Labour leader Mr Ruairi Quinn has sought to claim leadership of opposition to sleaze in politics, pledging to ban business donations to parties and demanding accountability for the Haughey era.
The Labour conference in Tralee also passed an emergency motion yesterday deploring the failure of the Taoiseach to tell the Dail that he had made representations on behalf of Philip Sheedy. The motion condemned the Minister for Justice for failing to tell the Dail, and demanded a full explanation from the Taoiseach.
According to the deputy leader, Mr Brendan Howlin, Mr Ahern had behaved in a "shameful" manner and had "concealed" his role from the Dail.
Mr Quinn pledged to his party conference in Tralee at the weekend that Labour in government would ban business donations to political parties and would limit personal donations to £500 per person. "In future, political parties will be funded by the State," he said. The party would introduce legislation later this year to set up a public register for lobbyists. "Consultants and lobbyists enjoy regular access to Government departments and other public bodies. The public has a right to know what they are doing."
Mr Quinn's proposed banning of corporate donations and the party's response to the latest developments in the Sheedy affair were the most significant developments at the conference. While there were disagreements on foreign policy there was no damaging split after agreement on a call on the Government to hold a referendum on joining Partnership for Peace.
Fewer than 50 of the 1,000 delegates were former members of Democratic Left at this, the first national conference since DL merged with Labour. The low figure includes the former DL TDs, local authority members, national council members and officials.
Mr Quinn made a stinging attack on "slavish minions" who kept Mr Charles Haughey in power, and demanded accountability from Fianna Fail for the Haughey era. The profession of politics now stood accused because of the actions of Mr Haughey and "a culture he presided over as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fail".
"Those people who worked with Mr Haughey, who supported his leadership, who served in his governments, who did his bidding, who called him `Boss', have questions to answer." He demanded that the Taoiseach condemn Mr Haughey, Mr Burke and Mr Flynn. "Condemnation has been noticeable only by its absence."
He also condemned Fianna Fail "for resisting Labour's Ethics in Public Office legislation", and reforms to open the funding of politics and election campaigns to public scrutiny. He said they "dragged their feet in establishing the tribunals". "The Taoiseach talks tough about standards but the reality is different. The murky link between business and politics is not just bad for politics, it is bad for business too. It's time for it to go."
As did Ms Mary Harney last week, Mr Quinn called for a massive 10-year programme of investment in the State's infrastructure.
This would cost closer to £70 billion - more than three times our capital spending levels - than the £20 billion suggested by the Government, he said. Also in line with Ms Harney's call, Mr Quinn said the proceeds of the sale of State assets should be retained to be spent on this infrastructural development programme. However, suggesting that Ms Harney is a recent convert to this position he said: "Unlike others, the Labour Party has always supported investment and planning. And we have ideas about what to do with the proceeds of economic growth. We want to invest in people as well as things."
He identified health and housing as areas in which it was now "payback time" for people who made sacrifices for economic growth.
"As a country we spend less on health than most of our European partners. Until we commit resources we won't see a real difference." The 135,000 people in the State in need of accommodation represented a damning indictment of the complacency of a Government that protested for so long that there was no crisis.
He said that within six months, Labour would publish proposals for a reformulation of the Constitution "to reflect a new ethos for a new era". This would involve inserting a recognition of "the basic social and economic rights of every citizen of this state - the right to food, shelter, health and education".
The party also moved to identify itself strongly with opposition to racism, calling on a Bosnian refugee living in Ireland, Ms Farduz Sultan Prnjavorac, to outline her experiences during the party leader's address on Saturday night.
Immigrants could "bring vibrancy and energy into existing economic and cultural activity", said Mr Quinn. Yet "any rational observer can see that we are fostering the kind of conditions in which racism flourishes".