Labour’s gig but Fianna Fáil is topic of the day

IT WAS supposed to be a Labour Party gig but there wasn’t all that much about Labour’s core values or policies — instead it was all about Fianna Fáil.

There was party leader Eamon Gilmore’s belief that Micheál Martin was seeking a “general absolution” for the general failures of Fianna Fáil in Government, his assumption that “a lot of people have made up their minds about FF” and then the belief this election will be “less about individuals” and more about “the mess made by FF”.

But Eamonn is as eager as Micheál for a three way leaders’ debate though. It’s just that Enda standing in their way, not satisfied with three and wanting his way to be “five-way”.

At a press conference in Cork, Eamon appeared none too happy however at Enda’s efforts to bring all those small fry in on the debates — he clearly wants this election to be about Labour versus Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

“If you look at the British election, you had a debate between the three main parties. I didn’t see anyone saying the British National Party, UKIP and Uncle Tom Cobley and all should be participating in that debate. I have no problem with a five-way but in the interest of people who have to make up their mind, there has to be a three-way debate between the party in government and those offering to make an alternative government,” he said.

While more political polls in the coming days are likely to show FG and Labour profiting from the chaos within FF, Eamon and longstanding Cork Labour TD, Kathleen Lynch can’t even believe how former leader, Bertie is knifing his own party in the back — and they already on their backs.

“When we last left Government, we handed over a country in good order, there was a surplus for the first time in 40 years, we were creating a 1,000 jobs a week. Bertie Ahern turned it into a property bubble and blew the boom. To be honest, a long period of repentant silence is what we now need from Bertie Ahern,” he said to peels of laughter from those gathered.

Ms Lynch described Bertie as being like the “Ghost of Christmas past” — coming back to haunt his party at the worst time possible.

“I do think doing that interview just when Micheál was trying to distance himself from the past, he was like the Ghost of Christmas Past. If they could come out and shoot him, they would have. It was the last thing that party wanted: there he was telling us he didn’t know, no one told him, he wasn’t responsible and sure, he didn’t get to build his Bertie Bowl — what a huge regret!”

Cork South Central TD Ciarán Lynch said there was only one place for our former taoiseach: “If I was the head of FF’s press office, I’d be finding the key to that cupboard that he was in and he wouldn’t be out again,” he grinned.

Picture: Eamon Gilmore, leader of the Labour Party, with Kathleen Lynch and Ciarán Lynch at the Imperial Hotel, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins