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LABOUR PARTY LEADER Brendan Howlin has said policy changes implemented during his party’s time in government such as cutting child benefit and rent allowances were “awful”.
Policies from the party’s time in a coalition government with Fine Gael from 2011-2016 such as cutting child benefit, cutting rent allowance and introducing water charges were pointed out to the politician on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today.
“All of that was awful,” he said this morning. “We made very difficult decisions to save a country from economic collapse.”
“I protected, and the Labour Party protected, the most vulnerable to the best of our ability.”
Speaking at the time of his party’s think-in before the new political season gets underway later this month, Howlin said that other parties “caught up” with Labour in terms of supporting movements such as same-sex marriage and repealing the Eighth Amendment.
“We want to give people a choice, not between the non-choice of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael,” said Howlin.
The Labour leader has said that the party won’t get involved in government in the future unless it can agree on dealing with five key policy issues.
“We are only going to be involved in government formation if we can fundamentally implement all of the red lines we set out,” Howlin said earlier today.
These red lines are:
Howlin said these “clear, concise” policies will be the basis on which the party will contest the next election. The terms will be discussed during day two of the party’s think-in taking place in Co Cork today.
Speaking at the think-in yesterday, Labour TD Alan Kelly said that the important thing for the party at the moment is supporting candidates in future by-elections and general elections.
“After that, we’ll have to face what comes with regards to going into government or not,” Kelly told RTÉ.
“It would need to be one hell of a deal… for Labour members to sign up to,” Kelly added.
Howlin said yesterday that economic inequality is Ireland’s greatest weakness. He added that this inequality is due in part to the lack of “good jobs across the country”.
“The benefits of the economy should be shared more fairly, for low paid workers and for those parts of the country that have been left behind,” Howlin said in a speech yesterday.
- With reporting from Christina Finn
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I listened to Joan Burton promise that banks would not be bailed out during her election campaign ….
Who can forget Eamon Gilmore’s famous “Frankfurt’s way or Labour’s way” speech in 2011, in order to get votes. They financially destroyed the people that were traditionally their support.
You’re no choice. You’re yesterday’s men. You’re no different to the FF FG coalition we have. As right wing as they come. You will never be a party of Labour. You’re so full of soi-distant intelligentsia that you could never relate to the ordinary working person.
They had a choice, they chose to betray their election promises and use a financial crisis as an excuse to remain in lucrative and influential positions. Indeed they chose to jump into Phil Hogan’s old department and tried to ramrod Water charges through. They failed in this and failed all of their voters in every other area of Govt during their time there.
Worst of all, they betrayed trust.
They’ll never get mine again anyway.
@Gerry Ryan deG:
The only way I would ever vote Labour again is if each and every member of the entire party resigns and signs a Leal contract never to return.
These workshy parasites are a blight on humanity.
Never again liebour, I and my family used to give you our votes and ye took them to gain your pieces of silver, once bitten twice shy. liebour you are finished
Labour still lieing it was Labour’s Joan Burton that took from the poor
“Isn’t that what you do in an election?” Pat Rabitte 2013.
labour supported austerity all the way no need trying to justify it now and they went as far as trying to jail anyone who protested against it,joan burton committed perjury trying to jail the jobstown protesters;
No, Labour were just awful.
There are no word for them, i was going to call them cabbages but cabaged are useful. He even has a 5 point plan for something on them lines. Takes him so long to answer a question that he dosent answer just pushs his agenda. I think the interviewer forgets what they asked.
The libour ( not misspelled their badge of no honour) party the most greedy and corru$t party in the state and that is some achievement considering what their up against
This man and his party are reviled across the country,who will forget the gestapo mentality of himself and Alan Kelly on water charges and austerity, I’m surprised he has the neck to show himself publicly,I laugh at suggestions to give people choice,what choice did we get when he wore the jackboots in government, away with you Brendan, never again.
