Communist Party of Ireland | |
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| Abbreviation | CPI |
| Chairperson | Ciara Ní Mhaoilfhinn |
| General Secretary | Jimmy Corcoran |
| Founded | 1970; 55 years ago (1970) |
| Merger of | Irish Workers' Party Communist Party of Northern Ireland |
| Headquarters | 43 East Essex Street, Dublin 2,Ireland |
| Newspaper | Socialist Voice |
| Youth Wing | Connolly Youth Movement (Until 2021) |
| Ideology | |
| International affiliation | IMCWP |
| Party flag | |
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TheCommunist Party of Ireland (CPI) is aMarxist–Leninistparty, founded in 1970 and active in theRepublic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland following a merger of theIrish Workers' Party and theCommunist Party of Northern Ireland. It rarely contests elections and has never had electoral success. The party is a member of theInternational Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties. Throughout the period of theCold War, the CPI openly aligned with the Soviet Union. Duringthe Troubles, the party procured some arms for the faction which became theOfficial IRA. The party closely supported theCuban Revolution and campaigns such as theBirmingham Six. Minor splits from the CPI included the Eurocommunist-inspiredIrish Marxist Society.
The Communist Party of Ireland formed in 1970 following a merger of theIrish Workers' Party and theCommunist Party of Northern Ireland.Michael O'Riordan, a member of theCommunist Party of Ireland (1933), became general secretary and would remain in that role until 1983. In March 1970, following the CPNI/IWP merger, the new Communist Party of Ireland issued a manifesto calledFor Unity and Socialism, advocating the election of left-wing governments in both parts of Ireland, and, eventually, the creation of aUnited Ireland.[1]
One notable split from the CPI was theEurocommunist group theIrish Marxist Society, which left the CPI around 1976. The IMS was founded by Joe Deasy (1922–2013),Sam Nolan (1930-), Paddy Carmody, George Jeffares, Mick O'Reilly (1946-) and other former CPI members.[2] The IMS advocatedMarxist feminism[3] and was also outspoken in its rejection of thetwo nations theory of Northern Ireland.[4] Most of the IMS's members later joined the IrishLabour Party,[5] where they played a leading role in the formation of Labour Left.[6]
The CPI strongly criticised theAnglo-Irish Agreement, claiming the AIA "underlined Partition and gave Britain a direct say in the affairs of the Republic".[7] In the 1980s, its membership declined significantly during the electoral rise of theWorkers' Party and this trend continued after thedissolution of the Soviet Union. The party's aim is to win the support of the majority of the Irish people for ending thecapitalist system and for buildingsocialism. It is actively opposed toneo-liberalism and to theEuropean Union.
Autobiographical accounts of the party in this period have been written by Mick O'Reilly,[8]Helena Sheehan[9] and Kevin McMahon.[10]
The party stood two candidates in the2014 local elections, neither was elected.[11] The CPI fielded one candidate for the2016 Dáil Éireann election for theCork North-West constituency.[12]
In January 2021, theConnolly Youth Movement dropped its support for the programme of the CPI.[13] In February, the CPI issued a statement stating that several dual (CPI-CYM) members had been expelled for severe breaches of discipline and factional behaviour within the CPI prior to the CYM's decision to drop its support for the programme of the CPI.[14]
On 2 June 2021, the CPI released a statement distancing itself from its former Belfast branch due to the actions of former party members in the city. The statement also announced the founding of a newGreater Belfast branch to replace the Belfast branch and noted that the branch's social media pages andUnity newspaper were still in the hands of the former members of the Belfast branch.[15][16]
AfterRussia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the party called for an immediate ceasefire and political solution to bring about a "demilitarised, neutral Ukraine", saying it was an "inter-imperialist war".[17] The CPI opposes the Ukrainian Government, stating the 2014Ukrainian Revolution was a US-backed "coup". The CPI blamed the war on "theexpansion of NATO", stating it had built up "large bases of troops and mass destructive weapons along [Russia's] western and southern borders".[18] When it was announced theIrish Defence Forces would train Ukraine's military inmine clearing,[19] the CPI condemned this as "collaboration of the Irish political establishment in the NATO-EU strategy to escalate and prolong the war in Ukraine".[18]
In 2022, a group seceded from the CPI, citing "political and organisational issues", with the name "Irish Communist Party". It claims to be a successor to the CPI, stating that an "opportunistic and anti-democratic faction" had taken control of the party. The interim National Chairperson isEoin Ó Murchú.[20][non-primary source needed]
The general secretary of the party is Jimmy Corcoran. The CPI publishes a monthly magazine calledSocialist Voice. There are also branches inCork,Galway,Munster, and Mid-Ulster.
While it is a registered party, the CPI has rarely run candidates in elections and has never had electoral success. The CPI operates a bookshop inDublin called Connolly Books, which is named after the Irish socialistJames Connolly.
The party and its members are prominent in a number of campaigns such as advocating a "No" vote in theLisbon Treaty referendums.[21] The party has also advocated a referendum on theIrish bailout of banks.[22] It also continues to oppose theEuropean Union and membership of theeuro currency.[23] The CPI set up the Repudiate The Debt campaign to further this objective. In the 2010s, the CPI was active inRight2Water Ireland and called for a constitutional amendment to enshrine ownership of water in the hands of the Irish people and not the state.[24] The party also supported the anti-war movement in Ireland as part of thePeace and Neutrality Alliance.
In November 2017, theStandards in Public Office Commission stated that some statements of accounts had been received from the CPI, but they were found not to be compliant because the accounts were not audited. It decided against appointing a public auditor as the CPI did not receive any funding from the exchequer.[25]
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