“Us leftists…foolishly trying to change the world”. The words spoken by my work colleague as we stood in the clock-out line, that aptly sum up the plight of the modern Left. Spoken in a sarcastic, self-deprecating tone in an attempt to highlight the distinction in our personal politics and the superiority of his own. This is despite the fact that he knows full well, following many discussions, that I am left-leaning, albeit centre-left.
The liberal left has long been the beacon of inclusivity: championing dignity, respect and openness to migration; promoting equality and improved rights for marginalised groups; exhibiting tolerance and open-mindedness to alternative viewpoints. Yet, they could not be more exclusive when it comes to the electorate. This hypocrisy represents the major roadblock to the success of the modern left, particularly in Ireland.
Trinity campus serves as a perfect case study. I often encounter this attitude of “Us leftists”. The language used seems determined to emphasise and ever widen the distance between those further right on the political spectrum. And by that, I don’t even mean those on the right-wing, but rather anyone who identifies marginally “less left”, despite still being firmly progressive. While being quick to (rightly) call out far-right supporters for creating in-groups based on ethnicity, they seem to fail to recognise the very in-groups they create, based on political identity.
Even among themselves, liberals seem in competition with one another, to see who can be more liberal, more woke. This friction only serves to emphasise the difference between one another, let alone those further afield, serving as a fractionalising, stagnating mindset that only weakens the electoral base. Most importantly, it certainly isolates anyone of a moderate persuasion that attempts to engage with the movement.
Absent some radical social movement, centrist politics remains the favourite occupant of power, and therefore represents the only route to government for the left in Ireland. However, in the last number of general elections, great turmoil has arisen among leftist parties during negotiations with ruling centrist parties. In 2024, Labour and the Social Democrats entered early stages of coalition negotiation with both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. However, condemnation and disagreement arose both within the parties and the wider left base, as the moves were perceived as “selling out”. Although an understandable level of scepticism was present on the back of the previous Green coalition, the fall-out resulted in the scapegoating and electoral decimation of the party. Nevertheless, this issue could be minimised through joint negotiation pacts between smaller parties to form mini coalitions. Yet, this was firmly ruled out by Holly Cairns, who instead opted for informal vote transfer pacts among leftist parties. But by failing to unite, they have weakened their bargaining power. While the parties seem to be fully aware of this broader issue, with rhetoric expressing the need for a left alliance, for example from Labour MEP Aodháin Ó Ríordáin, they find it difficult to overcome in practice.
The presidential election is the obvious counterexample of successful left unity. However, one cannot help but wonder whether the major factor in the winning alliance was the fact that the office of the President has very little tangible power. While those within the upper echelons of some progressive parties might recognise a need for an alliance, a major shift is needed in the attitude of the base electorate. The continued villainisation and exclusion towards those of alternative politics only seeks to divide and weaken any power the movement might hold.
It often seems lost on impassioned, liberal advocates that there is little difference in the grand scheme of things between the political beliefs they internally hold and the dramatically more extreme far-right supporters that exist outside of the Trinity or Irish bubble. The vast majority of students on campus are undoubtedly of liberal identity, and in Ireland the majority of people are centre-left at worst. Yet people are determined to brand Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as right-leaning parties, despite contrary opinions from the leading Irish political scientists, such as Michael Gallagher of the TCD PolSci department, who firmly brands these governing parties as Left of Centre.
There doesn’t seem to be a proportionate level of discontent towards those of centrist vs right-leaning politics, despite the proportionately larger difference in their beliefs. In short, many liberals seem to hate the right, and severely dislike moderates. While the former is an attitude I can agree with, the latter is not. It only serves to hinder the chances of power and success for the left movement in Ireland. We would surely prefer a centre-left coalition than a centre-right one. But if the Left refuse to engage with the centre, absent enough independents to form a coalition, then the right remains the only alternative, as we have seen in German and Finnish governments. Strong centre-right coalitions have increasingly emerged across Europe, sparking the rise of anti-migrant and fascist sentiment, with detrimental effects on the state of the EU and democracy as a whole.
This is not something we want nor need to happen in Ireland. But unless this divisive attitude of “Us leftists” can change, unless the tolerance that many preach can be practised electorally, then centre-right coalitions might become an unwelcome norm.
