Madam, - Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin (September 1st) calls on the Labour Party to participate in an open, serious and honest debate on the future of social democracy. However, he offers no proposals and confines himself to a simplistic dismissal of the policies and work of social democratic parties in Europe and in particular in the European Parliament.
Social democracy is tackling in a realistic way the fact that we are living in a world which is no longer defined exclusively by national borders and exclusive national sovereignty, as shown by social democratic policy positions on financial markets, development of universal public services, social Europe, global terrorism, etc.
Last year I accepted a (first ever) Sinn Féin invitation to participate in a debate on an alternative Europe. In my contribution I outlined my view on how we could build a more democratic, power-sharing Europe, which could be capable of contributing to global justice. I got no response, then or since.
Mr Ó Broin dismisses the democratic and social advances in the draft Reform Treaty but does not tell us what Sinn Féin is proposing to change in that draft which is still being debated at European level. Clearly the party has trouble putting forward a coherent position of its own, which takes account of the world we actually live in.
Until it gets to grips with its internal malaise I don't see what serious contribution it can make as a party to a debate on social democracy. - Yours, etc,
PROINSIAS DE ROSSA MEP Labour Party/Party of European Socialists, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1.