Labour live streaming from Kilkenny…
Irish Labour is webcasting its annual conference, so even if you cannot pick up the RTE feed you can get it from their website. They have the same company doing it as the European Commission in Ireland’s blogger’s conference did. So the quality should be good. Nice little snippets too from the party’s Twitter feed should give you some hints on what you’ve already missed… Smart stuff… They’re looking for questions through their website for leading party spokesmen, the responses to which will be made during conference, and then put on their YouTube channel…
I turned the conference on earlier today and caught one eejit who finished his speech by quoting the words of Billy Bragg!
What’s wrong with Billy Bragg??
Anyway this is an impressive online political assault.
Gilmore’s speech can be viewed on the website.
Thought his commitment to outlaw house repossesions was interesting.
There will be a small band of NI Labour activists who will be dissapointed with the 21st Century Commission Report debate this morning at 10.30. It endorses the SDLP in NI and does not call for Labour to contest elections in the North.
Just watched Eamon Gilmore attempt to tie Ahern and Cowen to GW Bush. That’s a stretch, but it’s what everyone everywhere is doing this year (Vote for me, the other guy is like Bush.) Can’t blame Gilmore, that’s the approach that worked for Obama.
Also of note was when he practically scolded the naughty Irish voter for rejecting Lisbon. (You’ll be angering our betters in Europe, children.)
“There will be a small band of NI Labour activists who will be dissapointed with the 21st Century Commission Report debate this morning at 10.30. It endorses the SDLP in NI and does not call for Labour to contest elections in the North. ”
Conall can you understand those who see the SDLP as more nationalist than Labour and who would like a Labour eletoral option in NI politics that does not designate nationalist or unionist? For these people Irish Labour’s decision is disappointing and the SDLP not currently a serious option.
The Irish Labour Party is the party of the public sector in the Republic at least on terms of it’s union representation in the public services unions and in RTE . I can’t see them making even a marginal improvement in their seats next time out which won’t be for at least 3 years and by which time the economy should be on an upswing once again .
They need to find another leader . Rabbitte was a rabbit and Gilmore is just more of the same . About as inspirational as a bag of coal on a farmyard wall .
South Belfast Diary covered the Northern thing a few weeks ago, from the perspective of one of the northern members if anyone is interested. Worth reading for the disappointment they feel.
The only thing I can imagine worse than being at the Labour Party conference in Kilkenny, is watching it on the internet.
I fully understand their frustration and I say that as an SDLP member.
South Belfast Diary did indeed post the relevant (draft) section from Labour’s 21st Century Commission report:
http://southbelfastdiary.blogspot.com/2008/11/close-door-on-your-way-out.html
I hope to have an analysis of the document up on Irish Left Review in the next day or so.
But the most important thing now for those of us who were Irish LP members in NI is to consider what to do next. Ideas, anyone?
Join the SDLP and push together with existing social democrats for a change in direction?
Funny how politicos always give out about how the parties ignore internet possibilities but when a party does take it on all its met with is ‘its boring’
1967 – I could not possibly join the SDLP. I am an Englishwoman with a Northern Ireland Protestant background, with dual UK/ Irish nationality, who is neither an Irish nor a UK nationalist. You see the problem?
I’m not a nationalist either, I joined the SDLP because it was there. The chair of SDLP Youth is a Protestant and so was one of the founder members of the party. I understand your reticence but it is a bit much to say that membership is an ‘impossibility’ for you. Too few non-Irish and too few Protestants is the SDLP’s problem and it isn’t doing enough to change that I admit.
Fair enough, but I do think it would be difficult to say the least to be an SDLP member without being an Irish nationalist – and perhaps unprincipled, given it’s one of their basic tenets.
Having written the long ILR piece, I’m now over it and more than ready to move on, anyway.
Not as difficult as one would think given that the constitutional issue is agreed for the moment and the principle of consent is what everyone operates under. Furthmore, the re-unification of the island into one state need not necessarily mean Irish nationalism because, as Hobsbawm has argued constantly, there is a subtle difference between wanting a ‘nation’ to form the basis of a state and actually being ‘nationalist’. And anyway, cross-border co-operation makes sound economic sense and any rational person would agree: “North-South Makes Sense.” There is probably not a lot in the founding principles of the party or in the constitution as it stands that either of us would disagree with too strongly:
http://www.sdlpyouth.com/gallery/d/1042-3/sdlpfoundingprinciples1970.jpg
Yes, but look at what they are saying now:
http://www.sdlp.ie/about_vision.php
And here:
http://www.sdlp.ie/about_us.php
Especially: ‘Since our foundation, the SDLP has been proudly nationalist and is 100% for a United Ireland, just as we are 100% for the Good Friday Agreement. As members of the Party of European Socialists and Socialists International, we are also solidly internationalist and strongly social democratic in our outlook.’
You have to sign up to both to be in it, I think.