Michael Finnegan, President of The Workers’ Party, in a statement on the coming decision of the Progressive Democrats to fold-up their tents and steal away, stated the following:-

“The coming demise of the PDs is to be welcomed as it helps to clear the deck for what could be called real politics.  The next step after Mr Cowen swallows the bulk of the PDs should be the amalgamation of the two conservative parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.  Such a merger would bring an end to the artificial division which has existed since the Civil War in 1922.  There are no significant differences between the two parties, as it has been remarked upon on previous occasions, than the difference between Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola.

Surely given the deep and very serious crisis affecting capitalism worldwide should mean the Parties promoting capitalism should join together to defend and save their ideological and economic system.  If this happens it would add impetus to the need for Left Unity.  It would become essential, if the Right was to merge, for principled Left parties and groups to come together and present a coherent Socialist alternative in this most critical of periods for capitalism.

Issued 16th September 2008