Howlin holds despite party losses

LABOUR Leader Brendan Howlin was forced to wait a little longer than usual at the count centre before being declared one of Wexford’s five TDs on this outing on Count 8. A regular poll topper himself, on this occasion it was Sinn Féin’s Johnny Mythen who was first past the post with one of the strongest performances witnessed in a Wexford count centre.

For Howlin, it was a day of mixed emotion. While he was retaining his seat as predicted, the Labour Party were making losses nationally and it looked like they’d be nowhere near the target they set themselves of doubling their numbers in the Dáil. This has led to some whispers that his position as party leader may come under some pressure.

‘Obviously I’ve two perspectives. I’m hugely gratified by the support I’ve got from the people of Wexford,’ Deputy Howlin said.

‘I don’t take anything for granted. I know that when I offer myself on every election, it’s a blank sheet. There’s no such thing as Brendan’s seat. It belongs to the people of Wexford and they’ve consistently allowed me to represent them.

Brendan Howling being interviewed for TV at the Wexford count centre in St. Joseph’s.

I’ve managed to get a very good vote here again and I don’t take that for granted. I take it with great humility.’

‘In terms of the national picture, I’m concerned that some colleagues that have worked so hard are not going to make it on this occasion. We’ve yet to see the final lie of the land. I hope there will be at least as many Labour TDs in the next Dáil as the last, but certainly the advance I hoped would happen hasn’t happened.’

Howlin refused to be drawn too much on whether there will be calls for him to step aside and vacate the leadership.

‘It’s something we’re going to have to think about but not today,’ he said.

‘Today we have party comrades battling in the field and I’m not going to talk about me or my position. It’s about those colleagues who will be battling perhaps for another week before we have the final distribution of seats. That’s my sole and only focus for the next day or two.’

While Wexford town has always been a hotbed of Labour votes, on this occasion, Sinn Féin and Johnny Mythen made some major in-roads there. However, it’s not something that has Howlin overly worried for the future.

‘You can see the tally sheets, there’s a huge anchor core of votes in Wexford town,’ he said. ‘There’s always been people who’ve shared that vote. It’s been Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, this time it’s Sinn Féin. But the Labour core is always there undented. I know in the local elections George Lawlor, Maura Bell and Joe Ryan garnered that vote and we will continue to do that.’

While the Sinn Féin vote took everyone by surprise, Howlin says its just an indication that the people want change. However, he believes the reason Sinn Féin have faired so well is that they’ve never been in government and thus have never drawn the criticism that comes with it.

‘I think there’s undoubtedly a thirst out there for change. People want things to be different,’ he said. ‘They want the crisis in health and the scandal of homelessness to be solved. The vehicle on this occasion that the people have picked is Sinn Féin, partly because they’ve never been in government in the Republic. In government you have to make hard and difficult choices. If you haven’t been in government you haven’t had to make those choices and you can be more attractive from that perspective. Once you get the mandate, you have to deliver on that mandate and we will be watching closely on the delivery.’

‘I hope we have a stable government and we won’t have months of instability. I feel it’s incumbent on those who have a mandate, who can form a government, to do it quickly.’

While the Labour leader had expressed major reservations about going into government with Sinn Féin, he says that this is no longer an issue for them.

‘I outlined that I work with Sinn Fein all the time at council level and in the Dáil. There is a trust issue in relation to the formation of government, but that doesn’t arise now. The people have spoken. They’ve given Sinn Féin a mandate and all parties have to react to that. Those who have the numbers to build a majority government, Labour won’t have, should certainly take up the responsibility of delivering that.’