001 Conference 2012 Motions

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Conference 2012 Motions

Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Fur Farms in Ireland

Conference recognises the right of animals not to be subjected to unnecessary cruelty;

Conference notes with concern the continued existence of fur farms in Ireland, operatingaccording to license;

Conference also notes that these licenses deal exclusively with prevention of escape, and donot prevent animals like mink from being kept in factory farm conditions;

Conference also notes and welcomes the ban on fur farming in the United Kingdom and

Austria, and fur farming regulation in Sweden which provides for natural living conditions foranimals being farmed for fur, which has made the practise economically unviable;

Conference also notes with regret the decision made by Minister Simon Coveney this yearnot to include a ban on fur farms in the Animal Welfare Bill;

Conference therefore calls on the government to amend the current Animal Welfare Bill(currently at committee stage) to include a ban on fur farming in Ireland;

Conference calls on the NYE to coordinate lobbying by Labour Youth members on this issue.

Dublin South East

Fisheries

Conference notes with concern the current decline in European fish stocks, which threatensthe viability of coastal communities.

Conference condemns the overfishing by European fleets.

Conference condemns the practice whereby European fishing fleets exploit the stocks ofthird world counties, particularly those of Western Africa, threatening the main source of

protein for millions of people.

Conference calls on the Irish government to call for a change to the Common FisheriesPolicy, with movement towards a catch share system and discard bans.

National University of Ireland, Maynooth

Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Conference welcomes the celebration of Irish culture, heritage and the attempt to reunite

Irelands Diaspora through the ongoing events of the Gathering in 2013.


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Labour Youth should assist in any way it can, and also attempt to bring back former andcurrent members who may have left the country to work or study for specific events.

Wexford

Education and Skills

Third Level Fees

Conference condemns the increase, and intended further increase, of third levelundergraduate registration fees proposed by Minister for Education Ruair Quinn.

Conference further condemns the implementation of a graduate tax, state funded studentloan scheme or other such measures.

Conference supports the belief held by Labour Youth that education is a right and that theenactment of such schemes would open the door to burdening students with additional andever increasing costs for higher education.

Cork North CentalThe Union of Students in Ireland

Conference notes with approval the recent referendum in Trinity College Dublin reaffirmingtheir status within the Union of Students in Ireland.

Conference believes that in order to best represent the views of the students of Ireland astrong national union is required.

Conference therefore supports affiliation with USI by students unions.

However Conference mandates the NYE to campaign for a directly elected president of USIwith each individual student having a vote.

Dublin City University

Campus Accommodation

Conference notes with concern the pressure on incoming first year students moving awayfrom home to obtain suitable accommodation on or off campus.

Conference further notes with concern the lack of transparency in the application processand the disregard for distance from home address within the State and ease of access topublic transport and the uncertainty this creates for students who are forced into rentingprivately.

Conference therefore calls on the Minister for Education to establish a central authorityresponsible for accommodation allocation and a protocol that includes but is not limited tothe following criteria: progressive weighting for distance from home address; incomeassessment independent of parents;

Conference further calls for the construction of dedicated student accommodation to be theresponsibility of local authorities.


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Political discourse

Conference notes with concern the current state of political discourse in Ireland.

Conference further notes with concern the fractured and over partisan nature of politicaldiscourse and that it may discourage young people from becoming involved in civil society.

Conference therefore believes that Civil, Social and political education should be part of areformed Leaving Certificate to encourage a sense of citizenship in young people.


Third level institutions

Conference notes that the South East of Ireland sustains a population of 460,000 people. Itis also the largest region in the entire island that is not served by university facilities.

Conference further notes the Programme for Government which states - "We will explorethe establishment of a multi campus Technical University in the SouthEast"

Conference calls upon the Government, especially Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn toensure the founding of a University of the South East within the life time of thisGovernment.

Wexford

State Subsidy for Fee-Paying Schools

Conference strongly condemns the subsidising of fee-paying schools by the state in allforms.

Conference abhors the concept of private educational institutions and the two-tier, elitisteducational system that naturally develops as a result and helps to feed class division insociety.

Conference supports the long-standing belief of the labour movement that every childshould be born equal, with equal rights and opportunities and recognises the importance of

education in achieving this goal.

Conference calls for the complete withdrawal of State funding to fee-paying schools,particularly the 100m plus provided to pay the wages of teachers in fee-paying schools.

University College Cork

Environment, Community and Local Government

Womens participation in politics


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Conference recognises:- The need to promote young women in politics- Following recent member surveys, the need for female only meetings and- The benefit of having female participation at our events, including gender balancedspeaker panels.

