United Left Alliance
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United Left Alliance | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | ULA |
| Founded | 29 November 2010 |
| Dissolved | May 2013 |
| Succeeded by | United Left |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism[1] |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Members |
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The United Left Alliance (Irish: Comhaontas Aontaithe an Chlé, ULA)[2] was an electoral alliance of left-wing political parties and independent politicians in the Republic of Ireland, formed to contest the 2011 general election. The grouping originally consisted of three existing political parties, the Socialist Party, the People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA), and the Workers and Unemployed Action Group (WUAG),[3] as well as former members of the Labour Party.[4]
Its formation was announced in early November 2010 and it was formally launched on 29 November 2010 at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin.[5] In the February 2011 general election it ran twenty candidates of which five were elected. Its share of the national vote was 2.6%.
The Workers and Unemployed Action Group withdrew from the alliance on 2 October 2012 following disagreements with the other parties.[6] The Socialist Party left the United Left Alliance in January 2013, later co-founding the Anti-Austerity Alliance.[7][8][9]
There was a reorientation within the ULA in March 2013 when Joan Collins TD left PBPA and, along with other public representatives Clare Daly TD and Cllr Declan Bree as well as some individual members, formed a new platform or organisation within the ULA called United Left.[10]
Since late 2013, the Alliance is defunct.[11] Although the Alliance was not long-lasting, it arguably paved the way for the creation of Solidarity–People Before Profit, another left-wing electoral alliance in Ireland.
The formation of the group was announced at a press conference held on 25 November 2010.[3] This followed the announcement a few days earlier that the Green Party would be exiting from the governing coalition with Fianna Fáil, leading to a general election in early 2011, and the day after the unveiling of a four-year austerity plan to tackle the country's financial crisis.[3][12][13]
On 11 January 2011 it was reported that members of the Labour Party in Laois–Offaly had joined the ULA due to dissatisfaction with the selection convention for the general election. Ray Fitzpatrick was selected to run in Laois Offaly as a ULA/Socialist Party candidate. Another candidate Liam Dumpleton chose to break his ties with the ULA and ran as an independent.[4]
Sligo councillor and former Labour TD, Declan Bree's Independent Socialist Group joined the ULA in February 2011,[14] and it was confirmed that Bree would be standing in the Sligo–North Leitrim constituency.[15] Bree had been involved in the talks about setting up the ULA in November 2010 however disagreements arose over the addition of other candidates such as Catherine Connolly in Galway West.[16] The ULA is also receiving backing from Socialist Democracy, a small Trotskyist group.[17] The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) permits its members to aid ULA election campaigns in a personal capacity but has criticised the ULA's lack of revolutionary and anti-imperialist platforms.[18] A number of other left parties including the Workers' Party and the Communist Party of Ireland are not affiliated to the ULA but co-operate with one another on issues where they hold common positions.
The United Left Alliance name did not appear on ballot papers for the 2011 general election, and candidates were listed under their individual parties or as non-party. This was because the alliance is not yet a registered political party: attempts to have "United Left Alliance" added to the names of the constituent parties by the Registrar of Political Parties had not been completed in time for the 25 February poll.[19]
In April 2012 in Dublin the second ULA conference was held, two non-aligned members (non-Socialist Party or People Before Profit members) of the ULA were elected to the steering committee.[20]
Programme
The alliance declared that it wished to become an alternative to a potential Fine Gael–Labour coalition government that could be formed following the election.[3] They oppose public spending cuts and reductions in welfare and pay rates and have ruled out deals or coalitions with either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael – who they describe as "right wing parties". The programme agreed by the parties making up the alliance has seven "key demands".[21]