Kathleen Lynch: How can I walk away from such loyalty?
Former junior minister Kathleen Lynch, who was in the mix for the fourth and final seat in Cork North Central until the final count on Sunday, said she couldn’t walk away from those who campaigned and voted for her. “They believe in Labour. How can I walk away from such loyalty? I won’t. That loyalty is inspiring. I won’t be retiring.”
Her brother-in-law, former Labour TD Ciarán Lynch and ex-chair of the banking enquiry, who lost his seat in Cork South Central, said that the current political vacuum could threaten investment and job creation.
“Politicians don’t create jobs but political stability does. It enables those who do create jobs to make decisions about investment. And that’s not the situation now.”
“My concern would be that the current uncertainty could see those considering investment here to press the pause button. The current vacuum is a serious risk to the country and the Cork region.”
Following Labour’s complete wipeout in Cork City in the 2014 local elections in which the party lost seven councillors, the double Lynch defeat now leaves the party with no political representation in Cork City.
Mr Lynch said he believes the party has no option but to go into opposition and rebuild. But he said Joan Burton’s leadership is now a matter for herself. He said he always knew it was always going to be a difficult election for Labour but when Cork South Central was reduced from five to four seats, the task was made even harder for him personally.
“It would have been easier if we stayed out of government and took the populist and opportunistic approach. But that would have been irresponsible. The country would have slipped further into crisis. We made the tough decisions to deal with the crisis the country was in. We put national interests ahead of our own party interests.
“You can determine political success in one of two ways — by continuously winning elections like Bertie Ahern did, or by leaving the country in better shape than it was when you came into office.”
His views were echoed by constituency colleague, former Fine Gael TD and chairman of the Oireachtas health committee, Jerry Buttimer, who lost his seat on Sunday morning: “Yet again, Fine Gael and Labour in government has put the country first, rescued it from the abyss and today the Irish people said no ‘thank you’. And I respect that. The Irish people have given, I think, a mandate to Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin to form a government and I think it’s time they stood up to the mark and said ‘OK, let’s take it’.”
There is also speculation that Mr Buttimer, who was elected to the Seanad in 2007, may seek another Seanad nomination.
