With independent, left-wing, candidate Catherine Connolly winning the Irish presidential election in late October, what can the UK left learn from her surprising victory? Whilst Ireland’s political system is very different from the UK, Connoly’s victory gives a clear lesson to the fractured UK left, that unity and principled morals can lead to electoral success. Ms Connolly was able to unite many of the left-wing parties, including the big three of Sinn Féin, Labour, and the Social Democrats, an impressive feat considering the left’s love of infighting and moral grandstanding, and without which would have led to a closer race with Fine Gael’s Heather Humpreys.
The UK left should attempt to replicate this. An ununited left consisting of Labour, Greens, Lib Dems, and Your Party will steal valuable votes away from each other and will give Reform a clear path to victory. If Nigel Farage is a fascist, as Zack Polanski claimed on LBC, then surely the right thing to do, the only thing to do, is to unite the left against Reform UK.
Polanski might be optimistic when looking at polling numbers—they have jumped to second place in some polls; however, the lead that Reform has over the rest is daunting, and a coalition of the left under Labour is the smart thing for Polanski to propose, in return for a leftwards shift in Labour’s policies and a harder line on Israel. I have stated that it should be a coalition led by Labour, simply because Labour will never accept a coalition in which their candidate is not positioned for the top job—it would damage their reputation too much. Your Party should agree to this too or disband entirely.
The little momentum they gained at its inception has fizzled out due to infighting, and this may be the only way they can keep relevant as a political entity going forwards. The Lib Dems would be vital for a coalition of the left, as even though they claim to be a moderate party situated between Labour and the Conservatives, they have pledged much further left-wing policies than Labour, and they would be vital in the coalition to retain the centrist swing voters that abandoned the Tories in the last election. Another lesson that the left can take from Connolly’s victory is the hard line on Gaza.
Connolly’s strong condemnation of Israeli military action resonated well with the electorate who were frustrated by the political silence on Israeli war crimes, Labour should take notes. The fracturing of the Left’s vote can be partially blamed on Labour’s reluctance to condemn Israel. A more decisive stance would help unite the left, if they can agree on the language of condemnation that is.
Connolly’s victory shows that left-wing politics isn’t dead in Europe, and whilst far-right parties may loom large in many nations, if the left unite and take principled stances they can remain an attractive option for voters.