Conference therefore calls for:- Every member of Labour Youth's support in holding female only meetings and other eventsgeared towards the female membership.- An introduction of Gender Quotas of 30% for any panel hosted by Labour Youth.

Conference affirms:- That this will not affect, in any way, single speaker events or- The possibility to hold male only events, if and when male members might see this as anecessity for the benefit of our organisation.

Trinity College DublinGender Quotas

Conference notes that 86% of Dil ireann is currently made up of men.

Conference notes that there has been low female participation since the foundation of theState.

Conference believes that the shortage of women in the Dail isnt an adequate representation

of the Irish population.

Conference calls upon the Irish Government to impose a gender quota on all parties, toensure that 30 per cent of nominated candidates for election are women both at Oireachtasand local government levels.


Local Government Reform

Conference applauds the reforming stance currently being taken by the Government withregard to local government structures.

Conference urges the Government to progress this reform agenda further by devolving thepowers of city and county managers back to the democratically-elected local representativesof the city and county councils.

Cork North Central

Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Croke Park Agreement

Conference notes with concern the growing criticism of the Croke Park Agreement withinGovernment and the Irish media.


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Conference recognises that, while not ideal for public sector workers, the Croke ParkAgreement has succeeded in the areas of protecting basic pay levels, increasing efficiencywithin the public service, maintaining industrial harmony and overall substantially reducingthe public sector pay bill.

Conference condemns any attempt by politicians or the media to scapegoat public sectorworkers for Irelands current financial crisis.

Conference calls on the Irish Government to tackle the higher earners within the CivilService through progressive taxation which would target excessive wages in both the Publicand Private sectors of the workforce.

Conference mandates the NYE to lobby the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform touphold the Croke Park Agreement for the rest of its agreed existence.

Conference further mandates the NYE to campaign that any successor to the Croke ParkAgreement would continue to protect the wage levels and conditions of low and middleearners within the public service.

University College DublinFinancial transactions tax

Conference notes the damage inflicted on the Irish, European and world economies due tothe excesses of the financial sector.

Conference believes that transactions in the financial sector should be subject to a taxburden of comparable significance to that which applies in other sectors.

Conference notes that expanding the tax base in the Irish financial sector along the lines ofthe European Commissions proposals for a financial transactions tax could raise hundreds ofmillions of Euros for the Irish Exchequer.

Conference further notes the provisions in the proposal (such as the residence principle andthe issuance principle) that will minimise the risk of relocation.

Conference recalls that scaremongering has always been used as an argument againstlevying any and every tax.

Conference also recalls that the campaign for a European financial transactions tax is beingled by the S&D Group in the European Parliament.

Conference calls on the Labour Party to join other member states and implement this tax inIreland using the enhanced cooperation mechanism.

Trinity College DublinDil and Cabinet Reform

Conference notes the disproportionate allocation of funding, across all Governmentdepartments, to constituencies represented by the line minister and the Minister of Finance.


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Conference notes that this is a systemic problem in Irish politics and not unique to thecurrent Government.Conference believes that this disproportionate funding is a direct result of Cabinet membersalso representing geographical constituencies alongside their ministerial brief.

Conference further notes that making Dil deputies work simultaneously as members ofCabinet lends itself towards an executive-dominated legislature.

Conference believes that a way exists to solve both problems simultaneously, by separatingthe Cabinet from the Dil.

Conference notes the upcoming Constitutional Convention, and believes that it represents anideal opportunity to correct flaws in our democratic structures.

Conference calls upon the Constitutional Convention to consider ways in which the Cabinetcan be properly separated from the Dil and for ministers to be relieved of constituency

representation. Cork North CentralSpecial Advisor Pay

Conference notes with concern the breaching of the public sector pay cap by numerousmembers of Cabinet with regard to their ministerial advisors.

Conference further notes that some of the Cabinet members who breached the cap weremembers of our own party.

Conference condemns the decisions made to breach the public sector pay cap in thismanner.

Conference calls for these advisors to have their public salary adjusted to within permittedlevels and for future appointments to take greater note of the public sector pay rules.

Cork North CentralCroke Park Agreement

Conference mandates that the Croke Park agreement is honoured until 2014 andsubsequently a new deal is agreed upon to protect lower paid public sector workers while atthe same time making savings in the public sector.

Wexford

Seanad ireann

Conference notes the Governments proposal to hold a referendum on abolishing theSeanad.

Conference supports reformation of the Seanad rather than complete abolition.

However as no reform has happened in the lifetime of this government, Conferencesupports the governments proposal to hold a referendum on abolition.

