Labour conference pledges reversal of public sector pay-cuts
Eamon Gilmore insisted his opinion poll ratings now meant he deserved to be included in the state broadcaster’s main TV election debate alongside the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Opening the Galway gathering, Mr Gilmore said he could no longer be excluded after Britain’s three main party leaders took part in an historic showdown.
Welcoming former Mayo independent TD Jerry Cowley to the party, Mr Gilmore promised Labour was poised to make breakthroughs in areas like the west where it has not been strong traditionally.
Dr Cowley, a 47-year-old GP, served five years in the Dáil from 2002 before being squeezed out in the 2007 election after strongly supporting the Rossport Five activists battling the Shell pipeline project.
Dr Cowley was the only Mayo TD to back the protestors, and said his stance has now been validated by decisions to move the pipeline’s route.
Mr Gilmore said: “I am delighted that Jerry’s experience as a GP on the ground in a rural area will be an additional resource for us in the development and communication of our health policy.”
Dr Cowley said he had chosen to throw his lot in with Labour because he knew the limitations of being an independent member of the Dáil.
“I have greatly admired Eamon Gilmore’s approach since he was elected leader of the Labour Party,” he said. “His outspoken criticism of the Fianna Fáil Government, his courage in saying what needs to be said and his determination to offer the people of this country a sense of hope and the prospect of real change has struck a chord with people all over the country,” he said.
Mr Gilmore told delegates at the conference that Labour had correctly predicted that the NAMA plan would turn-out to be a “fantasy”.
Delegates voted to actively campaign to reverse the public sector pay-cuts, though Mr Gilmore has refused to say whether he believes union members should back the Croke Park deal or not.
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