A chara, – I had a good laugh when I read the headline “Ivana Bacik is turning Labour into an electoral force again” (Anne Harris, Opinion & Analysis, April 4th).
With Labour trailing at a consistent 3 per cent to 4 per cent in opinion polls, and indeed with the party even marginally weaker than it was when Alan Kelly was leader, this surely was a triumph of wishful thinking over any sort of sober fact-based analysis.
To be fair, the headline was not exactly stated in that fashion in the actual article, but just because Anne Harris would like Labour to take ground back from Sinn Féin doesn’t mean that it’s happening or likely to.
And, of course, the article gives us no information or analysis that could lead us to this view. – Is mise,
EOIN Ó MURCHÚ,
Cluain Dolcáin,
Baile Átha Cliath 22.
Sir, – For the record, Anne Harris misrepresents me.
RTÉ journalist Seán O’Rourke asserted in an interview with me in 2014 that I had not spelled out a particular aspect of party policy – child benefit – before the 2011 general election and charged: “You kept it simple”.
I replied: “Isn’t that what you do at election time?” – meaning keep it simple. I did not, and do not, jettison anything. – Yours, etc,
PAT RABBITTE,
Clondalkin,
Dublin 22.