The Workers Party proudly Established its new Londonderry Branch on Monday 8th December.
Dean Burke chairperson of the new branch said we are living in a historic time for our society. Many working class people are experiencing deep hardship, insecurity, and political alienation in an unequal and unfair system that allows the wealthy to accumulate unimaginable fortunes while ordinary people struggle to get by. This system keeps communities poor, leaves people sick and unsupported, fuels wars and violence across the globe, and continues to ravage our environment for profit.
Mr Burke continued while there has never been a better time for big business and the super-rich to hoard wealth they could never spend in a life time, ordinary people are being pushed to breaking point by the ongoing cost of living crisis. We have seen real wages fall, the prices of food and essential household items rise at alarming rates, and childcare becomes inaccessible for many families. People are burdened by mounting debts, forced to endure unacceptable hospital waiting lists, and more families than ever before are being pushed to rely on food banks just to get through the week.
Our public services are crumbling, unemployment is rising, and many young people now feel so hopeless about their future that they believe they must leave the country to find opportunities elsewhere. Homelessness is increasing, and decent housing is slipping out of reach for a generation.
At the same time, our society is witnessing the dangerous rise of groups that seek to divide us, to turn neighbour against neighbour, and to scapegoat minorities and the most vulnerable instead of challenging the real causes of inequality. In a wealthy Western Country, people are rightly asking why their lives have not improved despite decades of promises. There is justified anger at governments North and South, that continues to ignore the unmet needs of working class people while serving the interests of the privileged few.
Successive governments and the mainstream political establishment have patched over problems rather than solving them. They treat symptoms, not the root causes. The Workers Party is clear that nothing short of fundamental, top to bottom change of this broken system will improve the lives of ordinary people. That change can only come through socialism.
For to long we have been told that things cannot be different, but we know that real change is possible. We can bring about the lasting transformation our communities urgently need by building a society that puts ordinary people first and ensures that no one is left behind. We can make life affordable again through investment in public housing and the essential services families rely on. We can rebuild our health system so that everyone receives high quality care when they need it. We can strengthen workers’ rights so that people have real power in their workplaces and a fair share of the wealth they create.
We can protect our planet through sustainable and publicly owned energy systems. We can open opportunity for all through free lifelong education. We can build a country free from bigotry and division. We can confront the deep levels of inequality in our society by demanding that the wealthy and big business finally pay their fair share.
Mr Burke concluded by saying we hope the Derry branch of the Workers Party will be a home for those who, for too long, have felt that they did not belong in our political system. Together, we can bring about real change and build a fairer and more equal society that works for the many, not the few. That future will not be handed to us. We must organise, stand together, and win it.