The weekend kicked off with our panel discussion on Friday evening with the Socialist and Democrats EU Parliament grouping on the right to decent and affordable housing. It was great to hear from Cllrs Angela Feeney and Patrick Dempsey, our two European candidates Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD and Niamh Hourigan, as well as Dutch MEP Agnes Jongerius. The housing disaster is the greatest civil rights issue of this generation and building homes will be Labour’s number one priority in Government. The Friday night panel was an excellent opportunity to have a constructive discussion on how we can ensure everyone has access to a secure and affordable home both in Ireland and at an EU level.
Saturday and Sunday were spent debating motions across a wide variety of topics including work, housing, climate and care. I was delighted to participate in the motions on housing in particular, and it was great to see such spirited debates on all the motions across the weekend. Conference motions comprise a fundamental element of the party’s democratic structure and play a key role in shaping party policy. Thank you to all the sections, constituencies and branches that submitted motions and to all those members who spoke on the motions over the weekend.
On Saturday evening, I had the privilege of giving my second speech to conference as party leader. In this speech, I outlined our Labour vision for an Ireland that works, and shared how a Labour perspective on work, climate, care and housing is essential to achieving a better and more equal Ireland. We are the party of deep roots and green shoots – a party of political passion, of conviction, of integrity and of courage.
We are strong when we work together and it is my mission to ensure that our Labour values – equality, solidarity, and fairness – are at the heart of political change in Ireland. If you missed my speech you can listen back to it here.
The greatest highlight of conference was the opportunity to meet again with all of our fantastic members and of course our brilliant candidates for the upcoming local and European elections. With just 11 weeks to go until Friday 7th June, it was really great to see seasoned and newer candidates coming together to share their stories, strategies, and solidarity as we look forward to an exciting election season.
I am delighted to say that we have already selected over a hundred candidates for the local elections, who will lead Labour’s campaign for a better future at local government. Further, I look forward to Niamh and Aodhán, our EU election candidates in Ireland South and Dublin respectively, bringing Ireland’s socialist voice to a European stage in the European parliament. We will also be selecting a candidate to run in Midlands North West next month and I look forward to bringing you news of that soon.
Once again, like all those who attended, I leave party conference re-energised, inspired and motivated to continue to work hard to carry out our progressive mission for Ireland.
I look forward to meeting you all on the campaign trail over the coming weeks.
Onwards and Upwards!
In solidarity,
Ivana.