Labour Youth Policy Document 2006

Issued : Thursday 13 April, 2006

Labour Youth Policy Document 2006

Preamble

The following contains the policies of Labour Youth on key portfolios. Education, Health, Justice and Equality, Northern Ireland, International and European Affairs, Trade Union and Labour issues and Culture, Gaeltacht and Agricultural Issues. The introduction to each topic is taken from papers and policies from Labour Youth (LY hereafter), The European Committee of Socialist Youth (ECOSY hereafter), and The Party of European Socialists (PES hereafter).

As motions to LY conference are applicable for three years, this policy document is an amalgamation of previous relevant motions, and motions passed at 2005 conference. It is envisaged that this document is revised every year, and all policy's can be altered, extended or removed by motion passed at LY conference.

Education

Education is viewed by LY as an often overlooked but essential area of policy. It is through the education of its people that society survives and develops. The role that education at all levels and in all forms plays in the development of Irish society as well as the economic success which is attributed to the high numbers of Irish people who have access to primary, secondary and tertiary education.

Labour Youth fundamentally believes that education is a right, and that as such it should be funded primarily from the public purse and that access to it should not be limited by lack of financial means. LY then stand firmly against the reintroduction of Third Level Fees, and are opposed to "Registration Fees," which have been consistently raised by Fianna Fail ministers for Education, as a replacement for Fees.

LY also strongly hold that the "cut off" income threshold for student grants is set at too low a level and the grant system is in dire need of reform. We feel that any student grant should be equal to social welfare, as the current monies given are totally insufficient for the living needs of students today.

It is plain to see the vital role that primary teachers play in the development and shaping of our society, and therefore calls upon the Department of Education and Science to increase its investment in both the education and training of Primary teachers and in primary schools themselves.

After the appalling tragedy in County Meath involving the loss of many children's lives in a school bus accident, Labour Youth recognises that the loss of life could have been reduced or averted entirely if our antiquated bus fleet had been properly fitted with seatbelts. Labour Youth calls for a full independent review of Ireland's school bus fleet, and based on the findings of the review, for the government to withdraw any vehicle that is considered in any way unsafe, and replace them with modern vehicles, with seatbelts and safety features as standard.

LY notes the lack of basic leisure and recreational facilities for Ireland's Youth. LY believe this to be a root cause of anti social behaviour in young people today. LY calls on the Government to increase funding and facilities for young people, particularly in light of the National Children's Strategy, and the currently under-resourced National Youth Work Development Plan.

LY stands in opposition to the principle of School League Tables. The distinction between social classes is maintained chiefly through access to education and the quality of that education. Schools have the capacity to lead all efforts towards real social inclusion and genuine equality, and League tables will make this almost impossible, further enhancing the divide between private schools, and under funded public schools.

As the majority of schools are funded through the public purse, and as the state is constitutionally obliged (Article 44.2.2) to remain secular and not to fund any one religion, LY condemn the use of Patronage by the Catholic Church on our public schools, which has allowed the Catholic Church to teach Catholicism at the exclusion of other religions. In a society that is becoming ever more multi cultural and diverse, LY calls for an end to the patronage system, and the introduction of a core curriculum of a variety of religious teaching and practices.

It is of great concern to LY that the full force off the 1996 Education Act has not yet been implemented with regard to the introduction of independent student councils in secondary schools. In many cases, student councils are yet to be implemented, or they are acting under the direct influence of the school management. LY believe that any school found to be failing to fully implement the conditions of the act, should be named and shamed, and that resources should be made available to assist and develop these councils.

Health

As with education, LY maintain that open and unlimited access to quality healthcare services is essential for the well being of all people in a society, from the very young to the elderly. Healthcare is a fundamental right. In the 21st century, the quality of access and the quality of the healthcare provided can no longer run parallel to the financial limitations of the members of society.

LY stands against any plans for the current Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney T.D. to subsidise and make incentives for private, "For-Profit," hospitals. The health and safety of the most vulnerable in our society cannot be bought and sold to a corporate bidder.

LY also calls for and end to the ceiling on recruitment in the public health services, as it will lead to increased costs and a system that relies on private investment.

