Young Progressive Democrats

The Young Progressive Democrats are the youth wing of the Irish political party, the Progressive Democrats. Weakened after the party's poor showing in the 1997 elections, they were completely reformed on a national basis after the 2002 general election. After the September 2008 announcement by Senator Ciaran Cannon that the winding up of the party would be advised at a Special Congress of the Progressive Democrats, the future of the Young PDs will be decided at a special congress of their own on 18th October 2008.

Branches

They have branches in Trinity College, Dublin Institute of Technology ,University College Dublin, Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork. They also have a regional organisation in Dublin that comprises young people who aren't in college as well as the students from the Dublin colleges.

They also have members from NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway, Dublin City University, University of Limerick,Waterford IT,Griffith College,and National College of Ireland and are trying to establish active branches in these colleges.

Media Coverage

The Young Progressive Democrats have earned coverage in the national media in the past. In 2003 they received media attention after the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, was almost assaulted by protesters while trying to address the UCD branch of the Young Progressive Democrats.

The following September, a satirical leaflet produced by the Young Progressive Democrats that compared all of the political parties to pizzas was covered in the Sunday Independent.

In November 2004 a debate organised by the Trinity College Young Progressive Democrats between the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, and the General Secretary of Sinn Féin, Robbie Smyth, received front page coverage on the Sunday Independent and was also covered in the Irish Examiner.

In September 2005 the Young Progressive Democrats received huge media coverage for a leaflet which compared politics to star wars. They received front page coverage on the Irish Independent and the Sunday Tribune as well as coverage from the Irish Sun, the Irish Mirror, the Sunday Times, the Observer, 98FM and several other radio stations.

In November 2005, comments made by An Tánaiste Mary Harney at a Trinity College Young Progressive Democrat event made the front page of the Sunday Tribune. They quoted her as saying that she had no preference as to whether she was in government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

In March 2006 a Young Progressive Democrat workshop on the future of the Irish language received broad coverage throughout the Irish language media.

They have also received mixed coverage from the political satire magazine "The Phoenix". Two articles were printed highlighting bitter fights between the Dublin and Cork regions of the youth party. A "young blood" profile was published of the then Chairperson Diane Duggan. In April 2006, "The Phoenix" published an article detailing how the Young Progressive Democrats had successfully launched a campaign to prevent Ógra Fianna Fáil becoming members of the European Liberal Youth and explained the implications this had for Fianna Fáil in the European Parliament.

Electoral Success

Several members of the Young Progressive Democrats have run for election in both local elections and general elections. These include

Jason O'Mahoney, Noelle Ryan, Bob Quinn, Paul Mc Auliffe, Ben Howe and Barry Saul

Barry Saul was the first YPD member to serve as a public representitive when he was coopted to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in 2003.

Alan McGaughey (YPD Chairperson 2002) was subsequently co-opted onto South Dublin County Council in January 2008

Colm Fahey (YPD Chair 2006) was elected Chairperson of Dublin South Progressive Democratsin January 2008

National Conference

The national conference of the Young Progressive Democrats is held each November. It is at this event that members of the party pass policy and elect a National Chairperson and National Officer Board for the year ahead. Each National Officer Board begins its term in November

=National Officer Board 2008= (Elected December 2007)

Chairperson: Owen Rooney

National Officer Board: Abey Campbell, Eoin Rafferty, Patrick Carroll, Jennie McChahill. Former Members : Sam Bowman, Claire Hennerby, Kevin Molloy, Daithi O Briain

College Chairs: (Elected April 2008)Daithi O'Brian (Trinity College) Paul Hand (DIT), Michael Courtney (DCU), Eoghan O'Connor (CIT)^*, Brian O Reilly (UCD)

Regional Chair : Pat Harrington (Munster), Stephan Fitzpatrick (Dublin)

^*(Eoghan O'Connor replaces Colm Lehane as CIT Branch Chair, March 2008.)

=National Officer Board 2007= (Elected November 2006)

Chairperson : Abey Campbell

National Officer Board : Ian Jacob, Eoin Rafferty Adrianne Wyse, David Monaghan, Conor Ryan, Sam Bowman, John Mullane

College Chairs (Elected April 2007) : William Quill (Trinity College), Stephan Fitzpatrick (UCD), Kevin Byrne (DIT), Michael Courtney (DCU)

Regional Chair (Elected October 2006) : Adrianne Wyse (Dublin)

=National Officer Board 2005-2006= (Elected November 2005)

Chairperson : Colm Fahey

National Officer Board : David Ruby, JP McCarthy, Cormac O Sullivan, Brian Morris, Glen Grehan

College Chairs (Elected April 2006) : Cormac O Sullivan/Eoin Rafferty (Trinity College), Abey Campbell/Patrick Carroll (UCD), Jennie McCahill (DIT), Michael Courtney (DCU), Ian Jacob (NUIG)

List of YPD National Chairpersons

*Alan McGaughey (2002)
*Paul McAuliffe (2003)
*Diane Duggan (2003 - 2004)
*Deirdre Larkin (2004 - 2005)
*Colm Fahey (2005 - 2006)
*Abey Campbell (2006 - 2007)
*Owen Rooney (2007 - Present)

External links

* [http://www.ypds.org/ Young Progressive Democrats Website]

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