Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The far right is on the March across Europe. They topped the poll in six countries in the European Union elections. They came second in another two. They got about 20% right across the EU. A key question is this: how were they defeated? We have debated before whether the so-called "centre" is best placed to defeat them or whether the left is best placed to defeat them. We have seen a kind of laboratory test in France over these two strategies. Macron put forward an immigration law, supposedly to take account of the concerns of those who might otherwise vote for the far right. This law was so bad that Marine Le Pen voted for it. Then Macron called a surprise snap election that opened the door to the Rassemblement National coming first in the first round of those elections. Ultimately the Macron group - the so-called "centrist grouping" - was quite decisively pushed back in terms of its representation. Contrast that with the approach of the left, which came together in the space of a number of days to unite around a radical programme that included the kinds of measures People Before Profit puts forward: a wealth tax, taxes on excess profits, price freezes on energy and a maximum ceiling for inheritance, which is interesting in the context of this country's debate around inheritance tax. The consequences of this, linked with mobilisation on the ground, is that the French left - the New Popular Front - won the election. There is a lesson for us here. Above all else, the lesson is that the left in this country must prepare a left front before the next general election.

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