LY believes that the "purse" for the Health Service Executive should be matched to outcomes achieved over a set period, and establish the Human resources requirement throughout the HSE within the parameters of given resources.

LY believes that targets for community heath service delivery should be based on local population, to ensure a fair distribution of services.

LY is committed to supporting and campaigning for a woman's right to avail of free, safe and legal abortion in Ireland. We demand that women receive the very best of medical and social care in Ireland in regard to all matters of fertility and sexual health.

Justice and Equality

The area of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is one of the key instruments that society uses to regulate the relationship between its members and institutions. The laws, and applied forms of justice handed out by the state determine our position and relationship with it, and can make us equal to its guardians or servants to them.

It must also be noted that the Irish legal system has been very slow to adapt to a global and modern society. Examples of this are the belated decriminalisation of homosexuality, the lack of modern policing methods that impact our communities tangibly, and both prison and court systems that are drastically over worked, and still base themselves on the punitive rather than preventative methods in order to maintain social cohesion.

One of the core objectives of Labour Youth is the achieving of equal rights for the gay community. It is a major conviction of LY the state should recognise a union between a same sex couple as equal to a union between a mixed sex couple. LY recognises the inherent homophobia remaining in Ireland, among young and old alike. LY believes that the Department of Education should ensure that all forms f relationships are explained equally to children at a young age, and that the Government should establish a help-line to aid and advise young members of the LGBT community. LY argues for the rights of members of the gay community to be equal to that of same sex couples in terms of divorce, separation, adoption and fostering.

LY sees that the recently publicised cases of overt worker exploitation in our society, such as a beautician on Irish Ferries being paid one Euro per hour, or the disgraceful mistreatment of the Turkish GAMA workers, are a damning example of how this government are willing to favour corporations and businesses over working people. LY see that it is essential for the current government and any future government to raise the number of labour inspectors dramatically so that this exploitation is avoided in the future, and tougher penalties are introduced for employers who misuse workers.

LY welcomes the National Plan Against Racism 2005-2008 (NPAR hereafter), and especially calls for the full implementation of it's second objective with the E.U. Reception Directive, by allowing refugees to benefit from full paid employment. Furthermore LY calls for the provision of children's allowance to families who seek asylum.

LY suggests an alternative to the current system of prison detention in Ireland. Many prisoners in Ireland are held on drug related charges, and LY believes that treatment as opposed to incarceration is the best method to tacking any substance abuse problem in Irish towns and cities. LY advocates "Hospital Detention Centers," where victims of drug abuse can avail of treatment, rather than holding them in a prison system where the cycle of dug abuse often continues.

LY stands firmly against the introduction of Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), and see their introduction as a major reason for our opposition to the proposed Criminal Justice Bill. After the introduction of ASBOs in the United Kingdom, LY recognises their utter lack of influence over the problem of anti social behaviour. Though some measures taken in the Criminal Justice Bill are necessary, LY notes some worrying changes that the bill would introduce, such as increasing the standard detention time by 18 hours, the reclassification of the taking of DNA as evidence as no-intrusive, revokes a citizens right to withdraw a statement, which may have been given under duress or intimidation, and the procedural changes being made to the obtaining of a search warrant, which would be handed out by a Garda Superintendent rather than a judge.

LY has long recognised the need to campaign strongly for the decriminalisation of cannabis. We call upon the government to fund research into cannabis as a medicine and to develop the male, non-potent hemp plant into an agricultural industry, for material to be used in textiles, construction materials, medicine etc.

The North of Ireland

1 - LY strongly condemns paramilitarism, criminality and sectarianism in all its manifestations throughout the island of Ireland, and recognises the legitimacy and diversity of the various social, cultural and political aspirations of the peoples living on the Island of Ireland, and believes that all such aspirations can and should be pursued through peace and democracy.

LY affirms the right of people living in the North of Ireland to self-determination and advocates the principle of consent as outlined in the Belfast Agreement of 1998 as the correct mechanism by which this self-determination should be exercised.

LY is determined to create a new political dynamic across Ireland and within both jurisdictions on the island based on our core values and with the intention of recruiting, campaigning and organising on an all-Ireland basis and with the intention of challenging the conservative hegemony of nationalism, unionism and sectarianism that have blighted Irish politics for so many years.

