News

What you need to know to vote in General Election 2020 With Election 2020 happening this week, it’s easy to get lost in the election debate and forget the simple things, like how to actually cast your vote. We’re one of the only countries in the world that uses the PR-STV voting system, so there’s […]

The Social Democrats today launched their cost of living policy – Affordable Lives – which proposes a series of measures aimed at putting actual money back in people’s pockets in a very real way. The party says that while other parties promise tax cuts, any benefit of that is cancelled out by the ever-increasing cost […]

The Social Democrats today, 30th January, launched their disability policy which aims to promote and protect the rights, quality of life and independence of people with disabilities, addressing decades of under-prioritisation. The policy gets to the root of the problem and proposes good solutions at both a systemic and operational level, including provision for increased funding supports […]

Making Mental Health a Priority – SocDems launch Mental Health Policy This morning, Tuesday 28th January, at the ILAS institute at NUIG in Galway, the Social Democrats launch their Mental Health policy – ‘Making Mental Health a Priority’, with Róisín Shortall, co leader, Niall Ó Tuathail from Galway West and Peter Reid from Galway East. Róisín Shortall, […]

The Social Democrats have confirmed a change of candidate in the Dún Laoghaire constituency for the upcoming general election. Sinead Gibney, the previously-selected candidate, has withdrawn from the election as she is no longer in a position to contest a seat. The snap election came at a time when Sinead was in the process of […]

Social Democrats Galway West candidate Niall Ó Tuathail says the disturbing photos released from inside the psychiatric unit of University Hospital Waterford “demonstrates the human cost from the failings in the healthcare system” as well as highlighting the way “people can be mistreated for presenting with a mental illness in our society.” The photos from […]

Despite the growing problem of sexual violence, figures released to the Social Democrats show that only nine out of the country’s 28 Garda Divisions have specialist units to deal with victims of sexual crime. In response to a parliamentary question, the Minister for Justice and Equality confirmed that there are ten dedicated Divisional Protective Service […]

“We have to put the interests of our people ahead of the interests of international capital.” The Social Democrats today make an urgent call for legal restrictions to tackle the growing dominance of international investment funds on the rental sector which is pushing up prices and driving insecurity among renters. Party co-leaders Catherine Murphy TD […]

The Social Democrats’ third National Conference – to be held in Dublin on Saturday 22nd June 2019 – marks a year of electoral growth around the country for the party which has trebled its number of elected councillors to 19. “As a new and growing party committed to generating new ideas and solutions, we’re delighted […]

“But without a drastic revision of the National Development Plan with the paramount objective of a just climate transition, we are consigning ourselves and future generations to vast expenditure in fines and on mitigating measures to just to stand still, while our climate continues to deteriorate.” The Social Democrats co-leader, Catherine Murphy TD, speaking on […]