CPI National Congresses past and future – a critical analysis Part 3
Restore party democracy and end political corruption
A combination of small minds with a little power and enormous egos, and with no ambition, no direction and no strategy resulted in officers and entire committees at branch, regional and national levels assuming dictatorial powers. They then accused members who declined to accept such aberrations of being disruptive. They then went on to abuse the assumed powers even further to expel, by one means or another, under one pretext or another, members who even questioned this overt abuse of power.
Ultimately, the incoming National Executive Committee (NEC) and its new officers elected at the 2022 Congress – most of whom were deeply involved in the shenaganians of the outgoing NEC, dug in and doggedly held on to the shaky ground they had already created for themselves.
The consequence of adopting that position was that they paralysed themselves. Very serious allegations were made against individuals and committees and not a single one of those allegations has been challenged, corrected, re-examined, or refuted.
What sort of individuals and what sort of a political party allows itself to be cornered into silence? As it turns out, it is the sort of individual and party that thought they and it could do what they liked to anyone they decided needed some sorting out. The sort of individuals and party that provided a trail of written evidence in astonishing quantities – all infected with misplaced self-belief and careless self-incrimination.
The culprits – chief among them the current officers and most of the National Executive Committee (NEC) – in the period immediately prior to the 2022 Congress, enforced a multitude of irregularities against a large number of members and then protected their personal positions by securing leadership positions at that congress. See CPI in Disarray
In a charitable mood, we could concede that the time between the attack on the members (via the attack on party democracy) and the upcoming congress was too short for the incoming NEC and officers to correct or start to correct the blatant breaches of the party constitution and various standing orders.
This was further complicated by the fact that two of the collaborators in the attacks on party democracy and on individual members, Ciara Ní Mhaoilfhinn and Jimmy Corcoran, went on to be elected National Chairperson and General Secretary, respectively. Again see, CPI in Disarray
All the claims we have made against the party and against named individuals have remained unanswered. We have stated, time and time again, that we would publish any responses from the party or from the individuals in relation to our claims. That commitment remains.
Whatever about what difficulties may have hindered the party from addressing the outstanding issues at that time, the fact is that four years have passed and the situation remains the same – none of the breaches have been corrected and the endorsements of those breaches by the party itself and by the named individuals remain firmly and publicly in place.
Secret documents – endorsed. Secret complaints – endorsed. Secret trials – endorsed. Secret verdicts – endorsed. Refusal to hear bullying complaints against the party – endorsed. No access to appeals – endorsed. Abuse of constitutional clauses to secure expulsions – endorsed. The list goes on and so also does the array of documented evidence provided by the party itself and by the individuals, all acknowledging and endorsing every single claim we have made.
It does not have to stay like this. The upcoming congress has some serious issues to tackle and resolve. If a way is not found to approach and start to resolve the outstanding issues raised by former members who were wronged, then the CPI has no future. It simply cannot survive another term of being hamstrung by its past actions. Silence is not a legitimate response to accusations of political corruption. Unanswered accusations in the political arena have a habit of taking on a legitimacy – deserved or not.
Central to the success of the party in the future will have to be a declared commitment to strict observance of internal party democracy and discipline. However, it cannot start with a clean slate in 2026 unless it acknowledges and then repudiates the aberrations that defied party democracy and discipline in the past.
The CPI started a war on its own members that had no plan, no strategy, no end game, and it soon become increasingly clear that it has no ability to end it.
The upcoming congress and the incoming leadership have only one option: start the process of repudiating the actions of the previous administrations (or successfully defending the actions). Any other road leads to the total destruction of the CPI. It can either face the members who were wronged by the actions of the previous administration or it can face the hostile assets of the state and of the media at some point in the future – assuming that the party becomes some sort force to be reckoned with for either entity to be bothered with confronting it.
The strength and dignity of the incoming leadership will be measured by how much courage and honesty it can bring to resolving the outstanding issues with a large number of former comrades. If the CPI decides to take its chances with hostile forces in the future rather than with former comrades immediately, its future will be determined by its past.
We wish the congress and the incoming leadership every success in turning the Communist Party of Ireland into a communist party – a democratic, vibrant, united and confident political alternative – if that is the direction they choose to take.