Politics

Former Siptu president Jack O’Connor selected as Labour candidate for Wicklow

Traditional Labour values of equality and economic justice are key to a better future, he said

Former Siptu president Jack O’Connor has been selected as the party’s candidate to contest the next General Election in Wicklow. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times

Aine McMahon
Wed Apr 4 2018 - 21:52

Former Siptu leader Jack O’Connor has been selected as a Labour party candidate in Co Wicklow to contest the next general election.

Mr O’Connor, who lives in Naas, Co Kildare, was selected at a convention in Wicklow on Wednesday evening.

He stepped down as president of Siptu last Decemberhaving served three consecutive six year terms in the role. He was first elected to the role in 2003, securing re-election in 2006 and 2011.

Speaking after his selection on Wednesday night Mr O’Connor described the traditional Labour values of equality and economic justice as key to a better, fairer future.

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“Investment in high quality public services and the provision of decent secure long term jobs are the key to a better, fairer future. Instead of returning to the cynical practice of buying peoples votes with their own money, we should be deploying the revenues of the most rapidly growing economy in Europe towards housing our people and rebuilding our public health, education and childcare services as well as restoring pension provision to our senior citizens and abolishing lower entry rates in the public service,” he said.

“We cannot afford to be putting hundreds of millions away in a so called ‘rainy day’ fund either, when it’s bucketing down on our public housing, healthcare, education and childcare services,” he added.

Mr O’Connor said the economic recovery affords the country the opportunity to make dramatic progress, without increasing taxation.

“People did not endure the misery of austerity to return to the old paradigm of private affluence for the few and public squalor for the many,” he said.

Mr O’Connor called for a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment and called for respect for those who hold differing views.

He was initially approached by the Wicklow Labour constituency council with a view to standing in the event of a snap general election last Christmas.

The party held a seat in Wicklow in the last Dáil but lost it in the 2016 general election.

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