Pat Rabbitte: No need to leave politics ‘feet first’

Former Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has said he would have been obligated to contest the next general election if he was not dumped out of cabinet by Tánaiste Joan Burton.

However, the Dublin South West TD said his decision not to run was not a de-facto swipe at Ms Burton for the controversial summer 2014 demotion.

At a preliminary party meeting on Monday evening before Labour’s formal candidate selection convention for the constituency later this month, Mr Rabbitte confirmed he will bow out of politics after the upcoming general election.

The move means Labour cannot bank on a seat safely held by Mr Rabbitte for 26 years, and is instead likely to run councillor Pamela Kearns with Eamon Moloney TD. Party sources dismissed claims boundary changes may see Communications Minister Alex White moved into the constituency.

Mr Rabbitte had long been rumoured to be considering the move after last year’s reshuffle, and yesterday told RTÉ programme Today with Sean O’Rourke his decision would have been different if he was not demoted.

However, he said his departure was not a swipe at Ms Burton, saying he simply does not agree with the view “people should be carried out feet first” from politics.

“My honest view would be I probably would be obligated to contest the election”, he said when asked if he would have run if still a minister.

When it was put to him the decision may look to some as “taking the hump”, Mr Rabbitte said: “I’ll be 67 when the next Dáil convenes, or as much as makes no difference, and that’s regarded as normal retirement age even today. It’s almost a year now since the cabinet reshuffle.

“Despite things I see written occasionallyI have promoted and advocated for the party consistently over the past 12 months,” he said.

Ms Burton’s decision to demote Mr Rabbitte after the disastrous May 2014 local elections is known to have caused conflict between the duo. In a recent interview Mr Rabbitte said the move was “disheartening”, adding “if you’ve been consigned to the knacker’s yard at 65, your chances probably are not enhanced by the time you’re 67 or 68”.

However, on Monday Ms Burton described her colleague as “one of the finest parliamentarians of this or any other generation”.

During the same RTÉ interview yesterday, Mr Rabbitte repeatedly defended his party’s time in government, saying people are coming around to the coalition’s recovery instead of the “scrounging around for €60” approach of Syriza, which he described as “daft”.

When asked if he is joining Newstalk, suggested earlier in the day by former presenter George Hook, Mr Rabbitte said he has nothing lined up and after stepping down “will scratch my head and look up in the sky”.