Main political parties gear up for series of policy 'think-ins'

Taoiseach Brian Cowen: Fianna Fáil said his speech would not be a 'state of the nation address'

THE MAIN political parties – Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, the Greens and Sinn Féin – are to hold policy “think-ins” next month at different locations throughout the State. This has become an annual feature of the political scene prior to the resumption of the Dáil after the summer recess.

The Fianna Fáil think-in is scheduled for a Galway hotel on September 15th and 16th and will be attended by members of the parliamentary party.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to speak but a Government spokesman said this would not be and was never intended to be a “state of the nation address” and would not be broadcast.

The Fine Gael event will take place in a Limerick hotel on September 17th and 18th. “There will be a heavy emphasis on the economy,” a spokesman said. “There will also be preparations for the new Dáil term, which is going to be especially important as the country heads into recession, the Government faces a byelection in Dublin South and the entire country gets ready for the local and European elections next summer.”

The Labour Party think-in takes place in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, on September 10th and 11th, beginning with a keynote speech from party leader Eamon Gilmore. “The main focus is likely to be on the economic situation,” a spokesman said. There would be a number of outside speakers.

The Green Party will assemble in Tralee, Co Kerry, on September 18th and 19th, with the second day open to the news media. “Topics will include local election strategy and a review of achievements in government,” a spokeswoman said. The parliamentary party will meet local election candidates to discuss strategy and there will be a canvassing “walkabout” through the town of Tralee.

Sinn Féin will hold its “parliamentary team think-in” on September 2nd and 3rd in a north Dublin hotel. A spokeswoman said the main issues would be “Ireland’s current economic challenges, the Lisbon Treaty, the regeneration of the west of Ireland, monitoring and challenging the Government on the ongoing cutbacks within the health service, and outstanding deliverables from the St Andrews Agreement, including the transfer of policing and justice powers and the Irish Language Act.”

The Dáil is scheduled to resume on September 24th.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times