Labour Youth launch Bebo-festo!

Labour Youth, the youth section of the Labour Party, has taken to the popular social networking site 'Bebo' to launch its campaign asking young people to vote Labour.

The youth section have launched an online Bebo page at http://votelabour07.bebo.com which features seven star commitments, based on the seven stars of the Starry Plough, Labour's traditional symbol. Hundreds of members around Ireland are also using profile pictures to promote a vote for Labour which include phrases such as "Rabbitte for Taoiseach," "FF-eckers Out," and "Keep Left Ahead.”

Dermot Looney, Labour Youth Communications Officer, said that "Labour's use of Bebo is an innovative strategy which tries to connect with young people at our own level.

“Bebo is the most popular website in Ireland, but it has been largely ignored by all the other parties. We are mixing the social aspect of the site with serious politics and our belief is that there is huge value in engaging with people outside the traditional boundaries of political communication.

"Having being launched last Friday, there have already been a huge volume of hits on the site and a high level of interest among members and non-members alike.

“With candidates such as Dominic Hannigan and Eric Byrne making the most of blogging and online videos, Labour is leading the way in innovative online campaigning."