Never bothered him when in give considering him and his party stayed in govt without having the balls to walk away from govt. nah just interested in lining their pockets…
Labour by name
No point coming out now when the truth has been around for a long time. Is the leader of the labour party trying to apologise if so I think the people will tell him stick it. Labour got their chance to pull out of Government They choose to not to So him and his party can F off.
What’s was awful was the rich got richer and Labour let them.
Isn’t this what politicians say around election time, on your bike Howlin labour are no more.
@Tom Bombdadil: Yes it is, Its called the confessional box
A liar….became more blueshirt than the blueshirts.
Is this clown having a laugh you turned your back on people
They lied and went back on every policy when they got into government broke every promise in there election campaign. Never ever vote again for this bunch of wasters
Fool me once….
Not for him
A mate of mine retired yesterday aged 65 after working for 50 years. He won’t get his State Pension until next year, thanks to Labour.
Another picture that sticks in the memory was ruairi Quinn standing outside a renowned Dublin university with student unions protesting about the student contribution being put up and as soon as he got in to the education brief he doubled the contribution from €1,500 to €3,000! Just incredible really
@Jeffrey Corrigan: sure isn’t that what you do at election time said Pat the rabbit. Frankfurts way or Labour’s way said Eamo & don’t even mention Joan the moan, a voice like a crow. The only persons know to be help captive, in fear & sitting in a Garda car.
Labour are finished, move on, nothing to see here
It’s ok .. u won’t get another chance Brendan
Just days before the 2011 election, Labour’s spokesperson on education, Ruairi Quinn, now Minister for Education, went to Trinity College to sign a USI pledge amid a flurry of media attention, promising no increase in third-level fees if Labour got into government.
At the time, Quinn assured students and their parents there was absolutely no chance of a U-turn, stating the pledge was “a commitment to the renewal of the Irish economy”.
They’ve nothing to worry about, they won’t be in government for a long time FFG is going to be running this country for a long long time & we better get used to it. After all, we put them there
I remember the 5 points from Eamonn Gilmore. They didn’t keep any of them. Now we have a 5 point plan again with probably the same outcome.
No S##t Labour Party.
Ha Ha said the clown.
How is paying unsecured bond holders but cutting social welfare payments protecting the most vunerable..if thats his best he be better off sweeping poxy streets..criminals
Never never never again will I vote for labour and a certain member should be on perjury charges along with Guards that lied under oath.
No shit .wow .so we should forget they stabbed the working men and women of Ireland in the back .no chance .don’t think I’m forgetting the green party either .both should be ashamed
@thomas mckevitt: You mentioned the Green party They introduced the low car emissions deal some years ago something I did not agree with and now look at the fix we with VW caught out cheating with their top brand model on low tax despite they having high emissions. The Government now are to affraid to rectify it and put these big powerful cars on the high emissions .
Labour had their chance in government and they blew it with their massive cuts and they will never be trusted again.
Still the same old gormless faces at Labour, all yes men and yes women, they became scapegoats for the Blueshirts and have been rightly knocked off their perch, hopefully they are wiped out at the next election (how in the world did some get back in like Burton??)
I’m going to be as nice as I possibly can Brendan
FU** O**
Labour has been destroyed by its own hubris
Howlin is awful
O how sad and desperate the labour party are now. Pleading for votes and at this moment will promise anything. I think at this stage you may get a few votes from the new Irish who dont know what your party is like with failed promises every time in power. Use the blame game if only we had more in power at the time, you could have stood for truth, instead of forgetting who put you in. Like very many others who also will get a shock in the next election. Labour no more, we didn’t forget how you operate.
he’s ‘howlin mad’ if he thinks anyone will ever vote for the liebour party again -
Lying hypocrites the labour party.never vote for them again,protect your children and grandchildren.
Former Labour voters trustingly voted for Labour in 2011 especially hearing their election pledges and red line issues & speaking as a former longtime Labour voter,Il never vote for Labour again.
