Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
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 left the Labour Party
in 1972.
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. 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 (1971)
(not the current Socialist Party) 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
. Teacher, historian and socialist, John de Courcy Ireland
was also a member of the party and a candidate in the 1984 european elections.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It was a merger of Jim Kemmy
Jim Kemmy
Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party...
's Limerick Socialist Organisation and the Socialist Party of Ireland
Socialist Party of Ireland (1971)
The Socialist Party of Ireland was a minor left-wing political party which existed in Ireland from 1971 to 1982.The SPI was set up by ex-members of Official Sinn Féin. It was formed on 13 December 1971 in Dublin and published its political manifesto on 19 January 1972...
. Jim Kemmy was an Irish politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and member of Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
. He left the left the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
in 1972.
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
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
positions regarding Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Journalist Brian Trench
Brian Trench
Brian Trench is a writer and academic living in Dublin, who has been centrally involved in developing science communication and science-in-society studies in Ireland....
claimed the DSP shared "the anti-republicanism and economism
Economism
Economism is a term used to describe economic reductionism, that is the reduction of all social facts to economical dimensions. It is also used to criticize economics as an ideology, in which supply and demand are the only important factors in decisions, and outstrip or permit ignoring literally...
" of the 1980s
Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
, despite disagreeing with the WP on other issues. In 1983 the party made submissions to the New Ireland Forum
New Ireland Forum
The New Ireland Forum was a forum in 1983–84 at which Irish nationalist political parties discussed potential political developments that might alleviate the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Forum was established by Garret FitzGerald, then Taoiseach, under the influence of John Hume. The Forum was...
reflecting its non-nationalist position. It also held a strongly secularist
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
position, opposing the influence of the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
on issues such as contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
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
British and Irish Communist Organisation
The British and Irish Communist Organisation was a small but highly influential group based in London, Belfast, Cork, and Dublin. Its leader was Brendan Clifford. The group produced a great number of pamphlets, and many regular publications including, The Irish Communist and Workers Weekly in...
(BICO) to it. In 1982, the Socialist Party of Ireland (1971)
Socialist Party of Ireland (1971)
The Socialist Party of Ireland was a minor left-wing political party which existed in Ireland from 1971 to 1982.The SPI was set up by ex-members of Official Sinn Féin. It was formed on 13 December 1971 in Dublin and published its political manifesto on 19 January 1972...
(not the current Socialist Party) joined.
It merged with the Labour Party in 1990. Many of the BICO
British and Irish Communist Organisation
The British and Irish Communist Organisation was a small but highly influential group based in London, Belfast, Cork, and Dublin. Its leader was Brendan Clifford. The group produced a great number of pamphlets, and many regular publications including, The Irish Communist and Workers Weekly in...
members in the party later joined the Democratic Left
Democratic Left (Ireland)
Democratic Left was a democratic socialist political party active in Ireland between 1992 and 1999. It came into being after a split in the Workers' Party and, after just seven years in existence, it merged into the Irish Labour Party.-Origins:...
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
Jan O'Sullivan
Jan O'Sullivan is an Irish Labour Party politician. She is a Teachta Dála for Limerick City constituency and is the current Minister of State for Trade and Development.-Personal life:...
, Dublin TD Michael Conaghan
Michael Conaghan
Michael Conaghan is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency at the 2011 general election....
who was Lord Mayor of Dublin
Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent is Labour Party Councillor Andrew Montague. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the...
in 2004 and TD Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency at the 2011 general election....
. Teacher, historian and socialist, John de Courcy Ireland
John de Courcy Ireland
John de Courcy Ireland was an Irish maritime historian and political activist.-Biography:Born in Lucknow, India, where his County Kildare native father served in the British Army, he was educated at Marlborough College, Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a PhD in 1951...
was also a member of the party and a candidate in the 1984 european elections.
List of the DSP electoral candidates
| Election | Candidate | Constituency |
|---|---|---|
| February 1982 general election | Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party... |
Limerick East |
| 1982 Dublin West by-election | Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency at the 2011 general election.... |
Dublin West |
| November 1982 general election | ||
| Garry O'Sullivan | Cork South Central Cork South Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cork South–Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
|
| Philip O'Connor | Dublin North Central Dublin North Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin North–Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
|
| Séamus Rattigan | Dublin South Central Dublin South Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin South–Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
|
| Denis O'Connor | Dublin South Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
|
| Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency at the 2011 general election.... |
Dublin West | |
| John de Courcy Ireland John de Courcy Ireland John de Courcy Ireland was an Irish maritime historian and political activist.-Biography:Born in Lucknow, India, where his County Kildare native father served in the British Army, he was educated at Marlborough College, Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a PhD in 1951... |
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
|
| Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party... |
Limerick East | |
| 1984 European Parliament election European Parliament election, 1984 (Ireland) The 1984 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 1984 European Parliament election. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote.-Results:-Voting details:-See also:... |
John de Courcy Ireland John de Courcy Ireland John de Courcy Ireland was an Irish maritime historian and political activist.-Biography:Born in Lucknow, India, where his County Kildare native father served in the British Army, he was educated at Marlborough College, Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a PhD in 1951... |
Dublin Dublin (European Parliament constituency) Dublin is a constituency of the European Parliament in Ireland. It elects 3 Members of the European Parliament using the single transferable vote form of proportional representation .-History and boundaries:... |
| 1987 general election Irish general election, 1987 The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January. The newly-elected 166 members of the 25th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 10 March when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place in... |
||
| Philip O'Connor | Dublin North Central Dublin North Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin North–Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
|
| Eamonn Maloney Eamonn Maloney Eamonn Maloney is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency at the 2011 general election.... |
Dublin South West Dublin South West (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
|
| Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency at the 2011 general election.... |
Dublin West | |
| Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party... |
Limerick East | |
| 1989 general election Irish general election, 1989 The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Thursday, 15 June 1989, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 25 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 26th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 29 June... |
||
| Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan Michael Conaghan is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency at the 2011 general election.... |
Dublin West | |
| Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party... |
Limerick East |