To reimagine is to embrace a challenge and to provoke a change to it. This is what the Labour Party have done for well over one hundred years. This party knows what it means to reimagine a society. Our society is constantly being reimagined by Labour Youth, an organisation who are not afraid to embrace a challenge and provoke the change required to better our country for all of us. 

I firmly believe that if there is a strong foundation built in Labour Youth, there will always be a Labour Party. A strong foundation is the culmination of many elements working successfully, a key one of which being a form of external communication which would allow the thoughts and opinions of its contributors to be shared with those who ought to be convinced of the merits of the vision being pursued within its pages. 

This is why the Left Tribune is back. The Left Tribune is back to play its part in the foundations of those who will go on to lead the Labour Party. It could be that one of our contributors will one day become our party leader. 

This bold vision for Labour Youth has existed for several years now amongst some of us naive young idealists. Those of us who are contributing to the Labour Youth recovery effort have been emboldened by the new medium of communication which the Left Tribune provides. It allows us, its contributors, to speak our minds and be true to the beliefs we hold, which have been fostered and developed throughout time spent in Labour. Not only does it allow for Labour Youth members to contribute to discussions within Labour and in Irish political discourse more generally, it allows those not in Labour Youth to hear what the coming generation have to say on issues in which the youth of Ireland today take an interest in.  

The strong foundation of Labour Youth has revolved for decades around the success of the Tom Johnson Summer School, the annual event where young members of the party gather to debate and discuss issues of importance to them. The Summer School always provides a morale boost to those in attendance, and rarely do participants leave the event without a feeling that the mammoth challenge of advancing the cause of Labour can one day be overcome. The indispensable quality of the Summer School is that it allows ideas to flourish and creativity to prosper. In order for these ideas to take further shape and grow into something greater, a publication such as the Left Tribune was required to allow those with these flourishing ideas to share them on a regular basis.  

The first edition of the newly launched Left Tribune was published in January. It featured a piece from our party leader Ivana Bacik, who I would like to thank for supporting us in our endeavor. Our first candidate spotlight feature was contributed by James Kearney, who I would also like to thank! Issues such as the Irish language, Stormont, climate action, women in politics and the Dublin riots all featured in our first edition.  

We intend to grow the Left Tribune from strength to strength as the year goes by, with conversations already beginning to take place about a Left Tribune podcast, as well as print editions of the magazine for the upcoming freshers recruitment season.  

The February edition will exemplify our intentions to reimagine again.

I do hope you enjoy reading what the future of Labour have to offer.  

In solidarity, 

Conal O’Boyle