Sunday, April 17, 2011

éirígí 101

If any AiB readers have ever wondered what’s to the left of Sinn Féin in the political spectrum but been too afraid to ask, then hop across my interview with éirígí council candidate John McCusker on Slugger O’Toole. It’s one of a series of interviews with representatives from smaller parties standing in the Assembly and/or local government elections.

John explains why the socialist republican party is participating in the elections, what the party stands for, their stance on militarism as well as cooperation with the police.

Or save yourself the read, and just watch the two clips from our conversation I’ve embedded below!

I finished the Slugger post with these words:

There’s a sense that éirígí’s manifesto stretches back a hundred years into the past and forward another hundred. éirígí’s long term goals are more important than short term fixes. It’s a very different mindset to that of most parties who are thinking no more than ten years (or ten minutes!) ahead to achieve their visions. It’s also a mindset that explores everything through the prism of history and socialist heroes like Connolly, in a way unionists do not match. In the end, to me, I found it to be a struggle without any obvious hope. But the West Belfast electorate may disagree.

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