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'That's the plan': Murphy and Shortall to lead Soc Dems into the next general election as co-leaders

The party think-in is taking place in Dublin today.

THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS plan to have two leaders at the helm of the party in the next general election. 

At the party think-in in Dublin today, co-leader of the SocDems Catherine Murphy was asked if they would continue to have two leaders into the future. 

“That’s the plan at the moment,” she said.

Murphy added that it is not “fixed in stone” that there will always be a pair of co-leaders. 

“Who would have thought that there was going to be the energy crisis that we’re seeing now – life is always something that you don’t determine into the future,” she quipped. 

“That is something that can change, and in fact our own constitution for the party allows that to change. We want what works,” she said. 

“I think it’s been quite useful for us to be able to share the burden,” said Murphy, adding that it was “no small feat” to get a new party off the ground.

She said the party was started at a time when they had no supports and now the two co-leaders are “ambitious about growing [it]“.

In 2021, a letter drafted and signed by 16 people in total, including two party councillors – Cat O’Driscoll and Chris Pender – called on the Social Democrats National Executive to call a leadership contest.

In response, a statement from the Social Democrats parliamentary party said it is “united behind co-leaders Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall”. 

Budget plans

Speaking about the upcoming budget, Shortall called for an urgent intervention on cost-of-living, similar to what was rolled out during the pandemic.

“We need to introduce measures which will get cash payments to people on low and middle incomes. And we believe that there’s a lot to learn from the kind of approach taken in Covid,” she said. 

The templates are in place with the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and the Covid Restriction Support Scheme, she said, adding that there is huge potential for using those schemes to get cash payments directly to families. 

The party is also calling for an €15 on fuel allowance and increased eligibility along with more working family help. 

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    Mute Celtic Eagle
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 7:47 AM

    It’s called democracy Joe, even if you don’t like their politics. I’m sure they don’t like your politics either. No one is perfect.

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    Mute Brendan
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:06 AM

    @Celtic Eagle: it’s not democracy when Trump lies to people about the outcome of elections.

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    Mute Marcus Suridius
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:10 AM

    @Celtic Eagle: storming the captial because you didn’t like the result is democracy?

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:12 AM

    @Celtic Eagle: you are wrong. A demographic society is not based on lies or instilling fear. It’s not a green light to be aggressive. It’s about having the freedom to be safe, make your own choices and be respectful about differing opinions.

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:15 AM

    @2thFairy: #democratic.

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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 10:13 AM

    @Brendan: how did hillary Clinton get put forward for president even though she lost every vote to bernie sanders

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    Mute bmul
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 10:17 AM

    @Damien Leahy: but she didn’t did she

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    Mute jl
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 11:11 AM

    @bmul: she did. In alot of states it was rigged for her in the democratic primaries

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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 11:22 AM

    @bmul: did she not run for president against trump

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    Mute Diaspora'd
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 4:23 PM

    @Damien Leahy: I am trying to make sense of your post.

    I am not a big fan of Hillary Clinton and I voted for Bernie in the Democratic primaries. But it’s not correct to say that “she lost every vote to Bernie Saunders”. It was obvious the DNC favored Clinton but on the whole she won based on the same rules that Democratic Primaries had been run on for decades.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries

    The superdelegate vote system and rules have since been changed. I wish the rules on the electoral college system could be changed so a candidate like Trump in 2016 couldn’t be elected President after getting less votes overall than Clinton did

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    Mute The Ghost of Dublin
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    Sep 3rd 2022, 2:18 AM

    @jl: that’s not true, at all. You’re lapping up conspiracy theories because you don’t like the truth.

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    Mute JedBartlett
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:06 AM

    “Prime time speech” that wasn’t carried live by any of the top 3 networks in the states. He also has to speak over protestors, why isn’t that mentioned in the article?

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    Mute Seamus Quaide
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 7:29 AM

    It’s like half of America are crackers and Trump has hypnotised them

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    Mute Trevor W
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:31 AM

    The place is in bits in fairness.

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    Mute Kevin McCourt
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 11:16 AM

    He used the words maga, threat and violence so many times in this speech. It was a platform to allocate blame and not take personal responsibility. Maga = boogieman. He’s attempting a bit of brainwashing for his own cult. How can a political leader condemn 70+ million residents of his country as a dangerous, fascist threat? What about the literal dangerous, fascist threat of BLM and Antifa who his party support in their violence and destruction? He’s playing make believe

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    Mute Con Cussed
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 11:34 AM

    @Kevin McCourt: “..fascist threat of BLM and Antifa who his party support in their violence and destruction”. You partly educated or just blind?