WexfordCitizen Engagement


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Conference welcomes President Michael D. Higgins Being Young and Irish seminar andrecognises the importance and positive impact that can result from programs that involvecitizen engagement.

Conference notes the low level of voter turnout in Ireland, particularly amongst young

people, and the importance of ensuring that we have a population that is engaged with andparticipating in our democracy.

Conference further notes the benefits greater citizen engagement can have on governmentand the wider society, with specific emphasis on improving voter turnout, particularlyamongst the young people of Ireland.

Conference calls for the extension of such programs through government, not only inregards to young people, to give a greater emphasis on citizen engagement.


Foreign Affairs and Trade

Syria

Labour Youth is deeply concerned by the crisis which has engulfed Syria and condemnsunreservedly the atrocities which have been carried out by both sides. Given the enormity ofthe suffering in that country, it is of the utmost importance that no more blood be shedunnecessarily.

Labour Youth further notes that Syria is one of the few countries in the Middle East whichhas heretofore remained independent of both Islamist fundamentalism and US control, andis therefore anxious that the conflict be resolved in a manner consistent with Syriasindependence.

Labour Youth is concerned that voices of the Syrian opposition opposed to a US/Westerninvasion such as those of the Syrian oppositions National Co-ordination Committee havebeen largely ignored by the Western media, and that calls for an invasion are growing

louder.

Labour Youth opposes any invasion of Syria or any other kind of US or Western violentintervention, and calls for a negotiated solution to the crisis which will further aim for atransfer of power from Bashar al-Assad whilst ensuring permanent safeguards maintainingseparation of religion and state and freedom of religion and conscience are put in place.

Trinity College DublinSyrian Conflict

Conference notes with concern the brutality of the Syrian Civil War.


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Conference condemns the ruthless heavy-handed attacks on civilians carried out primarily bythe Assad regime.

Conference is worried about the lack of response by the U.N. and condemns China andRussia's use of the U.N. veto to protect the Assad dictatorship.

Conference supports the Irish government's support for tougher sanctions on the Assadregime.

Conference condemns North Korean and Iranian support for the Assad regime.

Conference calls upon the U.N. security forces to intervene to protect civilians and establishpeace in the country.

National University of Ireland, MaynoothRise-Up Campaign

Conference welcomes:-The participation of Irish Labour Youth in the Rise Up campaign being conducted bySocialist and Social Democratic youth movements across Europe

Conference mandates the International Officer:

-To campaign to increase the awareness and participation of Labour Youth members andyoung Irishpeople generally in the campaign, including signing of the campaigns online petition

-To assist the central campaign in whatever way they need, including translation ofliterature into good English

Trinity College DublinEuropean fiscal and political union

Conference notes:

-That the Eurozone crisis is now nearly three years old and remains fundamentallyunresolved due to the inadequacy of reform measures so far proposed.

-The contractionary effects of the austerity policies currently being pursued by Europeanleaders in the absence of growth measures.

-The need for a genuinely integrated European social policy to correct the current neo-liberaltendencies of the European Union.

Conference affirms that:

-The origins and continuation of the Eurozone crisis lies in the fundamental imbalance thatarises from the presences of a monetary union of states without some kind of fiscal union to

match it.


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-A genuinely integration European social policy requires some degree of fiscal union.

-In light of the restrictions imposed by the European Fiscal Compact and the general fiscalsituation of peripheral countries, extensive growth measures will require EU-level action andconsequently much greater fiscal resources at EU level.

Conference therefore calls for:

-The establishment of a European fiscal union

Conference calls for this fiscal union to include:

- A European Finance Ministry

-Some form of mutualisation of member states debts

- A much more extensive federal European budget directly financed and capable of fundingsignificant stimulus packages and other forms of assistance at member-state level

-Coordination and moves towards the harmonisation of certain areas of taxation at member-state level.

Conference recognises:

-That a fiscal union that did not include further measures towards greater political unionwould be utterly repugnant to principles of democracy without significant expansion of directaccountability and representation at an EU-wide level.

Conference therefore calls for:

-The president of the European Commission to be directly elected by the people of Europe

-The rest of the Commission to be chosen by, fully answerable to and subject to themajority approval of the European Parliament in the same manner as governments innational parliamentary democracies

-The European Parliament to have power to propose legislation

- The expanded EU budget to be agreed on an annual basis through consultation between

the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Socialist International

Conference deplores:

-The farcical manner in which the Neo-Destour Party of Tunisia and the National DemocraticParty of Egypt were allowed to remain as members of the Socialist International until theirdictatorial regimes were overthrown by their own people at significant human cost.

