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LABOUR LEADER BRENDAN Howlin’s resignation yesterday did not come as a surprise to those in political circles, but it did come sooner than expected for some in the parliamentary party.
“That has thrown the cat among the pigeons,” said one Labour politician at yesterday’s press conference, where the Wexford TD announced that after four years as leader, he was stepping aside for a “new generation”.
But who is that new generation?
When asked what members standing behind him at yesterday’s media event in Dublin might be vying for his job, Howlin joked that he hoped they wouldn’t raise their hand just yet and would give him a moment to say his goodbyes.
There are four men mooted to be in the running to be the next Labour leader.
Alan Kelly
It is no secret that Tipperary TD Alan Kelly wants to be the next leader of the party.
In November 2017, he said Labour needed to see a “dramatic change” in how its support base responded to the party.
Speaking on TV3′s The Sunday Show with Sarah McInerney, Kelly didn’t hold back, effectively giving Howlin six months, with McInerney suggesting that Kelly was putting Howlin “on notice”.
Kelly, a politician who says that Labour is in his ‘DNA’, has never been one to shy away from his ambitions to be leader.
He almost went for the top job in 2014, before calculating that he would not be in a position to beat Joan Burton, instead standing in and winning the deputy leadership contest.
Despite getting elected in 2016, Kelly didn’t enjoy the same support from his depleted cohort of Leinster House colleagues.
As Kelly then failed to get any of his fellow party members to second him for the leader of the Labour party, Brendan Howlin was elected. At the announcement in Dublin’s Royal College of Physicians, there was one notable absence in the room. Alan Kelly.
“I didn’t think it was my role that day being honest with you,” Kelly told TheJournal.ie in an interview.
Kelly, whose style hasn’t always pleased some of his party colleagues in the past, has openly said he wants to be Labour leader one day. When asked at a previous party think-in, he replied: “Yes, of course, at some time in the future.”
The Tipperary TD didn’t blink when telling this news outlet that the leadership is in his future.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition. I think actually Irish people admire self-confidence and ambition but I think that some people try to portray in a way that is begrudgery.
While there have been difficulties in the past with getting his other party colleagues on side, those issues are understood to be dealt with now, bringing the leadership one step closer for Kelly.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin is returning to the Dáil for the Dublin Bay North constituency thanks to transfers.
This follows four years in the Seanad, a place he admitted was not his first choice.
After an epic count in the RDS in 2016, lasting several days, Ó’Ríordáin lost his seat.
The former school principal has been mentioned in leadership discussions previously, having already served as a junior minister. However, his ascension to the Seanad prevented him from going for the leadership.
Now that he is back in the Dáil, there is nothing stopping him aiming for the top job in Labour.
Ged Nash
Many in the media are touting the former senator Ged Nash as the frontrunner in the Labour leader contest. Before losing his seat in 2016, Nash was a super junior minister.
He won back his Dáil seat in the Louth constituency in this election.
The Louth TD previously held a portfolio in the Department of Jobs, so this might put him on the footing to be leader.
Sean Sherlock
The former junior foreign minister previously finished second in the race for deputy leader of the party.
The Cork East TD has quiet support among members, but he has a relatively low-profile.
So, how does the party go about electing a new leader?
Howlin said he has asked the Labour Party general secretary to begin making the arrangements for the nomination process and the membership election.
Labour’s executive board will meet this Saturday to approve the arrangements for the election of a new leader.
New rules
The party’s rules around the leadership changed in recent years
The last time there was talk about the leadership, Kelly was searching for a nomination from his parliamentary colleagues.
However, despite getting elected in 2016, Kelly didn’t enjoy the same support from his depleted cohort of Leinster House colleagues.
Failing to get any of his fellow party members to second him for nomination as leader of the Labour party, Brendan Howlin was elected.
However, it is no longer the case that a TD needs to get the nomination by a member of the parliamentary Labour Party. Though it is one option, and probably the most likely one that will be used by those going forward for the race.
The rules do still stipulate that only members of Dáil Éireann are eligible for election (which means the leadership is out of reach to senators). This also rules out the only female potential leader, Senator Ivana Bacik, who was Labour’s director of elections this time around.
A candidate can be nominated in one of two ways, either with the backing of at least two members of a House of the Oireachtas or with the support of five Constituency Councils, under strict rules.
If there is more than one candidate, a poll must be held.
The Labour Party will hold hustings for the competition, with the contest set to take about eight weeks before a new leader is elected through a one member, one vote system.
As Labour’s first preference votes dropped to 4.4% in this election the new leader will face the mammoth task of restoring the party’s credibility with the electorate.
A power struggle to captain the Titanic.
@Cathal: if no tds get elected would labor consider dissolving?
@Cathal: The trough,the trough Cathal,big salarie bump for the captain ,no matter how leaky the ship is, snouts twitching for more.Kelly might actually attend work if he gets it.
