Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)
Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann |
|
---|---|
Founded | 1965 |
Dissolved | 2003 |
Ideology |
Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism Hoxhaism Irish republicanism |
Political position | Far-left |
The Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist–Leninist) was an anti-revisionist political party based in Ireland, it had strong links with Party of Labour of Albania, Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) and Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist).
CPI(ML) originated from the "Internationalists in Ireland", a group started on 9 December 1965 by Hardial Bains, while he was working as a microbiologist at Trinity College, Dublin. His efforts culminated in the "Necessity for Change" conference, at which delegates from Canada, India, Ireland and Britain pledged to build Marxist-Leninist parties in their countries. They rejected Nikita Khrushchev's policies, which they regarded as revisionist, and followed a Marxist-Leninist course. In 1968, the Internationalists came to public attention as they organised a protest against the visit of King Baudouin of Belgium to Trinity College. In 1969, they renamed themselves the Irish Communist Movement (Marxist-Leninist). On 4 July 1970 they relaunched themselves as the CPI(ML), with Michael Hehir named as the 'leading national spokesman.' The ICM opposed the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.
CPI(ML) participated in the 1974 UK parliamentary election. It had candidates in three constituencies in Northern Ireland. In total they got 540 votes, between 0.2%-0.5% in each constituency. CPI(ML) member David Vipond stood in the 1973 Monaghan by-election, receiving 157 first preference votes. Vipond later stood for election in Dublin along with other CPI(ML) members.