Emmet Stagg at a loss after ‘tough, brutal and personal’ election

Labour’s Emmet Stagg has been a constant presence in the Dáil since 1987. On the party’s worst day not even its most consistent politician could catch a break.

He had been considered a safe bet – a “banker” to be returned to Leinster House despite the expected backlash against the junior Coalition party.

Stagg reckons that worked against him. “The biggest problem I had was people thought I was safe. The media started it and the other parties seized upon it.

“I knew the vote had gone down for the party but the reception was great on the canvass. Everyone knew me, which is one of the best things for politicians.

“Of course I am sad. I don’t know what to do with myself, to be honest. I would normally be holding clinics this morning.”

Another key factor for Stagg was the elevation of the Social Democrats and their local TD, Catherine Murphy.

Voters who by tradition supported him switched their allegiance to Murphy, knocking a sizeable chunk of support from him.

Stagg was once known as a fiery militant but more recently became a symbol of the establishment. As Labour’s influence and its vote strengthened, he grew in stature within the party and became the deputy Government chief whip in the 2011 Coalition.

With the new role came the duty to keep the party members in line at a time when their election promises were being reversed and their credibility wavering.

Brutal campaign

Stagg said he became a target for other parties during a “tough, brutal and personal campaign”.

“Sinn Féin issued a leaflet that went to every house in the constituency attacking me personally. It was less of an attack on the party and more on me.

“Then there were professional stickers on my posters saying I was a liar and I voted in favour of a so-called eviction Bill and the downgrading of Naas hospital, neither of which are true.

“It was a tough campaign. I still believed I would make it but it just wasn’t to be.”

He was minister for housing and energy from 1993 to 1997, which he claims is his proudest moment as a public representative.

Stagg says: “Housing lists were reduced. We were building houses. When I travel around the country we see where those houses were and that is something I am immensely proud of.”

The party had its darkest days last weekend and Stagg was one of many Labour TDs who suffered at the hands of the electorate.

Despite this, Stagg has no regrets about entering government. “There was no alternative. We had won 37 seats, the country was on its back. What was the other option?

“You don’t get credit for what you stopped. We stopped a lot. You are only remembered for what happened but if people knew the reality of what would have happened if Fine Gael were alone in government maybe we would have fared better.”

Pull the plug

Should they have pulled the plug on the Government in that case? “There was no occasion where we could have. We could have contrived a reason but who would have thanked us for that?”

The posters are being taken down and the talks to form a government are beginning, but with no real alternative clear a second election is possible. “I could be back yet,” says Stagg.