The Green Party, Social Democrats, and Solidarity-People Before Profit

Smaller parties can have a big impact on how Irish governments are run, whether by putting pressure on bigger parties or by joining coalition governments. A coalition is where a larger party, such as Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, will join with a smaller party or parties to form a government that has enough support to pass new laws. So when you go to vote in Ireland, it pays to know about as many parties as possible and to really consider which ones you’d most like to see with the power to make change. 

The Green Party, the Social Democrats and Solidarity-People Before Profit are some of the political parties that stand for election in Ireland. All three support left-wing policies, but there are some important differences between them. They are generally considered to be smaller parties within the Irish political system, though of course, each has the potential to grow if enough voters choose to support them. 

The Green Party has participated in the Irish government twice, from 2007 to 2011 as junior partner in a coalition with Fianna Fáil, and since June 2020 in a coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

Where did these parties come from?

Of these three parties, the Green Party is the oldest. It was founded in 1981 as a party that aimed to protect the environment and create a fairer society. The Greens gradually grew their support through the 80s and 90s, until eventually joining a coalition government with Fianna Fáil which lasted from 2007-2011. In 2011 the Green Party lost all their seats in the general election. The current leader of the Green Party is Eamon Ryan.

Solidarity and People Before Profit are two distinct socialist movements with different histories and memberships, currently working together as a single party. People Before Profit was founded in 2005 by members of another organisation, the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The SWP still exists and is important in the internal politics and decision-making of People Before Profit. 

Solidarity, which was formerly known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance, was also founded by members of another political party: the Socialist Party (SP), in 2014. Although the SWP and SP sound similar, they are in fact different organisations. However, both are usually described as being on the far-left of politics, favouring major change to promote equality and decrease the power of wealth in society. Solidarity-PBP have chosen not to have a party leader. 

The Social Democrats are one of the newest parties in Irish politics. They were set up in 2015 by a group of Independent politicians to promote policies such as more spending on public services, a better health system, more equality within society and tougher laws against corruption. The co-leaders of the Social Democrats are Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy who were both previously members of the Labour Party. A former leader of the party was TD Stephen Donnelly, who left the party to join Fianna Fáil.  

Relations between the Parties

Two of the three of these parties (Social Democrats and People Before Profit) are in opposition in the Dáil, meaning that they do not support the current Government. 

Generally, Solidarity-PBP agree with the Greens and Social Democrats about the need for a more equal spread of money and resources within society, a bigger role for the Government in tackling homelessness, higher taxes on the wealthy and better social supports for the poor. All three were also strong supporters of a Yes vote in the referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, which legalised abortion in Ireland. 

However, relations between Solidarity-PBP and the Greens in particular have been frosty due to disagreements over the best way to combat climate change. The Green Party favours new taxes on carbon to discourage people from polluting, while Solidarity-PBP thinks this will unfairly impact on the least well-off in society. 

Who else can I support?

The Green Party, the Social Democrats and Solidarity-People Before Profit are just some of the many political options for Irish voters. Parties like Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Labour Party all have their own policies and visions for Ireland’s future. It’s up to each individual voter to decide which (if any) of these political parties deserves their support. You can read more about Ireland’s political parties here, find out more about the differences between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael here, and read about the differences between Sinn Féin and Labour here.