LABOUR LEADER IVANA Bacik was all smiles today in Malahide as she kicked off the season of political party think-ins in Malahide today.

The party has been in good spirits since Aodhán Ó Ríordáin took a seat in the recent European elections. Bacik told reporters today that while her party is eager to go into government, she doesn’t want to just “for the sake of it”.

Bacik wants Labour policies at the heart of the next government, she said, indicating that she wants a left-wing bloc to join forces for talks after the public casts its vote. 

The party has selected 16 general election candidates and is in the process of selecting more, aiming to run more than 30 candidates, said the party leader. 

While she ruled out any mergers with the likes of the Social Democrats, she said Labour is prepared to talk to other parties about a “Green-Red” coalition after the next general election.

When might that be? Well, Bacik said the general election is “imminent”, in her view.

When asked if she would rule out going into government with Sinn Féin, she said her party had major difficulties with the policies of the “three biggest parties”.

She stressed the importance of the party’s positive message of change and the need to build on the gains made in the local and European elections.

Will Alan Kelly be one of the people taking a seat? That question was also posed to the Labour leader. She said he would contest the next general election in Tipperary North. 

Kelly was absent from today’s think-in, but Bacik explained he was “very busy” in Borrisokane with helping to prevent refugees from being moved out of their accommodation in the area. 

The Labour party gathered in Malahide for the think-in today. Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Children’s rights is one of the pillars of Labour’s policies heading into an election, with Bacik stating that her party wants to end child homelessness. 

In light of the recent report into abuse carried out a religious schools, she said it highlighted the need to look at the divestment of schools from religious orders. 

She said Irish schools were unique in Europe for the level of religious involvement, with 90% of primary schools still under to control of religious orders.

Bacik said the programme of divestment needed to be accelerated to ensure “orders are no longer having power over school children in our education system”.

Speaking about her party’s ambition to deliver one million homes over 10 years, something Bacik said others scoffed at, she said many other political parties are now following Labour’s lead, with pledges to build 50,000 and 60,000 houses per year.