Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has stated that his party must “reconnect and re-engage” with younger generations, warning that it faces “a demographic cliff-edge when it comes to membership, activists and voters”.
Speaking at an Eamon De Valera commemoration this afternoon, Mr Kelleher acknowledged that Fianna Fáil is currently falling short in its efforts to engage with young people, reports RTE.
He said: “To say otherwise would be to deny reality…We need to listen to them, and not dismiss their views just because we don’t agree or don’t understand,” reports RTE.
The Ireland South MEP also reflected on the origins of Fianna Fáil, noting that its founders “were people of little or no property”, and said members should be “very proud” that the party “has never been the party of the landed or business classes.”
However, he cautioned that “save for a few honourable exceptions, we have lost our strongholds in working class estates and among marginalised communities – communities that sustained our movement for nearly 100 years”, reports RTE.
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Mr Kelleher emphasised the importance of ensuring that Fianna Fáil’s policies address “the needs of each and every sector” of society.
In his address, he urged the party to “reclaim our leadership role” in uniting the island of Ireland, taking back that responsibility from what he described as “those who have done nothing but bring shame on the word republican”, reports RTE.
He said: “We must accept that the people, especially our young people, are ahead of the politicians when it comes to a United Ireland. We also have to be honest with ourselves,” reports RTE.
He stressed that discussions and answers about Irish unity should be made public “long before any border poll is called”.
He asked: “If we don’t take the leadership role in convincing people, north and south of the merits of a united, shared Ireland, who will? The Shinners? They are simply too divisive for over 50% of the people of the North,” reports RTE.
Mr Kelleher concluded that Fianna Fáil must be ready to take on a leadership role in advancing unity: “The Unionist community knows our bona fides. They know we want a United Ireland but equally know they have nothing to fear from us,” reports RTE.
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