Leaflet to hail Labour successes, one year on

Tens of thousands of leaflets boasting about Labour’s year in power are set to pop through letter boxes — despite the party’s attack on Fine Gael for celebrating the anniversary.

Taxpayers will foot the bill for the leaflets, which are printed in Leinster House and claim credit for renegotiating the bailout deal and job creation initiatives, without mentioning coalition partners Fine Gael.

The move comes after Pat Rabbitte led attacks on a planned photo stunt in which Fine Gael ministers and senators were due to hold up placards proclaiming achievements in office.

Mr Rabbitte branded it “silly and inappropriate” and Fine Gael scrambled to cancel the photo op amid mounting criticism of the “triumphalist” move.

However, Labour intends to mark the anniversary with the leaflets due to be given to TDs next week. As deputies usually circulate 5,000 such leaflets, the 35 Labour TDs could give out 175,000 copies. A Labour spokesperson said only 20% of TDs normally take up the leaflet opportunity, but this would still see 35,000 being sent out.

Enda Kenny was left redfaced by the anniversary rumpus as he claimed to have no advance knowledge of it, though some of his TDs say it was raised as a bad idea in his presence.

Fine Gael said Labour was entitled to distribute such a leaflet.