Sir, - Your coverage of Ruairi Quinn's retirement as Labour leader (The Irish Times, August 28th) contains two inaccuracies.
You report Mr Quinn's claim that his parliamentary party is "the second largest. . .in our history". In fact, in the fifth Dáil (June 1927), the party numbered 22 Dáil seats and five senators: one more representative than now. Indeed, in the 18th Dáil (1965-9) it had 22 Dáil seats and six senators, but one of the Dáil deputies was the Ceann Comharle, Paddy Hogan, who was returned automatically.
Fintan O'Toole states that Mr Quinn "leaves the mainstream Irish left more united than at any time in the history of the State". Again, in 1943 Labour was hegemonising the left even more thoroughly incorporating all shades of socialist opinion, as well as many republicans, both constitutional and extra constitutional. It was the largest party on the Dublin Corporation and won more votes in the 1943 general election than it had won before or would win again until 1969. This was sabotaged by the treachery of the ITGWU secretary, William O'Brien, who split the party, using anti-Communist scare tactics and left a gap that would be filled by Clann na Phoblachta.
Of course it will be argued that Labour in the days I have mentioned was well to the right of Labour today. It was so, on social and political issues. However, on finance and economic matters it was to the left of today's party - certainly to the left of Britain's so-called "New Labour". - Yours, etc.,
D.R.O'CONNOR LYSAGHT,
Clanawley Road,
Dublin 5.