Maybe I am wrong, but what means Labour? It supposed to be a Socialist, Left wing, Democratic Party. Well Democratic they are, if you can get in government with FG, who stand for the opposite. Left wing, they were in the time from Larkin and Connolly, but that put them in confrontation with the biggest power, the Church, who had the support from FF and FG. and the media. Socialist, oh yes, but in Europe they call that Salon Socialist. So my friends, what is Irish Labour ??? You tell me and maybe some people start to vote for them.
How can Joan Burton and Alan Kelly in particular continue to get votes. Horrendous people who did more harm to the social fabric of this country than Thatcher did in Britain
Labour manifesto GE 2011: “Bank Bondholders should share in bank losses”. Next…
The party that was proud to open food banks for their supporters while kicking them in the you know whats. A ragamuffin bunch of freeloaders that has had its day.
Interesting to see all the trolls posting “una voce”. Obviously afraid that their loony left votes will go to a reasonable party. Anyone who thinks that government (all included) could stop difficult decisions being made during the crisis and implemented is delusional.
I for one would be happy to vote for Labour as their representatives are left, logical and reasonable. In my area their vote will increase as the alternative are the loonys (Solidarity / PBP) or the fence-sitters (SF).
@For Goodness Sake: You use the word Trolls to brand everyone who posted a comment concerning the treachery of the so called Labour party. You also state so called Labour party are (reasonable)….you fail to mention the austerity measures introduced with the full support of so called Labour. The arrogance of Gilmore, Burton, Rabbitte, Kelly. They managed to do what no other party could do …bring hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets concerning water charges… May the so called Labour party go the same way as the P.Ds..into the dustbin of history.
@Donal Desmond: What rubbish. Try living in the real world. Cuts had to be made because of the recession. If LABOUR had not been part of government the effect on the poor would have been far worse. They managed to avoid the main income for the poor being cut. I know this will not suit your narrative.
@For Goodness Sake: It may suit your narrative to defend the so called Labour party…at an age when I can recall the political views of some of the so called Labour party leadership…They betrayed what they stood for then as they did when they took over the Labour party. They were elected to protect the working class and the most vulnerable not the banks and the bondholders. Remember official Sinn Fein, The workers party, new agenda , These paracites destroyed every principles they had .. if they ever had any…Then they became the so called Labour party…Baby Blueshirts.
@For Goodness Sake: imagine that and not once did they reject all the pay rises that where given to politicians while the put upon are still suffering their slash and burn policies
2011-2016 was a hugely difficult time, and serious mistakes were made. But don’t believe all the negative propaganda. OECD stats here show that income inequality fell during Labour’s time in government; and more so than in Greece or Spain. [https://data.oecd.org/chart/5FCX] Material deprivation also fell from a height of 30% of all individuals to 21%. These things don’t just happen. It happened because Labour restored the minimum wage (that FF and the Greens cut by €1). That put €2000 per year in the hands of the lowest paid workers. Labour restored collective wage mechanisms (JLCs, EROs, etc) which set higher-than-minimum wages for various sectors. Labour preserved core welfare payments that FG wanted to cut, and that FF cut twice. Labour created a €500 million jobs fund and got 44,000+ extra training places per year. Unemployment fell dramatically and the national debt was brought under control, after FF broke and then failed to fix the economy. It was all hard and peopel suffered, but it can’t be said that Labour did not do a number of good things for working people during the crisis. Ireland did much better than Spain, Portugal or Greece. The hard left alternative was tried in Greece and it led to much worse austerity there, which is still going on.
If Brendan Howlin, Labour Leader and Jack O Connor, Labour Chairman had any decency they would go to the top of Liberty Hall and do the decent thing. They have zero credibility and would sell out their own mother’s for a plump job and a pension.
F**k away off Brendan
We should stop paying these political clowns. Martin Eamon ryan and howlan. Just gasbags.
Which one of the Labour clowns said, when it was put to them that they did not fulfill promises made, that we didn’t win the election.
What a deluded buch of fools you are .
have your say