"Bloco de Esquerda" irlandês

Left-wing groups unite to fight poll (Irish Times):

Independent Socialist MEP Joe Higgins will attempt to reclaim his Dublin West seat in the next general election, he announced today.


Richard Boyd-Barrett, a councillor for People Before Profit Alliance, and former Tipperary South TD Seamus Healy, will also contest the election under a new United Left Alliance.

The new grouping expects to field some 20 candidates. Dublin councillors Clare Daly and Joan Collins are also involved.

Mr Higgins said the Socialist Party, the People Before Profit Alliance and the Tipperary-based Workers and Unemployed Action Group had come together to provide a “left alternative to the establishment parties”.

Sinn Féin was accused of being prepared to “prop up” Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour in a coalition government, at the launch in a Dublin city centre hotel this morning. (...)

Mr Boyd-Barrett said it was time for people to take to the streets in protest and called for high participation in Saturday’s march. “We all need to get behind it and send the strongest possible message to this rotten government: get out now.”

Por outro lado, as sondagens parecem indicar um grande aumento da votação e representação do Sinn Féin, que provavelmente elegerá um deputado numas eleições intercalares hoje.
Ou seja, parecem estar a desenhar-se na Irlanda duas potenciais "alternativas de esquerda" - a esquerda radical clássica da United Left Alliance (que penso poder se considerada como parecido com o "nosso" BE) e a esquerda nacionalista do Sinn Féin.