PAUL Murphy has defended People Before Profit after 15 members left the party over accusations of “performative politics” and the possibility of going into coalition with Sinn Fein.
Dublin councillor Madeleine Johansson ditched the left wing People Before Profit party this week along with 14 other members who are part of the ‘Red Network.’
People Before Profit discussed going into a coalition with Sinn Fein[/caption]
Ruth Coppinger said Sinn Fein should not get a free pass on any issue[/caption]
The South Dublin councillor announced her departure in a social media post where she took aim at opportunist practices and misleading politics.
A statement from the Red Network group blasted: “People Before Profit likes to engage in student moralism and performative politics.
“We reject that approach. As People Before Profit has moved right on the question of entering government they lost touch with some of their pre-established working class base.”
They accused the party of becoming more middle class and posturing on social issues.
The Red Network claimed People Before Profit regularly “drop organising work to go chase the protest of the week” and jump from issue to issue.
The group also hit out at the party’s stance on potentially entering coalition with Sinn Fein.
People Before Profit said they would go into Government with Sinn Fein if certain key issues were met.
However, the Red Network claims that “behind the scenes, there’s a range of opinions in the party but mostly they say that they’ve no intention of going into government with Sinn Fein but could eventually go into government with others on the radical left.”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy today defended the party and said it was disappointing to see good activists leave the group.
He said: “We think it is unfortunate and they made the wrong decision to leave but look, there are debates on a whole range of issues and People Before Profit is a lively space of debate.
“Sometimes you’re on the majority side and sometimes you’re on the minority side.
“For me, it is a strength of People Before Profit that we have those debates and it is a broad eco socialist party where those debates can take place.
“I think it is unfortunate that they’ve chosen to leave rather than continuing to engage in those debates as issues come up.”
SINN FEIN ‘SHOULDN’T GET FREE PASS’
On the issue of coalition with Sinn Fein, Deputy Murphy said: “We have set out a series of red lines and this is what we said in the run up to the last election that if Sinn Fein met those red lines then we would be willing to be part of their government – if they don’t we still would be willing to vote for a non Fianna Fail, Fine Gael government to come to power and to continue to vote in the interest of ordinary people.”
Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger – who is a member of Solidarity which partners with People Before Profit – did not want to comment on the internal party dispute but said Sinn Fein should not get a pass on issues.
She said: “My own views on the whole thing of a coalition with Sinn Fein is that Sinn Fein shouldn’t get a free pass on any issues obviously like trans healthcare, fox hunting and so many other issues.”
Paul Murphy defended the decision[/caption]
