Reform crucial to restoring citizens' faith in democracy - Gilmore opening Labour conference
Issued : Friday 27 March, 2009
Statement by Eamon Gilmore TD
Leader of the Labour Party, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade
I am very glad to welcome you all to Mullingar for what is an extremely important party conference. As we meet, the country is facing its worst crisis since independence. How we respond to it will determine the quality of life - the opportunities - of generations of Irish people to come. That is a responsibility none of us assume lightly.
When I became leader in October 2007, I made a commitment to lead the renewal of our party. To take Labour beyond its half-party status, and to give the citizens of Ireland a genuine third choice. A choice between the old, conservative civil war parties, still arguing between themselves about history, and a progressive, modern Labour Party, looking to shape Ireland's future.
The Labour Party has always been a driving force for progress in Irish life. And there is much more to do. More to create a society where universal education means universal opportunity. More to end the cosy relationship between big money and politics. More to turn Ireland around from an economy based on property, to an economy driven by entrepreneurship, exports and sustainable jobs.
But this party, which has done so much to reform Ireland - to renew its progress - must have the strength and the courage to reform itself. To become a party which represents, not rural or urban Ireland; middle class or working class Ireland; public sector or private sector; workers or employers, but one Ireland. One Ireland, one people, with one common goal: to build a fair and prosperous country we are proud to hand on to our children.
I believe that now, more than ever, Ireland needs a Labour-led government. A government which believes in solidarity in the good times, as well as the hard times. The recommendations of the 21st Century Commission, which will be put to a vote tomorrow, lay the foundations of a Labour Party fit to face the challenges of this generation. Our purpose, as public representatives, is to change our communities, our society, and our country, for the better. The changes contained in this report will help us along that path, and I would ask you to join me in lending it your wholehearted support.
Times of crisis test the quality of a democracy. The history of Europe teaches us that when democracy fails, the consequences are terrifying. From its independence, the Irish Republic has enjoyed one of the longest unbroken periods of democracy in Europe. Indeed, the European Union was forged out of the bloodshed and mayhem that followed a breakdown in democracy on our continent. Its existence, which requires constant hard work, cooperation and compromise; and its success, which has brought over 50 years of peace and prosperity; is a daily reminder of why Europe's citizens looked at democracy's alternative, and said "Never Again".
For democracy to function, people have to believe in its integrity. They have to believe that their vote - their voice - matters. That is why, when it appears that some voices matter more to Government than others, confidence in our political system is badly shaken.
The culture of the Galway tent - an event frequented by Mr FitzPatrick, Mr Fingleton, and the big developers rescued by the taxpayer's bank bailout - undermines this Government's credibility when it comes to rooting out corporate sleaze and wrongdoing.
Trust is the glue that keeps a democracy from falling apart. This Government has been in power for 12 years. They were the ones who got us into this mess. People simply don't trust them to get us out. And without the trust of its citizens, this Government has no mandate.
But change does not just come with a change of Government. We have to demonstrate that democracy is capable of reforming itself. We must restore faith in the integrity of our political system, and in those areas of public life that impact on the wellbeing of our citizens, such as banks, business and the public service. Because if people do not have faith in democratic politics, and its ability to regulate our economy and our society, they will turn away from it.
We can start by restoring the principle of a democracy of equals. We must sever the cosy link between big money and politics, once and for all, and send a clear message to our citizens, and the outside world, that influence in Ireland is not for sale.
We can do that by drastically reducing the maximum amount a person can donate to a political party from €6,500 currently to €2,500, and by and making cumulative contributions over €1,500 declarable. A cap on donations to individual candidates should be even less. It is €2,500 now. That should be brought down to €1,000.
Those limits should also apply to referendum campaigns. No one individual should be able to use his or her personal wealth to influence the result, and to decide the content of our Constitution.
We can end the cronyism that has seen the same people crop up on State boards, in semi-state companies, and on the boards of private companies by ending the practice of out-and-out political patronage. A person appointed to a state board should be appointed on merit, not because of who their friends are.
The Labour Party will shortly publish a bill to clean up corporate governance. We can start by limiting the number of executive boards a person can sit on. The potential for conflicts of interest is too great, if the corporate world is allowed to act as a cosy club for the select few.
And there is plenty of room for improvement in how we run the affairs of the country. Excessive or wasteful spending in the public sector were an affront to taxpayers in the good times. And they put front line services and jobs at risk in the bad times.
Labour would introduce a sunset clause on all quangos, giving them a specific period of time to justify their existence.
We would reduce the number of Junior Ministers to one per department; reduce the levels of staff assigned to the private and constituency offices of Ministers; reduce the number of Oireachtas committees to one per department; end special payments for Chairs, Vice Chairs and convenors of committees; and end the payment of Ministerial pensions to sitting members of the Oireachtas.
We would reform the public service, and start by opening up every promotional opportunity in the public sector. We would make it easier to move between employment in the private and the public sectors, and to move civil and public servants within the public service, so that they are deployed where they are needed most.
It is essential that our citizens can have faith in our democracy. Faith that the people they elect represent them, and not vested interests. Faith that, in a republic, it is hard work and character that determines how high you can climb, not who you know, or who your family are. That is what gives a country its dynamism.
But the threat to democracy comes not just from its own institutions, but from anti-democratic activity.
Recently in Northern Ireland, we have seen what happens when the gun is favoured over the ballot box. That tiny minority must never again be allowed to cast our island back to the dark and bloody days of our shared past. The only thing separating us from that terrible prospect, is our democracy, and the expression of our democratic will. In that context, I welcome the strong and united condemnation, from all political parties in the North, of the latest murders there.
I don't need to tell anyone in this room about the importance of democracy. We'll be fighting for it in the local and European elections on the 5th of June.
Labour has had a series of very good polls these past few months. While I believe that Labour's message of jobs, solidarity and fairness is resonating with our fellow citizens, we cannot be complacent. Polls or no polls, there is no such thing as a safe Labour seat. We do not live or die by polls alone. The proof will be in the results this June. It is up to us to seal the deal - to turn that support into votes. We will fight for every seat we gain in these elections, and we will win them the way we have always done: with passion, hard work and plenty of shoe leather.
