Labour Youth Press release

national | politics / elections | press release Monday November 06, 2006 11:48 by Labour_Youth

Following Labour Youth's annual conference the following press release has been issued.

PRESS RELEASE

Labour Youth Call for Independent Electoral Strategy in Wake of Recent Polls

Labour Youth, the youth section of the Labour Party, has reiterated its call for an independent electoral strategy in advance of the upcoming general election.

At its annual Youth Conference in UCD this weekend, delegates overwhelmingly endorsed a strategy which would see Labour stand independently of the Fine Gael transfer pact. While reaffirming the commitment to maximise Labour support, delegates also voted for a non-cooperation policy with the distribution of material which calls for a transfer to Fine Gael at the next election.

Patrick Nulty, the newly elected National Chairperson of Labour Youth said, "we in Labour Youth have consistently argued that an electoral pact with Fine Gael would be damaging to the Labour Party's prospects at the next election. We feel that the drop in Labour support in recent polls is directly connected to the party's myopic electoral strategy," he said.

"We are convinced that the best way to maximise support for Labour candidates and policies at the next election is an independent Labour platform firmly grounded in our core values," Nulty said.

Over 100 delegates from across Ireland, along with a number of international guests, attended the Conference, which was addressed by Labour leader Pat Rabbitte and leading anti-war advocate George Galloway MP.

Delegates also reaffirmed their strong support and campaign for a full US military withdrawal from Shannon airport, same sex marriage, a woman's right to choose and a complete ban of all corporate to political parties. They also expressed strong support for the Shell to Sea campaign and an end to the US blockade of Cuba.

ENDS

Labour Youth is the youth section of the Labour Party in Ireland, with over 1000 members in constituencies and colleges across the country. For more information please contact:

Patrick Nulty (Chair): 087-9688259