The Labour Party’s newest recruit Councillor Killian Forde has said he joined the party because it was best placed to ensure that Ireland was a modern European democracy and not the “Haiti of Europe”.
Mr Forde, a member of Dublin City Council since 2004, said he had decided to leave Sinn Féin because of difficulties with its “internal democracy” and his belief that it had the most coherent economic policies to get Ireland out of the “deep deep crisis” he said he was in.
He said Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness have been very strong political leaders for Sinn Féin but that their focus has been too much on the North as it has gone from crisis to crisis.
“There is an opportunity for left wing politics in the South and the best group for people to coalesce around is Labour,” he said.
The Labour leader Eamon Gilmore announced that Mr Forde had joined the party at a press conference this afternoon. He described the 39-year-old north Dubliner as a politician of considerable ability with a real commitment to the community he represents.
He also did not rule out the possibility of Mr Forde being Labour’s second candidate in the three-seater Dublin North East constituency at the time of the next general election. The party already has one TD in the constituency, Tommy Broughan but would have outside hopes of winning a second.
The defection of a high-profile and outspoken Donaghmede-based councillor, who was considered a rising star in the party, is being regarded as a huge blow to Sinn Féin in this jurisdiction.
Mr Forde is the third Dublin city councillor to leave Sinn Fein since last summer’s local elections, following the resignations of Christy Burke (Dublin Central) and Louise Minihan (Ballyfermot).
Sinn Féin was harshly critical of the former party councillor today.
The party’s chairman in Donaghmede Micheál Mac Donncha described it as an “opportunist career move”.
“It is now obvious that Killian Forde’s vote for a Labour-sponsored City Council budget that penalises low income households was the second last act in a play that culminated in his move to the Labour Party.
“Having accused Sinn Féin of moving to the centre he is now in a party that he admits is to the right of Sinn Féin,” said Mr Mac Donncha.
The party reiterated its call for him to resign his seat. Mr Forde responded by saying it would be hypocritical of him to give up his seat to an unknown and unelected person. He said that some of his 2,500 preferences came as a result of a personal vote towards him.
Cllr Forde played a prominent role in Sinn Féin’s campaign during both referenda on the Lisbon Treaty. He was asked at the conference this afteronon if he was back-tracking on his strong public opposition to the treaty.
He said that his own issue was not with the treaty itself but his belief that the Union was heading towards a “united states of Europe”.
“I felt that Lisbon Two was better than Lisbon One. I still personally voted No. I believe there’s room within the Labour Party for such views,” he said.
Mr Gilmore, when asked how a councillor who was espousing Sinn Féin views one week could be acceptable to Labour a week later, replied:
“The condition for for membership is acceptance of the Labour Party constitution and its aims and its objectives, and its policies.
“Clearly Killian Forde has accepted that. We want to build a party.
“In building a party, we will be welcoming people who accept the aims and objective and what we are doing irrespective of their background or where they were last year,” he said.
Mr Forde’s resignation from Sinn Féin was not wholly unexpected. He has been chairman of the council’s finance committee since last June and defied the Sinn Féin whip to vote in favour of adopting the council’s estimates last month.
He said today that an approach had been made to him by Fine Gael but he had ruled it out immediately.