Democratic Left

Democratic Left was formerly the name of two political organisations.

1. In the Republic of Ireland they were a political party formed out of the Workers Party, which in turn had its origins in Official Sinn Féin. Democratic Left served in government with Fine Gael and the Labour Party from 1994 till 1997. They have since merged with the Labour Party.

2. In the United Kingdom the Communist Party of Great Britain reformed itself into a left-leaning political think-tank called Democratic Left in 1991. Some members disagreed with this decision and formed a new Communist Party of Great Britain, whilst some Scottish members formed the Communist Party of Scotland. Democratic Left in the UK was dissolved in the late 1990s and reformed as the New Politics Network (NPN).