‘We Are The @SocDems’

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Catherine Murphy tweets ahead of the launch of the new party, Social Democrats, this morning which involves Ms Murphy, Roisin Shorthall and Stephen Donnelly.

More as we get it.

Previously: ‘A New Credible Political Choice’

Pics: Gavin O’Reilly

Update:

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Roisin Shorthall, Catherine Murphy and Stephen Donnelly launch the new par-tay.

Social Democrats

Thanks Ross O’Mullane and David Hall

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115 thoughts on “‘We Are The @SocDems’”

      1. newsjustin

        They toyed with “Sodemo” and “Demesos” before settling on Social Democrats. Good call.

        1. Joe the Lion

          You’re already an activist, have an enviable online profile and people can see where you stand on the issues

          @ mani – shurrup the adults are talking now

      3. Spaghetti Hoop

        I’ll be your running mate Clamps – same constituency. I can cut ribbons, shake babies, kiss hands etc.

  4. newsjustin

    All three are capable and seem pretty sensible. I’d listen to what they have to say.

    They’ve also learned the lesson of “Renua” and gone for a traditional, “what it says on the tin” party name. Whether they turn out to be “social democrats” or not is immaterial, they’ve clearly marked their territory.

    4. Medium Sized C

      The clue is in the name.

      I say this because their name describes a well described political ideology.
      If you can’t find an answer quickly in google, you probably don’t need to know.

        1. Clampers Outside!

          You can pick sides, but you can’t pick for someone else…. there’ll be people of differing opinion on some matters, I can live with Róisín’s stance as a pro-lifer. Abortion is coming, it’ll pass next it’s put to the people…. once put properly and not watered down like Kenny & Co. did last time….. which they only did because they have no balls to tackle the real issue head on because they don’t want to be labelled ‘the party that brought in abortion’… none of them do.

          1. Drogg

            I just worry about supporting them without them putting out an actually stance on their position. But i do think the Social Democrats are our best hope for the future.

    6. cluster's deranged alter ego

      They are left-leaning but also the three of them are somewhat credible/grown-up – unlike People Before Profit types. They could also attract votes from those unwilling to vote for a party tainted by links to crime & paramilitary organisations.

      This is potentially a very positive development.

    1. cluster's deranged alter ego

      They are less extreme than the Democratic Left were – no stickie associations.

  7. MintyFresh

    Is there a website with their policy docs? Can’t find anything out there quite yet…

    1. Slightly Bemused

      The link in the article above brings you to their page. Click on the highlighted ‘Social Democrats’ after the pictures.

  8. Der

    I wish them well, their proposal so far seems reasonable. If nothing major changes I’ll be voting for them.

  9. Daisy Chainsaw

    Three politicians who seem to posess actual integrity, definitly posess tenacity and intelligence! I hope they run a candidate in every constituency because I would like to vote for them.

  11. bisted

    …their namesakes up north are a catholic nationalist conservative party with more in common with FG than any of the others…any chance of a statement on secularism and separation of church and state?

      1. bisted

        …the SDLP are ‘open to everyone’ the way catholic schools are ‘open to everyone’.

        1. newsjustin

          More so. There are no religious requirements to be a member of the SDLP. There never have been.

      2. Em-malicious

        The SDLP under Gerry Fitt was a much better, less Catholic, and more left leaning party than it was under Hume. He gets all the peace process glow about him but Fitt was a more impressive politician IMHO.
        Hume wanted to call the SDLP just the ‘SDP’ coz he had a semi for Willie Brandt in W. Germany but Fitt objected. They also almost called themselves the ‘LSD Party’ until someone copped that could be misconstrued in the heady daze of the early ’70s. Also, Ivan Cooper was one of the 7 members of the SDLP and he was a Protestant. So what aboud ye?

        1. bisted

          …it’s fitting that you pointed out that Gerry was the man that kept the L in SDLP…he would fit in well with the comrades in labour here at the moment.
          Unfortunately, (for him) they are a little less forgiving in the north to traitors. Fortunately, (for him) he was given a lordship to go with his ‘Fitt the Brit’ sobriquet which meant he could live out his days in the members bar.

