Labour TD puts charge against Rabbitte

A formal complaint against Labour leader Pat Rabbitte - which could leave him open to censure by his own party - has been made by a former TD.

Labour's general secretary Mike Allen has 21 days to decide whether to establish a special complaints committee to investigate the complaint by Sligo-based Labour Councillor Declan Bree.

Cllr Bree is himself the subject of a party complaints hearing which resumes in Dublin today, where the case against him will be made by Mr Allen.

The complaint by the former Sligo-Leitrim TD relates to a letter from Mr Rabbitte to The Irish Times on September 6th last in which the party leader accuses Cllr Bree of having "used his position as mayor to stop an [ Traveller] accommodation site going into his own electoral ward and sought to put it into the ward of a colleague that already has three such sites".

In his letter to Mr Allen, Cllr Bree accuses Mr Rabbitte of behaviour "most unbecoming to a leader of the Labour Party".

He said it was shocking and unacceptable that Mr Rabbitte had attacked him in such a public manner on the basis of "scurrilous and unfounded allegations" .

The minutes of Sligo Borough Council would confirm that he, as mayor, had supported the only proposal regarding Traveller accommodation in his ward, which related to the provision of apartments for newly wed young Travellers, he added.

The party's general secretary must now decide whether to dismiss his complaint as frivolous or vexatious or to deem it valid, a decision that could leave Mr Rabbitte open to censure.

Meanwhile, a special Labour Party complaints committee will today resume its hearing into a complaint against Cllr Bree, who described as "disgraceful" the decision of two party colleagues to vote against the Sligo Traveller Accommodation Programme which was rejected by the local borough council in February.

The hearing began in Dublin on September 21st but was adjourned after two hours of technical debate.

The complaint against Cllr Bree was lodged by the secretary of the Sligo-Leitrim constituency of the party after he failed to apologise to his two party colleagues, Veronica Cawley and Jim McGarry.

He was accused of bringing the Labour Party into disrepute for failing to withdraw his criticism of his colleagues.