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Social Democrats ready for power

Striking the right balance in a programme for government

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.
Sat Oct 19 2024 - 00:09

Sir, – Despite Stephen Collins’s assertion, far from regarding participation in Government as a bad thing and being “content to remain in the comfortable position of denouncing the government of the day from the opposition benches”, the Social Democrats have shown their willingness to participate in government since their foundation (“There’s never been a better moment for a new left alliance to emerge”, Opinion & Analysis, October 18th).

The party has participated in governing coalitions on local councils and entered initial discussions with other parties on government formation in 2020. The party has even been one of the few to repeatedly express its openness to discussing government formation with any party where a commitment to the party’s social democratic values can be assured.

The problem, as we have seen, is that those who dangled government coalition in front of the Social Democrats were not willing to agree a social democratic programme for government. In essence, in order to enter such coalitions, the party would’ve have to give up more of its policies than was justified.

The key lesson to be taken from the Labour Party’s and the Green Party’s stints in government is that the carve-up of cabinet seats shouldn’t be the deciding factor, but rather a balance must be struck between the policies to be sacrificed and the policies to be enacted.

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I am certain that should the Social Democrats enter government formation talks after the next Dáil election, and strike the right balance in a programme for government, they will enter government enthusiastically, with a focus on policy implementation over the number of ministerial posts they are offered. – Yours, etc,

TOMÁS HENEGHAN,

East Wall,

Dublin 3.