    3. ahjayzis

      The USSR had ‘social’ in their title.

      Any chance of a statement distancing themselves from gulags and arms races?

  12. joj

    Too left for my own taste, but I hope anyone who even considered voting SF will vote for them, a party whose ethos is based solely on camaraderie and a nationalist style government

  14. ahjayzis

    Cath already had my no.1, loving the look of this party.

    Any luck it’ll redirect Labours voters from going to SF – bye bye labour in any case.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      I’m hoping for the same on that ‘redirect’ :)

      …at least I think / feel they’ll grab the left voter who makes an effort to think rather than be willingly hoodwinked by the SF pride and nationalism bullcrap….

    2. Em-malicious

      I wonder will this become a life-raft for the red lemmings jumping from Joan’s Arc?

      SocDems would want to make it pretty clear from the get-go where they stand on aligning with either of the two current governing parties and Mee-hole’s remnant from the pre-2011 days.

      It could be a cunning way for more junior Labour members to re-brand and stay relevant. Any ‘left’ party that will contemplate propping up a Fine Gael led government is on my list of enemies and I really want to like these guys, mostly due to my respect for Catherine Murphy, so they better not let me down.

  17. Parochial Central

    Best of luck to them. Here’s to people of integrity and credibility helping get that @LABOUR SUPPORT to where it deserves to be: 3%.

    1. Dubloony

      Out of curiosity, why is everything wrong with this government Labour’s fault?
      FG are a rather large part of it as well.

      1. ahjayzis

        Because a right wing party implementing right wing policies is representing it’s right wing voters – doing it’s job.

        But a left wing party implementing right wing policies and breaking every single election commitment is betraying it’s left wing voters and rendering itself untrustworthy and thus unelectable. Never again.

        You can argue, and they do, that they’re the minor partner in a coalition government – but we don’t vote for coalition governments no matter what they say, and had they refused FG’s plan and remained in opposition, it’s almost certain we’d have our first Labour government right now.

        1. Clampers Outside!

          Add to that Pat Rabbittes willingness to tell the public any old bullcrap to get elected. The man gave up any strip of integrity he or his party had left… for his pension, the c**t, because they’ve done fupp all else since getting in.

          1. ahjayzis

            Where did I go wrong, Joe?

            The SNP would drown their own mothers before they’d go into coalition with the Tories. There was no democratic compunction on Labour to jettison the manifesto on which basis they were elected – none. The Irish people didn’t vote for an FG/Lab Coalition – Fine Gael came first, Labour came second.

            In a properly functioning system Fine Gael, a centre-right party, would have gone into coalition with Fianna Fail, a centre-right party, as both parties agree on BLOODY EVERYTHING.

          2. Joe the Lion

            Well ahjaysis Labour have never really had a base outside of their traditional strongholds

            It takes generations to build that up

            Overall I feel Labour have done a decent job in this government of protecting some aspects of social welfare and aim to please everyone too much, and that seems to rankle with some – rabbits who believe our politicos serve them need to crawl back into their holes before they breed ignorance too widely in the population

          3. ahjayzis

            That’s just untrue – the last election they doubled their vote based on the promises and platforms they put forward. That’s the first step to increasing your base.

            Which serves the greater good? Ameliorating (allegedly, and very, VERY slightly) a small proportion of FG’s policies and being destroyed in the bargain – all foreseeable in 2011 – or keeping their powder dry for a cycle and almost certainly LEADING Ireland’s first social democratic government?

            Your logic works if you’re confining your ambitions for the centre-left in Ireland to being the third leg on a centre-right stool for all time, if you buy into a 2.5 party system – mine works if you believe in your policies and ideology and want to break the misrule of the twin F’s. Labour upheld the status quo, squandering the opportunity in the crisis to change Ireland’s rotten system for good.

          4. Joe the Lion

            Neither

            Your logic is flawless but I’d kill to see your execution plan. The reality of PR dissuades me from your vision being realised even though it’s one I share.

