Socialist Party (Ireland) Struggle, Democracy, Socialism

By Stephen Boyd, Editor, the Socialist

2008 will be remembered for the credit crunch and world financial crisis. But as 2009 begins we can safely predict this year will be remembered as the year when the "real economy" of countries all around the globe went into meltdown.

The Socialist Party has been in discussion with others on the left with a view to forming an Electoral Alliance for the Local Elections which will take place in June 2009. These discussions have been publicly carried in the pages of our paper "the Socialist" and on this website. The Socialist Party has put forward a very positive proposal for a local election slate of candidates. It is important the slate would field credible candiates with a record in the their area that there is political agreement with the programme of the slate which will flow from discussions. We feel these issues among others mentioned in the material below are extremley important if we are to get aggreement. This is why in these proposals we have provided fuller elaboration of our position in an open, honest and constructive manner we hope that other groups will respond in kind.

The wave of nationalizations and part-nationalizations of banking systems sweeping country after country as a result of the meltdown of the world financial system is hugely significant. In light of these world historic events, GARY MULCAHY of the Belfast branch of the Socialist Party argues the case for socialism.