Three frontrunners for PD leadership

Three Progressive Democrat TDs have emerged as front runners to take over from Ms Harney – Liz O’Donnel, Michael McDowell and Tom Parlon.

However, the candidates could face a three-week wait to see who succeeds in the leadership race.

Nominations close on Monday next and the new leader will be elected by the votes of the college of electors comprising the parliamentary party, councillors and the national executive.

Under the party’s rules any one of the seven Dail members can run for the job. Ms Harney said she wants the new contender to be in place before the Dail returns on September 27.

Liz O’Donnell

- A law graduate, the Dublin South TD has represented the PDs in Dail Eireann since 1991 and is already the bookmakers favourite to take charge.

Her keen interest in human and women’s rights was highlighted through her work with the Women’s Political Association and a delegate to the National Women’s Council in the late 1980s.

The married mother-of-two was opposition spokeswoman on Health and Social Welfare from 1992 to 1993 and acted as Party Whip and Justice spokesman from 1993 to 1997 but it was in the following months as part of the Fianna Fail/PD coalition that she came to the fore.

Appointed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for Overseas Development Assistance and Human Rights, Ms O’Donnell represented the Irish Government at the multi-party talks at Stormont culminating in the Good Friday Agreement

Ms O’Donnell, tipped to takeover the party, put paid to Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s belief that he can stand for the leadership unopposed.

Amid allegations of a split in the party over who should be in charge in June, Ms O’Donnell insisted many PD politicians would be in the running.

In December 2002, she was awarded the Doolin Memorial Medal for her contribution to Overseas Development and Human Rights.

Michael McDowell

- A barrister by trade the no-nonsense Justice Minister has been elected TD for Dublin South-East on three occasions – 1987, 1992 and 2002.

His experience of the justice system earned him the prestigious role of Attorney General in 1997 after he was rejected by voters at the polls but refusing to be deterred by that result he fought back in 2002 to retake the seat.

Mr McDowell was made president of the PDs in February 2002 and he worked side-by-side with Ms Harney over the last four and a half years but tensions between the pair appeared to fray in June of this year when reports suggested a secret deal had been made between them allowing him to take the reigns.

Plans for such a move were dismissed by all sides, but Ms Harney’s resignation will fuel speculation that the tough-talking Justice Minister is the best man to lead the PDs through the next election.

Mr McDowell is seen as one of the toughest to hold the Justice portfolio for years, taking a tough stance on refugees, asylum seekers and supporting the referendum for Constitutional change to citizenship rules.

He is a grandson of Eoin MacNeill, co-founder Gaelic League and founder of the Irish Volunteers, who served as Minister for Finance and Education in the First and Second Dail.

Mr McDowell paid tribute to Ms Harney in her roles in Health and Enterprise ministries and said he would reflect on his role in the party.

“The most spectacularly successful employment minister in western Europe, a person who brought Ireland from a country of mass unemployment to huge employment,” he said.

“And in relation to health nobody can match the scale of the reform programme which she has piloted and I wish her every success.

Refusing to say if he would stand the minister added: “I’m reflecting on the situation today and I am making no further comment.”

Tom Parlon

- A TD for Laois-Offaly since 2002, the former farmers’ leader is charged with implementing the troubled decentralisation scheme.

Despite insisting the controversial programme will be a success, Mr Parlon has on several occasions been forced to revise his figures and admit plans to ship thousands of civil servants out of Dublin are not running as smoothly as first hoped.

Within days of securing a seat in the Dail in 2002 Mr Parlon secured a ministerial post taking charge of the Office of Public Works under the auspices of the Department of Finance.

Before entering the Dail, Parlon held a number of senior positions in the Irish Farmers Association, including Deputy-President from 1991 to 1993 and President between 1997 and 2001.

Mr Parlon said he was genuinely saddened and disappointed by Ms Harney’s departure and refused to throw his hat in the ring immediately.

When asked if he would run for the leadership, Mr Parlon said: “Certainly not this evening.

“The ideal situation is that we would come to a consensus, that we would decide on one individual party leader and move on without any rancour or division.”