Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)

This article is about the political party dissolved in 1990. For the political party founded in 2015, see Social Democrats (Ireland).
Democratic Socialist Party
Founder and Leader Jim Kemmy
Founded 1972
Dissolved 1990
Merger of Limerick Socialist Organisation
Socialist Party of Ireland
Merged into Labour Party
Ideology Democratic socialism,
Secularism
Anti-nationalism
Political position Left-wing

The Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) was a small left wing political party in the Republic of Ireland. It was a merger of Jim Kemmy's Limerick Socialist Organisation and the Socialist Party of Ireland. Jim Kemmy was an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann. He left the Labour Party in 1972. [1] A number of members of the British and Irish Communist Organisation also joined the party.

The party had a political stance to the left of Labour, and was strongly opposed to nationalist positions regarding Northern Ireland. Journalist Brian Trench claimed the DSP shared "the anti-republicanism and economism" of the 1980s Workers' Party, despite disagreeing with the WP on other issues.[2] In 1983 the party made submissions to the New Ireland Forum reflecting its non-nationalist position. It also held a strongly secularist position, opposing the influence of the Catholic Church on issues such as contraception, divorce and abortion.

The party never held any Dáil seats other than Kemmy's seat in Limerick East. Outside of Limerick City its membership was very small, although its positions on Northern Ireland and the Catholic Church attracted members of the British and Irish Communist Organisation (BICO) to it. In 1982, the Socialist Party of Ireland joined.

It merged with the Labour Party in 1990. Many of the BICO members in the party later joined the Democratic Left when that party was established in 1992.

A number of former members became successful electorally with the Labour Party such as Limerick TD Jan O'Sullivan, Dublin TD Michael Conaghan who was Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2004 and TD Eamonn Maloney. The historian John de Courcy Ireland was also a member of the party and a candidate in the 1984 European elections.[3]

List of the DSP electoral candidates

Election Candidate Constituency
February 1982 general election Jim Kemmy Limerick East
1982 Dublin West by-election Michael Conaghan Dublin West
November 1982 general election
Garry O'Sullivan Cork South–Central
Philip O'Connor Dublin North–Central
Séamus Rattigan Dublin South–Central
Denis O'Connor Dublin South
Michael Conaghan Dublin West
John de Courcy Ireland Dún Laoghaire
Jim Kemmy Limerick East
1984 European Parliament election John de Courcy Ireland Dublin
1987 general election
Philip O'Connor Dublin North–Central
Eamonn Maloney Dublin South–West
Michael Conaghan Dublin West
Jim Kemmy Limerick East
1989 general election
Michael Conaghan Dublin West
Jim Kemmy Limerick East

General election results

Election Seats won ± Position First Pref votes % Government Leader
1982 (Nov)
0 / 166
Steady None 7,012 0.4% No Seats Jim Kemmy
1987
1 / 166
Increase1 Increase6th 7,424 0.4% Opposition Jim Kemmy
1989
1 / 166
Steady Steady6th 9,836 0.6% Opposition Jim Kemmy

References

  1. The Dynamics of Irish Politics by Paul Bew, Ellen Hazelkorn, Henry Patterson, (1989).
  2. "Radical Fragments in a Southern Wilderness", Brian Trench, Fortnight Magazine, no. 196 (Jul/Aug),1983 pp. 5-6.
  3. John de Courcy Ireland Elections Ireland website
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