Madam, - I have read with great interest the recent exchange of letters between Pat Rabbitte, leader of the Labour Party, and the Sligo Labour stalwart, Cllr Declan Bree (September 6th and 10th). As a Labour party member, I would like to add some comments of my own.
In my view, it is a disgrace that the party leader should attack Cllr Bree in the manner he did. As Cllr Bree pointed out in his letter, his record on the issue of Travellers' rights is absolutely sound. Why is Mr Rabbitte so keen to condemn him, but silent when other Labour councillors fail to endorse what is required if local authority targets with regard to Traveller accommodation are to be met?
Equally, the complaint made against Declan Bree - that he brought the party into disrepute by refusing to apologise for publicly describing his fellow councillors' vote against a Traveller accommodation programme as disgraceful - should be thrown out.
In any political party there is likely to be robust debate from time to time and Cllr Bree's comments must be seen in this context. The pursuit of this complaint is also a waste of time and energy that would be better spent on building up the party and the broader Labour movement.
The truth is that we need more people like Cllr Bree active in the Labour Party, because as countless reports and inquiries have shown, the treatment of Irish Travellers with regard to accommodation, health and education leaves a lot to be desired and this ought to be a real concern for the left.
I note that there have been a number of political clashes between Cllr Bree and Mr Rabbitte, notably over whether or not Michael D Higgins should have been proposed for the presidency, and over the question of a pre-election pact with Fine Gael.
I sincerely hope that Mr Rabbitte's attacks on Cllr Bree and the complaint that has been submitted against him are not in any way an attempt to silence him or others who hold different views to those of the party leadership. - Yours, etc,
PAUL DILLON, Bellewstown Bridge, Drogheda, Co Meath.