Paul Murphy sets up new political group called Rise

A new left-wing group called Rise has been set up by Dublin TD Paul Murphy following his departure from the Socialist Party last week.

Setting out the group’s political objectives in Dublin on Monday, Mr Murphy, and four members of the new group said it would try to build a new socialist movement in Irish society.

The group is aiming to develop a “green new deal” with socialist policies.

It says it is anti-imperialist, anti-war, socialist, against climate change, feminist, and for the separation of church and State.

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“It is a new socialist group to contribute to a broader left and a cooperative left,” said Mr Murphy.

Mr Murphy said it would be a group and not a registered political party and its candidates would stand under the Solidarity-People Before Profit banner, as a third arm.

The group - whose name stands for Radical, Internationalist, Socialists and Environmentalist - will not field candidates in the upcoming byelections.

Mr Murphy said Rise’s ambitions were modest and he did not see it as a new umbrella broad movement of the radical left.

“It is not the new broad left. It is not Podemos. It is not Syriza. It is not the Labour party in Britain. It is not the Democratic Socialists of America,” he said.

He said the group differed from the Socialist Party in that it was willing to build, and be active, in those coalitions.

It will no longer be part of the British-based Committee for a Worker’s International, to which the Socialist Party is affiliated.

The new group emphasised environment and climate change as core ideas, he said.

“The environmental movement has posed important questions for socialists on how to build broader social movements,” said Mr Murphy.

The group said it was necessary for socialists to participate in movements along with others who shared part, but not all, of their objectives, another key distinction from the Socialist Party.

The group will take part in the Extinction Rebellion strikes on climate change and would prioritise a green new deal, which would argue for the nationalisation of key industries to achieve a zero-carbon society by 2030.

Among the members of Rise are Galway activist Jessie Ní Cheallaigh who said the party’s ideology would be Marxist, and two activists from Dublin South West, Nichole McCarthy and Kay Keane. Dave Murphy, a former Solidarity spokesman is also a member.

“We are very much committed to building a broader left,” he said, adding that it would continue “deep co-operation” with erstwhile colleagues in the Socialist Party/Solidarity, and others on the radical left.

It has no members in Northern Ireland but says it is “in discussion” with activists there and is keen to build up a presence on both sides of the Border.

In a statement Extinction Rebellion said it did not align with any political party and was not associated in any way with RISE or any other political group. It said it  welcomed people who voted for all political parties.