“What is the Communist Party?” Part 3
Continuing our series “What is the Communist Party?” – a question posed by Jimmy Corcoran, CPI General Secretary in a recent Socialist Voice, we take a close look at two long-standing leaders of the party and their positions on socialist democracy and ethics, and trade union procedures.
For the moment, we will concentrate on two specific instances when Jimmy Doran, then Chairman of the now defunct Southern Area Committee (SAC), and Eugene McCartan, then General Secretary of the CPI displayed their unique approach to resolving issues within the party.
Doran, as Chairman of the SAC, received and accepted a secret complaint against a member of the Dublin District Branch lodged by the “Dublin District Branch Officers”. HERE
The issue of a complaint against this particular member never came up for discussion nor was it included in any agenda of the Dublin District Branch. Furthermore, repeated requests by the member to have the issue put on the agenda for branch meetings were denied by the branch officers. The correct procedure would have been to raise the issue at a branch meeting and allow the branch members to decide on the matter. If not resolved at branch level it could then be referred to the SAC.
Instead of Doran referring the complaint back to the Dublin District Branch, he gave the complaint a hearing at the SAC. The SAC considered the complaint and needless to say, found the member guilty of all sorts of disruptive behaviours, etc, – matters he had never been charged with by the Dublin District Branch itself.
To compound the issue, the member did not know that a complaint (authorised or otherwise) had been lodged against him, was not shown the content of the complaint, and was not offered an opportunity to defend or represent himself.
A judgment was issued to him and he was directed to comply – or else. When the member insisted that this was both an irregular and unfair procedure, our great defender of socialism and leading trade union activist – supported by his committee – replied that “You are not in a position to insist on any follow up to our communication to you of the 25th.” (1)
Who knows the number of secret trials that were underway around the same time, though we are only positively aware of two other instances?
The National Executive Committee (NEC) went on to endorse the positions taken by the Dublin District Branch Officers and by the Southern Area Committee: “The decisions taken where taken collectively. All member of the committee take full responsibility for all decisions. This is the final correspondence with you in regards this matter. The matter is closed. Eugene McCartan.”
There is no additional commentary we can add to this that would make it any worse except to ask our readers to imagine themselves at the mercy of the bastardised socialism and democratic centralism of the Communist Party of Ireland.
Eugene McCartan was the General Secretary of the CPI when the NEC endorsed the scandalous antics of the ‘comrades’ described above. However, he was just getting warmed up for the next rounds of socialist justice with CPI characteristics. HERE and HERE
We will skip a few beats here to concentrate on another gem of CPI democracy and justice. A member lodged a complaint of bullying against the leadership of the party. It was never even acknowledged and repeated attempts to find out how the matter was going to be handled were met with silence.
Then, the member was excluded from the party by means of a number of illegitimate procedures. Another query to find out the status of the complaint was met with: “In case it is not clear to you. You are no long a member of the CPI. You fail to carry out a directive as requested by the NEC. This matter is closed”. (2)
We call on you to imagine a worker in public or private employment in Ireland today who presents a complaint of bullying against the employer. The employer first ignores the complaint entirely. Meanwhile, in the background, the worker is under investigation on other matters but the employer refuses to use any agreed or established procedures to pursue its case, instead resorting to ad hoc arrangements with no terms of reference.
The worker is then found guilty of an ‘offence’ with which he had never been accused, denied access to the report of the investigation, required to cease activities he had never been accused of or engaged in, and instructed to apologise to fellow workers who had never made a complaint against him.
Unable to comply with such absurd demands from the employer, the worker is then sacked without any further engagement for non-compliance. He is also denied any recourse to appeal.
The bullying allegation against the employer is then thrown out on the basis that the worker is no longer employed.
There is not an employer in Ireland today who would even dream of pursuing such a course of action. Even if such an employer did exist and behaved in this way, it would not be tolerated by trade unions, employer federations, or the courts – industrial or legislative.
So, Eugene McCartan and Jimmy Doran – explain to the workers of this country why they should swap their current circumstances – as unjust, unfair and inadequate as they are – for what you have to offer. Explain to trade unionists how your ‘democracy’ and practices are better than what is currently available. And explain how you propose to bridge the gap between the ethics of socialism and the political and operational thuggery you practice and continue to defend.
NOTES:
(1) To: XXXXXXXX
Cc:Communist Party of Ireland
Sun 30/052021 17:12
XXXXXXXX,
You are not in a position to insist on any follow up to our communication to you of the 25th.
(remaining text deleted)
Jimmy Doran
Chairperson
Southern Area Committee
(2) From: Communist Party of Ireland
Sent: Monday 11 April 2022 12:15
To: XXXXXXXXX
Subject: Re: Bullying claim
XXXXXXXX,
In case it is not clear to you. You are no long a member of the CPI. You fail to carry out a directive as requested by the NEC. This matter is closed.
Eugene.