LY believes that social and economic inequality across Ireland must be prioritised over and above the present constitutional arrangements on the island. It is our aspiration to build a society throughout the Island that is secular, socialist and intercultural in nature. To establish political institutions which reflect these values and which afford all citizens equality and respect.

Environment and Government

Over the past century, the natural resources of the world have been slowly been patented and sold by multinational companies who are bent on the gathering of profit. It is estimated that OPEC countries will run out of oil within this century, and as supplies run out, little to no development in sustainable energy has been made. This corporate hegemony hit the shores of Ireland this year in Co. Mayo, where 5 men were jailed for their firm stance against Shell Oil. LY stands firmly with these men in their struggle. Companies like Shell, are being aided constantly by right wing, business orientated governments like our own Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat Government.

LY call upon the Minister for the Environment to ensure that all future elections are held on a weekend to allow students and commuters alike to return home to vote. LY also call upon the next relevant Minister to grant students the option of voting in a special polling centre held in their relevant colleges.

LY hold that our natural resources should be used for the benefit of society at large and not handed over to corporations for their own financial gain.

LY is fundamentally opposed to Electronic Voting in the form proposed and tested by the Government in 2002. LY believes that any Electronic Voting without a Voter Verified Audit Trail is unacceptable, as it does not provide a secure and verifiable means for counting votes.

LY shares the longstanding opposition of the Labour Party and the broader Labour movement to Nuclear Power. LY will continue to mount opposition to Nuclear Power and instead calls for the research and development of clean, safe and renewable energy sources.

Labour Youth is committed to maximising public support for the Labour Party in local, national and European elections. We believe our party must aspire to being the leading party in government and a realistic step towards this is becoming the second largest party in the state. Therefore we are opposed to pre-election vote transfer pacts with conservative parties (Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Progressive Democrats). LY is convinced that only when Labour stands before the electorate as an independent and dynamic alternative to conservative parties can we realise our ambitions to transform Irish society and lead a national government.

International and European Affairs

LY stands against the proposed European Constitution. LY calls for a "Social Treaty," that protects workers and residents in the E.U., from the undermining or diminishing of their social standards due to any proposed services liberalisation. LY believes that a truly social Europe, building on the spirit of cooperation fostered by the European Union.

LY aspires to a confederal Europe, based on the fundamental principal of subsidiarity where powers are vested at the lowest appropriate level with only issues that necessitate pan-European action being decided at a European level.

LY deplores the use of Shannon Airport by the U.S. Air Force and Army, and the use of Irish territory to transport U.S. marines and army troops to Iraq where the United States has engaged in an illegal, and devastating occupation.

LY calls on the wider party to not enter into any Government coalition where foreign military use of Shannon Airport will be accepted, and demands that the Labour Party include their opposition to the situation in the next election campaign.

LY feels that the Irish Government not keeping to their word in giving 0.7% of G.D.P. to foreign aid to a terrible betrayal to the worlds poor. LY believes firmly in the Millennium Development Goals, and re-affirms their confidence in the Labour Party's Development Co-operation Bill 2005.

