O’KEEFFE BATTLING AGAINST THE ODDS FOR A LABOUR SEAT
THERE was internal party strife the last time Senator O’Keeffe ran for the Labour Party in 2011.
A closely fought convention saw then councillor Veronica Cawley lose out to O’Keeffe who despite the split locally did quite well, hanging in until the seventh count before going out on 6,646 having polled 10.2% of the first preference vote.
Of course, Senator O’Keeffe could draw on the support which popular leader Eamon Gilmore attracted while on the opposition benches.
This time around, the shoe is on the other foot, and Senator O’Keeffe is in the position of now having to defend a deeply unpopular Government.
And, as the minority Government party, history shows it is likely to suffer at the polls. Even leader Joan Burton’s seat is under threat given the party’s poor standing in opinion polls so the chances of a Labour seat in Sligo/ Leitrim would appear remote.
The last time the Labour Party won a seat in Sligo was in 1992 when Declan Bree triumphed. This was on the back of a momentum created by its then party leader, Dick Spring who was extremely popular.
It resulted in a number of surprising Labour victories around the country with the party increasing its number of seats from 15 to 33. Senator O’Keeffe was elected to the Senate in April 2011 after her General Election defeat on the Agricultural panel and became the party’s spokesperson there on agriculture.
Senator O’Keeffe has had a high profile in the past 12 months with her role on the Banking Inquiry and more locally as chair of the Yeats 2015 celebrations which attracted much media attention and resulted in a significant tourism impact in Sligo.
In the run up to the last general election she controversially promised that a ninth centre of excellence would be created at Sligo University Hospital for breast cancer services. Granted, she wasn’t elected but Labour went into Government and the undertaking wasn’t adhered to.
The former award winning journalist says her strength is that she listens to people, works hard and then gets things done. “We can build so much here and I’m prepared to do the hard work. I have a vision for a thriving North West and if people give me their trust I will work hard to deliver that vision,” she says.