People Before Profit–Solidarity (PBPS or PBP–S)[11] is a left-wingelectoral alliance in Ireland. It was formed by members of two socialistpolitical parties, People Before Profit (PBP) and Solidarity.[1][3] Solidarity was known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) until 2017.[12] Since September 2019, the alliance also included the RISE party, founded by Paul Murphy. In early 2021, RISE became fully integrated into PBP.[13][14] The alliance was formed in 2015 and replaced AAA and PBP in Ireland's official register of political parties;[15] however, each entity retains its separate organisation and identity, and the PBP also retains its own registration in Northern Ireland. The alliance was created with the intent to obtain more speaking rights for its constituent members in Dáil Éireann after the 2016 Irish general election.[16]
Under the standing rules of order in Dáil Éireann, a parliamentary group must have five TDs or more in order to have full speaking rights. In addition, political parties which get 2% or more of the national vote receive extra funding from the state for political activities. Combining the seats and votes of People Before Profit and Anti-Austerity Alliance would increase the chance of reaching these thresholds. An electoral alliance called United Left Alliance had been previously tried by People Before Profit and other left-wing groups in the early 2010s, and in many ways served as a precursor to this alliance.
The electoral alliance sought to provide a greater socialist voice in parliament, and a political platform committed to abolishing water charges, Universal Social Charge for low-middle income earners, and other austerity measures implemented in Ireland. The alliance claims to represent the 57% of people who boycotted the payment of water charges, and claims to provide a genuine working-class voice in parliament.[19] The alliance has been described as a "remarkable abeyance of decades-old sectarian conflict between the Socialist Workers Party underlying PBP and the Socialist Party underlying AAA."[20] Solidarity and People Before Profit announced its intention to organise separately and to remain free to maintain different political positions on various issues, but intend to cooperate electorally while maintaining their own identities and structures.
AAA de-registered as a party, while PBP changed its registered name to AAA–PBP and added AAA members to the renamed party's list of nominated representatives.[21] This technical distinction caused a legal question regarding the co-option of a member of Cork City Council to replace AAA member Mick Barry after Barry's election to the Dáil in the 2016 election.[21] It was argued that, since the party for whom Barry was elected in 2014 was no longer registered, the party he represented when vacating his council seat in 2016 did not have the right to nominate a replacement.[21]Harry McGee, a columnist for The Irish Times, commented that it was difficult to tell the difference between People Before Profit and the AAA.[22]
In 2019, Solidarity TD Paul Murphy formed RISE, a new political party which immediately became the alliance's third member.[23][24] RISE later merged with People Before Profit in February 2021.[25] In 2020, the group changed its registered name to People Before Profit–Solidarity, in accordance with founding agreement that the order of names would switch after the first three years.[26]
As of July 2024, People Before Profit–Solidarity is listed as one party in the Electoral Commission register of political parties.[27] It was described as a party by RTÉ in September 2024.[28]
^The United Left Alliance was an electoral alliance created for the 2011 election and dissolved soon after. PBP-S was created in 2015 to maintain speaking rights in the Dáil and state funding for both parties. The two shared some members but PBP-S is not considered to be a direct successor to the ULA.
^ abAll members of Solidarity are members of the Socialist Party
^ abThe seat count includes People Before Profit and Solidarity.
^Contested election as Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit.
^Contested election as Solidarity–People Before Profit.
^Contested election as People Before Profit–Solidarity.
References
^ abNordsieck, Wolfram (2016). "Ireland". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
^Coulter., Oisín Vince (6 February 2020). "The PBP/Solidarity explainer: from Campaigns to Revolution". Village Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2024. The 2016 general election returned 6 Trotskyist TDs, 3 from People Before Profit (PBP) and 3 from the Anti-Austerity Alliance (now Solidarity).
^ ab"Slightly constitutional". Eurozine. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2024. ...and Solidarity-People Before Profit, a loose alliance of groups of Trotskyist origin, on five.
^Bolleyer, Nicole (9 March 2022). "Party conflict regulation and intra-party hierarchy in contemporary party organization". Irish Political Studies. 37 (2). Informa UK Limited: 172–195. doi:10.1080/07907184.2022.2043081. ISSN0790-7184. In Ireland, the statutes for the far-left Solidarity/ People before Profit were unavailable which is why this minor socialist party that gained national representation in 2011 after the economic crisis could not be included.
^"AAA set to change name to Solidarity". RTÉ News. 10 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017. The party says the left-wing Dáil grouping currently known as the AAA-PBP will become known as the Solidarity – People Before Profit.
