Following the labour party conference in Galway last weekend, Ógra Shinn Féin has highlighted what it believes as 'partitionism' in leader Eamon Gilmore's speech. It also raised concern about the labour party's commitment to the national democratic rights of those who live in the north east of the country.
Eamon Gilmore's 'One Ireland'
National Organiser Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire had this to say;
The speech of the Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore, with its theme of 'One Ireland', contained a great deal of noble, if slightly vague, sentiments in relation to a fairer economy, and creating jobs. However, given the frequency with which he repeated the slogan 'One Ireland' I find it peculiar and dissapointing that he declined to mention that the fact that the state he believes was 'conceived' in 1916, remains incomplete.
Some 1.7 million people live in a part of Ireland that has no representation in the Oireachtas, and will neither profit nor suffer from any policies he might implement were he in government. Indeed his comrade Margaret Ritchie of the SDLP , sitting among the crowd as Eamon Gilmore spoke, must have wondered had she wandered into a foreign country, as she heard him sound a welcome to all categories of people to this 'One Ireland', but apparently, not her , nor those who vote for the SDLP. Comrades indeed.
Given the developments of the last ten years, it might have been of interest to the Irish people to hear the Labour party's strategy on Irish Unity, and on completing that 'one Ireland'. However this was not the case, and it would appear as though the Labour party consider the Irish people who live in the 26 counties to be of greater priority in building this 'One Ireland'. Indeed it may well be symptomatic that the one motion on northern affairs* discussed at the conference was under the category of ' International and European Affairs'.
Until Eamon Gilmore takes note that Ireland doesnt end at Dundalk, then it would appear as though the only party truly interested in 'One Ireland' is Sinn Féin.
*http://www.labour.ie/conference2010/motions/detail/127080388813236915/
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The Vaguer Party.
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