Nessa would like to see united left in Sligo
On a poor day for the party nationally, Labour’s Nessa Cosgrove was pleased with the vote she received on her first outing in a general election campaign.
The Cork-native, who lives in Cartron, contested last year’s local election in the Sligo-Strandhill area and despite not taking a seat, performed well.
Despite never figuring in the shakeup for a seat again on this occasion, Cosgrove was pleased with her showing in Sligo-Leitrim.
“I’m delighted,” she told the Sligo Champion.
“I’m thrilled I got as high as I did. I suppose I would have liked to have got more of the change vote but I’m delighted that in the smaller places around the county that I got numbers ones in boxes all over the place, so overall I’m delighted.”
Buoyed by this performance locally, Nessa said it is important for Labour going forward that they identify the areas in which they fell down during a campaign that saw them regain no real ground anywhere in the country after a disastrous showing in 2016.
“It gives me the confidence to go and there is room for an alternative voice.
“Nationally, Sinn Féin got that voice. Labour have done very badly nationally and we have to look at that as a party, what we are going to do.
“We still are associated with austerity, some of the older members that have been there for a long time are still associated with austerity and that hasn’t left but we did well in the council elections, particularly in the bigger cities we did very well so there’s a lot of new blood coming in.
“But for us personally here there are only five or six of us so we have to build that up. What we did achieve with such a small canvassing team is incredible.”
Expressing a desire to run again for the party at either local or national level, Nessa said the potential strength of the left in Sligo is hampered by divisions amongst parties and candidates.
“I think the left is quite divided in Sligo, but what I’d love to see is a United Left Alliance and I’m very vocal about that, I’d love to see it. I just think if we’re squabbling on the left there’s never going to be strong opposition.”