A new political departure, designed to move beyond the out-dated divisions of the past and create a radical, participatory movement in Ireland has been promised through the unification of Democratic Left and the Labour Party. It is a considerable ambition; especially in the context of the poor showing of both parties in the last general election. But the synergies released through the amalgamation of the left-leaning parties may well generate a new momentum. The political experiment has been fixed firmly in the context of the Belfast Agreement and settlement of the one great issue which has divided the State since its foundation. The other shaping factors involve growing European integration and rapid economic and social development.
Media attention will focus on personality politics within the new organisation. Already, incipient turf-wars between elected representatives from both parties have generated considerable interest. Such friction is inevitable as the parties, which were always keen rivals in the past, bed down together. But the generous offer by Mr Proinsias De Rossa to campaign on behalf of Ms Roisin Shorthall in the next general election, shows that things may change. Mr De Rossa will be president of the new Labour Party - a role he insists will not be titular - while Mr Ruairi Quinn will continue as party leader. The appointment of front bench spokesmen for the united party is likely to be the most contentious issue at senior political level. But that will not happen until the end of January. On February 1st, the two parties are scheduled to unite.
In the meantime, party officers have the task of putting meat on new Labour's bones, in terms of policies and political direction, and making it more relevant to the citizens in our increasingly two-tier society. A united Dail strength of 21 seats will give some extra muscle. But it is unlikely the centre of gravity of the new party will be far to the left. Social partnership rather than democratic socialism will be the message. Even before he succeeded Mr Dick Spring as leader of the Labour Party, Mr Quinn had begun to build linkages with Irish business and financial institutions. Since then, with an eye to Mr Tony Blair's success in Britain, he has assiduously cultivated members of those powerful bodies. While supporting business development, he has emphasised its responsibilities to society. The choice, he told chambers of commerce businessmen, was between a society of private affluence and public squalor, or one of social inclusion and shared prosperity. Labour, he said, was unashamedly in favour of the latter model which would require a sustainable level of taxation in order to redistribute wealth and ensure continued investment. A low tax economy meant a two-tier society with poor public services. Labour favoured a radically different form of social partnership, he said.
As a basic political philosophy, Mr Quinn's approach generates echoes right across Europe. But it differs strongly from the ascendant US economic model. The new party has only a matter of months to prepare its political manifesto for the June local and European elections. The quality of its candidates, their commitment to social change and their success or failure are likely to have a direct influence on the composition of the next Dail and the shape of a new government. Time is short and a great deal of work remains to be done if - as Mr Quinn and Mr De Rossa hope - the whole is to prove greater than the sum of the parts.