This year, our May Day Seminar marks its 5th birthday and we have a very special event to mark the occasion. We have a really strong list of speakers to share with you their thoughts on current political questions.
As at all of our events, there will be plenty of opportunities for members to participate in the conversation and to raise questions.
The panels for this year’s seminar are as follows:
Panel 1: Community Wealth Building, Worker Co-ops, and Economic Democracy
How do we promote local economic development that is socially just and environmentally sustainable? Can we democratise the economy and empower workers and communities? Are there actions that we can take at a local level to shift the balance of wealth and power in favour of working people? These are just some of the questions the panel will discuss as we look at the history and potential future development of co-operatives in Ireland and the lessons we can learn from successful Community Wealth Building projects in the UK. Featuring Frances Northrop, Head of Community Economic Power at the New Economics Foundation
Panel 2: Co-operation on the Left during the life of the 34th Dáil
We are asking our speakers to share their experience and hopes for future Left wing co-operation within and external to Dáil Eireann during the life of the current Government. It is very clear that the current government marks a significant shift to the Right with a stronger adherence to neo-liberal economics than its predecessor. We are asking our Panel to share with us their views as to how Left wing Actors within the current Dáil and in broader society can campaign to ameliorate the effects of this shift to the Right and to build towards a more Progressive government in the 35th Dáil. Our speakers include Oisín Gilmore (Senior Economist, TASC) and Senator Patricia Stephenson.
