PD hopeful launches unconvincing bid for power

SENATOR Fiona O’Malley gave an unconvincing performance as she launched her campaign for the PD leadership yesterday, saying she could rely on advisers for economic advice.

“One thing I would be inclined to say is that leadership isn’t about one individual, it is about the support and the talents of the organisation and, you know, one can rely on very good advisers in terms of, you know, helping the economy and on economic issues,” she said.

Ms O’Malley also claimed the party had “neglected” its members in the past, but declined to say who was responsible for that.

Nominations for the PD leadership race close today and the successor to Mary Harney will be appointed on April 16.

Ms O’Malley and her fellow senator Ciarán Cannon are the only declared candidates to date. Mr Cannon is thought to have a greater number of senior party members and councillors behind him.

Ms O’Malley made her pitch yesterday to ordinary party members, saying: “Our success in government over the last two decades has come at the expense of the party.

“We overlooked the growth and development of the party organisation. We neglected our members. We ran a parliamentary party rather than a political party,” she said.

Ms O’Malley said an over-reliance on attracting big-name candidates was a poor substitute for the cultivation of political activists from within local communities.

But she pledged to rebuild and rejuvenate the party.

She failed to retain her seat in the Dún Laoghaire constituency at the last election.

“Of course it is a setback that I lost my seat but I’m fairly confident I can surround myself with people with organisational skills who will bring this party forward,” she said.

Ms O’Malley said her father, PD founder Des, would not be writing to the party members asking them to vote for her.