            Also I must point out Labour d also deliver on its equality agenda that alone is enough to warrant praise

          5. ahjayzis

            And that’s a repeating pattern, Labours base doesn’t increase because everytime they do well in an election and increase their vote, they do the same thing – support a party that believes and does the opposite of what Labour voters are looking for. Power at any cost. It’s one step forward and two back.

          6. ahjayzis

            It’s fairly imaginable Joe.

            Labour ran on no water charges – the support SF and friends are enjoying, the 100,000’s who marched would have been marching under red Labour flags instead and voting for Labour, no question.

            In election debates Labour could throw the austerity mud that SF is throwing at them straight into FF/FG’s faces with the advantage that while Labour has never lead in government, but they do have experience of being IN government – they’re a party we know – they’d be government in waiting now – right now we don’t have that option, it’s status quo or Sinn Fein/others who are seen as having no governming experience – this biases everything in favour of FF/FG.

            Look at the damage Gilmore inflicted on John O’Donohue, Cowen, Lenihan, the last entirety of the last FF government while they were in opposition, imagine what they could have done with Shatter and Kenny.

            The door was open for Labour to become a real player – they went with habit and the safe option, and they’ll be annihilated for it. Their wins in government, small as they are, in no way compensate for what they’ve thrown away.

          8. ahjayzis

            Nah, no hope, it’s all over for ’em!

            But in what way would it have been unlikely had they stayed out?

          9. Joe the Lion

            Sinn Fein is a populist party attracting support from a wide base of young, nationalist minded former FF supporters, gaeilgeori, teachers etc

            Labour’s leadership is full of tired old smoked salmon quaffing dead wood who while quite able administrators would not be able to galvanise such disparate support nationwide even if they had the intelligence to go looking for it.

        3. JunkFace

          Yeah Labour screwed up big time! They should have thought more about what happened to the PDs years ago. I hate FG/FF way more though, can’t stand them.

      2. martco

        yes I agree they are but Labour have evolved into Pinocchio’s puppet….haha merely a puppet of a puppet jesus wept

        i.e. despite the implications of their branding they no longer are the Labour Party…..not fit to use the name…..I hope they enjoyed their little power(less) trip

        as for the Social Democrats…I’m really glad that Donnelly stuck with it and what can you say about Catherine that already hasn’t been said….where do I sign up? :)

  18. edalicious

    Thank god, we’re in desperate need for a decent center-left party in this country. Needs to be more members though!

  20. JunkFace

    I’d vote for them over any of the rest (FG, FF, LA, SF) Stephen Donnelly speaks common sense, especially econmically. I’ll have to read up on the other two over the years.

    And yes the name is a good choice.

    Renua just sounds like ass cream

  21. Anomanomanom

    So is it a party or a collective. The difference bring in a party only the leader gets the leaders allowance, in a collective they all get it since they would still be independent

      1. Anomanomanom

        Ah ok. So a load of independent tds after their elected are going to vote for a leader and lose their own allowance, Yes I can see that happening.

  22. 15 cents

    social democrats … hm, it would be nice to have democracy in this country. its been a very long time coming. i think democracy would suit us. i support this new party.

  23. 15 cents

    everyones havin a pop at renua .. which is good.. means that maybe as a people we’re starting to see through codswollop. renua have no substance, and spent all their funds on gettin a real tosser of a marketing ‘guru’ who just tried to sell the company the same way he comes up with ad campaigns .. so basically nothing to do with politic. just all fizz. social democrats actually seem like they have a political agenda.

  24. Drogg

    Great to see a proper central left party i wonder where i sign up? my only issue is Roisin Shortall who is a pro-life ex-labour TD.

    1. JunkFace

      really? She’s a Pro Lifer? Ugh…get her out! We already have loads of those in Politics

      1. Shanti

        Yeah, but they say they’re campaigning to repeal the 8th, so perhaps she’s not so hardline?

      1. jt

        …the colour of choice for the Irish, trotted out on all formal occasions, a nod to our colonial past perhaps. Go forth and crush the Shinners please.

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