People Before Profit Election Launch — 7PM Monday February 19th — Absolute Hotel

People Before Profit Election Launch — 7PM Monday February 19th — Absolute Hotel

Limerick's history of resistance inspiration for People Before Profit’s candidates

“2024 is our chance for change” say People Before Profit as they prepare to launch their campaigns for Limerick Mayor and Europe next week.

Ruairí Fahy has already announced his intention to represent Limerick City North in the upcoming local elections but has been selected by the party to also contest the Directly Elected Mayor as the party say we need a “an activist Mayor, who will live on a workers’ wage and be on the side of the people”.

Explaining his decision to accept the party nomination Mr. Fahy said, “the Directly Elected Mayor was supposed to give more power to the people of Limerick to control our future, to undo the damage done by being the dumping ground for dirty industries and an afterthought in a development policy that only focuses on the expansion of Dublin.

“In reality the legislation has delivered little more than shuffling the deck of existing powers and hiding the unelected executive further from accountability.

“We have one of the most centralised systems of government in Europe and even then democracy is being eroded as the state moves more decision making to opaque companies like the LDA or focuses public money on derisking developments for international private financiers instead of building up publicly owned and controlled infrastructure.

“Even still, I'm putting myself forward for Mayor of Limerick because even if the legislation doesn't deliver, the role will have the biggest mandate in the country for building new systems of local democracy and building the foundations for a post-capitalist society that operates not for the international markets but on the needs of people and the planet.

“We have a chance for change but that change can only be won by people organising from bottom up.”

Former councillor for Limerick City North, and anti water charges campaigner, Cian Prendiville will also be launching his campaign to represent Ireland South in the upcoming European elections.

Mr Prendiville outlined his reasons for running, saying, “we are entering into more uncertain economic times. There's talk of new rounds of brutal EU backed austerity at a time when people are struggling under rising costs brought about by the privatisation of energy, housing and healthcare that the EU proposed and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael happily carried out.

“Over the last number of years the EU has made its barbarism more and more visible. From Ursula Von Der Leyen’s support of Israel's genocide of Palestinians to Fine Gael MEPs joining with the far right for the drowning of refugees fleeing from the war and violence that are intensified by the Imperialist policies of the EU. The EU is not “a project of peace” but one of war and destruction to line the pockets of the wealthy.

“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have towed the EU line against the interests of working people. We need to kick them out to fight for a Europe that puts People Before Profit.”

Bríd Smith, TD and People Before Profit’s candidate for Dublin in the European elections, will also be speaking at the launch. Bríd Smith had announced her retirement from representative politics last year but following Israel’s bombing of Gaza and failures to challenge fossil fuel companies at the European level and worldwide convinced her to put herself forward for election. Ms Smith said we are in a “poly-crisis, where there is a crisis of the cost of living, the crisis of war, migration, environment, workers rights, but rather than tackle these problems at the root, which would necessitate overhauling how we reproduce our basic needs, the status quo is maintained with a system that is run for the rich.”

The campaign launch will also hear from long-time Socialist activist and former Mayor of Limerick City, Joe Harrington.  “Limerick has a long history of fighting for Socialism,” he said, “from the 1919 general strike to the worker occupation of factories through the war of independence Limerick led the way for creating the Social Republic that was betrayed by the winners of the civil war. For 100 years Limerick has risen up against rent strikes, water charges, money grabbing bosses—and has won. We need to reignite that spirit of rebellion for people; it's time to complete the revolution.”

The campaign launch will take place in the Absolute Hotel at 7PM on Monday February 19th.