Social Democrats will struggle to bring supporters on board

Three respected political figures have combined to form Ireland’s first Social Democratic party but Kyran Fitzgerald wonders if they have a future.

These are strange times. A former employee of high powered consultants McKinsey joins forces with a one-time Workers’ Party activist and a long time Labour Party stalwart to establish Ireland’s first Social Democrat Party.

The new alliance brings together three respected political figures, Stephen Donnelly, Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall but have they come on board a leaky craft, or is there indeed a future for a political force that aims to combine managerial efficiency with the achievement of egalitarian goals?