Fergus Finlay appointed key adviser to Rabbitte

NEW Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has appointed Fergus Finlay to be his key adviser.

Mr Finlay worked for the party's most successful leader Dick Spring over the years 1982 to 1997 and served three governments in that period. Since he quit Labour in 1997 he has been working in public relations and will take a significant cut in income to take up the new job.

The appointment as chef de cabinet is an effort by the new leader to hire in the expertise and experience acquired by the former Labour strategist during some of the most turbulent times in Irish politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Party insiders say it is also an expression of Mr Rabbitte's determination to propel the party back to the heart of Irish public affairs.

But it will also be seen as a further attempt to head off any potential dissent arising from a so-called reverse take-over of Labour by the smaller former Democratic Left party. Mr Rabbitte, his deputy Liz McManus, and party president Proinsias de Rossa, are all former DL members.

Mr Finlay, also a columnist with The Irish Examiner, publicly supported the former deputy leader, Brendan Howlin, in the recent election which saw Mr Rabbitte win by a landslide in the first vote by the full party membership. But he also shared Mr Rabbitte's scepticism about a coalition with Fianna Fáil anytime in the near future.

Mr Finlay first went to work for Mr Spring shortly after the latter negotiated the first Fine Gael-Labour coalition in late 1982. Mr Finlay served as deputy government press spokesman. He continued working with the party leader in opposition during the years 1987 to 1992 when Mr Spring built a huge reputation battering Fianna Fáil and its leader, Charles J Haughey.

Labour won a historic 33 seats in the November 1992 general election on a wave of anti-FF sentiment. But the party controversially opted to coalesce with FF after that election and Mr Finlay returned as deputy government press spokesman. He retained this job when the party joined a new Rainbow Coalition in late 1994.

A former trade union official and personnel manager, Mr Finlay and his wife, Frieda, have four daughters and live in Dublin.