Is the condition of Labour now fatal - or is there still hope?

Dear Sir,

AS the Labour Party shuffles towards its demise one wonders what brought this once vibrant organisation, full of people of conviction to such a sorry pass. It lies dying, not battered and bloodied from leading and defending the neediest members of our society. Rather it is wasting away from diseases of personal ambition timidity and insincerity – all fatal!

The 2011 General Election resulted in Labour increasing its Dail representation. The massive increase in Dail seats was the result of many people voting Labour for the first time to protect themselves from the worst effects of the austerity which they rightly suspected would fall heaviest on the poorest and most defenceless members of our society.

The Labour Party entered coalition with Fine Gael and immediately proceeded to betray the trust placed put in them. Labour embraced right wing market forces philosophy with all the passion that a lover embraces his beloved. Armed with an arsenal of banal phrases and ‘ buzzwords’ the Fine Gael/ Labour coalition proceeded to inflict hardship on the vulnerable. They made “hard choices” for people who had to make hard choices every week. The most memorable phrase - because the most cynical- was “we’re all in this together” … what ungodly tripe!!

The 2014 Local Elections was the first occasion that the electorate could pass judgement on the behaviour of The Labour Party. The 2009 Local Elections resulted in The Labour Party winning 14.7% of the vote which gave it 132 seats. This was reduced to 7.2% in 2014 which meant a loss of 81 seats – The leader of the Labour Party Eamon Gilmore resigned.

There was no subsequent change in Labour’s attitude. The 2016 General Election came. The result for Labour was worse than the 2014 Local Elections. The Labour Party polled 6.6% of the vote in contrast to 19.4% in the 2011 General Election. This gave a Dail representation of 7 – down from 37 in 2011.

What is the state of The Labour Party now, one asks? Recent opinion polls consistently put Labour lower than it was at the 2016 election. One recent poll has the party at 4% - that is terminal. Regarding, membership activity, and morale: We can get some idea of the national picture by looking at the condition of the party in Drogheda. The Labour Party in Drogheda consisted of three branches with the late Michael Bell at its apex - an inspiring figure of great moral courage, sincerity and generosity -the qualities needed to inspire and lead people.

He was a Drogheda man, first and foremost. Coming from a working-class family in the working-class area of Pearse Park. He never forgot his origins, and never wanted to! He was elected Labour Dail Deputy for 20 years. He would be dismayed to know that a local Labour Party Deputy had downgraded his town by supporting the abolition of its council. This was replaced by a ten-member committee – soon to be reduced to eight – all decisions of any importance are made in Dundalk.

This same Ex-Deputy is now purporting to champion the interests of the town of Drogheda. To quote from a recent leaflet distributed by the Ex-Deputy, “Yet despite our size, scale, location, and significance, this plan (if adopted) will officially relegate Drogheda to the second division”. Breath-taking hypocrisy! Well, well, “Let’s make hypocrisy great again”.

To return to the state of the party now. Many members have left the Drogheda branches. When you speak to any of the remaining members they will tell you that they believe The Labour Party is irretrievably lost. Morale is low, activity non-existent. Listening to them, John Bunyan’s “Slough of Despond” sprang to mind.

Perhaps Labour’s decline could be halted locally and nationally by people who believe – perhaps it’s too late, time will tell?