by Paul Murphy, a revolutionary socialist member of the Irish parliament (TD), speaks with convention delegates at a self-organized breakout session during the 2021 DSA National Convention.
Since the Great Recession, the socialist left and the populist right have experienced a resurgence. DSA is on the rise, Sanders and Corbyn came close to taking power, and SYRIZA actually took power. Paul Murphy led a fascinating discussion about what we can learn from these experiences and how a mass movement of the multiracial working class can overcome the power of the capitalist elite and establish a democratic socialist society. The meeting was organized by DSA convention delegates who are members of DSA’s Reform & Revolution caucus.
Paul Murphy is a member of the Irish Parliament elected in 2014 on the basis of his firm opposition to the government’s attempts to impose charges on water. Alongside 27 other activists, he was charged with “false imprisonment” of a Labour Party leader at a protest against water charges. However, the #JobstownNotGuilty campaign proved victorious: seven defendants were found not guilty, the attack on the right to protest was defeated, and the trumped up charges against all the other activists were dismissed.
Paul is a member of RISE (Revolutionary Internationalist, Socialist, Environmentalist), which is a network of People Before Profit, Ireland’s eco-socialist party. RISE is the Irish sister organization in political solidarity with DSA’s Reform & Revolution caucus.
