Colm O’Gorman has had something of a mauling at the hands of formerly sympathetic voices in the Irish media: from the Sunday Independent to Vincent Browne in the Irish Times (subs needed). Yesterday, the latter gave him a right of reply (subs needed). If the PDs Conference (most pointedly not an Ard Fheis) over obessed on economic development, then O’Gorman has his eyes set on social outcomes.
In an Ireland flushed with our economic success, what matters now is how we use our new-found wealth to ensure that each of our citizens benefits from that success and that those who may be marginalised are not left behind. We must work to ensure that each of us is able to be part of this new Ireland in ways that respect who we are without demanding that we all aspire to be the same.
I believe that the State has a responsibility to recognise and vindicate the rights of its citizens and I believe that we each as citizens have responsibilities to each other both individually and collectively. In that regard, I believe that it is the duty of the State to ensure that it works to properly reflect the balance between those rights and responsibilities in both the development and implementation of policy and legislation.
I believe that the Progressive Democrats is a party which not only holds many of the same principles, but one which is open to having its own views and ideals informed by its members.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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