Deirdre Wadding back in the game as PBP candidate
HAVING stepped down as a county councillor back in October of 2017 citing mental health and stress issues, Deirdre Wadding confirmed her return to politics last week as she was revealed as People Before Profit’s candidate for Wexford in the general election.
While she may have stepped aside as a local representative, Wadding has remained active in People Before Profit, continuing to serve as local Chairperson and serving as campaign manager on two disappointing campaigns for Tony Walsh in the local elections and Cinnamon Blackmore in the by-election.
Her return to the fray is somewhat of a reluctant one.
With Cinnamon Blackmore and Susan Breen both ruling themselves out of running on this occasion, in the absence of anyone else it was decided to return to the party’s only successful candidate in Wexford to date.
‘I probably wouldn’t have sought it out,’ said Deirdre. ‘But then when it was put up to me, I suppose I have to put my money where my mouth is. I had served as campaign manager to both Tony and Cinnamon and I realised that it’s almost as much work managing a candidate yourself as running. Now that I’m back in the game I’m excited and looking forward to getting out there again.’
Styling herself as an ‘unapologetic revolutionary socialist’, Wadding says that she learned some big lessons from her time with Wexford County Council.
‘If you want to get a picture of how the system doesn’t work, it’s the council,’ she said. Having struggled with the workload and stress of a councillor, the big question is how would she cope with the workload of a TD?
‘I had proper burnout in the council,’ she said. ‘It took up to a year for me to recuperate. I lost my Dad four or five months into my stint with the council which was really difficult for me. Also I felt a bit isolated. I was the only left woman on the council. Up until Lisa McDonald was co-opted, I was the only woman on the borough council. I think as a result of that, I a huge volume of calls from the likes of distressed mothers and their kids who had nowhere to go and things like that. It really took its toll on me.’
‘I think the thing that was brought to a head during my time was the amount of people in desperate need of housing. I’m older and wiser now and I’m more realistic too. I have seen how slowly the wheels grind, but I’m confident I can be a strong voice to push for things like that. In the Dáil you’d have parliamentary assistants to help with the workload and as well as that, you’d have your party colleagues to provide you with support.’
While there can be no doubt that in putting Wadding on the ticket, People Before Profit have played the strongest card available to them in the county, the biggest challenge they face is convincing the public that they are a viable alternative.
‘Current policies only work for those with lots of money,’ she said. ‘Our challenge is to get that across to people. We need to get people out to vote. I liken Ireland to an abusive relationship, where people are beaten down but they keep voting for the same again and again. I fully believe we need to dismantle the system and create a new one. This won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, we can’t let the status quo run on and on. We have to get left wing voices in to challenge.’