THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS party is holding the first full day of its national conference today, the first such event to take place since Holly Cairns was elected as leader last year.

The event in UCD opened last night with an address from the Palestinian ambassador Wahba Abdalmajid.

Cairns will later give an address to the conference with her speech broadcast live on RTÉ 1 at 6.30pm. 

With speculation rife that there will be an election this year, there is lots of talk in Leinster House about what role the Social Democrats will play, if any, in the formation of the next government. 

In an interview with The Journal last year, Cairns said she’ll talk to all parties after next election. She said “change is in the air”, adding that it would be a good day in Irish politics from a feminist standpoint if Mary Lou McDonald were to become Taoiseach one day. 

Labour and the Social Democrats are both on equal footing at 4% in the latest Irish Times/Ibsos B&A poll – arguably quite a feat for a party that’s only been part of the Irish political landscape for less than a decade.

The SocDems hate being asked about any possible merger between the two parties, so Cairns’ first national conference as leader will instead be focusing on getting its candidates election-ready, with media, canvassing, social media and photography bootcamp sessions scheduled for today. 

There will be breakout sessions taking place throughout the day on housing, the economy, and ‘making society work for everyone’, as well as a particular focus on disability and care. 

The conference will also include a ‘pop up Gaeltacht’ where attendees can practice their Gaeilge.  

A number of party motions will be discussed such as one proposal that two-thirds of party be required to approve any proposal to enter into government, while another motion wants the party rule to remain that it should be 60% of the party.