The Labour Party in Government

[Jolly Red Giant]

DEAGLÁN DE BRÉADÚN, Political Correspondent

Parties of the centre left in Europe had to prove to voters that they had “credible answers” for dealing with the economic crisis, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said today.

In an address to a conference of leading European social democrat politicians on the issue of "Progressive Governance", the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said the mood in Europe was shifting towards the centre left: “But we have to build now, on that success.”

Chairing a session entitled "Steering Europe out of the Crisis", former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Mandelson asked the participants to state whether they felt there was “something inherently flawed” about the euro zone’s original design.

British shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the best analogy was with a group of people who decided to engage in the “really dangerous” practice of off-piste skiing.

“You’ve never done it before and you’re going down the mountain tied together. One of your members falls: what do you do?

“You can’t stop halfway down the mountain and start having a discussion about why this person hadn’t been doing more fitness training for the last five years.”

Seventeen member states were involved: “I wouldn’t say it was inherently flawed, but the scale of the political task was monumental and hugely underestimated.”

He added: “I don’t think the scale of the challenge was ever properly taken on board by the political process.”

Swedish shadow finance minister Magdalena Andersson said that although there “faults in the construction of the euro and the euro zone”, she initially thought Sweden should join but she was not sure now.

Austrian Hannes Swoboda, leader of the Socialists and Social Democrats in the European Parliament, said there were “many flaws and mistakes” but it would be “a disaster” to withdraw from the euro zone.

Oh crap - the former social democracies (new neo-liberals) are in a state of confusion.

It must be hard when your economic policies thug on your conscience - but don't worry - being 'practical' will win out and you'll hack the economy to bits and be clapped on the back by the ruling elites for operating in 'the national interest'.

[Greengoddess]

There was a certain irony on my part.......

[Greengoddess]

Interview with Tanaiste on the programme

From RTE

The Tánaiste has said he does not think Ireland should extend its deadline to reach a 3% Exchequer deficit by 2015.

Eamon Gilmore said people want to see when and where the end is and the country needs to get this over with.

Speaking to RTÉ's The Week in Politics, he said there will be no second bailout and Ireland will be out of the Troika programme by the end of next year.

Mr Gilmore also said he is confident the country will get a "very good" deal on the banking debt.
Discussions are continuing with the European Central Bank and with European governments on this, he said.

Responding to stories in some newspapers about savings achieved under the Croke Park Agreement, Mr Gilmore said the Government's "sums add up".

Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trades Unions David Begg called for a longer period of adjustment.

He reiterated his view that 2017 should be the target date.

He has said austerity policies have made things worse in Ireland.

Mr Begg said Ireland did not have the growth that was projected because the calculations that the Troika made were fundamentally wrong and we were all suffering for that.

He said growth in the economy would have helped with the adjustment but Ireland did not have the growth that had been projected.

Mr Begg said that the whole basis on which the Troika's intervention here has been calculated is flawed.

He said on their next visit here, he would expect to see the Troika in sack cloth and ashes, repenting for their sins and the damage they have done.

[Greengoddess]

Budget submission from Broughan, Nulty, Childers.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking32.html

[unspecific]

Budget submission from Broughan, Nulty, Childers.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking32.html

I've been quite critical of you in the past GG, but credit where it's due. CPL is a decent start, but keep organizing and formalizing the group. Hold public meetings. Engage with CAHWT and the anti-austerity movement. Internal pressure won't prevent the budget, you have to mobilize regular people. What's there to lose?

If your group's efforts can't prevent the budget then your(plural) position in Labour becomes untenable and without credibility. Would suggest you put it to your group that they have no choice but to raise hell for 6 weeks to prevent the budget and to prevent the Labour Party irrevocably imploding as a vehicle for progress. In that the left can only wish you luck and encouragement.

[fluffybiscuits]

I've been quite critical of you in the past GG, but credit where it's due. CPL is a decent start, but keep organizing and formalizing the group. Hold public meetings. Engage with CAHWT and the anti-austerity movement. Internal pressure won't prevent the budget, you have to mobilize regular people. What's there to lose?

If your group's efforts can't prevent the budget then your(plural) position in Labour becomes untenable and without credibility. Would suggest you put it to your group that if they have no choice but to raise hell for 6 weeks to prevent the budget and to prevent the Labour Party irrevocably imploding as a vehicle for progress. In that the left can only wish you luck and encouragement.

Greengoddess can I ask, woiuld you go independent?

[Greengoddess]

Abortion legislation

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking47.html

[Dr. FIVE]

Have to say Nulty is the first politician I've heard not be demolished by Pat Kenny on the wealth tax.

Well able for him yesterday. Streets a head of Doherty the other week and anything from the ULA

[Dr. FIVE]

http://www.tippmidwestradio.com/news...our-party.html

A member of Tipperary Town Council has announced that he has left the Labour Party.

Cllr Billy Bourke made the decision yesterday and cites his disillusionment with the party as his reason for doing so. In particular he has said that a lack of opposition from the higher ranks within the party to the abolition of Town Councils contributed to his decision.

Cllr Bourke said that while he is sad at having to make such a decision, he had to do so because he no longer thinks Labour, at its higher levels. represents the ordinary worker anymore.

[DCon]

he had to do so because he no longer thinks Labour, at its higher levels. represents the ordinary worker anymore.

ain't that the truth

[Dr. FIVE]

think the council issue may have carried considerably more weight in the decision tbh

[DCon]

Labour want to tax the wealthy a wee bit more to halt a slide in their support.

Not, seemingly, because they think it is fair or agree with the idea.

Can Gilmore exempt himself one wonders.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...t-3277215.html

[bolshevik]

Labour want to tax the wealthy a wee bit more to halt a slide in their support.

Not, seemingly, because they think it is fair or agree with the idea.

Can Gilmore exempt himself one wonders.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...t-3277215.html

I'll believe it when I see it.

Our local CAHWT group in Cobh held a protest when FG backbencher David Stanton held a rare constituency clinic in Cobh last week. When he arrived he engaged us and answered questions. One of those was on a wealth tax - which he claimed to support, with no details of course but seemed to be implying that he saw next year's Property Tax as some kind of wealth tax. Mind you this is the same man who also responded to questions about children going hungry by saying he had no knowledge of that happening in Ireland and implied that the women saying this was happening in Cobh were liars.

[fluffybiscuits]

Labour want to tax the wealthy a wee bit more to halt a slide in their support.

Not, seemingly, because they think it is fair or agree with the idea.

Can Gilmore exempt himself one wonders.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...t-3277215.html

52% of the party are becoming disillusioned. He must be acting alarmist as this was never something they discussed in recent times and was always a topic for the ULA. Gilmore must know that the chips are down and he has to win votes somehow...Is this a feeble attempt to reconnect with the working class they so lovingly abandoned to hop into bed with FG?...

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

He'd better take another flight out of the country. That is about all he has left to cheer everyone up.

I saw he reportedly flew to Berlin the other day. Why, no-one knows. Airmiles?