Party review:A major review of the Labour Party's policies and organisation after its poor showing in the general election is to take place next year to prepare it for the challenges "of the 21st century".
Urging delegates to embrace change, party leader Eamon Gilmore said it had "always been the dreams, ideals and vision of Labour that have led the way" in Ireland.
"But to achieve change we must do more than talk about it, we must practice it. This party that has led so much change in Ireland must now have the courage to change itself," he said.
Titled the "Commission on 21st Century Labour", the new body will hear submissions from branches, unions and rank-and-file members between now and the end of 2008.
However, the review will not debate Labour's "timeless" basic principles of freedom, democracy, community and equality, Labour TD Emmet Stagg told the conference.
"Our debate will be about new methods to convey to the Irish people what we stand for and how to convince them to support Labour on that basis," the Kildare North TD said.
"We must look to renew and invigorate our own party organisation. We need to make it more receptive to new ideas and people and let me say we have to make it less boring and a little more exciting.
"We must find new methods to activate our members and not just at election times - we must be seen and be active on the ground at all times working for our communities and promoting our policies.
"We must find methods to make our party grow and develop and for it to be no longer dependent on one or two strong individuals in an area," said Mr Stagg, proposing the motion.
Delegates agreed that the party must have a clear strategy to win more than one seat in each constituency, although it rejected a motion requiring "well-established TDs" to have a running mate.
Complaining about the selection of candidates in the last election, Fingal county councillor Peter Coyle said Labour lost a seat in Dublin North because it failed to listen to the local organisation.
Labour headquarters had, he said, been told that the key district of Malahide in the constituency had "been left wide open".
"We gave notice a year in advance that we were giving two seats to Fianna Fáil. People want local candidates.
"Fianna Fáil got two seats. Labour lost because it did not listen to the people on the ground," he said.
Labour's general secretary Mike Allen accepted "that we made mistakes" in Dublin North, where Brendan Ryan, brother of outgoing TD Seán, who retired at the end of the last Dáil, failed to win.
"But we did not do so without knowing the views of the local organisation," said Mr Allen, who opposed a motion demanding "extensive consultation" with constituency organisations.
Meanwhile, delegates rejected a call led by former leader Ruairí Quinn for Labour to redefine itself as a "social democratic party", rather than "democratic socialist", as it currently does.
Saying that he had "no trouble in describing myself as a socialist", Dublin South East TD Mr Quinn said "democratic socialism" offered "an outmoded image" to younger voters.
Opposing him, party president Michael D Higgins said social democracy is "interpreted differently" in different countries, and is often used by right-wing parties.
"Democratic socialism avoids abuses of socialism. We are not stuck in any mode. But we believe that there is a new world to be made," the Galway West TD told the conference.
