The Labour Party conference has opened in Mullingar, with party leader Eamon Gilmore saying the Government now has no mandate from the people.
Click here for the full schedule and live streaming details
The conference also heard criticism of the Government's education and employment policies.
Opening his party conference in Mullingar, Mr Gilmore said Ireland needs a Labour-led Government now more than ever.
He said the current Government's credibility in rooting out corporate sleaze and wrongdoing was undermined by the culture of the Galway Tent.
Mr Gilmore said the Government got us into this mess - and people don't trust them to get us out of it.
Without the trust of the people, he said, the Government has no mandate.
Later, Senator Alex White dismissed Finance Minister Brian Lenihan's promise to root out crony capitalism - he claimed Fianna Fáil had invested cronyism, and that it was in the party's lifeblood.
Deputy Roisin Shortall has told the party's annual conference that some workers are now better off on the dole, because of restrictions in State help given to people having difficulty paying their mortgages.
She also called on the banks to postpone mortgage interest payments for struggling families for two years.
O'Keeffe to run for Labour in European elections
The journalist who exposed malpractices in the beef industry is to run for Labour in Ireland North West in the European elections.
Susan O'Keeffe announced her intention to seek the nomination in advance of the opening conference this evening.
Her revelations about the beef industry led to the establishment of the Beef Tribunal.
Ironically, Ms O'Keeffe was the only person to face charges as a result of the Tribunal but she was later cleared of the contempt of court charge.
