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Speech of Pat Rabbitte T.D. Leader, Labour Party on the occasion of the launch of the Northern Ireland Labour Forum, at the Linenhall Library, Belfast on the 18th October 2004

I am pleased to be here today in the Linenhall Library for the formal launch of the Northern Ireland Labour Forum. It is appropriate that we meet in the Linenhall Library. Thomas Russell, the "Man from God Knows Where" was the first Linenhall Librarian. Although born in Cork, his life was interwoven with the public life of Belfast in the 1790's - the most interesting decade of its history - when it deserved the title "Athens of the North". Before being hung in 803, Russell was a soldier in India, a man about town in Dublin, a magistrate in Dungannon, a librarian and political reformer in Belfast, a political prisoner in Scotland, a conspirator in France and an aspirant revolutionary General in South Down. And, after hanging, one of Russell's projects matured, in the shape of the Academical Institution (in its time a University established through self help) just a hundred yards down the street from this Library.

Russell was part of the radical tradition in Belfast. Today's event is to publicly launch the Northern Ireland Labour Forum. Ten years ago, at the time of the first ceasefires, Dick Spring - the Labour Party leader of the time - located Labour as occupying political ground as a "third strand" of political life, neither Unionist, nor Nationalist.

It is our fervent hope that the modest beginning we see today in launching the Labour Forum, will grow to occupy the ground of a third strand, the ground of the radical dissenting tradition, the ground of Thomas Russell and those since who have maintained that tradition.

Recent changes to the Labour Party constitution has allowed people resident in Northern Ireland to become members. The Northern Ireland Labour Forum is, de facto, a Labour Party branch. It has the same constitution, rights and obligations as other Labour branches, including rights to submit resolutions to conferences, and to stand for party office.

The Northern Ireland Labour Forum was set by the Labour Party to create a political home and platform for those on the centre left, as well as to create political space and widen political debate beyond current narrow confines. I am impressed by the practical and progressive way in which the Forum has approached its submissions to the Review of Public Administration, and to the Railway Review Group. It sets down a marker for the seriousness of our intent and is an auspicious start to our fledgling Forum in Northern Ireland. No one will pretend that these are auspicious times to launch a political initiative on the left of centre. It is understood that, ten years after the ceasefires and six after the Agreement, that Northern Ireland is a highly segregated society. There is evidence to suggest that geographical polarization is more stark than at any time in recent history. In these circumstances, there will be no fanfares or false hopes, merely a determination to develop a public political presence on the centre left - a presence grounded on practical politics, broad based, grounded and orientated on practical governance.
The Labour Forum has been set up in an inclusive way and is open to dual members - those members who are also members of our sister Parties in Europe and the wider international socialist movement, the SDLP, British Labour or other European Socialist Parties. Labour is also cognisant of the current movement, or balance of power, amongst political forces within Northern Ireland. We aim to contribute in whatever way we can to the consolidation of the peace process and to the restoration of democratic and accountable institutions in Northern Ireland and between North and South.

Labour are very serious about this development. At one level, we are creating a political home for those in Northern Ireland who have a political contribution to make but do not feel they fit within the current communal political set-up. At another level, whilst it may be too early to speak of radical political realignment across the island, we are looking to create a structure which could respond quickly to any political fluidity or change in the future.

We did not establish this Forum to be electorally focussed. It will, in a society increasingly polarised on communal lines, seek to create space for debate on the centre left. It will have a public presence; will encourage its members to take up public appointments; will respond to relevant consultations and will develop and publish political policy positions. Socialist education will be an important part of the Forum's work. The Labour Forum will take responsible, practical positions, will be interested in governance and will present not as a protest lobby, but as a proud part of an established political party, based on deeply rooted values, and committed to serve the people of both jurisdictions in this island in whatever way we can.