Sir, – In 2019, Paul Murphy TD left Solidarity to found Rise, which was not a separate political party since “its candidates would stand under the Solidarity-People Before Profit banner, as a third arm” (News, September 30th, 2019). Mr Murphy was the new organisation’s only candidate (singular) at the 2020 general election.
Now Rise and Mr Murphy are “joining” People Before Profit, but it is not a full merger since Rise will continue “to function as a network within PBP” (News, March 1st).
Almost comically, the statement announcing the move says that it is the culmination of “a year of discussion”, aimed at resolving “very real political incompatibilities, disagreements that are so deep that they would turn any attempt to unite into a disastrous mess”.
After this series of splits, mergers and quasi-mergers in the space of just 18 months, I dread to think what Mr Murphy considers would qualify as an actual “disastrous mess”.
Is this rearrangement of the deckchairs on the Titanic some kind of attempt by Mr Murphy to parody the far-left? – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.