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    Mute A$AP Ragnick
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 3:02 PM

    @Kevin McCourt: its not 70 million though is it, there are probably plenty of normal well adjusted americans who vote republican because they always have, akin to people with ff and fg here. Then there is a sizable minoroty ofnutjobs who hang on his every word, and to who he can do no wrong even in the face of overwhelming evidence. They are the ones who biden is referring to.

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    Mute Will
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 3:09 PM

    @Con Cussed: The BLM and Antifa riots caused untold damage to property and businesses. They declared autonomous zones in major cities, the very definition of sedition. Dozens of people were murdered during these riots.
    Yet we are to believe that Jan 6 was the real threat.
    Americans are waking up to this hypocrisy and Biden’s divisive speech will not have helped the Democrats one bit come November.

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    Mute Diaspora'd
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 4:41 PM

    @Will: The BLM movement didn’t attempt to stop the transfer of power, Trump’s MAGA rally rioters on January 6th did. And yes, anyone of any political identity should be jailed when committing crimes.

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    Mute The Ghost of Dublin
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    Sep 3rd 2022, 2:20 AM

    @Kevin McCourt: clearly you did not listen to the entire speech. He talked about working together, and unity. The maggots were only mentioned briefly. Did it trigger you?

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    Mute Kevin McCourt
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    Sep 3rd 2022, 3:11 PM

    @The Ghost of Dublin: You sound a touch triggered yourself. He mentioned a lot, a contradicting politician is nothing new. I care less about who they want to persecute on their own soil, I find the whole thing to be akin to a soap opera. It’s the confession through projection and theatre of it that amaze me. It’s interesting to see what happens when domestic policy is high priority. Similar disaster and as many lies as when foreign policy was king.

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    Mute l
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:41 AM

    And now, right or wrong, he’s validated the claim the FBI are hunting Trump..

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    Mute bmul
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 10:16 AM

    @l: isn’t that what the FBI does hunt criminals

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    Mute Colm O' Shea
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 7:29 AM

    While he may be 100% right, don’t think it’s going to have any benefit to calling it out. The MAGA heads are just going to use his speech to keep pushing their agenda. It’s going to polarise opinion and Republicans who may have voted Democrats are going to be turned off

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:13 AM

    @Colm O’ Shea: I don’t think he was talking to them. Their brains are fried and not recoverable.

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    Mute Colm O' Shea
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 12:24 PM

    @2thFairy: maybe not but the point still stands that the GOP will jump on bidens words and use them as a rally cry for their base

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    Mute The Ghost of Dublin
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    Sep 3rd 2022, 2:22 AM

    @Colm O’ Shea: the GOP will do anything to retain power. And I do mean anything.

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    Mute Irish big fellow
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 9:08 AM

    MAGA is like a fascist outfit and is looking more like pre WW2 Germany.

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    Mute Martin O Connell
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:20 AM

    It’s life Joe, but not as we know it. Different isn’t always a bad thing.

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    Mute John Quill
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 7:54 AM

    I’ve often think Lincoln should have cut losses and let them have their racist little country.

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    Mute Podge
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 10:34 AM

    @John Quill: I never understand the implications that Trump supporters are all just racist. It’s provably false as statistically Trump could not have won in 2016 without a large number of voters who previously voted for Obama.

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    Mute Neil Feirtèir
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 1:20 PM

    @Podge: in 2016 you can give voters the benefit of the doubt.
    Anyone who voted a 2nd time for Trump you cannot.
    It basically endorsed his ideas and behaviour.

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    Mute Al Fresco
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 11:29 PM

    @Podge: I think trump cheated and won in 2016 and trump cheated and lost in 2020.:

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    Mute The Ghost of Dublin
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    Sep 3rd 2022, 2:23 AM

    @Podge: they are so racist they don’t even think it’s wrong to think the way they do.

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    Mute Verners Tess
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    Sep 2nd 2022, 8:34 PM

    Fair play to Trump. Like him or dislike him, he has rattled the cages of those in power. He has upset their cosy cartel a little and they don’t like it.

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    Mute The Ghost of Dublin
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    Sep 3rd 2022, 2:24 AM

    @Verners Tess: Trump is a criminal and anyone rooting for him is, as well.

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    Mute Verners Tess
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    Sep 5th 2022, 1:33 AM

    @The Ghost of Dublin: Please explain?

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