Election 2024 live updates: Fine Gael and Labour launch manifestos today

Today marks the 10th day of the 2024 general election campaign and the deadline for the nomination of candidates has passed. A record number of women are among the more than 600 candidates estimated to be on the ballot paper across the State’s 43 constituencies.
The next deadline, for the withdrawal of candidates, is tomorrow. This is the first election where political parties must reach a 40 per cent gender quota, or risk losing half their State funding.
Fine Gael and Labour are to launch their election manifestos later today after most of the parties unveiled theirs earlier this week.
Candidates and canvassers will gather at the launch of the Fine Gael manifesto which will promise major investment in public services and reductions in the cost of childcare.
The Labour Party will also launch its manifesto today, which includes a promise to extend free GP care to all children under 18. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald will be canvassing in Dublin on Sunday afternoon as well.
Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has launched his party’s manifesto for what it plans to change, if elected back into government. The main points include:
Oxfam Ireland has rolled out its general election manifesto, calling on the government to introduce fairer wealth taxation, measures to address inequality and to improve climate justice at home and abroad.
Oxfam has proposed a 1.5 per cent wealth tax on those with net wealth over €4.6 million, which it says would fund healthcare, education and climate resilience, while reducing the strain on low and middle-income citizens. It also notes that Ireland’s current climate action plans are insufficient to meet the 2030 targets.
The Occupied Territories Bill must be passed “as soon as possible” and the government should also work to “suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement on trade, fund local aid organisations, and promote infrastructure rebuilding”, says the Oxfam manifesto.
“Oxfam’s vision goes beyond Ireland,” said Jim Clarken, chief executive of Oxfam Ireland. “By implementing these policies and collaborating with other nations on global tax and climate solutions, Ireland can become a beacon of fairness and responsibility, showing that meaningful change is possible when governments lead with compassion and justice.”
The Irish Times has assembled a panel of 11 readers, drawn from across the State and from a cross-section of age groups, to discuss the general election campaign. They were selected after responding to a call-out and have been interviewed twice by editors and reporters to get a picture of their background and attitudes to politics. All say they are certain to vote on November 29th.
While they are not selected to be absolutely representative of the population as a whole, they come from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.
Some of the panel found the election campaign lacklustre, with the barrage of promises from politicians leaving them unimpressed. One participant said it felt like they were being “bribed with our own money”.
Many on the panel expressed frustration at what they believe is a lack of long-term planning, or a longer-term vision, for Ireland’s future needs. One member said: “there isn’t a single party that has presented a vision for what Ireland could be in 10 years’ time. It is all very short-term.”
You can read more about their thoughts on the upcoming general election here.
Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea has posted a video on X saying Helen McEntee is “the worst Minister for Justice in the history of the State”. His comments come less than a year after he voted that he had confidence in Ms McEntee in a vote of no confidence, tabled by Sinn Féin in December 2023. The Minister won the Dáil confidence vote by 83 votes to 63.
The Women for Election campaign group has said 248 women are running in the election, the largest number and an increase of 53 per cent on the total that went forward in 2020. In the outgoing Dáil, there were just 37 women TDs out of 160 (23 per cent).
“With Ireland 104th in the world for the number of women in parliament, it is really good news for the health of our democracy that so many women are stepping forward to stand for election, seeking to represent their communities, and to bring their voices and experiences to the Dáil”, said Brian Sheehan, chief executive of Women for Election.