Anti-austerity group predicts ‘demise’ of Labour Party

The “demise” of the Labour Party has been predicted by the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit grouping, which has set a target of seven seats in Friday’s election.

TD Richard Boyd-Barrett said the election would result in a “seismic shift in the political landscape”, adding that some opinion polls put his party ahead of Labour.

“We are without question ahead of the Labour Party in the capital city,” he said.

“Meltdown for Labour is possible. Disaster, I would say . . . really severe meltdown is possible,” he said.

Mr Boyd-Barrett claimed Labour had “no chance” of securing a seat in his Dún Laoghaire constituency, where former leader Eamon Gilmore secured more than 30 per cent of first-preference votes in 2011. Cllr Carrie Smyth is the Labour candidate this time.

“We are going to further sweep away the vestiges of civil war politics, cronyism and the cosy club,” he said.

‘Burning anger’

Ruth Coppinger, contesting again in Dublin West, said AAA-PBP canvassers were picking up a “burning anger” towards Labour Party representatives on the doorsteps.

“There’s no doubt a feature of this election is the demise of the Labour Party. Exactly and how strongly that will work out on Friday remains to be seen.”

Labour had promised to “take the edge off” Fine Gael in Government but it had done the opposite, Ms Coppinger said.

“We need a real left to replace the Labour Party, and that is what this grouping can be . . . The prospect of the Labour Party being a very reduced compliment in the next Dáil is on the cards and the prospect of an enlarged socialist and radical left in the next parliament is very important for working-class people.”

TD Paul Murphy, running in Dublin South-West, said he believed AAA-PBP could achieve a minimum of seven seats.

He said Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fáil, big business and sections of the media were attempting to scare people into voting for “the same old establishment and austerity parties”.

Mr Murphy said people should resist what he called “Project Fear” and vote for the type of policies and society that they wanted.

“There is an enormous opportunity here for the real left, for the Labour Party to be wiped out.”

Cllr Bríd Smith, contesting in Dublin South-Central, said it was not fair to suggest the left was divided, when it was “more joined together than ever before”.

She said the right of Irish politics was very divided.