Sir, – The reason for the heave against Alan Kelly was because of his association with the antics of the 2011-2016 government and, in particular, the push to levy water charges. Then it was announced that the front-runner to replace Mr Kelly is Ivana Bacik.
But Ms Bacik was part of that government too and voiced strong support for water charges, stating during the debate in the Seanad: “we must incentivise to avoid excessive usage”.
The “conservation” malarkey was the same excuse being used by members of Fine Gael for the introduction of the charges.
Is there a pointer here as to what Labour’s real problem is?
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Maybe too many of the senior active members are actually in the wrong party? – Yours, etc,
JIM O’SULLIVAN,
Rathedmond,
Sligo.
Sir, – If I was a member of the Labour Party, I’d be concerned by the similarities between the party’s current trajectory and the final years of the Progressive Democrats.
By 2006, the PDs were reduced to the margin of error in the opinion polls, their party’s “brand” had all but evaporated and they depended on the strength of individual TDs in their constituencies to retain critical mass in the Oireachtas. In an attempt to break out of this rut, they jettisoned an unspectacular but widely respected leader (Mary Harney) and installed a new leader (Michael McDowell) who, for all his talents, had virtually no appeal beyond the party’s middle-class south Dublin heartland.
Sound familiar? Labour appear to be following the very same path.
Your editorial ("The Irish Times view on Alan Kelly's resignation: The long road back", March 4th) states that "Labour has made an important contribution to Irish politics" since its foundation in 1912 and that we would be well served by its revival.
No political party has a divine right to exist.
Countless established companies, institutions, and voluntary organisations which existed in 1912 have since vanished without a trace.
Why should a political party be any different?
Having been reduced to just 4.4 per cent at the last election, Labour could be just one electoral blow away from oblivion, as the PDs were in 2006. The rash decision to dump their leader and retreat further into their south Dublin heartland only increases that risk. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Et tu, Ivana? – Yours, etc,
DAVID CURRAN,
Knocknacarra,
Galway.
Sir, – While the Labour Party can point to its “success” in government in stabilising the country’s finances at the time of the property-based financial meltdown, it did so at the expense of abandoning its traditional lower-income voter base.
Despite its successful support for some social issues, the working-class voter has left Labour and gone to Sinn Féin, as many felt abandoned by Labour during austerity, while Sinn Féin has been saying all the right things.
So who does the Labour Party represent anymore?
This is a very important question the new Labour leader must answer.
Is the Labour Party to be a national party, or a niche one? – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.
Sir, – How quickly the members of the Parliamentary Labour Party have forgotten that it was the 2011-2016 coalition government, with the support of the citizens, that brought the country back to financial solvency.
Recent comments from Labour indicate that they believe support for water charges was a great mistake. Charging for water makes sense if we are to put our money where our mouth is on the issue of the environment. – Yours, etc,
MARGARET LEE,
Newport,
Co Tipperary.