In reply to JRG above even at the time the impetus for the formation of the party came from the Liason of the Left faction on the left of Labour and Noel Browne. Incidentally I was a party member at the time. The public were confused when all the ultra lefties got on board who’s primary loyalty was to the faction. There was also of course the disasterous mishaps described above around Republicanism and the ambivilance from Noel Browne. Had the SLP stayed true to its original raison d’etre of being “real Labour” given time and decent party management it could have occupied the place that WP managed to gain in the 80S. While the SLP could concievably have remained comfortable in a position as a left parliamentary alternative if it was given a chance to grow the WP with a Leninist type party model was always likley to implode or change character completely due to its contradictions.
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