backing bertie ahern achieves just what

Backing Bertie Ahern achieves just what Eoghan Harris?

In an article in the Irish Independent, columnist and recently

appointed member of the Irish Senate Eireann Eoghan Harris made a

short stick of justifying why he is is no longer a socialist but a

supporter of Bertie Aherns and Fianna F�il.* Whilst it is far from an

unusual occurrence for people to move in middle age from the left to

the right, history is littered with such creatures and most of them

sing much the same sorry tune as Eoghan is today; but to be fair to

Eoghan Harris he was no fly by night having been a member of the

Workers Party for 25 years and after that a supporter of the Fine

Gael/Labour Party coalitions. Prior to the WP he was also involved

with Official Sinn F�in and claims he was amongst those who helped

draw up the platform of the northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement.

He has been for decades articulate and passionate about his politics

and especially his political hates. Indeed it is his hatred of

Provisional Sinn F�in which is the common thread in his political life

and he is the first to admit this, still I digress. Harris claims that

far from acting on a whim, he was slowly forced to the conclusion that

socialism was fatally flawed by the historical facts of the European

and Irish experience, which according to him proved that free markets

and not state intervention served the cause of freedom.

Which is pretty disappointing stuff as Harris is simply parroting the

Neo-conservative justification for all they do and the misery they

leave in their wake. For a man of his intelligence to try such a

flim-flam of an excuse makes one wonder whether to attain a seat in

the Senate Eoghan Harris had to agree to a lobotomy. One only has to

look at New Orleans, Iraq and China to understand that unfettered

capitalism does not serve the interest of human freedom. One can

almost see the Neo-conservative worms at work in Harris head when he

attempts to link bureaucratic Stalinist State socialism of the type he

was once a cheer leader for with all and every form of democratic

socialism. Much as the American Right attempts to do when they equate

the British NHS health care system with State socialism.

Even with a lobotomy Harris is far to an intelligent a man not to know

he is being untruthful, for he is well aware that socialism, like

capitalism comes in 57 varieties. Yes the wretched Stalinism of

Eastern Europe deserved to implode and the working people of those

countries are all the better for that, even if materially and socially

they still have a long way to go and are coming to regret they allowed

the baby to be thrown out with the bath water. Never the less without

the dead weight of Stalinism hanging around the political lefts neck,

we have a real opportunity with hard work and unity to return to the

political centre stage.

Most on the left, especially those from a working class background

understand only to well that working people are never going to throw

over the bourgeois democratic State for a Party Dictatorship. But we

also know that unfettered capitalism spells disaster for not only

ourselves here in the west, but also billions of people around the

world. What is needed is a medium between socialism and capitalism and

increasingly for many socialist that is the aim.

A right to work, a fair and equitable system of Taxation for all

whether they be worker, a professional, company director or a multi

national corporation, a first class health care system free at the

point of need, a state education system that is based on giving all

pupils an equal opportunity in life. A transport infrastructure that

takes into account the needs of the environment and future

generations, decent and affordable homes for all, whether they be for

rent or buy, a level of state old age and disability pensions which

provide a decent standard of living , adequate unemployment and

sickness payments, a decentralization of state power and a directly

elected head of state.

Like many socialist I do not give a fig what the society which

provides its citizens with the aforementioned is called; but what I do

know is that such a society is impossible with out curbing the

unacceptable face of capitalism. One only has to look at the USA and

sadly increasingly Ireland and the United Kingdom to understand this.

For the fact is only the State can provide the services I have

mentioned in a fair and equal way. Capitalism is based on the rate of

profit, it cannot be otherwise, thus when Capital provides such

service they do so on the basis of the bottom line is all; and if one

is unable to meet their fee, as over 40 million US citizens are as far

as health care is concerned then tough.

There are other advantages to having the State run such services, for

when the fear of being unable to meet healthcare or education costs

etc are removed, people have the time and energy to become engaged

with civil society. Whether it be the local political party, local

kids football team, book club whatever. It is no accident that in

todays world politics and community work is increasingly becoming the

preserve of the wealthy or well off retired, as indeed it was in the

19th Century.

Eoghan Harris understands all of this perfectly but like the UKs New

Labour crowd, he also saw which side his bread was buttered and

realized if he were to continue to fight for the type of society I

have aforementioned, nothing but hard toil with little reward or

public adulation lay before him. The more so when GW Bush and his

neo-conservative cronies came to the helm. So he decided to join the

have's and enrich and aggrandize himself, whether he believes all his

nonsense about capitalism and freedom only he knows, in any-case that

is for him and his conscience.

Many years ago in an interview, the Russian socialist Leon Trotsky was

asked if socialism is not on the immediate political agenda, where

would that leave socialists. Trotsky for all his faults instinctively

replied "in the same trench as the dispossessed and fighting alongside

them to better their lives". It seem for Eoghan Harris like many

before him the thought of such a berth would be on a par with going

steerage, so instead he has chosen the upper-deck, first class

accommodation as provided in the Senate Eireann thanks to Bertie

Ahearn and his neo-conservative pals. All we on the left can do is

wish him Bon Voyage and hope he is booked on the Titanic.

*

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/backing-bertie-beats-sinn-f