Labour looks to the future after disappointing election

The Labour Party will begin to plan its future today after a disappointing General Election.

The annual Tom Johnson Summer School begins tonight in Galway city, with Labour leader Pat Rabbitte due to address delegates drawn from across Ireland tomorrow.

Labour representatives from the North and the UK will also attend the event as the party plans its future after taking 20 Dáil seats in the May election when it had hoped for major gains.

Speaking ahead of the event, Director of the Summer School Andrew Payne said: “This weekend will be an ideal opportunity for all strands of the Labour Party to come together and discuss the way forward for our party.

“The fact that so many prominent figures from the Labour Party and indeed the broader left will be in attendance shows the importance being placed on this weekend’s events.”

Speakers include senior party figures, union leaders, Mark Langhammer of the Northern Labour Forum and British Labour Party MP Jeremy Corbyn.

The conference which begins tonight and runs until Sunday is based on the theme: “Where next? – Labour after the election.”

Several debates will take place including: a broad discussion on the future of Labour following the election, Labour in the North, migration and a discussion on twenty-first century socialism.

Mr Payne added: “While nobody in the Labour Party would deny that the 2007 General Election was disappointing for Labour and the left in general, there are still exciting challenges ahead.

“The Labour Party has the potential to provide not just an alternative government but also the capacity to lead an alternative political dynamic throughout the island of Ireland.”