A party in danger of falling off the radar

THE Labour Party has always been a vitally important part of the fabric of this country, in political and social life. From the Dublin 1913 Lockout organised by one of its founders, James Larkin, it made its mark. James Connolly was central both to sparking the Easter Rising and shaping the values of the Republic that the rebels proclaimed.

In the decades since, the party fought for workers’ rights, and broadened its base from the working class to attract middleclass liberals, especially during the latter quarter of the last century.

While the Irish people have always rightly rejected the nonsensical, job-destroying economics of socialism, they valued the social reforms advanced by many of the party’s greatest figures over the years.

In a sense, it became the social conscience of the nation, suggesting Mary Robinson for the presidency in 1990 and advancing Michael D Higgins as its nominee in 2011.

Before its mergers with other parties, it stood alone on the left wing of Irish politics in rejecting and condemning the use of terrorism to bring about a socialist republic, following instead the more peaceful path to resolution of the Troubles.

For almost all of its existence, it has been moderate – and mindful of the interests of the working people it is meant to represent.

After all, Labour derives its very name from work: a Labour Party was historically a party that fought for people’s right to work. Labour has historically accepted that working is the foundation of human dignity and society – and fought against the twin evils of unemployment and dependency.

In 2011, Labour won 37 seats in the Dáil, the most in its history.

However in entering coalition with Fine Gael after that general election it lost credibility with its voters, credibility that could not be reclaimed even among its middle-class supporters with its successful insistence on holding the marriage equality referendum.

Bruised and battered, it now is at a historically low ebb and tarred, as most junior coalition partners eventually are, with the accusation that it betrayed its core principles.

The current leader, Brendan Howlin, is a thoroughly decent man, a heartfelt believer in public service. However under his tenure, Labour has ceded ground to Sinn Féin and the small left-wing parties and Independents.

The opinion polls suggest Labour is disappearing almost entirely off the political radar. Without robust remedial action, it might be the next Progressive Democrats or SDLP, consigned to the dustbin of history.

In short, Labour needs new leadership. It needs a leader who commands media attention; who invokes the (sometimes furious) passion of the party’s founders; a leader who is deeply connected to ordinary working people, speaks their language and will fight their causes.

It needs a leader who, hearing of widespread post office closures, will fight like a dervish to reverse such a hammer-blow to ordinary people – not meekly accept it, and suggest a few touring An Post vans as an alternative!

There is no guarantee that a change of leadership would definitely improve the fortunes of the Labour Party, but it is impossible to see how it could make things any worse.

It needs a leader who will aggressively go to bat – on radio, on television and in print – and fight tooth and nail for the party’s principles.

If that does not happen, it no longer will be staring into the abyss, but falling into the bottom of it.