MALCOLM TAKING STOCK AFTER A WHIRLWIND EIGHT MONTHS
FOLLOWING a tumultuous eight months which saw him run in four elections, including winning a Dáil seat in November’s by-election, Gorey’s Malcolm Byrne is now taking some time to reflect before he considers his next move.
The former TD narrowly lost out to Paul Kehoe for the fifth and final seat last Monday, meaning that for the first time in almost 21 years, Malcolm is not a public representative for county Wexford.
‘My political career has been personally very rewarding. I know I have made an impact locally and nationally. I am taking a few days away to unwind and think about what I would like to do.
‘I’m fortunate in that I had taken a career break from my role at the Higher Education Authority and can return to that post. I don’t get a termination or redundancy payment on losing my Dail seat. Frankly, I’m broke with added borrowings after running four campaigns in the last eight months’.
Reflecting on projects he has been involved with, Malcolm mentioned campaigns around commuter bus and rail services, building of a new second level school with Creagh College and the investment in the Town Park.
‘Politics takes up a huge amount of time and it does mean sacrificing career opportunities as well as much of your personal life. In an era of social media, it is also harder to engage in meaningful debate on policy issues. There are some who simply use social media to channel abuse and unfortunately, fact based discussion is threatened.
‘Politics should not be simply about telling people what they want to hear. That breeds cynicism in the long run’.
Thinking of the future, Malcolm mentioned the challenges of climate, technology and Brexit.
‘It is essential that we have political leaders that understand these issues and can shape our policy responses. Whether I’ll be part of that as a politician or working in some other sphere, I don’t know yet. However, I remain an optimist and have always believe that where one door closes, another will open’.