Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 11.35am
A NEW POLITICAL party called the Social Democrats has been launched by three independent TDs this morning.
A formal launch by independent TDs Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow), Catherine Murphy (Kildare North) and Róisín Shortall (Dublin North-West) took place in Dublin with the new party pledging to abolish water charges and repeal the 8th Amendment.
The party will have a “shared leadership” in the lead-up to the general election with a new leader to be voted on by its parliamentary party after that election.
Donnelly said that in the interim decisions will be made by consensus but added that where there is an impasse there will be a vote of the three founding members.
Launching the party today, he said:
The Irish people deserve more than this and are demanding more than this. New vision, fresh ideas, better approaches. This is what needs to be put in place and ultimately that is what the Social Democrats and today is about.
https://vine.co/v/erADzxhZDgU
Independent Dublin city councillor Gary Gannon is among those involved with the new party as is former Fingal lord mayor Cian O’Callaghan.
The party said today that it has made no formal approaches to elected representatives about joining but hopes to hold talks in the coming weeks.
Donnelly said there had been discussions with independent senator Katherine Zappone but said she had done “the right thing” by deciding to run as an independent in Dublin South-West.
Shortall said the party hopes to run as many candidates as possible at the next general election.
Among the Social Democrats’ priorities are to reduce bankruptcy to one year, improve the mortgage-to-rent scheme and end zero-hour contracts for workers.
Speaking at the launch today, Donnelly said that the party would abolish water charges if in government and would seek to guarantee the public ownership of the country’s water system.
He said that Irish Water had been set up with the intention of privatising the provision of water and claimed:
The money collected from water charges if there was 100 per cent payment… would fund the cost of collecting the charges and nothing else. That is absolutely barking mad.
Donnelly said he “probably” would pay his water charges but wasn’t sure whether he had yet as he is moving house. Shortall and Murphy both said they haven’t paid.
The party is proposing that €1.5 billion extra spending available to the government at the next budget should be split 2:1 in favour of spending increases relative to tax breaks as opposed to the 50:50 split being favoured by the coalition.
On political reform the party wants a secret ballot to elect the Dáil Ceann Comhairle and to reduce the power of the party whip.
Shortall explained the Social Democrats would favour a Westminster-style three line whip system where some votes are not as binding on members as others.
On abortion, the party wants to repeal the 8th Amendment with Shortall saying it should be replaced with legislation.
Shortall also said the party would be pursuing the “Nordic model of social democracy” with one of its key aims to provide “affordable, quality childcare” including up to 12 months parental leave.
Murphy said the party wants to abolish the Official Secrets Act and replace it with legislation that is underpinned by “openness being the key to good governance”.
The party also wants to establish an Electoral Commission with a “very wide remit”, Murphy said.
A new website, socialdemocrats.ie, carries details about the new party and pages that include information on its ideas, how to get involved and how to donate to the new party.
The three founding members said today that the genesis of the Social Democrats was in discussions that began in January over coffee in Shortall’s kitchen.
“We eventually decided we had to sit down and talk about this,” Murphy said today.
The party does not have a target in terms of funding and says its operation so far has been backed by their own money.
https://vine.co/v/erAlJ2q0Kbz
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
She 100% spot on. We need to focus on Irish industry and get Irish companies selling Irish products not on the googles and apples who stay here and literally pay no tax. If apple and google paid what they should be paying it would go a long way to paying off the debts that we owe.
But then they wouldn’t be here in all likelihood. So is it better to get very little corporation tax from them, but large amounts of employment taxes or to get neither and have to support through social welfare the workers currently employed by them?
At a basic level, that is what the choice comes down to.
Thats pure crap, why should we treat these corporations different than irish companies. If the big US companies pay nothing then we shouldn’t complain when an Irish company pays nothing. Treat them the same.
Then we got the vacuum when a US company leaves Ireland what do we do with the unemployed! Put them on a plane and ship them to Australia. If we have irish companies with Irish jobs then people won’t need to emigrate to get work. As long as we depend on US multi nationals we will always have emigration. It is the scourge of society since 1800
That’s what we should do, but our politicians are dancing and the corporate companies are shooting at their feet!
Ned what about the taxes paid by employees, services providers to these large orgs. Take a wholistic view of tax and not the narrow view taken by some seeking votes. Individuals pulling one narrow metric to make a broad statement is both dangerous and demonstrates limited knowledge of full end to end impact of FDi.. Little like comments from left wing TDs and unions.
Short term it works out fine. The problem i have is that we expect an irish company to pay full tax and a foreign company to pay less than 1%. If the company moves on because it can make more money in another country it will and all the jobs are lost.
If apple paid tax that the should then it would be at least 10billion. That would greatly help with current situation. Then u got google facebook and the rest!!!!
It would take a long time for all the employees of the US companies to make 10 billion.
