A vote for Labour is a vote for value added and added values
Issued : Sunday 20 May, 2007
Speaking this morning in Walkinstown, Labour Cllr. Eric Byrne - who is tipped to take a second seat for Labour in Dublin South Central - said that the task facing Labour candidates during the final days of the campaign is to convince voters that a vote for the Labour element of the proposed alternative government is a vote for what he termed 'value added and added values'. Cllr. Byrne also said the mood for change was palpable on the doorsteps.
"Some voters have asked me, why vote for Labour instead of Fine Gael given that you are committed to entering government together?
"The answer is simple. Labour has a set of core values which distinguish it from every other party in this state. Broadly speaking, those values can be summed up in one word: 'solidarity'. Solidarity with the elderly and with children, solidarity with those who are ill and with minorities, solidarity with people living in disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland. Solidarity with people living in the developing world, as expressed in Pat Rabbitte's pledge to enshrine Ireland's ODA commitment in law within 100 days of entering government - a pledge which could only have come from Labour.
"Our values are expressed in our policies - a Fair Deal for disadvantaged communities, a year's free pre-school education for every child, abolishing the carer's allowance, ensuring rights for contract workers. We believe that there are certain services which, since they express our solidarity as a society, are best delivered by and through the state - including healthcare and early education. That is why we are implacably opposed to building private hospitals on public campuses.
"We are fighting this election in an alliance with Fine Gael, but we are also fighting the election on a platform of distinctive values - Labour values. Let's be quite clear about this: the greater the number of Labour TDs elected on May 24th, the greater the influence of Labour in Government. A vote for Labour means putting Labour and our values at the heart of Government. That's what I'm telling people around Dublin South-Central - and I think the message is getting across", Cllr. Byrne concluded.
