Time for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to amalgamate. There is no difference in terms of policy or politics between both Tory parties.

Fianna Fail always presented themselves as a ‘national movement’- showing one face to workers and another to the ruling class. The promise of economic advance couched in nationalist rhetoric built them a strong working class support base.

But that game came to an end after the bank bailout and a ‘riot at the ballot box’ – Fianna Fail lost their working class base. At the same the time the other historic pillar of Irish capitalism- the Church- was lurching from crisis to crisis.

Fine Gael have always been the B Team of the Irish rich- a party of wealthy D4 business types and big farmers. The two Tory parties enabled one to take power and the other to pose as an ‘opposition’ – this shut down any prospect for questioning of government policy to stray beyond limits acceptable to Irish capitalism.

Now that game is up. The Civil War charade is over and Ireland has a clear Left Right divide. The establishment parties combined have gone from 90% of all votes in the 1980s down to 50% of all votes today. Behind the appearance of strength there is a crisis for the political establishment.

Michael Martin should accept Enda Kenny’s offer. Stop playing a game no-one falls for anymore.

For workers – both low and middle income- we must prepare to mobilise to demand our share of their ‘recovery’. The fact spinning is starting already- the ‘fiscal space’ fiction conjured up to win votes during the election campaign has disappeared and been replaced by talk of the need for harsh Budgets.

The water movement has shown that we can beat back the austerity drive with mass popular mobilisations. This mass movement is even more powerful when accompanied by strikes by organised workers. Luas workers, Train and bus workers, Teachers, Tescos and Dunnes workers are all standing up.

People Before Profit will continue to stand for people power as the path to real change. We are ready for the challenge of a Tory government and we will not stop fighting for change until every family is housed, until the rich are made to pay their fair share and until the wealth of society is used for the benefit of those who do the work in society.