The first item on the Left’s election agenda does not always have to be ‘the split’
Brendan Behan's accurate dictum about "the split" being the first item on the agenda of republican organisations applies to a broader swathe of the Irish political Left.
The ability to find common cause, overcome details of ideology and frame a common and effective approach to election campaigns has not been the strong suit of Irish political leftists. But it is too easy to be glib and dismissive.
There are now, and often have been, people of talent and sincerity on the Left in Irish politics who have deserved better hearing and consideration. But in the nothing-for-nothing business of politics, you make your own space and take what luck comes your way.