Conference notes:

-That the embarrassingly belated expulsion of these parties was merely an extreme


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reflection of the general inadequacy of the Socialist International in terms of vision,organisation and morality.

Conference notes:

-The general inadequacy of reform procedures so far proposed following the embarrassmentsurrounding Egypt and Tunisia.

Conference welcomes:

-The work of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) in campaigning for reform ofthe Socialist International

-The recent call for significant reform of the organisation by European members of theSocialist International and its vision for a politically relevant, publicly visible globalorganisation with transparent and democratic procedures.

Conference calls for:

-Changes in the structure and procedures of the SI to allow far greater participation in theorganization from ordinary activists in member parties and encourage greater coordinationand dialogue among member parties

-Implementation of far more demanding democracy and anti-corruption standards as arequirement for membership of the SI, and penalization and ultimately expulsion of partieswho do not meet such standards

-Immediate expulsion of the MPLA of Angola and the Israeli Labor Party

-Engagement with leading socialist and social-democratic parties who are not currentlymembers of the SI, particularly in Latin America.

Conference mandates the International Officer:

-To campaign for the above changes both through the Labour Party and through IUSY.

Trinity College DublinApple Boycott

Conference notes with concern the treatment of workers at the Foxconn factories in bothChina and Mexico.

Conference is further concerned with the high incidence of suicide amongst Foxconnworkers, their abuse of child labour laws and forcing workers to work without remuneration.

Therefore Conference calls for a boycott of products produced by Foxconn such as Apple.Conference further mandates the NYE to campaign in this regard.

Dublin City UniversityVenezuelan elections


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Conference welcomes the re-election of President Hugo Rafael Chvez Fras in Venezuela fora fourth term.

Conference condemns the attempts by various Western media outlets and corporate powersto discredit the Chvez regime, including the vast funding provided by the US to the

opposition.Conference notes that the biggest threat to Venezuelan democracy is not President Chvezssocialist government but the unsympathetic, vested interests of private companies andimperialistic, capitalist powers; most notably the United States of America.

Conference further notes that while the current regime is not without its faults Venezuela is,by any rational standards, a fully functioning democracy, with exceptionally high levels ofparticipation and an electoral process more fraud-proof than those in Britain or the US.

Conference supports the Chvez government and recognises its representation of the

dispossessed majority that have returned it to power.Conference applauds how Venezuela has shown Socialists and Social Democrats around theworld that it is not necessary to accept a failed economic model and it is possible to beprogressive and simultaneously appeal to the general public.


South America

Conference recognises the significant economic growth of South American countries inrecent years, such as Brazil.'

Conference recognises the necessity of tourism to the Irish state, as well as foreign trade forits economic well being.

Conference also notes the importance of the left wing social movements associated withthese South American countries, and the significant amount of cultural imperialism andinfluence America holds over associated countries such as Ireland.

Conference recognises the importance of the proposed statue of Che Guevara in Galwaycity, due to the economic benefits, symbolism of the socialist movement, and in recognitionof the Irish Diaspora of which Che Guevaras parents were included.

National University of Ireland, Galway

Health

Mental Health

Conference notes: The large amount of suffering caused by mental illness.

Conference further notes: Many people refuse to seek counselling or medical assistance dueto feelings of stigmatization and the lack of success of the Please Talk Campaign in ending

such stigmatization.


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Conference mandates: The NYE to launch an extensive and comprehensive campaign tohelp end the stigma of mental illness

University College Dublin

Resignation of Risn Shortall

Conference notes with sadness the recent resignation of Risn Shortall as Minister of Stateat the Department of Health, and also from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Conference believes that Ms Shortalls resignation from the Department was a direct andinevitable result of her position being made untenable by the poor conduct of the seniorCabinet minister at the Department of Health, Minister James Reilly.

Conference fully supports Ms Shortall in her resignation from the Department, and urgesMinister Reillys Cabinet colleagues and the other Government deputies to hold a full and

frank inquiry into the alleged corruption in Minister Reillys department.Cork North Central

Conference has no confidence in Minister for Health James Reilly.Wexford

A woman's right to choose

Conference notes that the current government has established an expert review group inorder to review the feasibility of legislating for the X case.

Conference further notes that 14 Irish women a day still travel to Britain in order to avail ofabortion procedures.

Conference acknowledges the opening of the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast which wouldallow Irish women to access procedures on the island of Ireland.

Conference notes with concern that this is a private clinic and so will not allow womenaccess to its services through the NHS as under the 1967 Abortion Act and will only allowwomen to seek a termination up to nine weeks, in contrast to 24 weeks in England.

