Democratic Left's proposal for the establishment of a "new political formation" in association with the Labour Party, has been presented as a reaction to last Friday's overwhelming endorsement of the Belfast Agreement and the impact it may have on politics in this State. But the political reality behind this overture is also rooted in Democratic Left's poor general election results and opinion poll showings and in ongoing debate within the party about an alliance with Labour. The precise nature of any new political arrangement has been left fluid by Democratic Left.
In his comments, Mr Proinsias De Rossa - who earlier resisted such a development - declined to rule out any option, be it a full-scale merger or loose alliance. The Democratic Left leader spoke of joining forces with the Labour Party in pursuing a new left agenda for the coming decades in a political formation that would be significantly larger than the sum of the two parts and would be capable of providing the people of the country with the prospect of a left-led government.
Given the standing of the two political parties in the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll, which indicated a combined strength of only 10 per cent, the aspiration to lead a government may appear ludicrous. But the Belfast Agreement will almost certainly generate unplanned social and political changes which may be amplified by the on-going process of European integration. And it should not be forgotten that only six years ago the combined vote of the two parties amounted to 22 per cent. In that context, the recent growth of Sinn Fein in the Republic must be a matter of concern to left-wing parties, particularly in city areas. Fianna Fail is also expected to take steps to protect its traditional "green" vote from the depredations of Mr Gerry Adams and his followers.
The motion passed by the national executive of Democratic Left spoke of the need to ensure the growth of democratic socialism and remarked on the fact that the combined vote of left parties had declined to 13 per cent in the last general election. It's strategy for growth involved attracting people from the voluntary sector who were not involved in party politics, but who were actively working for the betterment of society in other ways.
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn made a positive, if cautious, response to the overture from Democratic Left. Echoing Mr De Rossa, he said the Belfast Agreement had the potential to radically alter the nature of politics here. And he spoke of developing a new political formation strong enough to challenge Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Yesterday, the Labour Party leader consulted with members of his parliamentary party and is understood to have received a constructive response. Later today, the process will be extended to members of the party's general council and executive committee. These are the first, tentative steps in a complicated political dance which may end in a formal political merger or some other coalition-style arrangement. Negotiations are likely to be given added urgency by the scheduling of local authority and European elections for June, 1999. Any new combination of the parties would have to be agreed well in advance of those elections to ensure maximum impact.