Labour Youth

Not to be confused with Labour Youth Forum or Young Labour.

Labour Youth Óige an Lucht Oibre
Chairperson	Kevin O'Leary
Secretary General	Eimear Martin
Founded	1999 (1999)
Ideology	Social democracy Pro-EU
Position	Centre-right
Mother party	Labour Party
International affiliation	International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)
European affiliation	Young European Socialists (YES)
Newspaper	The Left Tribune
Website	www.labouryouth.ie

Labour Youth is the youth wing of the Labour Party of Ireland. Anyone between the ages of 15 and 25 is eligible to join Labour Youth. It replaced an earlier organisation, the Young Labour League, in 1999.

History

Labour Youth succeeded the Young Labour League as a full section of the Party in 1979, under Party Leader Frank Cluskey. Members were active in the election of presidential candidate Mary Robinson, forming a base of membership during the campaign that would provide the backbone of leadership within the organisation for years to come. They provided leadership to the National Youth Council of Ireland and in 1992 were among the founding members of the European Council of Socialist Youth (Ecosy). In 1999, along with the main party, Labour Youth merged with Democratic Left Youth.

In the 2007 General Election, Labour Youth opposed a pre-election pact with the centre-right party Fine Gael. The group undertook an active and visible role in the 2011 Irish General Election in support of Labour Party candidates. They later called on the Party to abandon talks on forming a coalition government with Fine Gael, describing the proposal as undemocratic. Labour Youth Delegates to the Labour Party Special Delegate Conference in March 2011 also opposed the entry into a coalition government with Fine Gael.

In October 2013, Labour Youth condemned the Fine Gael-Labour coalition's cuts to welfare payments for young people in the 2014 budget.

Structure

Youth Conference is held every year in November. At Youth Conference, motions are debated and voted upon, setting Labour Youth policy. The National Youth Executive is also elected at Youth Conference. Youth Conference is the supreme decision-making body of Labour Youth

National meetings are held several times a year to hold the National Youth Executive to account and to discuss campaigns, recruitment and ongoing issues.

Day-to-Day management of Labour Youth nationally, along with the implementation of Conference and National Meeting mandates is handled by the National Youth Executive. Individual National Officers also hold working groups relating to their portfolios to make policies and to plan campaigns and recruitment.

The basic operating unit of Labour Youth is the Branch. Branches are organized in most Universities and Institutes of Technology, where meetings are held, policies are debated and campaigns are organized and embarked upon. Branches retain their own leadership and administrative structures, the positions generally somewhat mirroring those of the National Youth Executive. Branches send delegates to Youth Conference to vote on Labour Youth Policy for the year and the composition of the National Youth Executive, and many Youth Branches are recognized as full Branches of the Labour Party in their own right, thereby having the ability to send delegates to vote at the Labour Party National Conference.

Labour Youth is also active on a central council, executive board, constituency executive and local level.

Labour Youth has close links with the Social Democratic and Labour Party and SDLP Youth in the North of Ireland. The former SDLP MLA for South Belfast Conall McDevitt was a former National Secretary of Labour Youth.

Patrick Nulty Controversy

In 2014, Labour Youth controversially supported former Chairperson, Patrick Nulty, after it emerged he had sent a number of inappropriate messages to female constituents. These included asking a 17-year old girl had she ever been spanked, asking a domestic abuse victim if "a slap on the bum was ok" and asking another victim of domestic violence if a "slap on the behind is acceptable in certain situations".

A leading member of Labour Youth's re-foundation in the early 2000s, Nulty served in Labour Youth as the National Chairman, Communications Officer and Gender Equality Officer. Nulty led a campaign while in Trinity Labour Youth against the sexual harassment of female students on campus. His actions resulted in a surge of young women joining Labour Youth. Former National Chairmen Colm Lawless and Conor Ryan both credit Nulty with their recruitment into Labour Youth.

Nulty was also elected to the Dáil in the Dublin West by-election with the strong support of Labour Youth members. Nulty is one of only a handful of former Labour Youth members to be elected to national office. On 7 December 2011 Nulty voted against the Government's 2012 Budget and was expelled from the Parliamentary Labour Party. Labour Youth were also critical of the budget and condemned the expulsion of Nulty. Nulty continued to sit as an Independent TD while remaining a Labour Party member until he resigned from the Party in 2013.

Executive

The National Youth Executive (NYE) is responsible for the day-to-day running of Labour Youth. Officers are elected to the NYE at Youth Conference, held in November each year. The Labour Party Youth & Development Officer is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the NYE.

Former National Chairs

• Grace Williams – 2015–2016

• Jack Eustace – 2014–2015

• Ciarán Garrett – 2013–2014

• Aideen Carberry – 2012–2013

• Conor Ryan – 2011–2012

• Colm Lawless – 2010–2011

• Rory Geraghty – 2009–2010

• Gary Honer – 2008–2009

• Enda Duffy – 2007–2008

• Patrick Nulty – 2006–2007

• Graham Ó Maonaigh – 2005–2006

• Donal Lyons – 2004–2005

• Rebecca Moynihan – 2002–2004

• Áine Morris – 2001–2002

• Alan Kelly – 1999–2001

• Cian O'Callaghan – 1999–2001

• Mark Garrett – 1997–1999

• David Leech – 1996–1997

• Fearghal O’Boyle – 1994–1996

• Desmond Cullen – 1993–1994

• Edward Dawson – 1991–1993

• Paddy Glackin – 1989–1991

• Vincent Byrne – 1988–1989

• Michael Barry – 1985–1988

• Ray McLoughlin – 1983–1985

• Michael Martin – 1980–1983

• John Kelleher – 1979–1980

Publications

Labour Youth publishes The Left Tribune on a regular basis.

External links

Official Links

• Homepage of Labour Youth
• The Left Tribune

Related Links

• Labour Youth Blog