This morning

Lucinda Creighton (top) at the press launch of her new party, called Renua Ireland with third pic from left: John Leahy, Mailo Power, Eddie Hobbs Ronan McMahon and Jonathan Irwin. More declared candidates here

So…what are the party’s views on abortion?

Our party has an open position on Abortion. In fact, we will be the only political party in Ireland and across Europe that has an open party position on Abortion. The reason for this is very simple, we do not believe party politics in Ireland has a place for issues of conscience.

Irish Water?

We are in favour of investment in our water infrastructure. It has been allowed to decay for generations. Access to safe, clean water is a basic necessity of life. We fundamentally disagree with how water charges have been introduced and will continue to do so until Irish Water has been radically reformed, and public waste eliminated.

Sinn Féin?

We believe in open politics. That means being open and transparent in every way. Sinn Féin fails to meet any standard of openness and transparency and on these fundamental grounds, we will not consider under any circumstance entering into a coalition agreement of any form.

Renua Ireland

Update:

Gulp.

Mark Malone writes:

Knew I’d seen the name before…

(Thanks Annie West)

From left: Eddie Hobbs, Lucinda Creighton and John Leahy

I’m all in favour of the members of a party deciding its policies. But every substantial political party in Ireland has been built around a substantial idea — an idea that can generate real passion.
This [Reboot ireland] is the flimsiest foundation stone any party has ever had under it.
There’s no anger here, no passion, no conviction.
It all reads like it was written by people who fancy themselves as marketers, or merchandisers.
Some political parties want to fight for the poor and the downtrodden. Some want to fight for the free economy. Some have single, critical issues, such as the environment.
This crowd wants to champion human inventiveness.
When the party’s founder, Lucinda Creighton, is asked about the first national campaign in which it will be be involved, the referendum on same-sex marriage, she says that she’ll “probably support it”, but her party won’t take any position on it.
If that’s her idea of leadership, God help us all.

New party needs a reboot already: it’s devoid of passion or purpose (Fergus Finlay, Irish Examiner)

To call Reboot Ireland fuzzy would be an insult to Gerry Adams’s teddy bear…

…Reboot Ireland would like to be the new PDs. It wishes to appeal to the same small business and professional class that is fed up both with government in general and with current politics in particular. But neither side of the PD equation is available to it. The economic formula of cutting taxes and deregulating everything has been disastrously discredited. The social side of the liberal agenda doesn’t work either, because the rebooters have their origins solely in their opposition to even minimal reform of the most draconian anti-abortion laws in the developed world. Hence the fuzziness. The new party is a solution in search of problems – or at least of problems that can be addressed with right-wing policies that don’t appear to be too right-wing.

Reboot And Be Damned (Finatan O’Toole, Irish Times – unavailable online)

Previously: A Terrible Rebooty Is Born

(Sam Boal/Photocall ireland)