Middle East
LY calls for a fair and just resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict which must be based on the foundation that the minimum requirement for peace to be achieved in the middle-east and between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people is a complete end to the illegal occupation of Palestinian land which is continuing in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and which is in accordance with the land for peace principle as set out in the Madrid conference of 1991 and which has been re-affirmed in the Saudi peace plan of 2002 that was recently re-vitalised by the Arab League.
In addition LY calls for the following:
a) An end to all illegal settlement activity, house demolitions, the collective punishment as well as respect for the human rights of all Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody.
b) All Palestinian Refugees who wish to exercise their right to return to their homes that they were wrongly driven from in 1948, have a right to do so and that adequate compensation of a financial nature be offered to those who chose of their own free will not to return.
C) That the capital of any Palestinian state to be East Jerusalem
d) That the Palestinian State as well as the Israeli state in conjunction with the people of those states can decide future structures other than the two state solution should this be their firm wish.
e) That an international protection force under a UN mandate to be sent to Palestine both for the protection of the Palestinian people and the security of the state of Israel as both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people have the right to live free from terror.
Furthermore, in view of the breaches of International Law with respect to the occupation, human rights abuses, the collective punishments and the illegal settlement activity outlined above, Labour Youth calls for the suspension of the EU Israel Association Agreement which confers trading privileges on Israel but which is conditional on Israel's respect for human rights and the rule of law more generally as well as for a boycott of all Israeli goods and services as well as support for the educational and cultural boycotts of Israel in the same way as there were such boycotts of South Africa during apartheid in order to make South Africa come to its senses.
Burma
LY condemns the continuing ruthless oppression by the totalitarian military junta in Burma, where basic freedoms are denied to her citizens, where human rights atrocities are perpetrated, and where systematic torture, rape and murder are state policy. We call for an immediate end to the detention of Nobel Peace laureate and Freewoman of Dublin, Aung San Suu Kyi, who on October 24th had spent 10 years in prison; as well as over 1000 other political prisoners.
LY offers solidarity with the people and leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Burma; namely the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the exiled National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) and call for a genuinely inclusive process of irreversible reform leading to a transition to democratic government and national reconciliation in Burma.
LY will campaign for a boycott of Burmese goods, to ban all foreign investment in Burma and to discourage tourists from visiting Burma in accordance with the wishes of Aung San Suu Kyi, until such time as the Burmese junta commit irrevocably to these reforms.

Trade Union and Workers Issues

LY no longer considers the continuation of the Social Partnership process to be in the interests of workers. In contrast, LY believes that the Trade Union movement ought to adopt an independent radical and dynamic strategy aimed at the substantial increase in real wages, job security and working conditions for it's membership.

In many cases now, small businesses are targeting young and migrant workers, whom under the work permit system will be tied down to one particular place of work, and who's right to residence depends entirely on the employer. As migrant workers are being increasingly taken advantage of by employers through the permit system, LY calls for the complete revision of the work permit system, and call on the government to open up the work visa system, and to introduce a document in the stead of the work permit that will remain under the control of the worker, not the employer.

LY believe in a minimum wage that is standard regardless of age, experience or any other factor.

Further more, LY call for a the European Union to make the minimum wage standard in all member states, with respect to purchasing power differences. This wage should be sufficient to provide for a decent standard of life in each member state. In addition, this measure should not prejudice the right of a member state to maintain or introduce a minimum wage that is higher than this minimum standard.

Boycott Coke
LY remains totally committed to the Boycott of Coca Cola and its subsidiaries until such time as all the relevant issues raised by the Colombian Union SINALTRAINAL have been addressed to their satisfaction.

Tax and Social Welfare

LY believes that the present tax and social welfare policies require fundamental reform and reorientation. We are committed to the redistribution of wealth in society and recognise that taxation and social welfare reform are critical in achieving this ambition. Therefore we are committed to campaigning for the following reforms of tax and welfare policy:

a)An increase in the standard rate of Corporation Tax from 12.5% to 17.5%. LY rejects the 'neo-liberal' dogma in relation to corporation tax and believes that a measured increase in the corporate tax rate will increase equity in the tax code, prevent our economy being exploited by multinationals through 'transfer pricing' and have no impact on economic competitiveness.
b)
b) The reform of Ireland's PAYE tax system setting the standard rate at 20% which would apply to all those earning at or under the average industrial wage and the introduction of a middle tax rate of 35% and the setting of the top rate of tax on taxable earnings above 125,000 euro at 50%.
c) The integration of the tax and social welfare systems leading to the establishment of a basic income system.
d) The restoration of the capital gains tax to 40%.

In relation to Social Welfare LY advocates the introduction of a "Basic Income system" to ensure a minimum income guarantee for all citizens coupled with substantial increases in Child dependent allowances to eliminate child poverty in Ireland.

Culture, Gaeltacht and Agricultural Issues.

LY recognise that the Artist's Tax Exemption, is a progressive idea, though flawed. LY feel that the following alterations are necessary in making the exemption a fair one, i.e. the amount of income to be exempted should be capped, and in addition, all income over that threshold should be capped at the higher level. LY also see it as essential that the income made by actors and voice over artists should be included in the exemption.