Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin says he is open to the idea of a merger with the Social Democrats, as well as some elements of the Greens, the SDLP and Fianna Fáil, adding that his party had been “traumatised” after their electoral defeat in 2016.
In an interview earlier this month with David Murphy on RTÉ’s Your Politics Podcast, the Labour TD and education spokesperson was asked about his party’s apparent drop in support in the latest Red C poll, which showed the Labour Party polling at 4% nationally.
POLL: Business Post/Red C
(Mar 19-25, MoE 3.3%)Fine Gael 30 (+1 in four weeks)
Sinn Féin 29
Fianna Fáil 11 (-2)
Green Party 5 (+2)
Social Democrats 5 (-1)
Labour 4
Solidarity-PBP 2
Aontú 2
Others 1 (+1)
Independents 11 (-1)https://t.co/A8uoxRwZ1K— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 28, 2021
#Podcast : @labour TD @AodhanORiordain says merit in merger with @SocDems. Also joined by @sandra_hurley & @SorchaNiR @rtenews https://t.co/QRvxTm8soY
— David Murphy (@davidmurphyRTE) April 1, 2021
“Let’s talk a little bit about the Labour Party,” said Murphy.
“We’re over one year since the general election. There was a new leader appointed, Alan Kelly, with promises that the party would be rebuilt. And obviously the endeavour was to increase support for the party. But judging by the opinion polls that hasn’t really happened. Why is that?”
“In terms of what you said about our polling, of course we’d like it to be better,” said Ó Ríordáin.
“It’s a crowded space. People I think still look at us as a party of the establishment, not of change, and if people are looking for change they have to look beyond the Labour Party. And that’s a challenge for us, to ensure that people can remember what the Labour Party have brought to Irish politics in the past, and what we can bring to Irish politics in the future.
“I think in the last Oireachtas, we were still a bit traumatised from the election defeat. We went from 50 odd parliamentarians down to 11. And with that, with every single parliamentarian is a number of staff that you get used to. So we were a big national organisation which was hugely reduced, and that takes a long time to get over.”
Murphy then asked Ó Ríordáin if there was “merit” to the idea of a merger with the Social Democrats, asserting that many of the two parties policies were “very closely aligned.”
“I think there is [merit],” Ó Ríordáin replied.
“But I don’t care what you call the social democratic movement in Ireland, or the centre-Left movement in Ireland, or the socialist movement in Ireland – as long as it does something.
“So my vision, that I laid out in the leadership campaign, was for a 32-county social democratic movement that could involve the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, the SDLP, and maybe elements of the Greens, or even people in parties such as Fianna Fáil, who, in parts of the country, have been the voices of the worker or the voices of those who are disadvantaged. So I would be quite positive of the potential for a new 32-county movement that can include all of our voices.
“I have never been as attached to emblems or to names as I have been to values. And I can easily see myself in the future, either as a representative or as a member of a movement, that has people at the centre of it, workplace rights at the centre of it, social democracy at the centre of it. And the name of that, and the title you put on it, and the emblem you put beside it is secondary, to me, to the values.”
Ó Ríordáin went on to assert that he had “never” subscribed to a “narrow-minded nationalist agenda” or “rightwing politics”, and that he would like to see the politics of the Green Party and the Social Democrats succeed.
“I look at the Greens in government – and I say this honestly, because I see what happened to us in government,” he said.
“We went in, and we were savaged by people on the Left, no matter what we did. And I see it now happening to the Greens, that people are deliberating lining up in coordinated fashion to savage absolutely everything that the Green Party does.
“Well I have a different perspective – I think if the Green Party agenda is achieved that we’ll all benefit from it. I genuinely believe that. Because they have a higher aim and vision for the future of the planet and sustainable living and clean politics. And I think we need to see politics like that succeed. I think we need to see politics like what the Social Democrats believe in succeed. And I would put obviously my own party at the heart of that as well.
“I don’t subscribe to a narrow-minded nationalist agenda – I never have. I don’t believe in rightwing politics – I never have. So I think if you’re serious about what politics will do for people, then you have to be encouraged by people in government, and people who will go into government in order to do the right thing.”
At this point Ó Ríordáin was asked if a merger between Labour and the Social Democrats would be a “merger of equals.”
“I have no idea – yes, I assume it would be, and there’s no suggestion of a takeover either way. I wasn’t in the Labour Party when the merger happened with Democratic Left, so I don’t have any muscle memory of that.”
This was not the first time a merger between the two parties was proposed – in 2017, Social Democrats chairwoman Sarah Jane Hennelly shot down the idea proposed by Alan Kelly, alleging that the Labour Party had “lost its core principles and public support.”
Social Democrats reject merger overtures from Labour https://t.co/ZocET81rEL
— Irish Times Politics (@IrishTimesPol) August 21, 2017
“The Labour Party continues to make reference to a merger on various public forums. On behalf of our members I would like to make very clear to the public that we have absolutely no intention of merging with the Labour Party,” said Hennelly.
“If Kelly and [SIPTU president Jack] O’Connor are as serious as they say about strengthening social democracy in Irish politics then I suggest they head to our website and sign up as a member,” she added, calling the suggestion “an effort to resuscitate a party which has lost its core principles and public support”.
Additionally, she claimed that the Labour Party’s actions in coalition government of ran “deeply against the core principle of any social democratic party which is tasked to stand up for the vulnerable, tackle inequality, promote fairness”, saying they had “lost their moral compass” and was “unwelcoming to new members and young people”.
“While Labour may claim they are social democrats the reality tells a different story…It’s become a party – like Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil – laden down by its own traditions and personalities. This is the crucial difference between our parties – we are open, democratic, we want new voices and new ideas. We do not condone fiefdoms or exclusivity.”
She said that the notion of a merger “would not even be open for discussion”, concluding that “If I had a vote for every time people told me they were let down by Labour I’d be elected for sure. And what annoys people the most of that is they continue to deny how much they let people down. There’s been no apology.”