éirígí Election Campaign Hits the Ground

Pádraic MacCoitir and John McCusker

Time will tell if éirígí garners enough votes in the forthcoming Six County local government elections to elect two councillors to Belfast City Hall.
However, one thing is already clear and that is the appetite and motivation of republican activists across Belfast for the éirígí initiative.

Since party members began hitting doors in the west of the city last Monday [February 14], they have been joined by dozens of political ex-prisoners, long-time community workers and young people engaged in their first political campaign.

Women and men, young and old alike have all lent their support. Those who have driven the republican struggle in Belfast for decades and those who want to drive and shape it for decades to come have all put their weight behind the éirígí effort to repopularise radical, class-based politics in the city.

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday of last week, thousands of Poblacht na nOibrithe newsletters were delivered to homes in the Upper Falls area announcing the candidature of Pádraic Mac Coitir.

This process will be repeated in the days ahead in the Lower Falls constituency to announce the candidature of John McCusker.

Already, text messages and emails are arriving off the back of the newsletters offering encouragement and pledging support and votes. What level of hunger there is in West Belfast for a socialist republican alternative will not be properly discovered until after May 5, but that there is a hunger there has already been established.

éirígí candidate for the Lower Falls area John McCusker thanked all those who have supported the party’s election campaign so far.

“Since éirígí announced its intention to stand in the local government elections, we have been overwhelmed by the support that has been offered to us by the broader republican community.

“Even at this early stage, we have dozens of people who have joined our election campaign team in addition to our existing members. These include people who have a large amount of experience in fighting previous elections, people who work day and daily at the coalface of the problems that confront the working people of West Belfast, political ex-prisoners and some who are relatively new to political activism. They are all welcome in the campaign to provide a socialist republican alternative for West Belfast.”

If you would like to support éirígí’s campaign in any way, contact the party on 079 3595 0601 or at eirigibealfeirste@gmail.com

Ar aghaidh linn le chéile.

Click here to download the Poblacht na nOibrithe newsletter for Upper Falls

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest210211.html