Documents shed light on tensions over abortion and womenâs rights issues
Parent body critical of Irish socialistsâ excessive focus on abortion
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Anti-Austerity Alliance members Paul Murphy TD, Ruth Coppinger, councillor Michael Murphy and Mick Barry TD photographed at Buswells Hotel. Inset, former party TD Joe Higgins. PHOTOGRAPH: BRENDA FITZSIMONS
FIACH KELLY
The inner workings of the Socialist Party are not usually on display for all to see.
Its TDs â Paul Murphy, Ruth Coppinger and Mick Barry â are the most cogent left-wing voices in the DĂĄil.
Also operating under the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) banner, they have led debates on issues such as abortion and water charges.
Documents recently circulated within the party, however, illustrate how their movement has been criticised by international comrades for an excessive focus on abortion and womenâs rights issues.
A collection of documents, including internal policy papers and international policy papers totalling 66 pages, have been seen by The Irish Times, and also reveal serious differences between leading figures on domestic political strategy.
Mr Murphy, Ms Coppinger and Mr Barry did not return repeated requests for comment yesterday.
A number of party councillors also declined to comment, with one saying he had been asked not to speak to The Irish Times. Former party TD Joe Higgins, also named in the documents, did not return calls.
Differences
The documents show how differences emerged with the International Section (IS) of the Committee for a Workers International (CWI), the parent organisation of the Socialist Party.
Concerns were raised with Irish members last autumn on âstruggles relating to womenâs oppressionâ. The differences, in fact, pre-date last yearâs referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
British activists felt the AAA was not forceful enough in arguing during the 2016 general election for âpublic ownership of the main sectors of the economyâ.
The sharpest exchanges, however, came over the importance of the abortion referendum.
âIt is our duty, as the elected leadership of the CWI, to raise our concerns in order to strengthen the work of the whole international,â the International Section of the CWI said in a paper called Womenâs Oppression and Identity Politics â Our Approach in Ireland and Internationally.
âWe think the comrades could be in danger of overstating the importance of the victory on abortion rights. In our view a tendency has also developed of some leading Irish comrades seeing all struggles through the prism of the womenâs movement, rather than seeing how it interconnects with other struggles.â
It also questioned the future of the pro-choice group linked to the Socialist Party, Reproductive rights against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity (Rosa).
For the International Section, the campaign against water charges is held up as a better example of âhow united working-class struggle can win, and crucially our role in leading itâ.
However, the role taken by those in Ireland in leading campaigns to increase awareness around abortion pills in the years before the referendum is praised.
âClearly, the militant and campaigning stance taken by the comrades - for which they were attacked by a layer of bourgeois and petit-bourgeois feminists - was an important positive factor.â
There is some criticism of Ms Coppinger for comments made at an âEngland and Wales Socialism 2014 eventâ. Ms Coppinger is noted as saying: âMost young women wouldnât have seen unions doing much for women. I thought a lot of the contributions were from middle-age women and were economic.â
The International Section responded by saying the event in question âhad a particular trade union focus that had not been the case in many other yearsâ.
âHowever, in our view Ruthâs comments also reveal a misunderstanding about the necessity of us explaining how economic and social change can be won, and the role of the organised working class in achieving that, as well as an underestimation of the importance of economic issues for working-class women, including young women.
âThis generation of petit-bourgeois feminists put very little focus on winning material gains for women concentrating overwhelmingly on individualsâ experience of sexism. In that sense their ideas are a retreat from at least some of the feminist struggles of the 1970s.â
The Irish National Executive Committee (NEC) sent its own document in response. âFrom the NEC in Ireland, with all NEC comrades, bar Paul M voting for the document,â it notes, and argues: âThe IS document could give the impression that the Irish section is soft on, and friendly with the forces of petitbourgeois feminism.
âThe IS document says we are in danger of overstating the abortion rights victory. Unfortunately, the IS are understating it.â
The response to the Belfast rape trial last year of rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding (who were both acquitted of rape charges) is also a flashpoint between the International Section and Ireland.
Belfast rape trial
The Irish NEC says: âIn the context of the Belfast rape trial and presumably in reaction to the âI believe herâ slogan that emerged from below, the IS document cautions, âwe have to be careful not to go along with the conclusion of many petit-bourgeois feminists that every accusation of sexual assault made by a woman against a man has to be accepted.
âThe IS are intimating that we just follow petit-bourgeois feminists. This is inaccurate to say the least. The facts are that when we called the demonstration North and South regarding this trial, we purposely called it under the general title/slogan of âStand with Her & All Survivorsâ. The key point is that if we were overly legalistic or cautious in our approach, we would not have taken the initiatives and these important developments and potential would have passed us by.â
