News

US President’s visit a reminder of our countries’ close ties and shared history This week’s visit by President Biden continues a long tradition of friendship and partnership between Ireland and the people of the United States of America, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. “Mr Biden will be the fourth US President to address […]

Recommendations must now be implemented without delay The pattern of shameful behaviour identified in the report of the Independent Review Group on Dignity and Equality Issues in the Defence Forces must never be allowed happen again, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Defence, said: “Today’s report […]

Clarity on guidelines urgently needed to avoid risk of book shortages in classrooms in September The Minister for Education must immediately outline how the Government’s free books scheme for primary schools will operate to avoid classroom chaos next September, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Education, […]

Putin’s despotic behaviour shows that we can no longer take peace for granted in Europe  Ireland must continue to offer unwavering support to those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, according to Catherine Murphy, co-leader of the Social Democrats. Deputy Murphy, who will speak at today’s rally at the GPO in Dublin to mark the first […]

There are now more than 671,000 people living in poverty – over 188,000 of them children The sharp rise in the number of people living in poverty in Ireland highlights the increasing level of income inequality in this country, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. The at risk of poverty rate, as measured by […]

Committee could also create strategies to combat the rise of far-right groups Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has called for the establishment of an emergency cross-party Oireachtas committee on refugee integration in response to recent protests targeting asylum seekers. “There is a complete information vacuum at the moment, which is being filled by misinformation peddled […]

Permission for supervised injecting facility is a positive first step in reclaiming and rejuvenating our capital city Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has renewed his call for the establishment of a Taoiseach’s taskforce for O’Connell Street after a supervised injecting facility was recently granted planning permission in Dublin city centre. “The delivery of a medically […]

An education system that is beholden to the teachings of the Catholic church no longer has a place in a modern, secular society The Government’s programme to divest schools from Catholic church patronage is proceeding too slowly and is simply not working, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s […]

Attack on UN convoy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by members of the Defence Forces on peacekeeping missions News of the death of an Irish peacekeeper in Lebanon has caused profound shock and sadness throughout Ireland, according to Social Democrats Defence spokesperson Gary Gannon. “This morning we woke up to the terrible news […]

Will the Minister now take on board the Social Democrats’ 11 proposals to deal with recruitment crisis in our schools?  Comments made by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in the Dáil today add another bizarre twist to the Government’s botched response to the teacher recruitment crisis, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “In response to […]