Meat the new boss
Labour leader talks politics, sport... and how to cook his perfect steak
ALAN Kelly has vowed to quit politics after 15 years – but he wants to see the country’s inaugural Labour Taoiseach first.
The new party leader has a busy few years ahead because he said he wants to be “gone by 60” and move on to something else in the field of green technology.
In his first major newspaper interview since taking charge in April, Mr Kelly opened up to the Irish Sunday Mirror about politics, history, sport... and marinating steaks.
But first there is the “power is a drug” tagline that has followed him around since it headlined an interview in 2016.
He moved to clear that up when he spoke to us this weekend.
Mr Kelly said: “I did say those words, but everybody forgets about the dot, dot, dot in the middle.
“I’ve nothing against the journalist now, but if you read it, power is a drug, it suits me, there’s a dot, dot, dot in the middle.
“The conversation was about how some people are always in opposition and will never want to go into Government. Some people, you know, being in Government suits them. They’re able to handle it or deal with it, or whatever.
“That was the conversation and I suppose power, being in power, being in Government are interchangeable words, so that was the context of it. But when you’re explaining you’re losing.”
BUSY
Mr Kelly was speaking from the Labour leader’s office in Leinster House, which still has a bit of a bare look to it as he has been too busy to move in properly.
The books are still in boxes, while there are a good smattering of photos of his family on his desk and in a corner ready to be displayed.
The wall has two framed and signed jerseys, one a 2010 Tipperary hurling geansai and the other a Munster rugby top, autographed by the late, great Anthony Foley.
Mr Kelly is known to be ambitious and driven and explained how he will bring these traits to his new role of rejuvenating a broken party.
He said: “I want to get the Labour Party back into a substantial position for the next electoral contests, whether it’s local, European or general.
“I want to get the party into that position by being completely reorganised across the country which is my forte, which is something that I really strongly do, getting really strongly organised.”
He agreed that this is a new version of the old rubber chicken circuit – an immeasurable number of dinners with party members – made famous by Fianna Fail’s Charlie Haughey.
Mr Kelly added: “Yeah, I’d have it done by now only for Covid.
“I’ve made a commitment, we didn’t have a Dail candidate in Kerry in the last general election, first place I’m going to go is Kerry, that will never happen again, I’m not going to allow that to happen again.
“It’s not about being back in Government, the way politics is gone now right, and say we got back up to a certain amount of seats, you don’t necessarily have to be in Government, we may have to go around again. The Labour Party are different. If there was an election in the morning I’d very strongly be pushing out there that the Labour Party will be looking to go into government. “Put it to you this way, if we had the seats the Green Party has now I think there would be a Government.” When asked is it not time after 110-odd years of the party being around for there to be a Labour Taoiseach, Mr Kelly replied: “Yeah, I’d love to see a Labour Taoiseach, whether it’s me or somebody who follows me. I think the Labour Party needs a leader who is going to do a timeline similar to Dick Spring [15 years], if not longer. I don’t aspire to be Taoiseach, I aspire to be somebody who brings the party back.”
And after that he has further ambitions if he leaves politics on schedule in 2035.
Mr Kelly added: “I see life after politics, 45, I don’t envision myself being in politics at 60.
“I’d do something totally different. It’s 15 years’ time, I was an IT manager, I was always into
technology. Actually, if the thing opened up and I was gone out of politics in the morning, I think I’d concentrate on green technologies and areas like that. I’ve a huge interest in them.”
There is life outside politics too for Mr Kelly as he explained: “I’m a sports fanatic. So I’m very much involved in my local GAA club, Portroe, where I’m chairman of our development board.
“I’m a Tipperary hurling fanatic, I’m a neighbour of Liam Sheedy’s. A big family man, so I spend a lot of time with my kids, my wife, I’ve elderly parents, my brother lives in America, so I’m keeping up with him there and I’ve an uncle who I keep an eye on as well.
HOBBIES
“But mostly my hobbies are sports, outside of family obviously. I used to up until recently swim two to three times a week. I’ve a bad knee, so I can’t do the running thing. I’ve also had weight control issues, so swimming is really good, I can’t do it at the moment. I play a tiny bit of golf. I like cooking.”
And when asked what is his top lockdown dish, Mr Kelly revealed: “At the moment we have a couple of people over for a sociallydistanced meal next weekend.
“I’ve four fillet steaks marinating for three days in the fridge.
“I like them medium myself, my wife likes them well-done, we’ll have different sauces.”
The Irish Sunday Mirror was surprised to hear he didn’t like his bloody and rare.
If we had the seats the Green Party have we’d be in Government by now
We need a leader to do a timeline like Dick Spring ..15 years or even longer
Last time we didn’t have candidate in Kerry. That will never happen again