Given the Labour Party's and Labour Youth's position of being pro-choice organisationsconference calls to not only continue to campaign for the legislation of the X case but tocampaign for wider availability of abortion services based on respect for a woman's right tochoose.

Dublin South

X Case

Conference condemns the failure of successive governments to legislate in line with theSupreme Courts rulings in regards to the Attorney General v. X or the X Case.


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Conference notes that this constant failure to pass fitting legislation contravenes not onlythe rulings of the Irish Supreme Court but also of the European Court of Human Rights.

Conference further notes that as a result the State has placed the health, both physical andemotional, of Irish women at risk and therefore serious questions must be raised about the

condition of our democracy.Conference calls on the Labour Party in government to legislate in line with the X Case as amatter of urgency.

Conference further condemns the backward nature of the position taken by many membersof our coalition partners, Fine Gael, in regards to this issue.


Alcohol Sponsorship

Conference acknowledges the effects of sponsorship.Conference notes with concern the effect of alcoholism on Irish society.

Therefore Conference calls for the phasing out of alcohol advertising and mandates the NYEto campaign in this regard.


Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Right to Full-time Hours

Conference notes with concern the now widespread practise whereby employers reduce thehours of their more experienced employees often people with families and mortgages and hire new part-time staff on lower wages;

Conference also notes with concern the precarious nature of part-time work in Ireland, inwhich people may often be asked to work shorter shifts over more days than in the past,and on shorter notice, which makes it extremely difficult to find extra work or indeed planones life around working hours;

Conference further notes with concern the commercial and political drive to make Irelandseconomy and workforce more flexible, despite the fact that workplace conditions in Irelandare already amongst the most flexible and precarious in the world;

Conference further notes that across the country, fewer workers are content with the hoursof work being offered by their employers than was the case in previous years, and that forsome part-time workers, finding extra work will be impossible in the present economicclimate;

Conference therefore condemns the employers who manipulate the labour market to forceformerly full-time workers to seek supplementary income allowance from the state, and sees

this as occurrence as being tantamount to a state supplement to corporate greed;


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Conference also condemns the rhetoric used by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in his Fine GaelArd Fheis speech earlier this year, in which he intimated that part-time workers in Irelandneed encouragement in the form of cuts or restrictions to supplementary income allowancein order to take on full-time hours;

Conference believes that current employees have the right to first be offered extra or full-time hours where such work is available;

Conference therefore calls on the government to introduce such a right in legislation;

Conference mandates the Campaigns Officer to organise a public event on this issue in the2012/13 term.

Dublin South East

Decent Work

Conference notes the increased demand on workers by employers to be flexible in theirwork. This has led to a rise in precarious work, particularly among the low paid workers inIreland.

Conference notes with concern that young people, women and migrant workers are farmore likely to fall into precarious work.

Conference declares the fact that as the recession took hold some of the importantprotections for low paid workers The JLC wage agreements, the low income tax regime forthe low paid and social protection entitlements and benefits were among the first to comeunder attack as a means of reducing the deficit.

Conference calls for Labour Youth to support and promote the Decent Work agenda which iscurrently being pursued by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and its affiliated unions inIreland.

Dublin SouthUniversal Design

Conference notes that the universal design is a direct way of improving environments,products and ICT (Information and Communication technology) to make those accessible topeople of all abilities.

Conference further acknowledges that designers, engineers, architects and manufacturershave a social responsibility to implement the 7 principles of universal design and to carry outempathy testing, thereby making their resulting work more accessible and usable for peopleof all abilities.

Conference notes that in many cases, this can remove the need for differing products,services and environments for those less able, thereby allowing people of all abilities to feelcompletely integrated in society.

Conference also notes that this will improve the reputation of Ireland's manufacturing andtechnology sector.


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Conference calls for all businesses involved in the design and manufacturing of products,environments and ICT to implement universal design principles, as well as empathy testing.


Youth Entrepreneurship Fund

Conference notes with concern: The unemployment crisis in Ireland particularly youthunemployment and the effect that it can have on both the individual and society as a wholein terms of skills erosion, declining employment prospects and the adverse impact on apersons self-confidence and mental health.

Conference recognises: Attempts by the Government to encourage and stimulateemployment among those in the 18-25 year age bracket including but not limited tointernship programmes, additional educational placements, VAT cuts in labour intensiveindustries and changes to Research & Development Tax credits, PRSI cuts for employers

creating jobs of no more than 356 a week, loan guarantee schemes and other schemesaimed at normalising credit conditions and generating employment. Although wellintentioned, these measures do not go far enough in terms of labour market activation.

Conference further notes: That although the standardised unemployment rate in Ireland hasstabilized at circa 14.8% youth unemployment in Ireland is consistently and significantlyhigher standing at 30.5% in Q4 of 2011. Youth unemployment among young men inparticular remains stubbornly high with one in three out of work. Faced with limited optionsa jobless generation or generation emigration is a social crisis that must be addressedimmediately with barriers to employment and job creation dealt with. Conference notes thelack of credit being supplied by Irish financial institutions particularly towards young

entrepreneurs and the difficulty in obtaining state support from Enterprise Ireland and theCounty Enterprise Boards for numerous potential schemes.

Conference therefore proposes: The establishment of a permanent youth entrepreneurshipfund (YEF) to assist young entrepreneurs aged 18-25 to establish their own businesses andcontribute towards creating employment, developed indigenous industries and sustaininglong-run economic growth. The YEF will be run by Enterprise Ireland in conjunction with theDepartment of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation with at least one third of the YEF governingcouncil being either 18-25 themselves or experienced entrepreneurs.

Conference notes the budgetary constraints facing the country and therefore proposes that

the YEF be allocated 1.8million for the first year on a pilot basis pending further review.Conference believes that such a fund will help young entrepreneurs and foster a culture ofinnovation, entrepreneurship, confidence and excellence among the youth of Ireland.


Justice, Equality and Defence

Travelling Community

Conference notes the current discrimination towards the travelling community in IrishSociety.


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Conference further notes the lack of political will to end such discrimination.

Conference commends the NYE for their recognition of the work of Pavee Point at the TomJohnson Summer School by awarding the organisation the Jim Kemmy Thirst for Justice

Award.Conference mandates the NYE to lobby members of the Constitutional Convention, includingLabour TDs and Senators, to put on the agenda the inclusion of having a dedicated seat inDil ireann reserved to represent members of the Travelling Community.

Conference calls on the NYE to work along with Traveller Rights organisations in Ireland tocampaign against the ongoing discrimination and to advance the rights of the TravellingCommunity within Irish Society.


Asylum Seekers and Direct Provision

Conference notes with concern the slow speed of the processing of people seeking asylumin Ireland and that many asylum seekers spend as long as 10 years on 19 Euro a week inappalling state provision waiting for a response as to whether they will be granted asylum ornot.

Conference further notes that Ireland has one of the lowest rates of acceptance for peopleseeking asylum in Europe.

Conference calls on the Irish Government to speed up the application process along withimproving the living conditions of those in direct provision and amend the Asylumapplication system to ensure a higher rate of acceptance for asylum seekers in Ireland.


Turn off the Red light

Conference notes with concern the problems with prostitution in Ireland as well as theemotional and physical abuse that many women and girls suffer from the direct effects of

prostitution.

Conference notes that 98% of women surveyed want to leave this profession.

Conference further notes the success of the Swedish model in criminalising the purchaserand decriminalising the seller which thus offers protection to the victims forced into this"trade".

Conference fully supports the Immigrant Council of Ireland and Ruhama in their Turn Offthe Red Light Campaign seeking to change Irish law to model that of Sweden.

Dublin SouthLegacy of war


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'Conference recognises the impending anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War'

'Conference further recognizes the impact and involvement that young Irish people had inthe First World War'

'Also, conference notes the legacy of selective remembrance created by the legacy ofcultural nationalism of the Free State'

'Conference recognizes the necessity to remember an alternative view of Irish history, butalso the need to incorporate it into memorialisation and historical record'

National University of Ireland, Galway

Social ProtectionEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights Amendment

Conference agrees with Minister Ruair Quinns statement that, Our fellow citizens live,move and have their being in, and are shaped by, a world of social and economic forces aswell as purely political interactions, and socio-economic rights deserve a place in theconstitutional scheme of things alongside civil and political rights.

(Ruair Quinn Dil ireann - Volume 985 - 24 October, 2000 Private Members' Business,Twenty-First Amendment of the Constitution (No. 3) Bill, 1999: Second Stage.)

Conference recognises Labours role in ensuring that the Optional Protocol to theInternational Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was signed by the IrishGovernment on 23rd of March, 2012.

Labour Youth calls on Party leader and Tnaiste Eamon Gilmore, and the Labour Party inGovernment, to ensure full recognition of Economic, Social and Cultural rights throughconstitutional amendment during this governments term.

Conference mandates the National Chair and National Campaigns Officer to communicatethis to the PLP throughout the year and report back to the membership of Labour Youth on

the progress they have made within 6 months of their election.

Dublin South East

Transport, Tourism and Sport

Jersey Shore


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Conference notes with concern the television showJersey Shore

Conference is concerned about the racial, social and economic stigmatization Jersey shoreand similar programming promotes

Conference condemns the exploitation of young, often poorly educated young peopleConference expresses further concern at the heavy binge drinking culture promoted by theJersey Shore.


Constitution

The National Youth Executive

Conference amends the Labour Youth constitution in the manner detailed below in order toreform the Labour Youth Vice-Chairs position, for the purpose of promoting gender equalitywithin the organisation, by;

De-coupling the Vice-Chair position from that of the Campaigns Officer Ensuring that the Chair and Vice-Chair are not of the same gender, and Providing for the election of an additional NYE member where all elected officers are of thesame gender.

Amend Article 6.7 so that it reads as follows:

The National Conference shall elect the National Officers of Labour Youth (other than theNYDO)subject to any exemption outlined in Article 7.2. All delegates at National Youth Conference havethe right to vote at elections for National Officers.In Article 7.1 [Officers of the NYE], add the following clause after the first paragraph on theNationalChairperson:

1. Insert after the Labour Party.The National Chair shall be assisted in their duties by a National Vice-Chairperson, asoutlined

in Article 7.2. The National Vice-Chairperson shall act in place of the Chairperson where theChairperson is not available.In Article 7.1, replace Vice-Chairperson or Vice-Chair with Campaigns Officer.After Article 7.1, insert the following new article 7.2 on the position of Vice-Chair andrenumber theremaining articles accordingly:

2.(a) This article shall apply with regard to the election of Vice-Chairperson. Only electedmembers ofthe NYE of a different gender identity to the National Chair shall be eligible to be NationalVice-Chair.

(b) The National Vice-Chair shall be elected from among the eligible NYE officers by majorityvote


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under PR-STV by the first National Meeting following National Youth Conference, and shallserve until the conclusion of the next National Youth Conference.(c) If all officers elected to the NYE by National Youth Conference are of the same genderidentity as the incoming National Chair, then a National Vice-Chair shall be elected fromamong the Labour Youth membership by majority vote under AV, at the first National

Meeting following National Youth Conference.(d) If National Youth Conference fails to elect a National Chair, and all other NYE officers areof the same gender identity, than a National Vice-Chair shall be elected in the mannerdetailed in (c) above.

Delete the text of Article 7.5(d) [Casual Vacancies on the NYE] and replace with:7.5 (d) In the event of a casual vacancy on the NYE, a National Meeting shall appoint areplacement National Officer without undue delay. The NYE shall ensure that such vacanciesare filled within thirty days.

(i) In the instance of the position of National Chair becoming vacant, the National Vice-Chair

shall temporarily act as National Chair until the election of a new National Chair. Where theposition of Vice-Chair is vacant, the National Secretary shall fulfil this temporary role.

(ii) In the instance of the position of Vice-Chair becoming vacant, a new Vice-Chair shall beappointed by a National Meeting from the eligible NYE officers as outlined in 7.2 (b) above.If no such officers are eligible at the time of the office becoming vacant, a National ViceChair shall be elected from among the Labour Youth membership as outlined in 7.2 (c)above.

National Youth Executive

Constitutional Amendment Membership Development Officer

Delete within Article 7.1 of the Labour Youth constitution:

"The National Recruitment Officer shall have primary responsibility for the planning,organising and the execution of recruitment campaigns. The Recruitment Officer will formand chair the 'Recruitment Working Group' which shall be open to all Labour Youthmembers. The Recruitment Officer must be delegate extensively to individuals on theRecruitment Working Group responsibilities for coordinating with specific Labour Youthsections. The Recruitment Working Group will formulate all Recruitment strategies takingguidance from the experience of its members."

And replace with:"The National Membership Development Officer shall have primary responsibility for theplanning, organising and the execution of recruitment campaigns, for encouraging theretention of new members and for the training of Labour Youth activists. The MembershipDevelopment Officer will form and chair the 'Membership Development Working Group'which shall be open to all Labour Youth members. The Membership Development Officershall be delegate extensively to individuals on the Membership Development Working Groupresponsibilities for coordinating with specific Labour Youth sections. The MembershipDevelopment Working Group will formulate all recruitment strategies taking guidance fromthe experience of its members."



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Internal Affairs

Labour Youth Website

Conference welcomes the creation of the new Labour Youth website.Conference believes it to be of the utmost importance that the website be regularly updatedand used in the future, and that any problems with the website be addressed on a regularbasis.

Conference therefore institutes a 6-person website review group, chaired by the NationalCommunications Officer and made up of the Youth & Development Officer, the DeputyNational Communications Officer and 3 other members elected at the first National Meetingafter Youth conference.

