Chairperson Lynda Walker | Secretary-General Eugene McCartan | |
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Founded 3–4 June 1933 (3–4 June 1933) Ideology CommunismMarxism–LeninismSocialismAnti-imperialismIrish republicanismEuroscepticism | ||
The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI; Irish: Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann) is an all-Ireland Marxist-Leninist party, founded in 1933.
Contents
History
The present-day CPI was founded in 1933 by the Revolutionary Workers' Groups. In 1941 the part of the party in the Republic of Ireland suspended its activities, while in Northern Ireland it continued to operate under the name Communist Party of Northern Ireland. The party was re-established in the South in 1948 under the name Irish Workers' League, which changed its name in 1962 to Irish Workers' Party. The two sections reunited as the Communist Party of Ireland in 1970.
In the first half of the 20th century the Communist Party failed to gain any traction. The party provided most of the Irish volunteers on the government side in the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War, losing a number of members who were killed in action. The Communist Party of Ireland was also one of the key components in establishing the Republican Congress in 1934, bringing communists, republicans, trade unionists and tenants' organisations together.
Historically, the party belonged to the wing of international communism that looked to the Soviet Union for inspiration. In the mid-1960s, the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 100. The party grew consistently through the 1960s and 1970s. In the late 1960s, some IWP members (notably Michael O'Riordan) became active in the Dublin Housing Action Committee. The IWP also condemned the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, although O'Riordan was opposed to this position. In March 1970, following the CPNI/IWP merger, the new Communist Party of Ireland issued a manifesto called For Unity and Socialism, advocating the election of left-wing governments in both parts of Ireland, and, eventually, the creation of a United Ireland.
The CPI strongly criticised the Anglo-Irish Agreement, claiming the AIA "underlined Partition and gave Britain a direct say in the affairs of the Republic". In the 1980s, its membership declined significantly during the electoral rise of the Workers' Party of Ireland and this trend continued after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The party’s aim is to win the support of the majority of the Irish people for ending the capitalist system and for building socialism. It is actively opposed to neo-liberalism and to the European Union. Internationally, it maintains fraternal relations with other communist and workers’ parties and is a strong supporter of Cuba and Venezuela.
One notable split from the CPI was the Eurocommunist grouplet the Irish Marxist Society, which left the CPI around 1976. The IMS was founded by Joe Deasy (1922–2013) and other former CPI members. The IMS advocated Marxist feminism and was also outspoken in its rejection of the Two Nations Theory of Northern Ireland. Most of the IMS's members later joined the Irish Labour Party.
The party stood two candidates in the 2014 local elections, neither were elected. The CPI fielded one candidate for the 2016 Dáil Éireann election for the Cork North West constituency.
Organisation and activity
The general secretary of the party is Eugene McCartan. The Belfast District produces a weekly paper called Unity, while the Dublin District produces a monthly paper called Socialist Voice. There are also branches in Cork, Galway, Munster, and Mid-Ulster.
While it is a registered party, the CPI has rarely run candidates in elections and has never had electoral success. Despite this, it has had a significant influence in the trade union movement and was actively involved in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. In addition, a number of prominent Irish Labour Party members were formerly members of the CPI. The CPI operates a bookshop in Dublin called Connolly Books and has the support of a youth organisation, the Connolly Youth Movement. Both are named after the Irish socialist James Connolly.
The party and its members are prominent in a number of campaigns such as advocating a "No" vote in the Lisbon Treaty Referendum. The party has also advocated a referendum on the bailout of banks. The CPI was the first Irish party to call for the repudiation of the debt and continues to advocate that position. It also continues to oppose the European Union and membership of the euro currency. The CPI is active in the Right2Water campaign and has called for a constitutional amendment to enshrine ownership of water to be in the hands of the Irish people and not the state. The party also supported the anti-war movement in Ireland as part of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance.