Operating in a bubble – when will they ever learn?
While it appears that the Communist Party of Ireland is not for turning on any of its approaches to internal and external political and organisational activities, it is, nonetheless, worthy of note that we have been spared (so far) the predictable banality of a new year statement.
Apart from that, not much has changed and it is clear that the party is determined to start the new year in exactly the same way it exited the old.
The lead article on the website from early December to date (12 January 2026) was Mobilise to defend neutrality and stop the drive to greater militarisation and war. The statement concludes that “The trade union movement must lead this struggle.” Must lead? Really? Did the CPI consult with the trade union movement? Has the CPI some intelligence that the trade union movement has such a campaign in mind? Did the CPI even communicate its great plan for the trade union movement to the trade union movement?
While it is a fact that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has a very good position on these issues, there is little evidence that it, or the trade union movement generally, has such a specific campaign on its agenda or that they have the capacity to mount or lead or sustain such a campaign. It is, at least, noteworthy and commendable that the CPI itself recognises that it is in no position take on this role. Still, it is a bit of a mystery why an overtly political entity would call on an overtly non-political entity to lead an overtly political campaign rather than call on other political forces such as Sinn Féin or other republican or left-ish parties or organisations to lead the campaign.
Meanwhile, over in Socialist Voice, we have “As I write, over sixty-five thousand people have been slaughtered in Palestine.” (Paul Doran in the December issue of Socialist Voice).
It is simply unacceptable for such disinformation to be printed. Even the mainstream media can provide more realistic estimates than Doran or the editor of Socialist Voice.
The January edition of Socialist Voice contains an interesting article by Niamh Lawlor and Niall Cullinane Beyond Left Eclecticism: The Party’s Distinct Role – Socialist Voice. Taken within the confines of what a communist party should be and how it might develop, there is little to quibble with. However, context is important and there are a few seriously problematic issues that deserve attention.
Consider “The Communist Party is not a party of the amorphous or eclectic left, nor of non-scientific socialism. Rather, it draws into its ranks the most advanced elements of society – those who grasp, or accept, the principles of scientific socialism – and unites them around the task of overcoming capitalism. Despite historical zigzags, defeats and reversals, this remains a Communist Party’s primary mission.”
In reality, the CPI, comprised of the “most advanced elements of society” is a shambles. It has zero political influence and has no standing in political activity in Ireland.
Yet, its constitution also tells us that the party is made up of “the most politically advanced members of the working class and other sections of the people exploited by the capitalist system……” and this arrogance is repeated in the article above. Within its own bubble, this all makes perfect sense but try to explain to a mere worker on the street that the best brains in the country are running the CPI and you would be ridiculed or, at best, pitied.
The article continues: “The principal role of a Communist Party, therefore, is to raise class consciousness within the working class: both industrial consciousness, the recognition of their position as commodified exploited labour under capital, and political consciousness, the understanding that political and state power are the necessary means for breaking the stranglehold of capital.”
It is surely also the role of the CPI to provide a vision of what life might look like for workers within a socialist society? If workers cannot see a vision of what their future looks like in practical and material ways it is quite a tall order to expect them to look at or try to understand the more abstract political and economic considerations. But, this brings us back to the main problem – this article puts a massive cart in front of a tiny horse. The cart is full of internal party debris resulting from the abuses perpetrated against numerous party members by an unprincipled, opportunistic and compromised leadership.
The reason why the CPI cannot address any matters related to social justice on its website, in Socialist Voice or in the article referred to here is because it perpetrated outrageous abuses against its own members. It then doubled-down on those abuses and for more than three years – and to date – has never denied that those abuses took place. Even more serious is the fact that the abuses have neither been corrected nor repudiated by the CPI.
The fact is the CPI has been silenced by its own actions. A quick examination of its publications over the past year reveals that it dared not refer to social justice in any form because of the fear that it would be challenged and its hypocrisy exposed. It could not promote any aspect of social justice that would concern people in their everyday lives – a self-imposed negation of the very reason for its existence.
While nobody but Guerrilla Communists challenges the CPI on any matter at this time, that will change if the party manages to escape the bubble and start to make any progress in the real world. Imagine what the mainstream media and the mainstream political parties will do to the CPI if it manages to make any progress that constitutes a political threat.
Saying nothing, as is the current stand, will not be an option and the enduring delusions of grandeur, the arrogant exceptionalism and its expected impunity from accountability will be exposed mercilessly.
Then, “Our core competencies are the scientific analysis of capitalism, the development of working-class consciousness, and the organisation of the working class as an independent industrial and political force capable of wielding state power”.
Surely, “core competencies” should read core aspirations? Even the use of the word aspiration in the context of the organisation or capabilities of the party is quite charitable – the party has excelled only in displaying its complete indifference to any concepts of planning, tactics or strategies.
The article concludes “That focus must be disciplined and unwavering and not subordinated to leftist momentary preoccupations. That requires Party education, a strategic focus and disciplined prioritisation. It requires subordinating one’s own interests or passions to the Party’s focus. The National Congress is an opportunity to renew that focus”.
Actually, the focus needs to be on cleaning up its existing mess before any other consideration – exactly the same issue it failed to address at its 2022 Congress. And, exclaiming your exceptionalism is a dangerous and stupid game particularly when you haven’t a leg to stand on.
When will they ever learn?
For more analysis of the CPI see: What is the Communist Party?