LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE:LABOUR IN government would reduce the number of ministers of State from 20 to 15, leader Eamon Gilmore pledged at the opening of the party's national conference in Mullingar last night.
Labour would also cut back the number of Oireachtas committees from 28 to 15. The party would end special payments for committee chairs, who currently receive €20,000 per annum, as well as vice-chairs (€10,200) and convenors (€6,380).
Payment of ministerial pensions to sitting TDs and senators would also cease, and all expenses would have to be vouched, Mr Gilmore said.
The maximum amount any individual could donate to a political party would be drastically reduced by Labour from €6,500 to €2,500, and contributions over €1,500 would have to be declared.
Contributions to particular candidates would be capped at €1,000 instead of the current €2,500.
“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,” he said.
In an implicit sideswipe at Libertas leader Declan Ganley, he continued: “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.” For democracy to function, people had to feel “that their vote – their voice – matters”.
But it appeared that “some voices matter more to Government than others”, and this shook people’s confidence in the system.
Focusing on Fianna Fáil links with leading financiers and developers, he said: “The culture of the Galway tent – a place frequented by the big developers, who in turn were rescued by the taxpayers’ 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,” he said.
He described excessive and wasteful spending in the public sector as “an affront to taxpayers”, adding Labour would “introduce a sunset clause on all quangos, giving them a specific period of time to justify their existence”.
Looking ahead to today’s debate on internal reorganisation, Mr Gilmore said: “This party, which has done so much to reform Ireland – to renew its progress – must have the strength and the courage to reform itself.”
Commenting on the local and European elections, he warned against taking a good result for granted, and urged members “to make sure that we realise the potential that we have seen a glimpse of in recent opinion polls”.
“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.”
Some 1,000 delegates are expected to be present for Mr Gilmore’s formal address to the conference which will be broadcast on RTÉ1 at 8.30pm this evening.
