Programme for Government 2025

Uplift members always come together and stand up for our communities, our environment, and peace around the world. Even when it seems hopeless, we are powerful when we stand together and take action for a better world.

A few days ago Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and a group of regional independents published their Programme for Government — a document laying out what the next government will prioritise over the next 5 years — and it looks like we will have to step up the fight for our communities, our land, and our seas over the next 5 years. [1]

But that’s exactly what our community here at Uplift does when we’re up against it.

So, what stands out and has caught our eye in the Programme for Government?

Datacentres

Throughout the entire document there are commitments to supporting and encouraging the building of more energy guzzling data centres. Despite data centre expansion driving all new energy growth in Ireland and keeping us reliant on dirty fossil fuels, and despite the very real threat of data centres causing blackouts because our grid cannot deal with it, and despite data centers being on track to using 30% of all electricity produced in Ireland in exchange for relatively few jobs, this incoming government is determined to promote even more data centre building. [2]

We are not going to allow that to happen. The Uplift community have been campaigning for years against unfettered, irresponsible data centre growth and we are ready to ramp up our campaigns in 2025. [3]

Peace and Neutrality

The Programme for Government clearly sets out that the incoming government intends to remove the Triple lock, the only mechanism that protects our neutrality. There’s a more detailed blog about this that you can read here.

Pollution and the Environment

The new government has made it clear that they want to drag us backwards in how we treat our land and water. They plan to try to change how polluting emissions are accounted for in order to let polluting agribusiness off the hook. [4] They also want to repeat the mistakes of the past by removing all barriers to tree planting; a policy that has already hurt communities all across the country and actually increases carbon pollution from certain peaty soils. [5]

Together with giving money from the Climate and Nature Fund to agribusiness — money that should be spent improving water quality, retrofitting our homes, protecting wildlife, and making sure that everybody has clean air to breathe — we will be up against it with this government.

But these are exactly the type of things that the Uplift community is brilliant at, coming together to stand up for our land and water, even when the government and big business is against us. [6]

Justice and Migration

The parts of the Programme for Government dealing with Justice and Migration are both very worrying. There is a commitment to detain people seeking international protection while their application is being processed and a commitment to try and find a way to limit the right of appeal for people’s applications.

These measure along with trying to ban face coverings and protests and introducing live facial recognition technology contradict the human rights obligations of the state according to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. [7]

Uplift members have always stood with communities under threat from the state and we will continue to do so in 2025, we are ready to push back hard against all attempts to curtail basic human rights. [8]

As bad as some parts of the Programme for Government are, it’s important that we recognise our wins in areas where we’ve campaigned tirelessly, and now we need to make sure that the government follows through on these commitments and improves life for everybody.

Health

In the health section, our members’ campaigns really got cut through. From exploring a ban on dangerous sunbeds, banning disposable vapes, and expanding eligibility for IVF, to ensuring that all maternity hospitals provide access to abortion services, and pursuing a health led approach to drug use, we will stay breathing down the neck of the new Health Minister to make sure that they follow through on their promises. [9]

Empty Homes

Uplift members have campaigned hard all last year and have demanded that every politician makes turning empty houses into homes a priority, and we’ve really had an effect. The Programme for Government has a big section on turning empty and derelict houses back into homes. What is important now is that we keep the pressure on them and force them to follow through and tackle the twin problems of empty houses and homelessness. [10]

Disinformation and Big Tech

The new government has pledged to crack down on disinformation and the spread of misinformation. They have said that they will support the work of Coimisiún na Meán in enforcing the Online Safety Code and tackle the damaging recommender system. Just before christmas, Uplift organised the People’s Inquiry into Big Tech Harms where an expert panel heard testimony from ordinary people on how big tech has harmed them. [11]

Uplift members have been campaigning on the harms of unregulated Big Tech for years and it’s clear that the government has heard us. So in 2025 we have to keep the pressure on and make sure the new Media Minister follows through and regulates Big Tech corporations. [12]

CETA

The new government has committed to pass the widely unpopular CETA trade deal. This would open us up to being sued in a shadowy ‘court’ by corporations for taking actions that impact their bottom line — actions like public health measures, actions to protect our environment and make sure everybody has clean water and air, and actions to improve conditions for workers all across the country. [13]

Uplift members have long stood against these special investor courts and the huge power they give to corporations to affect our laws and regulations and we will not let this government sign us up to such a dodgy deal.

These are just a few of the stand out areas from the Programme for Government. There’s lots more in it and lots more notably missing from the government’s work plan. You can read the full Programme for Government here.

Whatever the government says it will or won’t do, one thing is clear, Uplift members are going to stay laser focussed on keeping our communities safe, healthy, and happy. When we come together and take action, we are extraordinarily powerful. So let’s make 2025 a year where we have huge wins and, most importantly, a year where we act with hope and courage.

You can chip in to help fund our campaigns in 2025 by clicking here.