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About LinkBacksOn Pat Kenny.
On Pat Kenny.
Meaning what? Pulling out of leadership race (if she was ever in?)
If there is a future, it will be Green.
STATEMENT BY JOAN BURTON
Labour Party TD, Dublin West, Party Spokesperson on Finance
Thursday, 30 August 2007
JOAN BURTON TO SEEK LABOUR DEPUTY LEADERSHIP
I am announcing today announced my candidacy for the Labour Party Deputy Leadership. In the course of my discussions with party members in the past week I recognise that I do not have sufficient support to continue with any bid for the Leadership.
However there is a genuine representative groundswell of support to elect me as Deputy Leader and I now propose to seek that post with the support of a wide group of TDs, Senators, Councillors and constituency officers.
I intend to mount a friendly but robust campaign for the position and we will invite the members to make a considered choice between the candidates based on their manifestos and on their records.
I have been a member of the Labour Party all my adult life and have served as a rank and file constituency officer, National Executive member, Vice Chair, County Councillor, TD , Minister of State and most recently Finance Spokesperson.
It is a unique mix of experience that allows me to present myself as the most inclusive candidate who can represent the wishes and ambitions of all the members.
I promise the members that I will promote a thorough look back learn the lessons of the strengths and weaknesses of our May 2007 result. Both our victories and our losses can yield fruitful lessons for the future.
The basic fundamental point is that every modern country has a political party to represent the social democratic voice in politics. These parties participate as leading parties in governments that run successful modern economies and societies in countries all over Europe.
They find no conflict between the fundamental policies of social progress and the demands of modern competitive economies.
In fact they recognise that continuing modernisation goes hand in hand with social progress. Many analysts of Ireland's future competitiveness support parts of Labour's social programmes such as the creation of a national system of pre school education. Our motivation is to secure the extension of educational opportunity but they recognise that other successful modern societies set great store on the greater opportunities in education and the expansion of the economy's skills base.
So I see the modern Ireland continuing to thrive under policies based on Labour's core social democratic policies and values. I want Labour to take the case for these policies to every community in Ireland by recreating itself as a campaigning party both on the floor of the Dail, Senate and local authorities and also on a wider scale by becoming the voice for Justice and Equality across a wide spectrum of national issues.
It is when our country is thriving in a global economy that Labour has its best chance to deliver its core programme of extending opportunities for all.
I will be a moderniser in both economic and social policy but ever conscious of the demands of a robust equality agenda that seeks Justice and Fairness for everyone.
A very significant share of the electorate identify with these values. They want the modern competitive economy but they want its benefits shared fairly through radical redistributive polices. These are the people who want to make Poverty History at home as much as in the wider world.
Presently only some of these voters instinctively choose Labour as their first preference choice. We have to change that and develop a strategy to change it in a unified and disciplined way.
That is what I will be offering to Labour members in the coming weeks. I look forward to the debate it generates among the members.
ENDS
Excellent, the Labour Party needs a good leadership battle. It's healthy. The PD's last leadership swap shows just how dodgy anything else can be!
Bring it on Joan!
Meaning she is running for Deputy. She has made one amazing statement saying that from her soundings around the country Gilmore is unassilable for the leadership. She also says that Liz McManus will be making a decision on Monday.Originally Posted by QuizMaster
Well then, she's got to be a serious contender at the very least.
It's starting to look like the showdown will be for the deputy position, with Gilmore a shoo-in (or is it shoe-in, I can never tell?) as leader.
If there is a future, it will be Green.
Leadrship battle????
IMO they are all staying away from the LEADERSHIP of Labour and creating a smoke screen by going for the Deputy Leadreship.
It smells if you ask me..............................
It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from overseas."
George W. Bush, Beaverton, Ore., Sep. 25, 2000
Agree thereLeadrship battle????
IMO they are all staying away from the LEADERSHIP of Labour and creating a smoke screen by going for the Deputy Leadreship.
Don't agree. Joan just realised she didn't stand a hope in Capitalist Hell against Gilmore. She did however add me to Facebook so I might vote for her?
There's something strange about Facebook which means that people of all ages actually use it themselves.
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Please tell me that's not the only reason you will vote for her!She did however add me to Facebook so I might vote for her?
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