parliament group, outgoing Dublin MEP, Paul Murphy of the Socialist Party, has shown himself to be a credible and progressive representative of workers’ interests, and that is why the Workers’ Party is asking people to vote for him.”
