Rabbitte: Opportunity for change is there
The opportunity is there for Labour and the alternative government to offer the people of Ireland a positive change, party leader Pat Rabbitte has claimed.
Calling on former Fianna Fáil supporters to switch their vote to Labour, he said he has no doubt that the Labour/Fine Gael alliance will be able to have its candidate for Taoiseach elected in the next Dail.
He said today’s party conference would be used to discuss key issues such as health, crime and childcare, and showcase new young candidates who will contest the next election.
“Almost a quarter of its 2002 support has now deserted Fianna Fáil,” he said.
“I hope those people feel that they can switch to Labour at this coming election and I pledge to them that Labour in government will not desert them.
“The Labour Party is the natural home for disaffected former Fianna Fáil voters.”
Mr Rabbitte told supporters there was an undeclared national emergency in crime and policing, where a new generation of gangsters, fuelled by the obscene profits from the illegal drugs trade, conduct themselves with impunity and with no regard for the safety of innocent citizens.
“Health and crime are by no means the only critical areas where this Government has failed,” he continued. “Public transport and road safety, social housing and house prices, escalating prices generally and the refusal to confront vested interests are only some of the other failures.”
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