Today we are launching our very first policy manifesto. It’s called Building a Better Future, 2016-2026.
The Social Democrats are ambitious for Ireland’s future. We want Ireland to be a republic in which every person has opportunity and dignity. We are a new party, unhindered by the past and the old style of politics. Irish people have enormous resources of energy, creativity, and compassion. We deserve better than an economy that swings between boom and bust; a political system that refuses to be accountable to its citizens; public services that fail those citizens when they need them most; and a society hampered by poverty, division and injustice.
Irish people are tired of short-term thinking, stroke politics, electoral bribes and power that refuses to be held to account. We call for open and transparent government. Honest politics that works in the best interests of the people and not the party or the selected few. We are asking the Irish people to join us in building a new politics that reflects the best of Irish culture. The most prosperous, inclusive and progressive countries on earth are social democracies.
We believe Ireland can join this group, and that a great many Irish people want us to. We know that a strong, creative, prosperous, fair, equal and democratic country – in which all children have the opportunity to achieve their potential – is not just an aspiration. It can, and should be, Ireland’s reality.
Achieving this requires equal focus on three core areas.
Policies that support a healthy, inclusive and progressive society.
Policies that ensure a strong, stable and vibrant economy, and support Ireland’s SMEs with the same vigour that’s applied to the multinational sector
Policies that make politics and government more transparent and responsive to public, rather than party need.
Here we set our priorities in each of these areas, which include:
Investing in public services, ensuring a recovery for all and building an inclusive and progressive society.
Ending child poverty
Ending the housing crisis
Building an Irish National Health Service
Driving quality and access in education
Enabling those with disability
Fostering a strong, stable and vibrant economy, which supports innovation, indigenous and foreign business, job creation and development.
Helping SMEs create 100,000 jobs;
Building a community banking sector;
Reducing the cost of living;
Managing our national finances responsibly.
Creating better, more open and accountable politics, with decisions based on evidence
Establishing an Anti-Corruption Agency;
Creating a strong parliament;
Demanding transparency and evidence.
The Social Democrats know that none of these aspirations matter without the trust that is fostered through personal and collective integrity. We will respect the Irish people enough to tell them the truth as we see it. We will have respect for divergent viewpoints and philosophies but we will not compromise our basic principles in pursuit of power or popularity. We will not make promises we know we cannot keep. We will put the long-term needs of our society ahead of opportunistic gain.
It is time to take Ireland on a better path, to a better future. One in which every citizen is afforded opportunity and dignity. One in which we look to the coming decade not with uncertainty, but with ambition, determination and hope.
Building a Better Future (2016 – 2026)
Our Fiscal Approach
A growing number of people in Ireland and international organisations are warning against exactly the sort of auction politics we’re seeing from the establishment parties. Fine Gael and Labour are proposing to massively erode the tax base – abolishing the USC, for example, would wipe €4bn-€5bn o the revenue base each year. They are justifying this recklessness on the grounds of a growing economy and unexpected tax returns.
This is exactly what Fianna Fáil did before the crash in 2008 – they ignored all the warnings, and pointed to the good news. Then as now, our economy was growing faster than other countries, unexpected tax revenues were appearing, home ownership was becoming impossible and commercial rents were soaring. Then as now, government investment was too low. Then as now, pre-election promises were aimed at buying votes at any cost. The result of all of this was a lost decade, and a great deal of hardship for millions of people.
What Fine Gael / Labour are proposing is, however, even more irresponsible than what Fianna Fáil did. Why? Because there are no safety nets left. When the crash hit in 2008, many households, business and voluntary groups were able to cut back. The State was able to borrow vast sums of money. Today, people, businesses, and voluntary groups have nothing left to give. Public services are over-stretched and the state can’t borrow additional funds. So if another global economic shock hits Ireland, as it did in 2008, we will be far more vulnerable to it than we were then.
The chances of such a shock are rising rapidly. Stock markets are seeing big drops in recent weeks, and emerging market economies, including China, are slowing down.
The Social Democrats don’t want Ireland to experience another lost decade. We believe the economic breathing space available should not be used to buy the election, but instead
to safeguard the future. We are proposing the tax base be maintained, with some minor adjustments. Instead of stripping out billions, we should be doing things like creating a modern healthcare system, putting in place the infrastructure needed to support business for years to come, sorting out the housing market, rebuilding communities and supporting parents in areas like affordable childcare. €4bn to €5bn a year would let us do a lot of very good things in the short term, and let us start planning for big long term challenges like pensions, flooding and climate change.
The way to put money back is people’s pockets is by reducing the costs of living. We are proposing a range of measure to do this, including in the areas of childcare, healthcare, insurance, education and energy.
Many people in Ireland want a credible alternative to the political cartel. They want a political vision that marries strong social vision with responsible economics and better government. That is exactly what the Social Democrats are offering.