http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YebSJmbhSQ0
Video: Michelle Hennessy at Government Buildings for TheJournal.ie
THE LABOUR PARTY has reacted with a mix of sarcasm and delight to the news that its former chairman Colm Keaveney is joining Fianna Fáil.
The Galway East TD will join the Fianna Fáil ranks today, six months after he quit the Labour Party over unhappiness with its policies in government. He had already lost the Labour whip the previous December after voting against social welfare cuts.
Keaveney was accused of ‘betraying’ Labour when he quit the party last June so it’s perhaps little surprise that many of its members have reacted positively to his decision to join the opposition Fianna Fáil.
“It must be a sign of his own desperation,” Ruairí Quinn told the media at Government Buildings today.
Asked if Labour would recover from the decision, Quinn dead-panned: “We will struggle.” (Watch the exchange in the video above).
Meanwhile, Quinn’s Cabinet colleague Pat Rabbitte took to Twitter to hail the move:
Dublin South East TD Kevin Humprheys also seemed pretty upbeat about today’s developments:
A Labour Party spokesperson declined to comment.
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