Spring dynasty revival falters at first hurdle

HOPES of rekindling the Spring political dynasty took a knock when one of the family failed to get a nomination to contest next June’s European elections.

Former tánaiste Dick Spring’s nephew, Arthur, was beaten by 276 to 144 votes for the Munster nomination by Senator Alan Kelly. The votes were cast by Labour delegates at the party convention which was held at the Silver Springs Hotel, Cork.

A total of 1,346 party members in Munster were eligible to vote and a higher turn-out was expected at the convention, especially in light of intense rivalry between both candidates in days before the vote.

There was disagreement between candidates over an appeals process that added 238 people from Spring’s home county of Kerry to the list of those eligible to vote.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the party will have to appeal to voters outside its traditional base to increase its seats in next year’s local and European elections. Senator Kelly agreed with these remarks and said votes would have to be taken from both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil supporters if he was to win back the seat Labour lost in the constituency in 1985.

In his victory speech, Mr Kelly told party members he would run “the most professional campaign you have ever seen”.

Mr Gilmore said the party will hold conventions in autumn to select candidates in other constituencies.

“All four constituencies are three-seaters and three-seaters are always difficult for the Labour Party. We’re not going to confine ourselves to the vote Labour always got, we’re going to widen that. We’re going to widen the appeal of the party and we made a start on that today.”

Mr Spring, who was accompanied at the convention by his uncle, the former tánaiste and Labour leader, will contest a seat in the local elections and is expected to run in Kerry North in the next General Election.

Following his defeat, Mr Spring, 31, said the party organisation in the constituencies of South Kerry and North Kerry is “not in as good shape as they should be”, but that he will work on building that.

Mr Gilmore said he hopes the party can rebuild its Kerry support base.

“We’ve had two disappointing recent general elections in Kerry. We don’t hold a seat in Kerry and that’s something we have to put right. I think Arthur Spring will be representing the Labour Party in Dáil Éireann before very long.”

Meanwhile, former Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna and Green Party senator Deirdre de Burca are expected to go head to head to seek a nomination to run for the party in the Dublin constituency in the European elections.