Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik has called for an alliance of left-wing parties after the imminent general election.
Launching the party’s education policy in Dublin on Friday morning, Ms Bacik said the party would be running 30 candidates in the general election and would first and foremost be seeking to maximise the Labour vote.
After the votes are counted, however, she said leaders of political parties on the left should turn their minds to a potential alliance of the left.
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“On the question of a pact or a platform for negotiating an agreement on negotiation, I’ve made it clear that this will be after the election but certainly I’ve also made clear since I’ve become leader the need for the left to come together.”
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She said that “on any programme, any negotiating programme, there’s certainly been positive signs from other leaders. But we need to see how the election comes out, what the numbers come out after the election.” The Social Democrats have previously rebuffed any suggestion of coming together under one umbrella with the Labour Party.
[ There’s never been a better moment for a new left alliance to emergeOpens in new window ]
Outlining her party’s educational pledges in advance of the election, Ms Bacik said that Labour would hold a new national convention on education, if in Government. They would provide incentives to schools that divest to multidenominational patronage and ban voluntary contributions. They also pledged to introduce a universal clothing and footwear allowance and abolish exam fees.
Labour Kildare North candidate Cllr Angela Feeney said that “across Kildare, Dublin, Wicklow and other fast-growing counties there is a dire shortage of secondary school places. Labour will address this by providing enough new classrooms and introducing a centralised application process.”
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