Conference mandates the review group to meet at least twice per NYE term to discuss anyissues with the website and recommend any changes for the Youth & Development Officerto make.


National Meeting in Belfast

Conference mandates the next National Youth Executive to convene a National Meeting inBelfast.

National Youth ExecutiveFair Hotels scheme

Conference notes the existence of the 'Fair Hotels' scheme, which is designed to promoteethical consumerism in the area of workers' rights.

Conference also notes that 'Fair Hotels' are required to meet strict criteria in terms ofworking conditions and trade union representation.

Conference recalls Labour Youth's commitment to the promotion of workers' rights.Conference mandates the National Youth Executive and the Youth and Development Officerto use 'Fair Hotels' for Labour Youth functions in cases where one is available.

In cases where there is no availability in an officially designated 'Fair Hotel', Conference

mandates the NYE and the NYDO to have due regard for the working conditions of staffbefore booking hotels on behalf of Labour Youth.


Internal lobbying

Conference notes the successes of political lobbying groups such as 'Emily's List' in countriessuch as the U.S and Australia where support has been directed at pro-choice andprogressive female candidates in order to seek their election and influence national policy.Conference further notes that Emily's List Australia was committed to the election of

progressive candidates running for the Australian Labor Party, a sister party of the Irish


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Labour Party while also attempting to specifically address the disproportionate genderrepresentation in the national parliament.

Conference welcomes the proposed introduction of quotas for national elections, yet notesthat quotas have not been introduced on a local level which allows for the continuation of a

lack of representation of women in local government.Conference calls on the Labour Party to establish an Emily's List internally within the party tofurther encourage more women to run for election with particular emphasis on women oflower socio-economic status and different ethnic backgrounds in elections for local andnational government.

Dublin SouthLabour Youth membership

Labour Youth recognises that its current base of membership and system of activities is toouniversity based. It calls for a new policy to tackle the lack of non-college youth branches.

Recognising that there is strength in unity, Labour Youth calls for a new co-operationbetween the young members of constituencies across the country.

Conference calls on the NYE to organise regional groups across the country; these groupsshould be made up of 2-4 constituencies and will be organised on a case by case basis.

The regional groups will consist of committees with a co-chair from each constituencyinvolved (where possible). Their function will be to organise joint events (e.g. Dil visits,fund-raisers, leaflet drops, new members evenings, talks, etc.)

The formation of these regional groups will take place after consultations between the NYEand representatives of the constituency youth sections involved. Each co-chair will beelected by young members of their own-constituency.

Dublin South WestLabour Youth Activists online

Conference believes that Labour Youth Activists online forum is for Labour Youth activists.Labour Youth recognises that its Facebook forum has over-expanded and that it should be aprivilege to use only for genuine Labour Youth members who are active or who have beenactive in the past.

Conference believes that it is not suitable for non-members or for people who joined Labour

Youth once and never got involved after a period of some months afterwards (i.e. by notever physically attending events on even an occasional basis despite a period ofopportunities to do so).

Labour Youth calls on the NYE to to implement a members-only policy of who can be on theforum in the future.

Dublin South WestRegional Representatives

Labour Youth calls for the establishment of four 'regional representatives'. These regional

representatives will be organised on the basis of the European Constituencies.


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Nominated on a revolving (bi-annual) basis by a branch in the region, each regionalrepresentative will be obliged to give a regular report on the LY status in their region. Inaddition to this, they will have non-voting access to the meetings of the NYE and will be theofficial spokesperson of their region at each of these meeting.

Dublin South West

Joke Motions

Conference notes the continuous attack and harassment of both labour youth Wexfordmembers and their taste for Irelands finest strawberries. Conference mandates that thisunprovoked xenophobic behaviour be dealt with in a serious matter by establishing adisciplinary committee who have sole responsibility over ensuring equality and fairnessamongst Labour Youth for members who enjoy Wexford strawberries.

Conference also calls for the establishment of a 'legion de strawberry' to honour all thoseWexford members how have devoted their lives to the Labour MovementWexford

Conference notes the abundance of strawberry sellers on roadsides of Ireland.Conference also notes the seemingly unlimited supply of Wexford Strawberries

Conference is concerned at the possibility of fraudulent 'Wexford' Strawberries on salethroughout Ireland.

Conference calls on the government to introduce legilisation to ensure the origin and qualityof all Strawberries on sale in horse trailers across the Island.

Wexford

001 Conference 2012 Motions

Documents

Transcript of 001 Conference 2012 Motions