Labour’s debate on the recommendations of its 21st Century Commission reminded me of similar debates at past congresses of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). It wasn’t just because many of the younger speakers also popped up at USI debates, but the nature of the debate – disagreements about how the organisation should be structured and run – often featured at those gatherings of student representatives.
Paul Dillon, a former president of UCD Students’ Union was one of the most articulate speakers on the opposition side in Mullingar. He was joined by several Labour Youth delegates and speakers from the party’s Northern Ireland organisation. It was clear from the reception they received that many delegates sympathised with their cause.
As the debate came to a close and the vote on the recommendations drew nearer, there was some concern among party handlers. They produced two big guns as the final proposition speakers in Proinsias De Rossa and Ruairi Quinn, before Eamon Gilmore was invited to sumarise. All three spoke well and their popularity among the membership would have swayed many undecided delegates. In the end, the constitutional amendment passed comfortably.
But these type of debates are something you don’t see often at party conferences. They touch on issues that go to the core of members’ political philosophies, like how much say the grassroots should have in choosing candidates (that topic was one of the few sore points at Fianna Fáil’s Ard Fheis last month).
But, in the end, the support of Labour’s most popular representatives was decisive in securing the required two-thirds majority. Despite the news of tomorrow’s poll, Gilmore still has momentum because of his strong Dáil performances and his roundly praised speech to last November’s special delegate conference. He is very popular among the membership and many of the opposition speakers made a point of declaring support for his leadership. In the end, that sense of party unity put the outcome of the conference’s one truly contentious motion beyond doubt.
