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The Irish Socialist Party

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  • 30-07-2006 6:04pm
    #1
    esperanza
    Closed Accounts Posts: 689 ✭✭✭


    To which political leaning would the Irish Socilaist Party belong? Extreme left?


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    #2
    Akrasia
    Registered Users Posts: 22,423 ✭✭✭✭Akrasia


    they're marxist and anti capitalist. They would like to see a centrally planned economy with the wealth distributed fairly amongst citizens according to need.

    Terms like far left and far right don't say enough to be meaningful in any real sense, but they would be considered to be on the left by pretty much everybody.


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    #3
    esperanza
    Closed Accounts Posts: 689 ✭✭✭esperanza


    From what I've read on their website I would classify them as extreme left. Left wing Irish parties with a more reasonable socialist viewpoint would be Labour, for example.


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    #4
    Ray777
    Closed Accounts Posts: 350 ✭✭Ray777


    The term, 'extreme' is simply used to discredit them, by opponents who don't have the mental wherewithal to form any kind of intellectual debate.


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    #5
    daveirl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,483 ✭✭✭✭daveirl


    This post has been deleted.


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    #6
    esperanza
    Closed Accounts Posts: 689 ✭✭✭esperanza


    Ray777 wrote:
    The term, 'extreme' is simply used to discredit them, by opponents who don't have the mental wherewithal to form any kind of intellectual debate.

    Sorry, I don't understand your post.


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    #7
    Ray777
    Closed Accounts Posts: 350 ✭✭Ray777


    daveirl wrote:
    This post has been deleted.

    "Extremism" is generally frowned upon in society. If you can successfully smear your opponents as 'extreme', you won't win the argument, but you'll sure as hell win the election. :)


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    #8
    esperanza
    Closed Accounts Posts: 689 ✭✭✭esperanza


    daveirl wrote:
    This post has been deleted.

    I'd agree with you on that... they do seem a bit far out for my liking, in comparison to other european socialist parties. they really have a deformed sens of what real socialism is all about.

    A more suitable and historically correct name for their party would be "The Communist Party"... that certainly corresponds to the ideals which they espouse to.;)


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    #9
    Dirk Gently
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,784 ✭✭✭Dirk Gently


    esperanza wrote:
    A more suitable and historically correct name for their party would be "The Communist Party"... that certainly corresponds to the ideals which they espouse to.;)
    Not really, historically socialism is about a planned economy as opposed to a capitalist economy. Socialism is a stage in-between capitalism and communism according to marx and the socialist party. The socialist party of Ireland just believes in true socialism as opposed to a hybrid of socialism and capitalism which is basically capitalism with a social conscience. The socialist party are Marxists and Trotskyites who oppose capitalism as they see it as exploitative and not meeting the needs of the people.

    It all depends on whether you view socialism as meaning a planned economy that meets the needs of everybody equally or whether you view socialism as a capitalist economy with a few basic safeguards to protect the most vulnerable in society.

    Communism is a communal society with no central state enforcing itself on the people but rather a series of democratic communities working in co-operation with each other. The end result of the communist society is the same as the anarchist society but anarchists don’t see the need for the socialist state in-between capitalism and the communal society.

    No doubt other posters will argue that socialism is about a mixed economy and that communism is an evil oppressive ideology but I'm only explaining what I believe to be the socialist party ideology. They are socialists as they see it and they would see the Labour party as a capitalist party and not socialist. The overall goal of the socialist party is a free and democratic communal society but they see it as necessary for a socialist party to create the planned socialist economy first before the state ceases to exist and the communes become self sufficient. I personally can't see how the state will ever cease to exist as long as there are external capitalist countries all around you and feel that communism is doomed to remain in the socialist stage with a state and central party remaining in control and not been able to evolve into the communal society.

    It can be argued that they are true socialists and that Labour are capitalists or it can be argued that the socialist party are extremists and that the Labour party are the real socialists, it all depends on what you believe socialism to be. Is it about a planned economy or is it about the free market with a government who intervenes in some areas with social public spending to ease the burden on the people most vulnerable in society. How much public spending and social programmes must a government perform before they are considered socialist?

    Personally I would put my own socialist view somewhere in-between where the Labour party is and where the socialist party is. I view the socialist party view of socialism as being impractical to implement in Ireland and the Labour party as being very weak socialists to the point where I hardly even consider them to be left of centre.


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