Good MEP – knows her brief, works hard and has smart ideas. What more do can you ask? She’ll get my vote!
Mine too. She talks sense and follows through. Only genuine politician that I know of.
She’s actually one of the better ones out there, though it’s a really competitive constituency so she might struggle, especially with Ming entering the race which could split the independent left wing vote.
That is my worry. Ming is entertaining at times and while he might liven up the campaign a little bit, I fear that his decision to run means that Marian Harkin and him will both lose out. She’s built up a good reputation in Brussels and adds something substansial to the debate. Ming only adds entertainment as far as I can see.
“Independent left wing vote”?
Marian Harkin is a member of ALDE, the same group to which FF belong.
@ Noel: True that they are both part of the ALDE group within the Parliament, but it is slightly more complicated than that.
FF is a member of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, while Harkin is a member of the European Democratic Party – which sits with the ALDE grouping in the European Parliament in order to recieve speaking time etc.
A situation somewhat akin to the ULA sitting with Shane Ross and Stephen Donnelly in the Dáil, in order that both can benefit.
Shes right , The govt are a disgrace jetting around the world like clowns allegedly getting investment while our own homegrown entrepreneur and small investors are largely ignored. if we ever hope to get Ireland to stand on its own feet we have to build our own indigenous business from ground up. I would love to see how effective has their so called business trips versus the actual gain recieved has been.
She is right , but no one wants to see small company’s getting a start , I moved back here from the states and tried to get funding to start a company that I have been given a licence by the owner of the parent company in the states to start here , I went to local development boards , done buisness classes , went to Solas and no me wants to hear it , they asked if I was working here now ,I said no of course , and they said I would have to be in receipt of jobseekers for at least a year , which I did ,and still no . I had a meeting for one last attempt three weeks ago and the woman wouldn’t even listen to me in Solas , said I couldn’t get funding I would need to try a job bridge course or an internship and offered me a job grooming dogs , so I’m off out of here and starting it in Newyork to make capital to fund the Irish side of it myself , hopefully , but they could do more , the price of a few flights for these people would have got me going , I had bought my own vehicles for the company already ,just needed to secure first import of product ,ah well , I hope she makes changes .
Seems the job is getting a bit too much for you Marian. . .
In fairness at least she can distinguish between the yes and no buttons when voting unlike our current MEP’s FF/FG/Lab……
It isa bit early yet to be putting up posters, from 23rd April is the correct time.
Yes and cutting hedges ceases on the first of March… Buts its still being done. Country cannot run without breaking the rules.
A small roundabout beside me has 7 from the same candidate. With the catchy slogan “let’s get maynooth working”. She’s a labour candidate. ..she shouldn’t have even bothered
Two more questions
Who voted for the President of the European Council?
Did anyone in Ireland vote for Van Rompuy or for that matter Barroso or even hear of them before they took over ?
1) Who voted for the President of the European Council?
The members of the European Council in 2009 voted for him. The members of the Council are the Heads of State and Government, while the President himself is more like a secretary to a board than anything else. He organises meetings of the European Council and follows up on actions agreed afterwards.
2) Did anyone in Ireland vote for Van Rompuy or for that matter Barroso or even hear of them before they took over ?
Nope, as Van Rompuy was the Belgian Prime Minister – nobody would have voted for him in Ireland. But in effect that doesn’t really matter greatly, because his role is more akin to that of secretary of the board. The two other Presidents – President of the European Commission and President of the European Parliament – are argubably much more powerful in managing the European agenda.
Regarding Barroso, he was selected in 2004 by the members of the European Commission. However this year the process has been changed significantly and MEPs will have more of a role in electing the Commission President, like the Dáil elects the Taoiseach for example.
I hope that helps. European Voice and EurActiv both have good articles outlining how the process will work this year verses 2004.
I found her less than helpful, like most politicians, when I went to her trying to highlight the lack of formal education in my industry. Voters are growing long memories.
What industry
The blacksmith industry. We are the third largest craft industry worth €15m to the Irish economy every year but have no training facility’s. Marian did not feel we were worth supporting.
Needs to keep those hands in her pockets!
It’s rather worrying that she is the second person to say that the role of the job suits her at the moment. I’d love if my job fitted in around my circumstances.
Oh stop putting words in her mouth. She actually said “I couldn’t have done this when I had younger children …”
Yes so what I said is true
Another politician hoping to benefit from gender discrimination.
How so? She was first elected in 2004 as an MEP and is an independent, so never elected using an internal party quota.
The point she makes on the whole system of quotas is quite a good one I thought.
She makes no point at all. Simply makes an ambiguous statement about some people being given the nod because of nepotism. She doesn’t explain her position on this at all.
Do you really believe the answer to perceived inequality is actual statutory discrimination?
have your say