RTE should do the right thing on leaders' debate
Issued : Saturday 17 April, 2010
Motion 85 refers to the media and I want to start by saying that, while a free media is the cornerstone of democracy, there is always room for improvement. We've seen how the national broadcaster in Britain provided a platform for three leaders to debate general election issues. Our national broadcaster must now accept the democratic imperative to include Eamon Gilmore in any future leaders debates in Ireland . In the interests of fairness and democracy I am now putting it up to RTE to do the right thing.
The theme for this conference is One Ireland. The message from these motions is that we are to succeed in delivering on the jobs, the reform, even the fairness then we need to be part of One Smart Ireland.
That means we have to ensure the development of a new infrastructure in Communications and in Energy. It is not enough to claim as the government does that use of broadband is expanding. In 2004 the government claimed that Ireland would become a leader in broadband provision. Instead Ireland is now broadband laggard, floundering near the bottom of the league. Our only claim to greatness is that we have t he highest percentage of slow internet connections in Europe.
Tackling the digital deficit is a priority for Labour. I fully support the proposal of the Nenagh branch that Next Generation Broadband will be enshrined in law as a universal service entitlement.
Currently I am preparing a policy document on broadband provision and look forward to further debate within the party. Already we have published our commitments on Energy. The Energy revolution outlines how Labour will ensure the creation of 80,000 jobs in a major retrofit programme and the exploitation of renewable energy.
We will put construction workers back to work and we will transform the way that energy is generated. The opportunities for wind and ocean energy are limitless but to realize our potential we require creative and forceful leadership from the Taoiseach down.
But that leadership is absent in government and all the Green rhetoric in the world is a poor substitute. Our proposals to tackle Climate Change were set out in our draft Bill. In it we set out a framework to transform government itself by giving statutory responsibility to the Taoiseach as head of government to meet the Climate Change targets that will, I believe, be set at global level.
Yes we were disappointed that Copenhagen did not deliver. But the process is unstoppable. The global community is engaged and central to that engagement is a growing acceptance that the poorest countries of the world suffer most risk from Climate Change while contributing least to its cause.
We have to challenge the timidity and caution shown by the Greens in government. Ireland can be better - and smarter- when it comes to renewables and to communications . Labour's job is to realize that potential.