Task 1: Apologise for facilitating nearly a decade of FG led government that promised fiscal responsibility but has devastated the value of assets paid for through public funds. By implementing policies to starve investment in public hospitals and social housing, education, etc FG have created huge opportunities for private profiteers while FG ministers have used public money (Rent Allowance, HSE Treatment Purchase Scheme, PPS built schools, etc) to benefit their donors and supporters who profit directly from the the poverty that has been carefully maintained during the ‘downturn’.
Task 2: Apologise for the way Labour ministers’ brazenly sneered at those who raised objections to prioritising their state funded salary, allowances, expenses, etc while basic and humane schemes like discretionary Medical Cards for sick kids were defunded. Labour in government with FG should have been red in tooth and claw, ensuring that the public policies that are essential to running a nation cohesively, included unashamedly defending a decent standard of housing, education and health for all citizens in this republic.
Task 3: Apologise for Joan Burton.
Task 4: Organise an orderly wind down of a party that used to mean something but has destroyed itself by abandoning its base.
@Donal McGrath: I regret I can only thumbs up your excellent comment once.
@Donal McGrath: Half of Labour TDs receive a part teachers salary despite not teaching. Howlin was minister for expenditure and reform yet cutbacks occurred to children’s disability yet not a cent was taken off this teacher salary.
@Donal McGrath: Jaysus..that’s an awful lot of apologies for an Irish politician… and do you want them all at once …???
@Peter McGlynn: Stick to the facts. Maybe 3 of 6 are teachers. I dont know. Frankly that’s irrelevant. If they are they may have the right to return to their post after politics if it’s a permanent post etc. No TD can draw a teaching salary, their job is reallocated on a fixed term contract for so long as is necessary. It’s debateable whether this should be allowed go on indefinitely for sure but that’s an entirely different matter to saying they’ve a salary. Also like pretty much every worker teacher’s pay was cut during Howlin’s time. Even worse a two tier payscale was created that remains to this day. And yes disability and other services were cut, we all know and hence many showed our feelings at the ballot box leading to where Labour are at now.
They’ll pick Kelly and he’ll bury them – It’s hard to serve the public when your utterly obsessed with serving yourself.
Not sure who’s more grasping and desperate, Kelly or AOR.
Alan Kelly is toxic. If Labour want to recover they should expel him. He personifies the betrayal of the electorate over The water charges and we have to deeply question if he is influenced by his brother. Perhaps labour are already too afraid of him? If he is elected leader, it will send a powerful signal to voters who will never vote for labour again.
Labour have shifted to a right wing party in the way Kelly and others tried ramming the water charges down our throats in order to prop up FG. Even in there manifesto they said there’s no money , let’s keep going the way we are.
Mr “Power is a dug”?
@David A. Murray: oops… drug
You forgot to add Coco the clown, he is the most logical choice.
Sean Sherlock has ruled himself out. He’s a TD in my local constituency and whatever about his politicals he is one sound bloke.
@Manbackonboard: they all are.its their job to be .
Best thing grass roots labour people could do is to disband labour or cause a split and distance itself from Mr “power is a drug” and the old feeble labour leaders like Burton and howlin. They need a fresh start altogether and they need to find a charasmatic real socialist to lead them
Given what the arsehat has said ‘tis easy enough to predict there will be very few Labour candidates returned at GE2020 Mark 2.
Trying to freeze out Sinn Féin from government when the people have already spoken is a sure way of making sure second, third, fourth etc preferences skip Labour.
Tired old men need to get out of the way of progress. Glad to see the back of him. The newly elected need to understand the electorate do not want the hegemonic demonic troika of ffg/rcc.
Kelly and that will surly see them disappear :-)
Alan Kelly, Joan Burton and now AOR are the very reason I stopped voting for #Labour. Toxic party who forgot there base.
ABU. Anybody But Kelly. No matter what happens in government unfortunately the likes of RTE feel they have to give each party no matter how small and unimportant they are a little snippet on the news to have their say and I for one cannot listen to Kelly every time that happens!
#Neveragain.
Alan Kelly is spineless with huge anger issues. Is this what Labour want. He’d Nash had a stronger calmness and stability to lead Labour. Kelly goes around as if the world owes him special treatment. Just look on nonverbal facial expression
Kelly is the personification of a party that has completely abandoned its core principles. 6 TDs would rapidly turn into zero at next GE.
I never saw anyone as arrogant looking as Alan Kelly
Now that they’ve no principles left to sell, they’ll have to attach themselves to one of the big three parties. It’s time the unions stopped funding the ambitions of these opportunists.
North East Cork has only 1 TD but he is worth 6 of the others
Would they be any way to Coax, Danny Healy-Rae over for 6 months to put the tractor back on de ould Road ?
The most surprising thing is there are still four of them left
aquaman would love it
The British labour party were formed to be the political voice of the unions….I wonder if the Irish labour party were formed to represent the same…if it was..they failed miserably..
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