Sir, – With Fianna Fáil’s disappointing performance in the Dublin Bay South byelection, maybe it is time for Fianna Fáil to have a good look at itself, apart from just the leadership issue, particularly its relevance as a political party with voters in urban areas.
In particular, Fianna Fáil is seen as a male preserve, with very few female TDs. When you consider those women of voting age, Fianna Fáil as a political party lacks any proper female representation in the population as a whole.
Fianna Fáil lacks any vision of what it is in any real political sense. The main issues of voters today, especially younger voters, are concerns about the environment, the ability to have decent affordable housing, transport, health and education.
It’s no wonder that Sinn Féin as a political party is relevant to both women and younger voters because of the way it structures the party at grassroots level, particularly in urban areas. As a result it knows what’s happening on the ground, politically as well as socially.
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Maybe it’s time Fianna Fáil realised that it’s not all about changing the leadership but changing the way it, as a political party, is relevant to today’s modern society. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN CLANCY,
Galway.